Leigh Leopards break 50-year Challenge Cup drought

Leigh Leopards.
Photo: Photosport

Lachlan Lam landed a golden-point drop goal to give Leigh Leopards a 17-16 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers that earned them the rugby league Challenge Cup for the first time in 52 years after an extraordinarily tense Wembley final on Saturday.

After a hugely physical contest Leigh looked on course for victory going into the final minute only for Matt Parcell to dive onto a loose ball and score. The video referee requested about 30 replays of the preceding action to see if there had been a knock on but eventually ruled it a fair try.

Brad Schneider, whose golden point drop goal got Hull KR past Wigan in the semi-final, duly slotted the conversion to take the match into sudden-death extra-time. Both sides missed with drop goal attempts before Leigh worked the ball to Lam, who had earlier scored a superb try, and the latter got just enough on the ball with his left foot.

“I can’t believe it. The last try (from Hull KR) was heart-breaking. I feared the worst,” said man of the match Lam, the son of Leigh coach Adrian Lam.

“I’ve kicked a thousand field goals in training over the last month and I don’t want to say how many I’ve made.”

Leigh wore gaudy shirts with a huge Leopard head on the chest and owner Derek Beaumont told the BBC: “I’ve never been through anything as hard in my life. It was the worst game of rugby for me watching that I’ve ever experienced.

“It’s massive. I’ve got one word and it’ll mean everything to everyone connected. Serendipity. It was our time and our turn.

“Little old Leigh, we’ve come down, there’s leopard print en masse, what a feeling.”

It was a tough defeat to swallow for Hull KR, who were also seeking to break a long barren streak having won the trophy for the only time 43 years ago.

– Reuters