Super League: Leigh Leopards 20-12 St Helens - Leigh fight back to beat champions

Zak Hardaker joined Leigh aft appearing for Leeds successful the Rhinos' Grand Final nonaccomplishment to St Helens past season

Leigh Leopards rallied from 12-0 down to people 4 tries and bushed St Helens.

The crippled turned erstwhile Saints prop Matty Lees was sin-binned for a swinging limb successful a tackle and Leigh instantly scored done winger Tom Briscoe.

They utilized their antheral vantage again to nonstop centre Zak Hardaker implicit to instrumentality the lead, earlier a grubber footwear fell for Joe Shorrocks to seal victory.

Leigh's 2nd triumph of the play required a singular comeback, the Leopards having trailed by 12 points astatine half-time.

Saints opened the scoring arsenic Lomax kicked to the close corner, Tommy Makinson roseate highest and knocked the shot backmost for Lomax who twisted and touched down.

Bennison past went implicit for his archetypal effort of the caller play but Leigh, who had threatened successful the archetypal half, responded aft the interruption with Charnley taking a agelong walk to people successful the corner.

With Lees disconnected the tract and Saints down to 12 players, the location broadside seized their chance.

A footwear to the close country fell for Briscoe to get them close backmost successful the game, and they rapidly went up arsenic Hardaker stepped wrong and past immoderate mediocre tackling to people earlier adding the extras with his boot.

And with clip moving down, a grubber footwear was not dealt with by Saints and second-row Shorrocks - who is connected indebtedness astatine Leigh from St Helens' long-time rivals Wigan - pounced to seal victory.

St Helens caput manager Paul Wellens told BBC Radio Merseyside:

"I deliberation determination was a deficiency of composure and discipline. At the commencement of the crippled determination were improvements but we fell into that trap again and it's a acquisition we've got to larn quickly.

"The sin-bin is surely a large infinitesimal successful the lucifer and erstwhile you play the crippled connected the borderline similar Matty and you get 1 somewhat wrong, you wage the price."

Leigh: O'Brien; Briscoe, Hardaker, Leutele, Charnley; Reynolds, Lam; Amone, Davis, Mulhern, Shorrocks, O'Donnell, Asiata.

Interchanges: Nakubuwai, Seumanufagai, Chamberlain, Ipape.

St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Davies, Percival, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; Pa'asi, Roby, Lees, Royle, Bell, Knowles.

Interchanges: Walmsley, Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Wingfield.

Referee: Aaron Moore

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