Leight start Super League season with a win

Leigh Leopards 26 - 14 Leeds Rhinos

Leigh Leopards made a confident start to their Super League campaign with an accomplished five-try victory over Leeds Rhinos.

Author | Steve W

Stadium | Leigh Sports Village

Adrian Lam’s side asserted control in a meeting between last season’s third- and fourth-placed finishers, with first-half tries from Innes Senior and the influential Edwin Ipape giving Leigh a 10-2 lead at the interval.

Tempers simmered throughout a fractious contest in which Leeds centre Harry Newman alleged he had been the victim of an eye gouge. The Rhinos briefly threatened a revival after the break when prop Cooper Jenkins responded following tries from Jack Hughes and Matt Davis.

Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished when Lachlan Lam crossed to secure a convincing win, ending Leigh’s run of four successive defeats against Leeds. A late try from Brodie Croft offered the visitors scant consolation.

Best reaction

Leigh fan Gary Dowes posted on his Instagram: “Rugby league is back with a bang. A Great night's work from the Leopards”

Daniel Melling added: “The Mighty Leythers are back. Top start to the 2026 season.”

Leigh coach Adrian Lam said the following to BBC Radio Manchester

"First home game, with a few new faces in our team, so it was important that we won in front of our own fans in a sold-out stadium.

"The game went in patches depending on how the referee refereed the game, and I'm not a fan of it. There were too many stoppages and I didn't really need to make any changes in the game because we had time-outs, and checking decisions, and six-agains. Just frustrating, but they can influence the outcome quite easily.”