LEIGH Centurions will test their Super League credentials on Sunday when they go head-to-head with Wakefield Wildcats in front of the BBC cameras in the sixth round of the Challenge Cup.

Paul Rowley’s men extended their club-record unbeaten run to 24 matches last weekend with a bad-tempered 22-14 win at home to Halifax.

Their 12th straight victory of the league campaign ensured they remain two points clear at the top of the Kingstone Press Championship, in pole position for the end-of-season play-offs and a chance to compete for a place in the top tier.

Rowley is eager to see just how far they still have to go to cut it at the highest level and sees this weekend’s televised cup clash (2.15pm) as the ideal yardstick.

"This week form goes out of the window, it's a cup competition, we are all even,” said Rowley, as his side prepare to travel to Wakefield with their opponents languishing at the foot of the Super League with just four points from 13 matches.

But despite seeing off Salford Red Devils in the last round the Centurions boss is taking nothing for granted.

"We are playing against a team that consistently plays in a higher, tougher environment than us," he added.

"We are underdogs but you can't get any closer than the top of our league and the bottom of theirs.

"We will see on Sunday how big a gap that actually is.”

Rowley says he and his players are up for the challenge and believes the trip to Belle Vue will provide a useful learning curve.

"We have full respect for Wakefield,” he said.

"When you have players like Tim Smith and Ali Lauitiiti in your side, that's an embarrassment of riches.

"They play some wonderful rugby.

"Probably, as their coach James Webster has eluded, they maybe don't do it for the full 80 minutes.

"That's the difference between Championship and Super League; the consequences for not playing for the full 80 in Super League are a lot harsher than in Championship.

"We need to improve on those areas to compete because Wakefield are a side that never go away. It's going to be a real tough game for us."

The testing trip comes on the back of a bruising encounter at home to Halifax, which was marred by a late brawl that saw both sides finish the game with only 10 men.

Leigh centre Tom Armstrong was red carded after appearing to headbutt Halfiax’s James Saltonstall. Centurions back-rower Kurt Haggerty was then penalised for punching Mitch Cahalane, sparking a lengthy brawl.

In the aftermath, Cahalane and Haggerty were sin binned, with Leigh’s Jamie Acton and Fax pair Steve Tyrer and Andy Bracek all being sent off.

Opposition coach Richard Marshall questioned the Centurions’ disciplinary record after the match, saying: “The last couple of games I watched they’ve had people sin-binned. I think it detracts from what they do, because they are a quality team.”

But Rowley was quick to defend his team.

"There is no discipline problem," he said.

"Other than the Bradford game and the last two, Dewsbury and Halifax, we average 6.5 penalties a game, so not only have we not got a discipline problem, we have an excellent disciplinary record.

"What I will say is that the same two fixtures – Dewsbury and Halifax – brought problems last year.

"We are the champions and teams want to find a way to unsettle us.

“We've sent three different videos of that brawl into match officials because we are confident that we'll come out better for it.”