Leigh Centurions 16 Hull KR 20

LEIGH'S Super League survival bid has suddenly become that much tougher after former Grand Final winner Shaun Lunt produced a match-clinching two-try display for Championship side Hull KR, writes Trevor Baxter.

And it has the potential to become even trickier in the next month with games against top-flight rivals Catalans Dragons, Widnes Vikings and Warrington Wolves.

Even Robins boss Tim Sheens admitted his side got lucky with Lunt’s vital late touchdown that should have been disallowed for a play-the-ball infringement.

But Leigh, outscored 3-2 in tries, shouldn’t have been in a position to need a referee’s call to win a home game against second-tier opposition.

Centurions seemingly had the game won when Atelea Vea crashed over 13 minutes from time and Josh Drinkwater’s conversion off an upright gave them a 16-14 advantage.

Instead, Rovers hit back through ex-Huddersfield and Leeds hooker Lunt and survived a hairy last minute as Leigh tried to prosper from two basic individual errors.

“It’s a tough competition and I know exactly what it is about,” said Leigh head coach Neil Jukes.

“The first year we failed miserably in it. The second year we did really well in it.

“It’s not made it impossible but it has added pressure on the next two games.

“They are cup finals and it’s about not giving inches away. On another day if we have that mentality and get ourselves back up for it, which we didn’t do in year one, we give ourselves a chance at Catalans.

“It was a big game and you can’t get some things wrong that the officials did if I am being brutally honest. I am accountable and everyone else should be.

“In the build-up to the try there is a clear knock-on but he (referee Jack Smith) gives a ball steal and then goes to the screen and 100 per cent, they haven’t played the ball correctly.

“In a game of that magnitude you can’t get those things wrong. Ultimately it was a game of inches and I’ll end up talking about some of the things I don’t want to do.

“You just have to say the polite things so you don’t get fined because I don’t have that much money.”

For a second successive week Daniel Mortimer scored the game’s first try with Drinkwater’s conversion making it 6-0.

Lunt’s opening touchdown and the first of Jamie Ellis’ four goals brought it back to 6-6 only for Drinkwater to land a penalty before the break.

Another ‘Drinky’ penalty increased Leigh’s lead to 10-6 before Ellis’ kick saw Ryan Shaw out-jump the home defence to push Rovers in front on the hour.

Ellis added a conversion and 64th minute penalty to make it 14-10.

Leigh’s response was excellent with Vea scoring a converted try to regain the advantage for a third time.

Then came Lunt’s controversial score. Ellis goaled and Hull KR clung on for a second successive Middle 8s victory.

Match stats:

Leigh: McNally; Dawson, Fleming, Langi, Higson; Mortimer, Drinkwater; Hansen, Higham, Maria, Vea, Paterson, Burr; substitutes: Hood, Richards, Tickle, Stewart.

Tries: Mortimer (12), Vea (67).

Goals: Drinkwater 4/4.

Hull KR: Moss; Carney, Blair, Heffernan, Shaw, Marsh, Ellis; Scruton, Lawler, Jewitt, Addy, Clarkson, Kavanagh; substitutes: Lunt, Greenwood, Atkin, Masoe.

Tries: Lunt (29, 75), Shaw (59)

Goals: Ellis 4/4

Half time: 8-6

Referee: Jack Smith

Attendance: 5,335