BULLS 6 LEIGH 56

THE gulf in class between the top of the Championship and the rest was brutally in evidence at Odsal.

Leigh, a Super League club in waiting, steamrollered the Bulls on the way to cementing their place on top of the pile with a 10-try onslaught.

Leigh weren’t necessarily all that clinical, with some loose moments in their play, but they just simply overwhelmed their hosts.

It was a painful outcome for interim boss Mark Dunning after CEO Jason Hirst revealed that an announcement on the coaching position is “imminent”. There was never a hint of an upset win to strengthen his own chances.

Josh Charnley, Super League’s all-time third highest try scorer, was not named by Leigh having signed this week from Warrington.

But the away ranks still oozed quality with the likes of international stars Blake Ferguson and Krisnan Inu.

Dunning had joked beforehand that Adrian Lam might struggle to fit Charnley, who trained for the first time on Wednesday, into his side – some selection headache to face.

That summed up the size of the task facing the Bulls, who at least went into the contest with spirits lifted by a season-highest win over Dewsbury.

But the Centurions were a very different opponent arriving at Odsal on a 14-match league winning run.

The absence of Matty Dawson-Jones was off-set by the return of Aaron Murphy from his knee injury after two months out. He last featured in John Kear’s final game against Featherstone in April.

There was another very late change when Chester Butler was pulled out ahead of kick-off after complaining of shooting pains in the back of his leg during the warm-up and replaced in the 17 by Joe Burton. Samy Kibula was drafted into the second row.

But it was a familiar scenario as Leigh needed less than three minutes to open their account after Bulls knocked on in their opening set. Former Bull Adam Sidlow’s short pass sent in John Asiata unopposed under the posts.

Leigh lost center Ed Chamberlain, the Challenge Cup match-winner here in March, to an early injury. But that did not affect their momentum and they continued to pressure the Bulls line.

The strong start was rewarded with a second try on 10 minutes as Tom Amone held off two would-be tacklers to plough in from close range.

Ferguson landed heavily trying to reel in Joe Mellor’s kick to the corner. But the Bulls remained under the cosh and Leigh ran in a third try in 18 minutes – hooker Aaron Smith going in, like the others, from a couple of metres out.

The game was a quarter gone before the Bulls finally got the ball in hand in Leigh territory.

Ant Walker’s arrival from the bench threatened to shake things up as he forced a goalline drop-out. But Thomas Doyle lost the ball as he stretched to go over from the resulting possession – and Leigh launched into a devastating counter through Ferguson.

The Aussie raced from one end to the other and with the Bulls desperately back-pedalling, Leigh spread the ball wide for Inu to score with ease in the corner.

The half-time hooter brought some brief respite from the onslaught as the Bulls struggled to lay a glove on their dominant visitors. The damage could have been even heavier but for several Leigh handling errors.

Leigh’s miserly defence – they had conceded only 136 points in the previous 16 outings – staved off an early Bulls push after the restart.

And normal service resumed as Asiata powered over for his second try on 49 minutes after fooling the defence with an outrageous dummy.

The Bulls finally got on the scoreboard when top scorer Kieran Gill scooped up Kibula’s kick in behind to run in and briefly lift the home mood.

It did not last long as Leigh marched to the other end to claim their sixth try of the afternoon through Kai O’Donnell – and he quickly followed up with another that he took in at full pace.

Leigh threw on the giant Ben Nakubuwai from the bench as they hunted for more and Inu bagged his second try from another free-flowing move.

There was a lengthy break in play after O’Donnell went down with what looked a serious neck injury and had to be helped off the pitch on a stretcher.

But the delay had no effect on Leigh as Edwin Ipape ran in their ninth try – with Inu’s goal bringing up the half century.

The New Zealander then flew above David Foggin-Johnston to claim a high ball for his hat-trick before nailing the touchline conversion. That put an emphatic finish on a dominant display.

BULLS: Kear; Foggin-Johnston, Murphy, Gill, Millar; Patton, Lilley; Scurr, Doyle, Crossley, Kibula, Wallace, Hallas. Interchange: Flanagan, Baldwinson, Burton, Walker.

LEIGH: Aekins; Ferguson, Chamberlain, MacDonald, Inu; Reynolds, Mellor; Sidlow, Smith, Amone, Wardle, Stone, Asiata. Interchange: O’Donnell, McDonnell, Nakubuwait, Ipape.

BULLS MAN OF THE MATCH: Samy Kibula.