JUKES IN REF RAGE
Fury over late Lunt try
NEIL JUKES laid into referee Jack Smith after seeing Leigh’s Super League survival hopes take a massive hit.
Championship side Rovers snatched the points with a dramatic 75th-minute try from Shaun Lunt (below).
But Jukes was furious that Smith did not refer it to the video official to see whether Lunt had knocked-on before twisting his way over.
He said: “I will have to watch my mouth. In a game of that magnitude you cannot get those things wrong.”
The defeat leaves Leigh with an uphill battle to clinch a top-three spot to avoid the dreaded Million Pound relegation game.
They face Catalans away next, then Widnes and Warrington, but Jukes said: “It has not made it impossible.
“It has just added more pressure on the next few games. We will just have to brush ourselves down and get ourselves back up.”
Leigh won promotion through the Middle 8s last year while Rovers dropped out of the top flight after they lost the Million Pound Game. They want to bounce back at the first attempt and this victory – with games against Championship outfits London and Featherstone coming next – gives them a great chance.
Coach Tim Sheens said: “It is another foot in the door, it was a great effort and another step in the right direction. “We will enjoy it but it will mean nothing if we do not come out next week.”
Lunt – who Sheens admits got lucky – also scored their first touchdown in the first half.
That followed a try for Leigh half-back Daniel Mortimer and the home side led 8-6 at the break with two Josh Drinkwater goals. Ryan Shaw scored a beauty to put Rovers in front but Atelea Vea wrestled it back only for Lunt to come up with his killer.