North Wales Crusaders v Leigh Leopards, 7th February 2026, Challenge Cup Round 3

 

Competitive Rugby League is back! First things first, I was almost right about the match day squad. Leopards are Massive: Bring Yer Boots (You Might Get a Game). Will Brough was not included, and Ryan Brown was added due to the need to add forwards. Ben McNamara stepped down to 18th man with Gaz O'Brien entering the fray as the replacement dummy half to give Edward Ipape a rest.

A review of the backs, Bailey Hodgson was strong on carries, Tesi Niu was very quiet, but Josh Charnley was busy and collected a brace of tries. Keenan Brand, however, seems to have let last season's performances get to his head. He needs to knuckle down and complete the basics; at least he didn't get sin-binned this week. 

At half-back, Adam Cook and Lockie Lam are still working on combinations, but the new secret weapon in the Leopards' armoury is the left boot of Cooky. Standard end of sets are producing towering kicks into the corner, with plenty of time for the advancing players to get into position. There is still a reluctance to challenge for the ball, preferring to play the percentages and nail the catcher before he can start to move. A booming 30-10 kick from Cook was the highlight of his night, but his goal kicking will be the most important thing that he brings to the Leopards this season.  Lockie was much more fluid, but it took at least 20 minutes to find his feet. A brace of tries topped off a solid performance.

Forwards, a 20 minute stint from both Robbie Mulhern and Owen Trout, with more minutes in the legs,  both should be fully fit for a Super League opener next week. The second row both played 80 minutes, with Jacob Alick putting in a stint and looking a little more assured as the starting player he is supposed to be. Frankie Halton ran hard all night, but dropped at least one on the night; it was a good stint.

The reserve props Nathan Wilde and Ryan Brown (the Bash Brothers) played long minutes, with some good aspects; both might be ready for appearances on the bench in the coming weeks. The pick of the subs goes to Andrew Badrock, and if the BBC are correct, he scored a wonder try at the end, with incredible balance and perseverance. Gaz O'Brien offered good distribution from dummy half, but looked far more comfortable when moved to full-back for the last 10 minutes.

Rumours of a sell-out at the Eirias Stadium, appear to have been very wide of the mark. The travelling army of Leopards fans had a good evening on the coast, without too much jeopardy. Any signs of a banana skin were soon allayed, with Leigh firmly encamped in the Crusaders' red zone.

Adrian Lam, in the post-match interview, stated, "I couldn't have hoped for any more." 

Highlights | North Wales Crusaders vs Leigh Leopards | Challenge Cup