Leigh Leopards defeated St Helens 48-10 to end the Saints’ chance of making the Super League play-offs and bring a 64-year run of consecutive play-off finishes to a close.
The result ends a sequence of 64 years in which St Helens had finished in the play-offs.
Leigh, who entered the match as top-four hopefuls after defeat to Huddersfield in their previous game, scored eight tries in a commanding display. They crossed four times in each half, while Umyla Hanley scored two tries.
St Helens were still within reach when a controversial try was awarded in Leigh’s favour. The Saints were 12-10 down at the time, and the score moved to 18-10 after the try.
On the replay, Leigh half-back Adam Cook had obstructed Saints youngster Matty Evans in the build-up to the Hanley try. The obstruction went unpunished, and interim St Helens boss Eamon O’Carroll was fuming after the decision.
The moment came at a point when the contest remained competitive. Leigh then went on to complete a 48-10 victory, with their eight tries underlining the scale of their control across both halves.
St Helens also faced a severe injury toll, with 17 players unavailable. The brief does not give details of those injuries, though their absence formed the backdrop to a result that ends the club’s long-standing place in the play-offs.
For Leigh, the win kept the focus on their top-four ambitions. For St Helens, it confirmed the end of a 64-year record of consecutive play-off finishes.
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