Leigh enhance play-offs bid with thumping victory over Warrington

Tries: Niu (6), Armstrong (17), Ipape (45), Hanley (59) Conversions: Cook (7,60) Penalties: Cook (12,24) Tries: Sneyd (78) Conversions: Irwin (78) Leigh vs Warrington Super League 5:30pm Saturday 4th July Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Leigh Leopards bolstered their hopes of making the Betfred Super League play-offs after David Armstrong led them to a dominant 24-6 victory against Warrington Wolves during Magic Weekend. Warrington looked a shade of their usual selves at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Sam Burgess' side managing only one score, a breakaway try from Marc Sneyd in the final two minutes of the game. Other than that, there was little to celebrate for the Wolves, who were outclassed by their opponents in the first half, but head coach Sam Burgess said he was proud of his team for continuing to fight. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "The start was tough, we got on the wrong side of the error and penalty count early," Burgess said. "I am proud of them for hanging in. Leigh are a challenging team with a lot of great players. We will dust ourselves off and go again next week." Leigh started strongly, battering the Warrington defence back to their try line, before Tesi Niu bulldozed his way over for his fourth try of the season. It was not long before they had another, with Umyla Hanley offloading to Armstrong, the player of the match, who zipped his way upfield away from a chasing pack of Wolves players to score a breakaway try. The first half continued in the same fashion. While Leigh were not prolific in their scoring, Warrington did not offer much going forward, with the half-time stats proving damning. Leigh took 61 per cent of possession heading into the break and had made 180 more metres than their opponents. After returning to the field, Warrington looked somewhat galvanised, but they continued to make mistakes, and Leigh made them pay for not taking their chances. Perhaps their best opportunity of the second half came not long after half-time, with the Wolves working through their sets, before Sneyd scuffed a kick over the top to Leigh's Adam Cook. Ruthlessly, the Leopards then turned defence into attack, with Edwin Ipape using his strength to crash over the Wolves' tryline from dummy half for his side's third try. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Things went from bad to worse for Warrington, with Sam Powell being sent to the sin-bin for a hip-drop tackle on try-scorer Niu. Powell had wrapped his legs around Niu, who fell in an awkward position, extending his leg at an uncomfortable angle, and was replaced by Gareth O'Brien. Leigh fans will fear the worst, with Niu seen sitting in the dugout with ice on his knee after. With a man down, the Wolves struggled to keep pace with the Leigh attackers, with Cook popping a short ball off to Hanley, who cut a sensational line through the Wolves defence and strode home for their fourth try of the match. "It was a great performance," Leigh Leopards' head coach Adrian Lam told Sky Sports. "I thought we were pretty physical the whole time. "It was nice to beat a top-six team. We needed a win like that. I am just grateful." Leigh, who sit in seventh place in the Super League standings, are now just two points shy of Hull KR, Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Wakefield Trinity, all on 22 points, as they continue their charge to make the top six. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+.