HAT-TRICK man Krisnan Inu plundered 30 points as Leigh roared back to the Championship summit with an 11-try, 64-0 humbling of outclassed London Broncos.
Adrian Lam’s side’s ninth win in 10 games lifted them one point ahead of Featherstone who visit Bradford Bulls on Monday night.
Leigh’s latest points difference boosting success also brought a record high league score against the Londoners and extended their unbeaten home run over their visitors to 18 matches.
Inu, with eye catching purple hair, was a standout as one of eight different try scorers, touching down three times in 17 second half minutes and landing nine goals from 10 attempts.
For a second successive home match Leigh also shut out the opposition but far sterner tests await than offered by the 2018 Million Pound Game winners.
Winless Broncos showed competitiveness in a number of outings losing by only two against Bradford and York and holding Barrow to a draw.
But it proved a long afternoon when Centurions scored with their first attack; Joe Mellor providing the off load for Aaron Smith to dive over for the first of the hooker’s two tries.
Inu, who converted all six kicks at Widnes on Good Friday, added his opening goal.
Welsh World Cup hopeful Caleb Aekins turned defence into attack with devastating effect after seven minutes.
Tom Nisbet collected Oliver Leyland’s last tackle kick on his own 10 metres line, slipped out a pass and Aekins, reminiscent of his long distance try against Widnes in the Challenge Cup, did the rest.
London’s defence was exposed again after 12 minutes.
Ata Hingano’s angled kick did the damage and Nene Macdonald, despite troubled by an ankle issue, followed up his own grubber to register his 10th Championship try of 2022.
It was virtually his last action of the game as his injury saw him make way for Luis Roberts after Nisbet’s scything run for try number four after 16 minutes. Inu’s brace of conversions stretched the home lead to 24-0.
Captain Joe Mellor bagged try number five before one-time Leigh loanee Lewis Bienek was fractions away from reaching over for a Broncos’ try after 28 minutes.
Kai O’Donnell’s home debut touchdown after 37 minutes was well received by the North Standers as Centurions reached the break 36-0 ahead.
Leigh resumed with 12-men; Inu’s high tackle on winger Paul Ulberg after the interval hooter deemed a yellow card by referee Liam Moore.
But it didn’t stem the flood of points as Smith scampered over for his second try after 43 minutes.
With Inu still side-lined, Ed Chamberlain added his team’s seventh goal.
Ben Reynolds, back in action after missing the last two games, announced his return with a solo score after 55 minutes. Inu goaled to push the lead out to 48-0.
Reynolds’ superb cut out pass brought a walk-in try for Inu going into the final quarter who maintained his 100 percent success rate with a fine touchline goal.
The same combination led to Leigh’s 10th try nine minutes from time.
And while Inu failed for the only time from the tee, he completed his treble and added the goal after 77 minutes.
Leigh: Aekins; Inu, Macdonald, Chamberlain, Brand; Hingano, Mellor; Sidlow, Smith, Amone, Nisbet, Stone, Asiata; substitutes: Jones, O’Donnell, Roberts, Reynolds.
Tries: Smith (3, 43), Aekins (7), Macdonald (12), Nisbet (16), Mellor (24), O’Donnell (37), Reynolds (55), Inu (60, 72, 77).
Goals: Inu 9/10, Chamberlain 1/1.
Broncos: Walker; Ulberg, Grant, Moceidreke, Macani; Leyland, Chisholm; Foster, Gahan, Lovell, Palumbo, Williams, Parata; substitutes: Oakley, Latu, Bienek, Albert.
All pictures: Richard Walker
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