Leeds ended a tumultuous week on a high as a brace of early tries from Brodie Croft paved the way for an 18-10 Betfred Super League win over Leigh on a night when their talismanic former scrum-half Rob Burrow was the centre of attention.

After almost two hours of pre-match tributes to Burrow, who died earlier this month following a four-and-a-half-year battle with motor neurone disease, Croft summoned two solo efforts of which Burrow himself would have been proud.

And the 17,535 crowd - Leeds' biggest for a standalone game since 2015 - were treated to the sight of the number seven shirt worn with such aplomb by Burrow streaking over under the Headingley posts once more when Alfie Edgell sent Matt Frawley through 10 minutes after the break.

Visibly tiring, an injury-ravaged Leeds line-up, shorn of the likes of Ash Handley and Harry Newman, required all the tenacity they could muster to cling onto their lead as late tries from the excellent Matt Moylan and Edwin Ipape helped the visitors claw their way back within touching distance.

But the hosts held firm to wrap up a remarkable week that saw the exit of head coach Rohan Smith, for whom a dismal 18-10 defeat at Hull FC last Saturday proved one poor performance too many.

With Burrow's name and number painted in the middle of the Headingley pitch and over 80 former players watching on, Leeds rose to the occasion and former Man of Steel Croft was key to delivering the win the home fans so desperately wanted.

With 10 minutes on the clock, Croft spotted a gap in the Leigh defence and twisted through in a manner that briefly evoked Burrow's brilliant 2011 Grand Final try before finger-tipping the ball on the line and paying tribute to Burrow by making a 'seven' figure with his hands.

Leigh had arrived in West Yorkshire on the back of a stirring 10-2 win at Catalans Dragons but were struggling to regain the same level of intensity that they showed in the south of France, and dropped a great chance to level after 15 minutes when Josh Charnley mis-handled a clear try-scoring chance on the wing.

Moylan, at the centre of everything for the visitors, set up both Charnley and Ricky Leutele in quick succession but both were held up by a resolute rearguard, and Croft extended the Rhinos' lead just before the half-hour mark when he blazed 80 metres to touch down after a mistake by Tom Amone.

Once again desperate Leeds defending kept Leigh at bay as James McDonnell's leg prevented Frankie Halton from grounding, before Rhyse Martin wrapped up a near-perfect first period by booting the Rhinos 12 points clear.

Leigh pummelled the Leeds line from the start of the second half, and the persistent Leutele was held up again, this time by the combined force of Paul Momirovski and Lachie Miller.

But against the run of play, the moment Rhinos fans craved arrived on 50 minutes when Edgell's neat-off load sent Frawley over to roars of acclaim, before Martin duly extended his side's lead to 18.

The superb Moylan grabbed Leigh's first points on the hour mark and Ipape was allowed to dart under the posts too easily with 12 minutes on the clock. Moylan's conversion brought up double figures but Leeds were not to be denied.