Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam was again left frustrated with the ‘six again’ rule after his side’s defeat to Warrington Wolves.
Leigh travelled to the Halliwell Jones Stadium but came back empty-handed, after a 42-6 defeat saw them sink to bottom of the league table.
Adam Cook scored the Leopards’ only try, as the club’s mounting injury list took it’s toll on the side yet again.
Whilst the amount of players sidelined certainly played a part, the PNG man refused to use that as an excuse, saying there was still enough quality out on the field to at least put in a better performance.
“[It was] tough to watch, really,” Lam said post-match. “We just missed the jump from the start of the game. We had a couple of late changes at training yesterday at the the captain’s run. Then Tesi, this morning, pulled out.
“That upset the confidence, I think. That was reflected in the way that we started. First set, I think they scored off the back of that. And it just went sideways from there.”
Wolves winger Josh Smith crossed in the second minute in one of four first-half tries for Warrington.
Lam’s side never really got going in the game, and with just 40% of the overall possession, they were left second best on an afternoon that saw Warrington re-gain top spot in Super League.
One key part of the game that has left the Leigh boss unhappy all through the start of the campaign is the ‘six again’ ruling. The increase in ruck speed this season has seen teams able to take control of a game more easily, and that momentum is what Lam believes ultimately caused the outcome of Saturday’s game.
The boss explained: “The way the game is at the moment, momentum is key, isn’t it? “If you get one of those or two of those [six agains]… We had a sin-bin last week as well thrown in amongst all of that. It was like touch rugby. I just like the game better when there’s none of that.
“No penalties or six agains or anything like that. I think we need to get back to that as soon as possible, but that’s not the way it is at the moment.
“We’re in a position now where I feel like we’re just jumping off [tackles], afraid of giving one of those away to get under the pump. It’s affected the way that we’ve defended this year for sure.”
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