Papua New Guinea is the only country in the world where rugby league is considered to be the national sport. Nearly 14,000 miles away in the game’s British heartland, two of its most famous sons are on the verge of helping Leigh Leopards achieve Betfred Super League history.
Head coach Adrian Lam, perhaps the only rugby league player ever to be immortalised in a line of one-armed bandits which carried his ‘Kumul Kid’ nickname, and hooker Edwin Ipape have both played significant parts in the rise of the Leopards over the past three seasons.
Having already earned a first Challenge Cup triumph for over half a century last year, Leigh are just 80 minutes away from a maiden Super League Grand Final appearance and the chance of claiming a first top-flight title since 1982, thanks in no small part to their Papua New Guinean influence.
“Our coach says you have to put yourself in the picture and compete for 80 minutes, and I think that’s what we do,” Ipape told Sky Sports on what has been behind the Leopards’ run after last Friday’s thrilling play-off eliminator win away to Salford Red Devils.
“If you put yourself in a better position, you might end up with a lucky break or a lucky try.
“I think it’s just the competitive edge me and the boys go out on the field with, and the drive to do well for the team and to do well for yourself for the betterment of the team.”
That 14-6 victory over Salford marked the second match in a row Ipape picked up the player of the match award, having starred as Leigh secured a vital 18-12 victory at home to St Helens in the final round of the regular season which made certain of their place in the play-offs.
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Edwin Ipape’s break and pass sent Gareth O’Brien over to extend Leigh Leopards’ lead against Salford Red Devils in their Super League play-off eliminator
The 25-year-old’s break and stunning cut-out pass set up Gareth O’Brien for the Leopards’ second try against Salford and then made victory all but certain when he burst through a gap to finish for a score of his own.
Signed from PNG Hunters ahead of the 2022 season, when Leigh won promotion from the Betfred Championship and claimed the 1895 Cup as well, Ipape’s performances for the Leopards have underlined why he has attained national hero status in Papua New Guinea.
It is something which is acknowledged by his team-mates too, with Lachlan Lam, the Australia-born son of the Leopards’ head coach who chose to follow in his father’s footsteps by representing Papua New Guinea, marvelling at Ipape’s all-round game.
“I think he’s been that for Papua New Guinea for a long time,” Lam told Sky Sports.
“He does stuff that full-backs do and centres do, and then he’ll hit someone like a front row.
“He’s a hybrid – he’s a freak. We love Edwin and you can see why we do.”
At the helm of the team is Lam senior, who starred in Super League as a player seven miles away from Leigh Sports Village with Wigan Warriors and is now trying to mastermind a gameplan to beat the defending champions in Saturday’s play-off semi-final, live on Sky Sports.
The 54-year-old former half-back already has experience of guiding a team to a Grand Final appearance, having done so when in charge of Wigan during the Covid-19 affected 2020 season where they were edged out 8-4 by St Helens.
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Edwin Ipape made it three tries for Leigh Leopards against Salford Red Devils to extend their lead in Friday’s Betfred Super League play-off eliminator
It has not been easy this year though, with injuries to key players affecting the Leopards during the early part of the campaign and the team having effectively been playing knock-out rugby for the second half of the season.
“You’ve just got to stick to your processes and keep the group believing in each other,” Lam told Sky Sports when asked how Leigh have been able to overcome those challenges to make the play-offs for the second year in a row.
“We had a lot of injuries and that was well documented, but I think the power of the leadership group has certainly assisted with keeping everyone grounded.
“Had we lost another game in that second half of the season we wouldn’t have been here, so I think they’re drawing on that a little bit. We need to be emotionally connected in these big games.
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Adrian Lam believes Leigh Leopards have to ‘enjoy the moment’ after their victory over the Salford Red Devils in the first Super League play-off eliminator
“As a club, we’re heading in the right direction and that’s all we can ask.”
A big motivating factor for Leigh beyond trying to become only the fifth team to claim Super League Grand Final glory is the fact they have 10 players departing at the end of the season, including some who have made huge contributions to their recent success.
Zak Hardaker, Oliver Holmes and John Asiata are leaving for Super League rivals Hull FC, while Tom Amone and Kai O’Donnell are heading back to the NRL with Canterbury Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys respectively.
Livewire centre Ricky Leutele, plus fringe quartet Jacob Jones, Jacob Gannon, Tom Nisbet and Lewis Baxter are all bidding farewell too, and the fact this is the last dance for a squad which has achieved so much in a short space of time increases that desire to sign off in style.
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Edwin Ipape praised his Leigh Leopards team-mates after his player of the match performance against Salford Red Devils in the Super League play-offs
“We’ve had this squad for two or three years now and it means a lot for us,” Ipape said. “Some of the guys have come from overseas and we’ve built a family and culture in this team.
“It’s kept us close together and it’s sad some of the boys will be leaving us, but that’s rugby league and it’s the world we live in.
“That last dance mentality has been a motivation and a driver for this group in this short space of time.
“Every opportunity we get, we play and we leave everything out there, and whether we fall short or get out then we go out on our own terms.”
Super League play-off semi-finals on Sky Sports
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