JACK Hughes knows what it feels like to be in a team bound for glory and the back row is sensing a similar feeling at Leigh Leopards.
The Leopards are riding high in thr Betfred Super League with eight games of the regular season remaining, moving back up to third in the table following Thursday’s 16-4 win away to St Helens in the Round 19 opener.
Hughes already tasted Betfred Challenge Cup glory with Leigh in 2023, but Adrian Lam’s side are now turning their sights towards a first top-division title since 1982 and the 33-year-old believes it is comparable to other successful sides he has been involved with.
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For the first time since 1982, @LeighLeopardsRL have triumphed in St Helens, against @Saints1890! 🐆#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/dU0pITndMn
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) July 17, 2025
“It’s definitely up there,” Hughes, a grand final winner with Wigan Warriors in 2013, told BBC Five Live Sports Extra.
“We had a bit of silverware and success a couple of years back with the Challenge Cup, but the journey we’re on and the process is really enjoyable.
“It’s up there with some of the other teams I’ve had some good times with, definitely.”
Leigh’s first win away to St Helens in 43 years saw them close to within a point of local rivals Wigan in second, amid a three-game run which has also seen them defeat leaders Hull KR.
Two second-half tries from Joe Ofahengaue got the Leopards over the line at the Totally Wicked Stadium, having had to rely on the boot of Gaz O’Brien to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the first half in the face of some stern Saints defence.
Just how much of a defensive effort it was from Leigh too was underlined by Hughes making their third-highest number of tackles on the night in 28, with Edwin Ipape making 30 and Frankie Halton, Owen Trout and Isaac Liu all making 31, per the Stats Perform data.
“We obviously backed ourselves defensively,” Hughes said.
“But watching Saints the last couple of weeks they’ve obviously got back to what’s got them success over the last couple of years and that’s defensive efforts, being physical and defending tough.
“We knew points were going to be hard to come by, we felt like…something was going to happen with an offload or a bounce of the ball somewhere, and that’s how it panned out.”