Mbu relishes Leigh challenge

London Skolars Head Coach Joe Mbu is relishing this Saturday’s Challenge Cup Third Round game against two times winners Leigh Centurions.

Skolars two games at home this season have seen two impressive performances. In the Northern Rail Cup, they led for most of the game against Halifax, only to victory snatched away from them in the last minute by the side from the Championship. Last Sunday saw them win by their biggest ever margin in the league with a 66-16 success over Crusaders.

“We need to focus on Saturday,” reflected Mbu. “Those two games have shown we can compete and win games. The performance against Halifax demonstrated that with hard work we can hold our own against teams from the division above. I’m sure Leigh will be looking forward to travelling down to the capital, and the long journey down will make no difference to them.

“But whilst we go into the game with a good performance last week, we also know that the Centurions are a strong team. In Rob Parker they’ve got a guy whose gone all the way to Wembley and won the cup. The side won the Northern Rail Cup last season, so the pressure of knock-out rugby is something they are used to. But the magic of the cup is that it’s a chance for clubs to test themselves against clubs that they don’t get to play in the league campaign.”

The game takes place this Saturday at New River Stadium, Wood Green with a 3pm kick-off.