LEIGH won't be giving John Kear too many sleepless nights this week.

The Sheffield Eagles boss probably felt he had wasted his time on Sunday's spying mission.

All he discovered was when Leigh decide to have an off-day, they really have an off-day!

Nothing could have prepared Leigh for the storm that was to hit them on their return to Division One.

Outplayed individually and collectively, they looked a bedraggled outfit long before the end of a 48-14 hammering at Hull KR.

Leigh were outclassed from first minute to last.

Tormentor in chief was Papua New Guinea stand-off Stanley 'The Knife' Gene who carved Leigh to shreds.

But Leigh's baptism of fire brought more pressing worries for coach Keith Latham.

Star centre David Ingram and pack giant Tau Liku quit before half-time with nasty wrist injuries, skipper Tim Street managed less than 50 minutes before limping off with knee trouble and Stuart Donlan and Nick Jenkins were helped off with damaged knees before the end.

Such was Leigh's plight that they played the final 15 minutes with just 12 players.

Only John Costello, who strove manfully up the middle, and Matt Nixon, out in a wider role, emerged from the wreckage with reputations intact, although Mark Kay showed some nice touches in the second half.

But by the time Kay was adding some sparkle on Leigh's left wing, they were already 26-6 adrift.

Rovers rocketed into a 22-0 lead at a point a minute with Leigh's only response a solo try from Ingram, Wilkinson goaling.

Leigh hit double figures with Donlan's try and there was an injury-time consolation try for the hard-working Nixon.

LEIGH: O'Loughlin; Burgess, Ingram, Donlan, Harthill; Gunning, Wilkinson; Street, Jenkins, Pucill, Liku, Costello, Nixon. Subs: Kay, Garcis, Hilton, Smith. Attendance: 2,228.

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