I mean... what?

I'm going to have to take my Roman Centurion helmet back to the shop in Rome for a refund or check if they've recently slain any leopards at the Colisseum games so I can swap it for a leopard skin leotard - haha. I feel sorry for the bloke who has the full Centurion outfit.

I can see the reason why. Centurions are associated with relegation from SL. This is a new era, therefore a new brand. I quite like the idea. Hasn't WOWed me though - lol.

Now the summer bash shirt makes sense.

What's in a name?

I wasn't meithered about Centurions (I've still got a hat with "Centurians" embroided on it) and I'm not bothered about Leopards either.

I'd quickly search to see if you can cyber-squat on the @LeighCenturions handle though.

The badge that's out looks, meh, probably as it looks a basic black and white job. And Wakey and Keighley have the market on cartoon big cat iconography but I'd still think there is scope to improve it.

Either way, I think for the sake of history, this will get a few more shirt sales going through the tills.

I'll be more upset if we've ditched Cherry & White for our kit, and it looks like we have.

Indeed, if we've gone for black and white (as the badge may suggest), there's a certain smell of Wolfpack about it.

Not enjoying everybody having a good laugh at the club. Leopard print is so absolutely naff.

Any way not sure the other clubs have two much to laugh about:
Castleford Tigers - Big cats are obviously popular
Catalans Dragons - Not too many of them round my way
Huddersfield Giants - Eorl Crabtree retired a few years back
Hull FC - Hull KR - Very exciting
Leeds Rhinos - Plenty of them out on a Friday night in Leeds
Salford Red Devils - Not one to settle on a moniker
St Helens - Couldn't be bothered to think of anything
Wakefield Trinity - Anyone remember the mouthful of the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Warrington Wolves - I can think of better alliteration
Wigan Warriors - Everybody know it should be Pies

They're all calling DB on Twitter but I like everything to do with the rebrand. He put his money where his mouth is by signing top coaches and players to challenge for top honours so good luck to DB. Centurions is synonymous with relegation and the Championship. The leopards will be in the top 6 playoffs. We'll done Leigh!!! PS: and I bet there will be more top class signings as the season nears.

The signings you've made today aren't the best. The current ones are going to have to do well to get you in the Play Offs.

And is that kit your actual home kit? It's one of the most bizarre shirts there has been. It's definitely not boring. But the traditionalists might hate it I feel? But I guess differentiation from Wigan can only be a good thing.

Leigh Leopards are trending at #10 on Twitter in the UK, so it's got us some attention. Not positive attention, but still!

Phineas T Barnum is associated (although disputed) with having coined the phrase, 'There is no such thing as bad publicity' and Leigh appear to have attracted a shed load of it today and we have become something of a laughing stock amongst the fans of our rivals

I'm not so sure about about the substance of the saying. I am also pretty sure that Liz Truss would disagree with the phrase.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/3d3e261d-1f ... 9dad654e96 This is the presentation (for "Phase 1"icon_wink.gif given today. It does read like management blurb. But there is a new website due. Some of the merch is appealing. Then you can expect a "throwback"/"retro" cherry & white range at some point too. It seems Leigh have gone from a lack of communication to an info dump of epic proportions.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/3d3e261d-1f ... 9dad654e96 This is the presentation (for "Phase 1"icon_wink.gif given today. It does read like management blurb. But there is a new website due. Some of the merch is appealing. Then you can expect a "throwback"/"retro" cherry & white range at some point too. It seems Leigh have gone from a lack of communication to an info dump of epic proportions.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/3d3e261d-1f ... 9dad654e96 Presentation looks good, the name will grow (never liked Centurions and kept spelling it with an 'A') Can understand the reasoning and everything else needed for an A category is being put in place. Hopefully the away kit is Cherry and White hoops.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/3d3e261d-1f ... 9dad654e96 Presentation looks good, the name will grow (never liked Centurions and kept spelling it with an 'A') Can understand the reasoning and everything else needed for an A category is being put in place. Hopefully the away kit is Cherry and White hoops.

I thought your official colours were red and white not cherry and white?

Always been cherry and white in my 50 years of watching the team.

No red and white home kit this year

Not good.

Would this of happened prior to the IMG introduction to the game , doubtful, but it looks like it has been well planned and not hurriedly thrown together. They have radically changed the identity of the club and all that goes with it. Proof is in the pudding If it works ,but I’ve never seen so much attention towards our club, admittedly not all positive

So what is the consensus on here? Is this real? A lot on Twitter are saying it's blatantly not, quoting certain social media not being updated as they have time limits for changes, i.e they wouldn't be able to change it back, so they've not done it on those platforms.

It seems on the edge of believability, could be either.

I don't mind the rebrand to Leopards . I can understand the reason for that but you can't change a team's colours and expect the fans to just accept it. We have always been cherry and white and always will be no matter what.

The leopard skin kit just makes me chuckle. We look like a team of 70s porn stars in that get up!! lol

I will just continue to wear my cherry and white shirt and I expect a lot more supporters will be doing. I think DB will have to do a big U-turn on that gaffe.

In the end it is just marketing. We are Leigh Rugby League Club. Centurions had been around a while but again was just marketing. Leigh Leopards should land with younger fans. Sure Red and white will appear again. They are trying to change the persecution of the club on and off the field. If we get traction in SL and stay up everyone will get onboard with the rebrand.

[i“Je déteste les léopards!” [/i

Seems people are laughing at our rebranding. Bongser is with WYSIWYG that the Centurions suffix was outdated and needed to go, at the naissance of an exciting new era for Leyth.

In The Edge tonight after work and belly aching about it being a slow news day (Liz falling on her gladius was not really news), then the younger Bongsette WhatsApped to ask for thoughts on Leigh Leopards. Initial scurry for gen then a composing of thoughts for the following ramble.

The quotation at the top of said is from Napoleon Bonaparte. 1066 and all that, the standard of the Norman conquerors was [itrois léopards[/i. It continued to be so into the time of Richard, Cœur de lion (Lionheart) and beyond, surviving long enough to reach the badges of English representative sports teams. They were clearly still stylised leopards into the ‘60s. Then they started to ‘morph into lions (perhaps because of “Lionheart”, maybe the “Lion & the Unicorn” rhyme?). Certainly because of dumbing down: it was reported to Bongser in ‘96 that one of the Red Tops (The Sun? - can’t recall) had “helpfully” published the lyrics to a certain Skinner & Baddiel song doing the rounds at the time; it included:

“Three LINES on a shirt…”

Fitting in with OMG bestial proposals? Leopards are smaller than (Swinton) Lions and (Castleford) Tigers, smaller than the, now defunct, (Coventry) Bears and (Leeds) Rhinos. What about “Leigh Leviathans” - bigger than all animals, feared by all humankind and two As in it already so no accidental ones in “Centurians.”

Certain other reports do concern Bongser. A LEOPARD CAN’T CHANGE TO STRIPES!!!

This party will be wearing Cherry & White HOOPS next season!

Indeed, the nickname is transitory, we are simply Leigh and with it too goes the names.

We can all play detective. So what if FaceBook means you can't change your name back until after 7 days. The season is still a while away, plenty of time to change it back.

The twitter handle is now @LeighRLFC_

It was previously @LeighCenturions (which, if they are smart that should have registered with a separate email to atleast keep hold of the handle) but it isn't "LeighLeopards"

It's been quite the fortnight for u-turns, and you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.