Beaumont reveals Chase’s Leigh departure

Leigh owner Derek Beaumont has revealed that Centurions stand off Rangi Chase has left the club after playing only five games for them.

The 2013 Man of Steel joined Leigh from Salford in the close season, but has struggled to settle at the club.

Rumours of mental health issues have emerged, and Chase has never seemed quite comfortable in Lancashire this year.

“Rangi has struggled to settle in the Championship after being plagued by little niggling injuries that have stopped him from getting fully going,” Beaumont wrote in his weekly column for the Leigh Observer.

“As he said when he joined us, he wanted to fall back in love with the game and do what he liked doing best which is playing rugby. Unfortunately that hasn’t been possible for most of the time.

“Rangi has an opportunity to do something away from the game and, having spoken to him at length, I had to agree it is probably the best thing for him at this stage, although I do hope that at some time in the future he returns to the game.

“He still has much to offer and I think a clean break for a sustained period, enjoying something completely different, will be just the tonic he needs to retrieve that desire, although it may be that he becomes so happy he has played his last game.

“To that end, I have agreed to release him to pursue those options without restraint, although I have obviously protected the club’s interests at the same time as doing the right thing by Rangi.

“Whilst he hasn’t been able to deliver in full what he wanted, I would hope the fans can be respectful to him and his privacy. I wish him well in his new challenge ahead.”