The last four games of the regular season arrived with just
one issue yet to be resolved, whether Leigh Leopards or Leeds Rhinos would finish
round twenty-seven in third spot as the Rhinos travelled to Wigan, Leigh at
home to Huddersfield Giants.
Leeds arrived at The Brick having named a side of youngsters
to indicate that Brad Arthur had already accepted fourth spot and a home
play-off game against St Helens next Saturday night, Wigan already aware that
they had a week off named a full-strength side as the pundits predicted a heavy
home win.
Wigan were favourites with the bookies, Leeds with an eighteen-point
start on the coupon.
Leeds did very well in the opening exchanges, the weakened
squad holding their own.
It took nineteen minutes of a scrappy game for the first
points, Abbas Miski taking a no-look pass from Bevan French to walk over in the
right corner and touch down. Adam Keighran added a touchline conversion for a
6-0 lead.
The second try came much more easily for Wigan, French being
the man in support of Keighran to take the inside pass and run twenty to score
under the sticks and give the try creator a simple conversion for a 12-0 lead.
Leeds ended the game on the attack, but the Wigan defence
was impenetrable.
Just three minutes after the restart Wigan were in again. Keighran
knocked back a high kick with Bevan French being the man to pick up the ball
and run the angle to the right corner, pushing away attempted tacklers to
ground. Keighran added the extras for 18-0, the game already beyond the Rhinos.
The fourth try, this one from Jake Wardle, came on
forty-eight when Field put in a short pass for the centre to go through a gap
and score from twenty metres. Keighran was unable to add the extras but the
flood gates on the verge of opening.
Leeds avoided the nilling on seventy-three when Jack
Sinfield broke through the line and advanced thirty metres downfield before
passing to the supporting Chris Hankinson who ran thirty himself before sliding
over under the tackle to put points on the board. Jack Sinfield added the
conversion, Leeds losing by 22-6.
Not the finest performance of Wigans season but enough for a
comprehensive win over a Rhinos side who went into the game already beaten and
lived up to the low expectation of their fans and pundits. Not a particularly
entertaining game, with nothing to really play for, with two sides exercising a
fair degree of self-preservation. Onwards and upwards to the play-offs, both
sides likely to put in a very different performance in their next matches.
Wigan Warriors: Field, Miski (T), Keighran (G 3/4), Wardle (T),
Marshall, French (2T), Smith, Byrne, O’Neill, Thompson, Walters, Farrell, Ellis.
Subs: Havard, Nsemba, Mago, Leeming. 18th Man: Hill.
Leeds Rhinos: Hankinson (T), Lumb, Newman, Watkins, Simpson,
Croft, Sinfield (G 1/1), Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Gannon, McDonnell,
Palasia. Subs: Shorrocks, Lisone, Bentley, Holroyd. 18th Man: McCormack.
Half-Time: 12-0.
Full-Time: 22-6.
Score Progression: 4-0,
6-0, 10-0, 12-0 : HT: 16-0, 18-0, 22-0,
22-4, 22-6 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Wigan.
Referee: Chris Kendall.
