It is not often that a game between arch-rivals Leeds Rhinos
and Wigan Warriors is a mid-table battle but when the two sides came together
in round five of Super League XXX it was a Warriors side in fifth spot in the
table travelling to seventh placed Rhino with both sides looking for the two
points to either keep up with the league leaders, or avoid dropping into the
mire.
The Rhinos had been given an eight-point start on the
coupon, the Warriors fancied for the win by the bookmakers, a win which would
take them to the top of the table, both sides looking to banish memories of
last weekend’s Challenge Cup exits.
Both sides started brightly in attack indicating that the
crowd could be in for a classic.
Leeds went in for a deserved opening try of the game on
eleven after Jacob Douglas spilled a Jake Connor high ball into the hands of James
Bentley who passed to Riley Lumb to go in from five metres. Connor hit the far
post with the conversion attempt.
Leeds were camped deep in the Wigan twenty for several sets
on twenty-five, and after being awarded a penalty Connor pointed at the sticks
and added two to the Rhinos tally for 6-0.
It was a high-quality game with some great attacking passages
from both sides, matched by almost exemplary defences.
Thirty seconds from the interval a delightful kick to the
corner from Harry Smith turned the Leeds defence inside out, Liam Marshall
chasing the kick in an ocean of space to collect and dive over. Smith was wide
with the conversion, Leeds with a narrow two-point interval lead.
Poor discipline from Wigan five after the restart allowed
the Rhinos to gain good ground but panic football from Leeds in attack saw the
attack break down.
A drop of the shoulder from Bevan French, five from the
Leeds line saw the Wigan full-back go through a gap and dive over to edge his
side into the lead with forty-nine minutes on the clock. Smith found the target
with the conversion for 10-6.
On sixty-six a last tackle kick to the corner from Connor
hit Ryan Hall’s head before dropping onto the path of Jack Sinfield who
collected unopposed and dived over the line to put the Rhinos level. Connor added the conversion for a 12-10 lead
to the Rhinos.
With ten remaining Harry Newman knocked on inside his own ten
as he went to ground to collect a loose ball. A failed Captains Challenge and goal
line drop out later French made a forward pass as Junior Nsemba went for the line,
the biggest cheer of the night from the South Stand.
Wigan had an unsuccessful Wigan Captains Challenge for a Douglas
knock-on five from the Leeds line with ninety seconds of the game left, Leeds
being awarded the scrum which the referee had originally awarded.
The Rhinos ran the clock down to eighty minutes for a famous
victory which lifts Leeds into sixth spot, level on table points with Wigan and
St Helens in fourth and fifth. This
could be a spring board for the Rhinos 2025 season after an indifferent
start, Wigan will certainly bounce back and be in the running at the end of the season.
Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Lumb (T), Newman, Handley, Hall,
Croft, Connor (G 2/3), Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Bentley, McDonnell, Palasia.
Subs: Gannon, Lisone, Holroyd, Sinfield (T). 18th Man: Frawley.
Wigan Warriors: French (T), Douglas, Eckersley, Wardle,
Marshall (T), Farrimond, Smith (G 1/2), Byrne, Leeming, Thompson, Nsemba,
Farrell, Ellis. Subs: Mago, Dupree, Walters, Forber. 18th Man: Hill.
Half-Time: 6-4.
Full-Time: 12-10.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4 : HT: 6-8, 6-10, 10-10, 12-10
:FT.
Lead Exchanges: Leeds – Wigan – Square - Leeds.
Referee: Jack Smith.
