1990-2 Mission Impossible
After rewinding to the 1990-91 season on Wigan TV this week, Listen Live co-commentator Bilko (Andrew Rimmer) shares his thoughts on a ‘remarkable’ end to a season for Wigan Rugby League Club.
The climax of the 1990-91 title win for Wigan saw one of the most remarkable tests of endurance faced in Rugby League history.
Bradford reaching the Regal Trophy Final, a France v Great Britain Test Match and bad weather had led to four league matches having to be postponed during January and February and such was the way in those days, teams generally pushed these re-arranged games back away from midweeks before important cup ties towards Wembley.
It had left a backlog for Wigan but a more than manageable one. That was however until the Challenge Cup Semi Final draw brought on a further headache.
Wigan and St Helens being drawn in different Semi Finals meant Wigan couldn’t avoid two further games being postponed because one of the semis being scheduled on Easter Saturday meant the Good Friday derby couldn’t avoid being dropped.
This all meant that after Wigan had reached Wembley by beating Oldham on March 23rd they were left with the prospect of eight league games to play and just 19 days to complete the workload.
Coach John Monie deemed this run “mission impossible” and this was highlighted by the fact they began the challenge fourth in the table, seven points off the top of the table with four games in hand. They practically had to win every match.
Game 1 – Tuesday 26th March 1991 (Warrington Away)
Widnes and Castleford above Wigan in the table had both won the Sunday since Wigan had played in the cup Semi Final so Wigan needed to get the run in off to a winning start. A try ruled offside for Warrington during the second half proved a relief in a grinding win watched by 8,437.
Table after match: 1st: Widnes (34 points, 22 Games), 2nd: Castleford (32 points, 22 games), 3rd: Hull (30 points, 22 games), 4th: Wigan (29 points, 18 games)
Game 2 – Good Friday 29th March 1991 (Featherstone Away)
Luckily, despite the scheduled match against St Helens having to be postponed, Wigan were able to re-arrange a match away at Featherstone on Good Friday evening with a 7:30pm kick off. It was a tense contest but Castleford losing elsewhere was good news and Widnes didn’t play due to be St Helens opponents in the Cup Semi Final.
Table after match: 1st: Widnes (34 points, 22 Games), 2nd: Hull (32 points, 23 games), 3rd: Castleford (32 points, 23 games), 4th: Wigan (31 points, 19 games)
Game 3 – Easter Monday 1st April 1991 (Oldham Away)
The signs of tiredness were now becoming obvious for Wigan but they somehow ground out another victory in this Easter Monday clash at Oldham, on a poor Watersheddings pitch. Elsewhere, Hull and Castleford (2nd and 3rd) were playing each other and a narrow 14-12 Hull win completed a bad Easter for Cas which effectively knocked them out of the race. Widnes though did beat St Helens 20-12 to leave them the team to catch.
Table after match: 1st: Widnes (36 points, 23 Games), 2nd: Hull (34 points, 24 games), 3rd: Wigan (33 points, 20 games)
Game 4 – Thursday 4th April 1991 (St Helens Home)
The re-arranged derby came next on a Thursday Night at Central Park but the fact St Helens had reached Wembley the previous Saturday and also played on Easter Monday meant the tiredness levels were pretty even. The final score looks comfortable, but it was only in the final ten minutes that Wigan ensured the victory that reduced Widnes’ lead at the top to one point.
Table after match: 1st: Widnes (36 points, 23 Games), 2nd: Wigan (35 points, 21 games)
Game 5 – Sunday 7th April 1991 (Castleford Home)
Despite playing four matches in 12 days, Wigan still faced four more over the next seven days against sides that were top eight in the table including leaders Widnes, who had beaten Sheffield the previous afternoon.
Something had to give and ahead of that crucial Widnes match two days later, coach John Monie shuffled his squad at home to fourth placed Castleford.
This saw Graeme West being brought out of retirement, for only his second appearance in three years, but he managed to cross for an important try in a good win.
The fact this game was played at 6:30pm, rather than 3pm, for TV coverage on the then fledgling BSB Sport Channel left Wigan with even less time to prepare for Widnes but by now I suppose they were getting used to it.
Table after match: 1st: Widnes (38 points, 24 Games), 2nd: Wigan (37 points, 23 games)
Game 6 – Tuesday 9th April 1991 (Widnes Home)
Wigan had a game in hand still, but this was a virtual title decider with Wigan either going a point clear or falling three points behind and the title destiny being out of their hands.
With no television in attendance, 29,763 packed into Central Park and although Wigan fell behind during the first half they managed to grind out another all important victory.
It was a huge moment in the title race and they knew they needed just one more victory to win the league.
Table after match: 1st: Wigan (39 points, 24 Games), 2nd: Widnes (38 points, 25 games)
Game 7 – Thursday 11th April 1991 (Bradford Home)
All Wigan had to do was beat Bradford on this Thursday evening and they would be crowned champions.
Bradford though had been a thorn in Wigan’s side earlier in the year having knocked them out the Regal Trophy and beating them at Odsal way back in September.
Wigan’s gas was well and truly empty and during the second half they found themselves 16 points down and the anticipated title celebrating atmosphere at Central Park had been totally deflated.
From nowhere though a remarkable fight was sparked to such that the scores got level and with time to spare all Wigan needed was one solitary drop goal to end the endurance.
But they just couldn’t find it and because a points difference overhaul was still achievable for Widnes, they would have to pick themselves up to go ahead in just 42 hours time away at Leeds.
Table after match: 1st: Wigan (40 points, 25 games), 2nd: Widnes (38 points, 25 games)
Game 8 – Saturday 13th April 1991 (Leeds Away)
Studio guest Phil Larder summed up the prospects for Wigan during ITV Granada’s pre match coverage when he stated: “These players have played against Castleford, they’ve played against Widnes, they’ve played against the most physically demanding pack in Bradford all within six days and now they’ve got to beat Leeds here. It’s illogical for the Rugby League to have asked them to do it.”
It was actually five days they’d taken on Cas, Widnes and Bradford but Wigan’s schedule had been demanding enough without this further squeezing of fixtures brought on by Granada insisting Wigan’s final match was played 24 hours sooner than it could have been so they could televise the game in their then usual Saturday afternoon slot for league games.
Widnes’ season was only due to end on the Sunday but they knew a Wigan loss would give them a big chance to snatch the title on points difference. That difference was 66 ahead of this final game for Wigan but Widnes’ final match was against one win all season, bottom of the table, Rochdale – at home and obviously any points Wigan could lose by would make that task easier.
Maybe fate shone on Wigan though. The loss of Andy Gregory for this final game may have been seen as a huge blow but in stepped a young Bobby Goulding who played a pivotal role in one of his last appearances for the Club. Mission Impossible was somehow duly completed.
Final table: 1st: Wigan (42 points, 26 games), 2nd: Widnes (40 points, 26 Games)
