Wheelchair Warriors progress to Cup Final

• Match Report as Wigan Warriors Wheelchair beat Leeds Rhinos Wheelchair to progress to the Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup FInal.
• Greenhalgh crossed for a hat-trick with Declan Roberts perfect from the tee in the victory.
• FT | Wigan Warriors 48-30 Leeds Rhinos.

A fierce encounter on Saturday afternoon saw the Warriors progress to the Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final.

It was a rusty start for the Warriors with the Leeds defence keeping their opposition pinned in their own half. Leeds then made some considerable metres and it looked like they were set to score early on after Jack Heggie gave away a penalty, but he made up for it when he prevented Josh Butler from scoring. 

The Warriors finally picked up the pace and made some inroads, this territory giving Declan Roberts the opportunity to put pressure on the Leeds try line. Unfortunately, the referee adjudged that the ball was grounded short by Roberts. On the next play, Adam Rigby made another attempt to get the ball down on the last tackle, but a determined Leeds side forced the turn over.  

Despite Wigan’s defensive efforts, Tom Halliwell managed to get the first points on the board after reaching through two defenders. Nathan Collins attempted the conversion, but a rushed effort meant he missed the first opportunity to put his name on the score sheet.  

Shortly after, Player/Coach Chris Greenhalgh levelled the scores by sneaking in down the Rhinos left side. This was then followed by his second as Rigby collected the ball back on the 8m and the Warriors side battled through to allow Greenhalgh to score once more. Two successful conversions by Captain Roberts made it 12-4. 

After a calamity of errors by the team in Amber & Blue, Greenhalgh broke the line again to complete his hat trick, showing he still has plenty to offer at the highest level. Roberts converted to secure a 14 point lead midway through the half. 

Trying to make amends for his team’s numerous ball handling errors, Nathan Mulhall looked to have crossed the line, but the tackle was called on teammate Butler and the ball was sent back to the mark. Leeds were determined to add to their score, but they were stopped in his tracks by Greenhalgh. 

A tremendous defensive effort came to a halt when the Rhinos finally got the opportunity to score following a miscommunication in Wigan’s defensive line. With the ball being passed wide to Jodie Boyd Ward, Heggie conceded a penalty when he attempted to stop the Welsh International in the act of scoring. This gave Collins the opportunity to convert the try and then kick a penalty goal from right in front, making it an 8 point try and an 18-12 finish to the first half.  

The second half saw Leeds substitute England superstar Tom Halliwell for Ewan Clibbens. An early penalty placed them in their opponent’s half, providing Mulhall the chance to score and Collins to convert, equalising the score. 

Quick to hit back, a kick from deep by Roberts gave Heggie the opportunity to recreate the try he scored in the Grand Final. Cruising through the Leeds defensive line, Heggie collected the well weighted kick and was able to ground the ball in the in goal area. Another perfect kick from Roberts meant that Wigan regained a 6 point lead.  

A further crash of Rhinos errors allowed Rigby to score past Butler in the left corner. Maintaining his 100% conversion success, Roberts took the score to 30-18. 

Aiming to get themselves back into the game, a kick through on the fifth tackle, and subsequent knock on from Rigby, meant that Leeds could start their set on their 4m line. A penalty for interference at the ruck allowed Leeds to continue their attack and set Boyd Ward up for her second try of the game. Collins took his time with the conversion and narrowed the gap to just one score. 

Fed up of exchanging scores, the reigning SL Champions put together a run of tries to put the game out of reach of the Home side. Not wanting to give Leeds any chance of catching up, Rigby intensely chased down the ball from the kick off and gifted the Wigan side another 4 points. Heggie improved the lead with his second try of the game, before Roberts got his first score of the afternoon on the back of yet more errors from Leeds. Converting all three tries, Roberts made it 8 from 8 conversions. 

It was Butler and Halliwell who had the final say with a try and conversion, but the energetic and relentless performance from Wigan left the final score at 48-30 

Wigan Warriors will now face Catalan Dragons in the betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final on Saturday 1st June at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, 2.30pm KO. 

Wigan Warriors: Chris Greenhalgh, Jack Heggie, Declan Roberts, Adam Rigby, Phil Roberts.   

Interchanges: Nathan Roberts, Toby Burton-Carter.

Tries: Greenhalgh (3), Rigby (2), Heggie (2), D.Roberts  

Goals: D.Roberts (8/8) 

Leeds Rhinos: Nathan Collins, Josh Butler, Nathan Mulhall, Tom Halliwell, Jodie Boyd-Ward. 

Interchanges: Ewan Clibbens, Verity Smith, Paul Horriblin.

Tries: Boyd-Ward (2), Halliwell, Butler, Mulhall  

Goals: Collins (4/5), Halliwell (1/1) 

By Lisa Rigby.