Warriors reach Grand Final

  • Match report as Wigan Warriors reach the Betfred Super League Grand Final with victory over Leigh Leopards.
  • Liam Marshall and Sam Walters crossed twice before Bevan French and Jai Field sealed the win with stunning individual tries, as Adam Keighran scored seven conversions on the night.
  • FT | Wigan Warriors 38-0 Leigh Leopards

Match REPORT AS WIGAN WARRIORS beat Leigh Leopards to reach the Betfred Super League Grand Final.

An emphatic performance from start to finish by the Warriors saw them take victory over Leigh Leopards in the Betfred Super League Play-Off Semi-Final, as over 20,000 watched on at The Brick Community Stadium.

Liam Marshall opened the scoring before Sam Walters scored a second for the Warriors, with Marshall crossing again on the stroke of half-time. Walters grabbed another after the break before moments of individual brilliance by Bevan French and Jai Field sealed victory for the Cherry and Whites, who reached the Grand Final for a second successive year.

Report:

Each side defended well in the opening 10 minutes as the visitors capitalised on a loose ball to set themselves up with an early chance, but the Warriors were equal to it. Matt Peet’s side would arguably come closer to taking the lead with a threatening attack down the right flank, but they would run out of tackles.

Moments later, a high kick from Harry Smith would trouble Matt Moylan, who knocked-on to grant the Warriors possession deep inside the Leigh territory. After Ethan Havard made strong metres through the middle, the ball was worked to the left edge where Jai Field found Liam Marshall, who touched down in the corner for a 4-0 lead on 12 minutes. Keighran’s kick was just wide left of the posts.

The Warriors continued to ramp up the pressure as Junior Nsemba did well to offload and set his team up for one attack, before a powerful carry then resulted in a repeat set 5 metres out.The Cherry and Whites had looked threatening each time they got close to the Leopards try-line, and they would make no mistake with this opportunity.

Having already made one strong carry on the set, Sam Walters fought through not one, but two tacklers to use his length, reaching out to touch the ball down. Keighran’s kick was good from the right-hand-side and the Warriors led by 10.

From the resulting kick-off, a tip-tackle on Nsemba by Edwin Ipape was far from appreciated by the home crowd, but referee Chris Kendall felt a penalty was enough. The Warriors would make use of their field position to march their way up the field with the next two sets, but Harry Smith’s kick was caught in the in-goal area by Ricky Leutele to provide the visitors with some restbite.

The Leopards would attempt to capitalise on the opportunity as their 20m restart begun their best set of the half. Moving the ball from right to left, they looked to create an overload down Abbas Miski’s flank, but the 29-year-old was hot on his heels to intercept the ball and begin a break the other way.

An outstanding effort from Miski saw him caught by Lachlan Lam just 20 metres shy of the Leopards’ try-line where, with his teammates up and ready to support, Field would draw Ipape offside. The Warriors opted to convert the penalty and Keighran made no mistake from in front of the posts to extend the lead by two.

Despite Bevan French knocking on from the kick-off to give Adrian Lam’s side a chance to make amends for their previous attack, the Warriors would stand well firm in defence. The home side looked the more settled of the two in the first half, with another chance coming the way of a penalty, as Jake Wardle was tripped around half-way upon trying to chase Harry Smith’s kick.

While that particular set came to nothing, Leigh were struggling to get out of their own half from then on, and a third try of the evening would come Wigan’s way with the momentum. Keighran came close to being the one to take it, but after he was held up, the Warriors moved the ball back the way of their prolific left flank, where Marshall was ready and waiting to cross for his second of the night. Keighran nailed the conversion to send the Warriors into half-time at 18-0.

With the opening carry of the second half, Leigh’s Aaron Pene would knock-on to give the Warriors a huge chance to continue where they had left off. Having tried and tested the Leopards’ right edge, Wigan moved the ball back inside the way of French. He fired a clever short ball to Walters, who burst into an open gap to score his second of the night. Keighran’s kick was good.

Leigh would respond well and have a sustained period of pressure for the next 10 minutes, but a combination of individual errors and Wigan’s stubborn defence saw the visitors still scoreless with under half an hour to go. A big hit from Tom Forber would then cause a knock-on by the Leopards in their own half, with the resulting attack by the Warriors too quick for their opposition, who were caught offside once more. The Warriors again opted for two points, with Keighran good from in front of the posts.

Repeat sets for the Leopards were then defended by the Warriors, before Nsemba gathered a loose ball to start an electric break. He offloaded to Field who then found Marshall, who was just caught in Leigh territory.

With further metres made down the right flank, Bevan French received the ball 10 metres out, where he was about to unleash a trademark piece of individual brilliance. The Australian almost stopped for a second as he surveyed his opposing defenders before dribbling a kick in between them, which he would gather himself and step aside from Zak Hardaker to crash over with a smile in front of the South Stand. Keighran’s kick was good again and in the words of the Wigan supporters, the Warriors were on their way.

With victory all but confirmed with just five minutes to go, Field would top off a superb night with a deserved try to send the Warriors to Old Trafford. From a scrum 40 metres out, the Australian used his electric pace to run around the Leopards’ right flank, tip-toeing down the touchline before scoring in front of the posts. Keighran was good from the tee for a seventh time.

With one minute to go, Field looked to be in for a second time as he chased down Marshall’s kick down the left-hand-side, but he lost his footing just before reaching the goal-line, with Tyler Dupree then sent to the sin bin. Nevertheless, over 20,000 inside the Brick Community Stadium saw the Cherry and Whites secure a Grand Final birth for the second successive season, as the Warriors will face Hull KR at Old Trafford.

Wigan Warriors: Jai Field, Abbas Miski, Adam Keighran, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall, Bevan French, Harry Smith, Ethan Havard, Kruise Leeming, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Sam Walters, Kaide Ellis.

Interchange: Liam Byrne, Patrick Mago, Tyler Dupree, Tom Forber.

18th Player: Zach Eckersley

Tries: Marshall (11′, 38′), Walters (19′, 42′), French (60′), Field (76′)

Goals: Keighran (7/8)

Sin Bin: Dupree (79′)

Leigh Leopards: Matt Moylan, Zak Hardaker, Ricky Leutele, Umyla Hanley, Darnell McIntosh, Gareth O’Brien, Lachlan Lam, Tom Amone, Edwin Ipape, Robbie Mulhern, Oliver Holmes, Jack Hughes, John Asiata.

Interchange: Matt Davis, Owen Trout, Brad Dwyer, Aaron Pene.

18th Player: Keanan Brand.

Referee: Chris Kendall

Attendance: 20,511

By Harvey Orgill

Saturday 05 October 2024