It was a bitterly disappointing evening for Rhinos, away to one of their top-six rivals and only a Maika Sivo try 14 minutes from time prevented a whitewash. The home side were very good, especially defensively, but Leeds shot themselves in the foot on a regular basis with errors and penalties.
Three of Wigan’s four tries followed one or the other. The penalty count reached five-one in Wigan’s favour, the one being a successful captain’s challenge, before - as so often happens - a late spate the other way meant the count ended-five-four.
Some things went against Leeds, but despite wholehearted effort, they were outplayed. Trailing 16-0 at half-time, the second half began in equally poor fashion. After conceding another six, Leeds improved once the game was lost and applied spells of pressure, but didn’t do a lot with it.
They started strongly, dominated the opening five minutes and then conceded as soon as Wigan got in their half. On the last from a penalty, Harry Smith kicked to Leeds’ left, Adam Keighran got above Ash Handley to bat the ball back and Jack Farrimond gathered to go over unopposed, Sivo having come inside to chase the kick. Keighran added the extras for the first of his three conversions.
Wigan thought they had scored another in almost identical fashion soon afterwards, but referee Liam Moore said no to Zach Eckersley’s acrobatic finish and video official Jack Smith agreed, deciding the winger had dropped the ball in Sivo’s last-ditch tackle.
Wigan went further in front midway through the half. Keighran intercepted Jake Connor’s pass near Leeds’ line. Handley put in a fantastic chase, managed to get a hand to the ball when the pass came and seemed to have gathered possession, but he couldn’t quite hold on and Keighran was there to go over for the hosts’ second try.
Harry Newman - recalled from loan at Hull FC to replace Jack Bird in Rhinos’ first personnel change in six matches - did well to reach a Connor kick behind Wigan’s line, but Moore said ‘no try’ and video assistant Smith agreed there had been a knock-on. It perhaps should have been a try anyway. The ball appeared to go backwards and Ryan Hall, following up, touched down. Smith didn’t look at that so Leeds could feel hard done to, especially as Wigan scored again soon afterwards.
Again though, a Rhinos error contributed. Danny Levi knocked-on at acting-half and in the resulting set Noah Hodkinson went in from Harry Smith’s pass. At the start of the second half Hall spilled a kick under no pressure and Keighran took the two when Leeds were caught offside. Smith - with a kick - and Hodkinson created a try for Jake Wardle to make it 24-0, but on the back of some penalties Leeds managed to do some attacking. Handley had a touchdown ruled out by the two referees, but Sivo gave the visiting fans something to celebrate when he got over from Handley’s pass.
Wigan Warriors: Field, Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Hodkinson, Farrimond, H Smith, Harvard, O’Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Walters, Partington. Subs Ellis, Mago, Eseh, Kerr.
Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Sivo, Newman, Handley, Hall, Croft, Connor, Holroyd, Levi, Palasia, Hankinson, McDonnell, Watkins. Subs C Smith, O’Connor, Jenkins, Oledzki.
Referee: Liam Moore (Wigan). Attendance: 14,627
13. Loose-forward: Kallum Watkins (no 11)
An early knock-on and didn’t get a of game time 5 Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
14. Sub: Cameron Smith (no 13)
Tried to offer something different of the bench 5 Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
16. Sub: Cooper Jenkins (no 15)
Didn’t get into the game 4 Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
17. Sub: Jarrod O'Connor (no 9)
Got on for the last 22 and pepped things up a bit 6 Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com