Betfred Super League Round 27
Leigh Leopards 6-10 Wigan Warriors
Leigh Leopards’ magnificent Betfred Super League campaign ended with the club in fifth, having qualified for the play-offs for the first time in the summer era, and finished in their highest topflight position for 41 years.
This agonisingly narrow defeat in the Battle of the Borough, coupled with Hull KR’s 56-12 victory at relegated Wakefield Trinity means the Leopards now travel to Humberside next Friday to face their Challenge Cup Final opponents for the fifth time this season.
Rovers had begun the night two points behind and with a worse points difference of 34 compared to the Leopards. But as their score mounted at Belle Vue the Leopards were engaged in a gripping derby game, in the best traditions of the age-old rivalry.
Wigan had ambitions of their own, needing a victory to ward off the challenge of Catalans and St Helens and clinch the League Leaders’ Shield on points difference. That they ultimately achieved but only after the closest of shaves.
First half tries by Jay Field and Jake Wardle and a Harry Smith conversion gave Wigan a 10-0 advantage. But after Lachlan Lam worked a fine move with Kai O’Donnell and took the return pass to dart over in front of the Wigan fans, Ben Reynolds’ goal left the Leopards only four points adrift.
The second half was tough, attritional, tense, exciting, played with huge intensity- and ultimately scoreless.
Leigh’s largest home crowd for a league game at LSV- a sell-out 10,308- was also their highest for a home league game since 1987. With the North Stand in full voice the Leopards looked to have levelled the scores when Oliver Gildart crossed on the left. With the kick to come and the home side in the ascendancy the Leopards could well have claimed only their second ever Super League win over the Warriors.
But referee Liam Moore went to the screen with a ‘no try’ verdict for a marginal obstruction and video referee Marcus Griffiths was unable to conclusively overturn the decision from the angles available.
Leopards coach Adrian Lam, who led Wigan to their last League Leaders’ Shield win in 2020, said: “It was a great night for rugby league in the sense that it was a record crowd for us. Congratulations to Wigan for being the first past the line.
“Without some important players and leaders in our group I thought we were resilient tonight. We worked hard, we were physical. It was the same as a couple of weeks ago against Saints in that we were close but not the two points we needed.
“There were some massive calls for the outcome of the game and us finishing in fourth place and getting a home eliminator.
“There have been a lot of twists and turns this year and this is just another one. We’re not finished yet. We’ve still got a strong 80 minutes where anything can happen.”
Leopards: O’Brien; Briscoe, Chamberlain. Chamberlain, Charnley; Reynolds, Lam (capt); Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, Hughes, O’Donnell, Wardle. Bench: Mellor, Davis, Nakubuwai, Holmes. Try- Lam; Goal: Reynolds 1/ 1
Warriors: Field; Miski, King, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Dupree, O’Neill, Ellis, Pearce-Paul, Farrell (capt), Smithies. Bench: Powell, Mago, Hill, Nsemba.
Referee: Liam Moore; Attendance: 10,308; Half-time: 6-10.
Main Match Sponsor: ADS Marquees; Matchball Sponsor: PPL Pine Products Ltd; Player of the Match sponsor: TAP Interiors Ltd (awarded to Gareth O’Brien); Match programme sponsor: NutraPrep’s.
Main club sponsor: Homes Together.
