The new season may only be a few weeks old but there will be few games that better this evenings between old rivals Warrington and Wigan.
Prior to tonight Wigan had never won a competitive game at the Halliwell Jones Stadium where two 100% records went on the line.
At the end of eighty minutes of high drama and excitement, history was made with the Warriors moving to the top of the embryonic Super League table.
Warrington opened the game well and forced a couple of early drop outs without being fully able to escape the defence.
Somewhat against the run of play, Wigan opened scoring after 8 minutes when Andy Coley passed inside and Amos Roberts, deputising at fullback for the injured Cameron Phelps motored into the Wolves half before taking advantage of a Matt King slip to then hare over in the right corner. Pat Richards couldn't convert but Wigan led 4-0.
Finally the Wolves found a way through after 20 minutes when Michael Monaghan jumped left from dummy half and Richie Myler was on his shoulder for a Lee Briers converted effort.
Warrington grabbed a second try after 28 minutes when swift movement down the right created an overlap and a Chris Bridge dipping pass was well finished by Chris Riley for his seventh try of the season. The Wolves saw a try chalked off by video referee Phil Bentham in the 35th minute when he ruled against Monaghan from a Briers kick but this only delayed the inevitable and David Solomona went over two minutes later with a twisting effort from dummy half. Briers second goal gave the hosts a 16-4 half-time lead much to the satisfaction of most of the sell-out 13,024 crowd.
A mistake from youngster Lee Mossop heaped pressure on the visitors early in the second half but they tackled well to prevent a lively Warrington from scoring.
Video referee Phil Bentham again intervened to deny a Wolves try before 54 minutes in, an ankle injury forced Briers off and Warrington never fully recovered.
Spotting their chance Wigan upped their efforts in speed and intensity and it paid off. First the ever elusive Roberts created something out of nothing to score after 57 minutes; although it needed passing to Mr Bentham to rule on contact between Martin Gleeson and his former team-mate King on the try line.
Richards missed the conversion but more quick play down the right saw 21 year-old Darrell Goulding do no harm to his first team future when he took Roberts pass to ground in the corner.
Richards converted and Warrington were really on the back foot when they conceded consecutive penalties in the 66th minute. The second of these saw Paul Deacon opt for goal and Richards added his second to tie the game.
On their next possession, Wigan looked to be taking things steadily with drives from their forwards before Sam Tomkins provided the unexpected with a chip over the defence and regather. Thomas Leuluai streamed up in support and worked the position brilliantly for Joel Tomkins to go over for the try that put Wigan in front. This allowed Richards to add his third goal via the upright.
The game moved from one excitement to another and within a few minutes Louis Anderson scored a simple try when he ran strongly at the much smaller Leuluai but Chris Bridge saw his conversion attempt graze the wrong side of the posts.
Wigan's keen defence again kept the Wolves at bay with the likes of O'Loughlin, Joel Tomkins and Harrison Hansen well to the fore while Coley and Stuart Fielden came up with some good work alongside Paul Prescott.
A 40-20 from Monaghan gifted Warrington a chance with three minutes remaining but Coley's tackle on Bridge dislodged the ball while the Wolves turned down a kickable penalty attempt to push for the try.
Warrington thought they had produced a match winning play when Solomona drove low for the line. Referee Richard Silverwood referred the decision to Mr Bentham and after an agonising couple of minutes that saw several different views of the incident appear on the SKY big screen it was disallowed for Wigan to run down the clock and claim a thrilling and historic victory.
Warrington 20
Tries: Louis Anderson, David Solomona, Richie Myler, Chris Riley
Goals: Lee Briers 2/3 Chris Bridge 0/1
Wigan 22
Tries: Joel Tomkins, Darrell Goulding, Amos Roberts 2
Goals: Pat Richards 3/5
Half time: 16-4
Referee: Mr R Silverwood
Penalties: 10-9
Showing posts with label Wigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wigan. Show all posts
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Friday, 12 February 2010
ROBINS NO MATCH FOR WIGAN SECOND HALF: SUPER LEAGUE XV
WIGAN 32 HULL KR 6
Since being promoted to Super League Hull Kingston Rovers have always gone pretty well against Wigan and looked to be doing so again at half-time in their televised game when they fought back to trail 10-6 at the turnaround.
Early on it was all Wigan as the likes of Andy Coley and Stuart Fielden set a solid foundation and the hosts grabbed two tries in the first seven minutes.
The first followed three long passes and saw good footwork by Amos Roberts as he was able to squeeze over by the corner flag. Pat Richards missed the conversion but was on-song moments later when fullback Cameron Phelps slipped through and Martin Gleeson was at his shoulder to touch down.
At this stage it looked like Wigan would run rampant but Rovers dragged themselves back into the contest thanks to the work of Australians Clint Newton and Martin Vella and some good use of his substitute bench by visiting coach Justin Morgan.
Eventually persistence paid off for Rovers when young forward Liam Watts, who spent much of last term on-loan with Gateshead Thunder, smuggled the ball out of a three man tackle and replacement Ben Fisher crossed for a Michael Dobson improved try.
If the first half proved a good contest, the second belonged to Wigan and they took a stranglehold thanks to two kicks from Sam Tomkins. The first was a punt from wide to the centre of the field and Sean O’Loughlin collected the bounce to score after 48 minutes. Richards converted then claimed a try of his own eight minutes later when an excellent chip was collected and the winger fought through a melee to ground.
Joel Tomkins and Paul Deacon saw an opportunity bypass them when the formers offload went behind the former Bradford player but Wigan were not to be denied and when O’Loughlin linked with Tomkin he showed good strength to beat a heavy tackle and claim a 69th minute try.
Trailing 26-6 and knowing his team had been outplayed, former Wigan scrum-half Dobson chipped over the defence however Amos Roberts, covering fullback after injury to Phelps, scooped up and blazed 65 metres for a glorious counter-attack try in the rain, his second of the contest, and Richards completed his 12 point haul with his 4th goal.
TALE OF THE GAME:
3 Wigan Try by Amos Roberts 4-0
7 Wigan Try by Martin Gleeson
7 Wigan Goal by Pat Richards 10-0
36 Hull K R Try by Ben Fisher
36 Hull K R Goal by Michael Dobson 10-6
48 Wigan Try by Sean O'Loughlin
48 Wigan Goal by Pat Richards 16-6
56 Wigan Try by Pat Richards
56 Wigan Goal by Pat Richards 22-6
69 Wigan Try by Joel Tomkins 26-6
76 Wigan Try by Amos Roberts
76 Wigan Goal by Pat Richards 32-6
Since being promoted to Super League Hull Kingston Rovers have always gone pretty well against Wigan and looked to be doing so again at half-time in their televised game when they fought back to trail 10-6 at the turnaround.
Early on it was all Wigan as the likes of Andy Coley and Stuart Fielden set a solid foundation and the hosts grabbed two tries in the first seven minutes.
The first followed three long passes and saw good footwork by Amos Roberts as he was able to squeeze over by the corner flag. Pat Richards missed the conversion but was on-song moments later when fullback Cameron Phelps slipped through and Martin Gleeson was at his shoulder to touch down.
At this stage it looked like Wigan would run rampant but Rovers dragged themselves back into the contest thanks to the work of Australians Clint Newton and Martin Vella and some good use of his substitute bench by visiting coach Justin Morgan.
Eventually persistence paid off for Rovers when young forward Liam Watts, who spent much of last term on-loan with Gateshead Thunder, smuggled the ball out of a three man tackle and replacement Ben Fisher crossed for a Michael Dobson improved try.
If the first half proved a good contest, the second belonged to Wigan and they took a stranglehold thanks to two kicks from Sam Tomkins. The first was a punt from wide to the centre of the field and Sean O’Loughlin collected the bounce to score after 48 minutes. Richards converted then claimed a try of his own eight minutes later when an excellent chip was collected and the winger fought through a melee to ground.
Joel Tomkins and Paul Deacon saw an opportunity bypass them when the formers offload went behind the former Bradford player but Wigan were not to be denied and when O’Loughlin linked with Tomkin he showed good strength to beat a heavy tackle and claim a 69th minute try.
Trailing 26-6 and knowing his team had been outplayed, former Wigan scrum-half Dobson chipped over the defence however Amos Roberts, covering fullback after injury to Phelps, scooped up and blazed 65 metres for a glorious counter-attack try in the rain, his second of the contest, and Richards completed his 12 point haul with his 4th goal.
TALE OF THE GAME:
3 Wigan Try by Amos Roberts 4-0
7 Wigan Try by Martin Gleeson
7 Wigan Goal by Pat Richards 10-0
36 Hull K R Try by Ben Fisher
36 Hull K R Goal by Michael Dobson 10-6
48 Wigan Try by Sean O'Loughlin
48 Wigan Goal by Pat Richards 16-6
56 Wigan Try by Pat Richards
56 Wigan Goal by Pat Richards 22-6
69 Wigan Try by Joel Tomkins 26-6
76 Wigan Try by Amos Roberts
76 Wigan Goal by Pat Richards 32-6
Saturday, 6 February 2010
RL Comment: South Wales Scorpions Press Release
Another press release I got a couple of days ago was this one:
SOUTH WALES SCORPIONS v WIGAN WARRIORS
THE BIG KICK-OFF
Sunday 21 February, kick-off 2.30pm. The Gnoll, Neath.
Tickets priced £8 for adults, £4 concessions.
Season tickets from £30 concessions and £60 for adults available now from http://www.scorpionsrl.com
The big kick-off is apporaching and we’re pleased to announce that one of the biggest names in rugby league will be there to face us.
Wigan Warriors will be our first visitors to The Gnoll and they are promising to bring a mixture of first team and under 20 squad members to make this a competitive match.
Speaking about the game, Wigan Warriors Chief Executive Mick Hogan said: “We are delighted to have been asked to play the game in South Wales, it will be a useful workout for us and our under 20’s side. We will send as strong a squad as possible to make it a memorable day for the Scorpions Club.”
I hope the fixture is a success but after saying this what sort of team will Wigan send? The other week at Leigh they sent an under-20s side with very limited first team experience. It was a hard fought win for Leigh and Wigan have some great kids but it was not the side they promised when they agreed a three year deal with Leigh for friendlies in 2009. Who knows what team Wigan will send? They might just call on the Under-16s!
SOUTH WALES SCORPIONS v WIGAN WARRIORS
THE BIG KICK-OFF
Sunday 21 February, kick-off 2.30pm. The Gnoll, Neath.
Tickets priced £8 for adults, £4 concessions.
Season tickets from £30 concessions and £60 for adults available now from http://www.scorpionsrl.com
The big kick-off is apporaching and we’re pleased to announce that one of the biggest names in rugby league will be there to face us.
Wigan Warriors will be our first visitors to The Gnoll and they are promising to bring a mixture of first team and under 20 squad members to make this a competitive match.
Speaking about the game, Wigan Warriors Chief Executive Mick Hogan said: “We are delighted to have been asked to play the game in South Wales, it will be a useful workout for us and our under 20’s side. We will send as strong a squad as possible to make it a memorable day for the Scorpions Club.”
I hope the fixture is a success but after saying this what sort of team will Wigan send? The other week at Leigh they sent an under-20s side with very limited first team experience. It was a hard fought win for Leigh and Wigan have some great kids but it was not the side they promised when they agreed a three year deal with Leigh for friendlies in 2009. Who knows what team Wigan will send? They might just call on the Under-16s!
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Original Match Report - Paul Wood Testimonial - WARRINGTON 12 WIGAN 20 - 27/01/2010
WARRINGTON WOLVES 12
WIGAN WARRIORS 20
DAVE PARKINSON at Halliwell Jones Stadium, Wednesday
Ten days before the start of their respective Super League campaigns, Warrington and Wigan met in an entertaining friendly. Although the game was littered with mistakes you got the feeling both coaches got what they wanted out of the hit-out.
Wigan boss Michael Maguire speaking after Harrison Hansen’s late score made the game safe for the Warriors following an equally stirring defensive effort said, “As a team I feel that we are moving forward in the right direction. That’s what I was after in today’s game and I thought we competed in everything that we did. I don’t like to isolate too many individuals but Sean O’Loughlin with his effort and Amos Roberts, I thought he played well. Sam (Tomkins), his competitiveness, he fights for everything. Across the board there were a lot of good efforts.”
The Wolves were led out by testimonial man Paul Wood who started the game. Wood is something of a rare breed in a modern game where money talks and is celebrating ten years of being a Wolf in 2010. Afterwards Wood paid tribute to the 4,622 spectators that braved a cold night to pay tribute to the born and bred Wiganer.
“It was a good night and a good turn out.” He said. “Wigan travelled in numbers and Warrington were the same as usual. It was pretty special really.”
“I’ll try my best to maintain my form, but there are six other prop forwards in the squad that want the same. I’ve just got to keep playing and improving week in, week out. I’m confident but I’ve got a lot of work to do yet. All my family are Wigan fans and that gave it a bit of extra spice but I’m glad we played Wigan because it gives us a good indication of where we are at. I think Wigan are going to be up there this season and we hopefully want to be in the same situation.”
Warrington coach Tony Smith was fulsome in his praise of Wood. “Paul put’s his hand up every week. He’s been doing it for ten years and I’m glad we celebrated that here tonight. What you see is what you get with Woody. He goes hard and he did some good stuff out there. Whether it was his testimonial or not, he would have done that anyway.”
Of the game, Smith said, “I’ve learned some good and some not so good. We have some stuff to work on but it’s good that you find out now. We needed that hit-out against a quality opposition and it was good for us.”
Warrington made a good start to the game and following a penalty from French whistler Thierry Alibert they gained a foothold in Wigan territory. Michael Monaghan darted from dummy half and Adrian Morley forced his way past two defenders to the line. Lee Briers converted before Wigan hit back. George Carmont burst forward from a scrum only to be denied before two tries in three minutes nudged the game in the visitors favour.
A spell of constant Wigan pressure saw the Wolves finally falter when O’Loughlin slid an intelligent kick behind the Warrington goal line and former Wolves favourite Martin Gleeson grounded. Pat Richards missed the kick and his next conversion attempt after O’Loughlin unleashed Cameron Phelps and Sam Tomkins supported in midfield. Chris Bridge tackled back but quick ball to the right gave Gleeson the chance to flick a pass out to Roberts. The Australian had a lot of work to do but stepped, raced and then forced his way in at the corner.
The Wolves too had their moments but poor execution led to an opportunity bypassing Chris Riley while Louis Anderson was felled by a magnificent try saving tackle by Sam Tomkins when he looked in full flow for the line.
Trailing 8-6 at the interval, Warrington made a bright start to the second half but sloppy hands cost them dear and Wigan edged territory before breakthrough came in the 53rd minute. O’Loughlin was again the provider and his short pass put youngster Lee Mossop over for a Roberts converted try.
Warrington pressed for a score but superb rearguard defence from Wigan with O’Loughlin, Joel Tomkins and Hansen to the fore kept the hosts at bay for 28 minutes of the second half before an expansive move down the right saw Riley speed in at the corner from a one handed offload by Bridge. Briers added his second goal to put the Wolves within two points.
When Richie Myler was caught in possession on the last tackle a couple of minutes from the end, Wigan moved upfield and Paul Deacon linked with Sam Tomkins for the halfback to break and send Hansen over for the clincher which was goaled by Richards.
WIGAN WARRIORS 20
DAVE PARKINSON at Halliwell Jones Stadium, Wednesday
Ten days before the start of their respective Super League campaigns, Warrington and Wigan met in an entertaining friendly. Although the game was littered with mistakes you got the feeling both coaches got what they wanted out of the hit-out.
Wigan boss Michael Maguire speaking after Harrison Hansen’s late score made the game safe for the Warriors following an equally stirring defensive effort said, “As a team I feel that we are moving forward in the right direction. That’s what I was after in today’s game and I thought we competed in everything that we did. I don’t like to isolate too many individuals but Sean O’Loughlin with his effort and Amos Roberts, I thought he played well. Sam (Tomkins), his competitiveness, he fights for everything. Across the board there were a lot of good efforts.”
The Wolves were led out by testimonial man Paul Wood who started the game. Wood is something of a rare breed in a modern game where money talks and is celebrating ten years of being a Wolf in 2010. Afterwards Wood paid tribute to the 4,622 spectators that braved a cold night to pay tribute to the born and bred Wiganer.
“It was a good night and a good turn out.” He said. “Wigan travelled in numbers and Warrington were the same as usual. It was pretty special really.”
“I’ll try my best to maintain my form, but there are six other prop forwards in the squad that want the same. I’ve just got to keep playing and improving week in, week out. I’m confident but I’ve got a lot of work to do yet. All my family are Wigan fans and that gave it a bit of extra spice but I’m glad we played Wigan because it gives us a good indication of where we are at. I think Wigan are going to be up there this season and we hopefully want to be in the same situation.”
Warrington coach Tony Smith was fulsome in his praise of Wood. “Paul put’s his hand up every week. He’s been doing it for ten years and I’m glad we celebrated that here tonight. What you see is what you get with Woody. He goes hard and he did some good stuff out there. Whether it was his testimonial or not, he would have done that anyway.”
Of the game, Smith said, “I’ve learned some good and some not so good. We have some stuff to work on but it’s good that you find out now. We needed that hit-out against a quality opposition and it was good for us.”
Warrington made a good start to the game and following a penalty from French whistler Thierry Alibert they gained a foothold in Wigan territory. Michael Monaghan darted from dummy half and Adrian Morley forced his way past two defenders to the line. Lee Briers converted before Wigan hit back. George Carmont burst forward from a scrum only to be denied before two tries in three minutes nudged the game in the visitors favour.
A spell of constant Wigan pressure saw the Wolves finally falter when O’Loughlin slid an intelligent kick behind the Warrington goal line and former Wolves favourite Martin Gleeson grounded. Pat Richards missed the kick and his next conversion attempt after O’Loughlin unleashed Cameron Phelps and Sam Tomkins supported in midfield. Chris Bridge tackled back but quick ball to the right gave Gleeson the chance to flick a pass out to Roberts. The Australian had a lot of work to do but stepped, raced and then forced his way in at the corner.
The Wolves too had their moments but poor execution led to an opportunity bypassing Chris Riley while Louis Anderson was felled by a magnificent try saving tackle by Sam Tomkins when he looked in full flow for the line.
Trailing 8-6 at the interval, Warrington made a bright start to the second half but sloppy hands cost them dear and Wigan edged territory before breakthrough came in the 53rd minute. O’Loughlin was again the provider and his short pass put youngster Lee Mossop over for a Roberts converted try.
Warrington pressed for a score but superb rearguard defence from Wigan with O’Loughlin, Joel Tomkins and Hansen to the fore kept the hosts at bay for 28 minutes of the second half before an expansive move down the right saw Riley speed in at the corner from a one handed offload by Bridge. Briers added his second goal to put the Wolves within two points.
When Richie Myler was caught in possession on the last tackle a couple of minutes from the end, Wigan moved upfield and Paul Deacon linked with Sam Tomkins for the halfback to break and send Hansen over for the clincher which was goaled by Richards.
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