Wigan Warriors moved to within one victory of becoming only the third team in Super League history to win three successive Grand Finals as the reigning champions overcame a valiant effort from Leigh to book their spot at Old Trafford next Saturday.
The buildup was overshadowed by the prospect of this game being cancelled altogether after Wigan claimed that Leigh’s owner, Derek Beaumont, had threatened to withdraw his side in a row over ticket allocations. In the end, that never materialised, and Beaumont ultimately watched from home in protest.
These two great rivals, who hail from the same borough and are split by a few miles, met at the same stage last year and Wigan sauntered to a 38-0 win on their way to a second straight Super League title. This year, the contest was much closer, underlining the progress the Leopards have made over the last 12 months.
But the end result was ultimately the same. Wigan have not been quite at the heights they produced last year when they won an unprecedented quadruple, but Matt Peet’s side often make it their business to produce in the biggest moments of the biggest games.
That proved true again here, as they did enough in the vital moments to deny Leigh a first Old Trafford appearance. They will face either Hull KR or their great rivals St Helens and whoever the victors are in their game on Saturday evening, the prospect of trying to end Wigan’s run is a daunting one.
Unlike last year’s semi-final between the two sides, the Leopards started much the stronger. With driving rain and wind engulfing the players, Leigh’s control was better in the testing conditions inside the opening quarter, and they would have felt aggrieved not to have scored any points in that period.
They thought they had crossed for the opening try when Owen Trout forced his way over the line from close range, but a superb tackle from Harry Smith appeared to prevent the prop from grounding it; something the video referee subsequently confirmed. Further chances came Leigh’s way but at the midway point in the half, the Warriors struck.
The hosts were able to punish the visitors for their profligacy when Bailey Hodgson spilled the ball in the tackle running back a kick. Adam Keighran collected it and fed Bevan French, who raced in under the posts unchallenged to make it 6-0.
At that stage, you wondered if Leigh’s heads would drop having enjoyed so much territory and somehow being behind. But instead, they responded in impressive fashion and as half-time approached, they were able to draw level with a wonderful try of their own. Edwin Ipape’s sharp pass caught out the Wigan defensive line from short range, allowing Robbie Mulhern to touch down.
But in the two minutes before half-time, matters swung decisively the way of Wigan with French at the heart of it. After he was taken out off the ball, Keighran added a simple penalty to make it 8-6 before French and Jai Field combined as the hooter sounded, with Field cutting through to find the half-back in support. Leigh didn’t deserve it but suddenly, they were behind 14-6.
You sensed Leigh had to score first after half-time, given how the momentum was now firmly behind Wigan and had been engineered by the outstanding French. And to the Leopards’ credit, they emerged the better of the two sides again. However, in a familiar pattern from the first half, their failure to score while on top was wasteful.
A crucial moment in the match arrived shortly after the game entered the final quarter. Leigh finally made a move stick and Trout was freed to run clear 30 metres from the line. But somehow Field appeared from nowhere, racing across to pull of a last-ditch tackle. The Warriors survived and scrambled the following play away from their line.
And in truth, that was the crucial moment. It gave Wigan the confidence to close out the final 15 minutes with minimal fuss, with Sam Walters crossing in the final seconds to ensure the Warriors won in style, with the impeccable French providing the all-important assist.
