Wigan Warriors knew that they needed a win from tonights game to secure second spot in the league and a home play-off semi-final, probably against the Castleford Tigers. The Giants, who recorded a 20-12 win over the Warriors at the John Smith’s Stadium in mid-July.
Wigan named Sam Tomkins in the halves with Morgan Escare at full-back after losing Thomas Leuluai through injury. The Giants were without a few players through injury and with nothing to lose, and relentless Huddersfield rain, they could be forgiven for not going into the game with all guns blazing.
As the rain started to fall Wigan opted to take the first points from the boot of Sam Tomkins after an interference on ten minutes, just twenty metres from the Giants stick.
The first four-pointer came five minutes later after tenacious effort from Morgan Escare who ducked under one tackle and brushed off a second to dive over. Tomkins was unable to add what had looked like a simple conversion.
The Giants had their chances over the next twenty minutes but the Wigan defence held firm. On thirty-eight Matty English got as close to scoring as the Giants had been all half but his effort under the sticks was ruled out for a knock-on.
The conditions were the major force in the game and they kept the scoreline to just a try and a goal at half-time.
A cheeky Escare drop goal on fifty-eight was a clear indication of how bad the conditions were as he edged his side into a two try lead.
On the hour mark a Danny Brough 40-20 allowed the Giants to put the pressure on and force a goal line dropout but the Giants couldn’t translate territory into points.
Twelve minutes from time Wigan appeared to have sealed the win when Tom Davies grounded a grubber kick butthe video referee ruled a knock-on in the act of scoring. The Giants went down the other end of the field and Kruise Leeming wrestled the ball to the ground with a scoot from acting half back. Brough added the extras for 6-7 with just over eight minutes remaining.
The Giants gane was over on seventy-six when Brough was sin-binned for a high tackle, the drop goal specialist now missing for the rest of the match.
On seventy-seven a George Williams grubber was grounded by a sliding Oliver Gildart to seal the Wigan win.Tomkins added the conversion for 13-6 to secure Wigan their home game in the play-offs.
This was a dirge of a game played in awful conditions by two defensive sides who both showed very little attacking flair, preferring to keep hold of the ball rather than string together expansive passing moves. There was some drama until the Brough sin-binning at which point the game was over as a contest.
The game, and the outcome, tell us very little in a game which will have pleased few and entertained fewer.
Giants: Gaskell, Rankin, Mellor, Mamo, Senior, Russell, Brough (G, SB on 76), Lawrence, O’Brien, Matagi, Ta’ai, Roberts, Hinchcliffe. Subs: Leeming (T), Clough, English, Roche.
Warriors: Escare (DG, T), Manfredi, Gildart (T), Sarginson, Davies, Williams, Tomkins (2G), Clubb, Powell, Navarrete, Greenwood, Bateman, Sutton. Subs: Hamlin, Partington, Woods, Tautai.
Referee: Greg Dolan.
Half-Time: 0-6.
Full-Time: 6-13.
Attendance: .
