Both of Thursday night’s sides successfully negotiated their sixth round Challenge Cup games last weekend and came into tonight’s fixture full of confidence as the Wigan Warriors took on the Black & Whites of Hull FC in Round 7 of Super League.
Wigan had Brad Singleton back in the front row, Harry Smith into the half backs, and Bevan French on the bench for his first appearance in eleven months. FC made a few of changes from the side which beat Sheffield in the cup with Luke Gale, Darnell McIntosh and Josh Bowden all back in the seventeen.
The bookies went with league position giving fifth placed Hull an eight-point start on the handicap coupon over third placed Wigan. A win for the home side would put them clear at the top before tomorrow’s games, but a win for the visitors would see them above Wigan.
There was an early breakthrough for Wigan after good pressure when the mercurial Jai Field ran the angle to bounce off his tackler and ground just in from the right corner. Zak Hardaker pushed his conversion attempt across the front of the posts.
Hardaker was accurate with the boot on fourteen after Hull FC conceded a penalty, the Airlie Birds under the cosh in the early exchanges.
On thirty-three minutes FC were in for their opening try when a nice right to left passing move ended with Griffin providing Adam Swift with the last pass to go over tight to the touchline and slightly improve the angle. Luke Gale added the conversion from wide and after weathering half an hour of Wigan onslaught, FC were back on level terms.
Fifteen seconds from the interval FC scored a sensational try with some great passing over fifty metres with Joe Lovodua finding Danny Houghton in support inside him to take the bullet pass and take his tackler over the line with him. Gale added the conversion for a 12-6 lead in a game where they couldn´t get a sniff of the Wigan try line for the opening thirty minutes.
Poor Hull discipline at the start of the second half provided Wigan with eth opportunity and Ethan Havard stepped off the right foot to go in from ten metres out. Hardaker added the conversion to level the scores at 12-12.
On fifty-one Hull benefitted from a penalty and two set restarts but a poor kick from Gale ended the set disappointingly after his side had been camped on the Wigan line. But on fifty-eight Chris Satae was the beneficiary of a great Lovodua dummy and offload and he took the pass and evaded his tackler to score. Gale added the conversion to restore the six-point advantage.
The teams were back level on sixty-three with a second Field try, a solo effort from forty metres as he weaved his way through the broken FC defence. Hardaker was again accurate with the boot for 18-18.
On seventy-six an awful Harry Smith attempted drop goal was ten metres short of making the line, let alone the sticks and a minute later Luke Gale had an equally weak attempt at the one-pointer.
With two minutes remaining Smith tried for a second time and this time his kick made it over the cross bar from thirty metres for the winning point.
As the score line testifies, there was nothing between these two sides over eighty minutes except a long-range drop goal from the boot of Harry Smith. Hull had their chances to win the game, but it was the Warriors who held their nerve to go top of the pile, at least until St Helens play Leeds tomorrow evening.
Wigan Warriors: Field (2T), Hardaker (3G), Bateman, Bibby, Marshall, Cust, Smith (DG), Singleton, Powell, Byrne, Farrell, Isa, Smithies. Subs: Mago, Partington, Havard (T), French.
Hull FC: Connor, Swift (T), Vulikijapani, Griffin, McIntosh, Lovodua, Gale (3G), Sao, Houghton (T), Satae (T), Savelio, Ma´u, Lane. Subs: Brown, Fash, Johnstone, Wynne.
Half-Time: 6-12.
Full-Time: 19-18.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4, 6-6, 6-10, 6-12 : HT : 10-12, 12-12, 12-16, 12-18, 16-18, 18-18, 19-18 : FT.
Referee: Robert Hicks.
