Wigan Warriors book spot in Challenge Cup quarter-finals after easing past Bradford Bulls
Wigan Warriors booked their place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 30-6 victory over Bradford Bulls in the fourth round at the Brick Community Stadium on Friday night.
Matt Peet’s side were firmly in control from the outset and led 20-0 at the break thanks to first-half tries from Luke Thompson, Zach Eckersley and Liam Marshall. Adam Keighran extended the advantage after the interval before Bradford briefly threatened a response through Ethan Ryan, but Wigan had the final say when Dayon Sambou marked his debut with a try late on.
Peet made two changes to the side that defeated Toulouse Olympique last weekend. Academy product Noah Hodkinson was handed his first-team debut at fullback with Jai Field (appendix) and Bevan French (hamstring) unavailable, while off-season signing Sambou, who joined from St Helens on a four-year deal, was also named in the matchday squad and later made his club debut from the bench. They replaced French and homegrown forward Taylor Kerr.
Bradford arrived missing several key players themselves. Loghan Lewis and Eliot Peposhi were both serving suspensions, while centre Waqa Blake was ruled out with a shoulder injury. Guy Armitage, Mitch Souter and Leon Ruan therefore came into Kurt Haggerty’s line-up.
Wigan made their early pressure count after seven minutes. Keighran showed sharp reactions to keep a kick alive near the line, flicking the ball back into the arms of Thompson, who crashed over from close range. Keighran added the conversion to give the hosts a 6-0 lead.
Bradford briefly suffered a setback midway through the first half when Zac Fulton left the field for a head injury assessment, though the forward later returned after passing the checks. Moments later, the Bulls were penalised for holding down in the tackle, and Keighran calmly slotted the resulting penalty to extend Wigan’s advantage to eight points.
The Warriors produced one of the moments of the night on 28 minutes when prop Ethan Havard displayed unexpected finesse. Spotting space behind the Bradford defence, the front-rower delicately chipped the ball over the top for Eckersley to chase, and the winger collected and finished neatly in the corner. Keighran nailed an excellent conversion from the touchline to make it 14-0.
Bradford’s defensive effort was further tested late in the half when Brandon Douglas was forced from the field for a HIA, and Wigan took full advantage just before the interval. Harry Smith produced a perfectly weighted kick to the corner, and Marshall rose to claim it and touch down out wide. Keighran converted again to send the Warriors into the break with a commanding 20-0 lead.
Wigan continued to dictate the contest after half-time and crossed again ten minutes into the second period. Brad O’Neill’s clever grubber skidded into the in-goal area, and Keighran reacted quickest to ground the ball, though his conversion attempt struck the post and bounced away.
Shortly afterwards, Sambou entered the action for the first time in a Wigan shirt, replacing Keighran with Eckersley shifting into the centres.
Bradford did manage a response with just over 15 minutes remaining. A sweeping move to the left edge created space for Ryan, who finished in the corner, and Luke Hooley converted to reduce the deficit to 24-6.
Any hopes of a late comeback were ended in the closing stages when Sambou made his mark in dramatic fashion. The winger read a pass and intercepted before sprinting clear to score beneath the posts in front of the South Stand. Smith added the extras to round off a comfortable 30-6 victory and send Wigan safely into the quarter-finals.
Wigan: Noah Hodkinson; Zach Eckersley, Adam Keighran, Liam Farrell, Liam Marshall; Jack Farrimond, Harry Smith; Ethan Havard, Brad O’Neill, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Sam Walters, Kaide Ellis. Subs: Patrick Mago, Ollie Partington, Sam Eseh, Dayon Sambou. 18th man: Taylor Kerr.
Tries: Thompson, Eckersley, Marshall, Keighran, Sambou Goals: Keighran 4/5, Smith 1/1
Bradford: Caleb Aekins; Connor Wynne, Esan Marsters, Guy Armitage, Ethan Ryan; Luke Hooley, Rowan Milnes; Ryan Sutton, Andy Ackers, Eribe Doro, Ed Chamberlain, Zac Fulton, Joe Mellor. Subs: Mitch Souter, Sam Hallas, Brandon Douglas, Leon Ruan. 18th man: Jamie Gill.
Tries: Ryan Goals: Hooley 1/1
Referee: Liam Rush | Attendance: 9,997