Wigan Warriors: Three talking points from the defeat to Leeds Rhinos

Despite leading 14-6 at the break and holding a man advantage after Zane Tetevano’s red card, Matty Peet’s side were unable to come away with the two points following a poor second half display.

Tries from Abbas Miski, Bevan French and Iain Thornley were nothing more than consolations on what was another disappointing evening for the Warriors.

Here are some of the talking points from the game:

A complete collapse

At one stage this piece would’ve been positive about how Wigan started the game.

They were on top in the first half, and it was a much better showing than what they produced against Hull FC.

For the possession they had they should’ve posted more points, but nonetheless they looked in control.

Harry Newman’s first half try was against the run of play.

The red card came soon after, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’d be the Warriors who’d come away with a big score.

Instead, they looked like the team with reduced numbers.

It’s hard to put into words just how bad it was.

Leeds were full of energy and grit- something the home side were lacking.

Conceding 40 points at home would be a massive disappointment against a team with 13 on the pitch, nevermind 12.

It was probably the worst half of rugby under Peet, who admitted he was embarrassed by the display after the match.

Fans probably have forgotten about last week’s result at the MKM Stadium; but for all the wrong reasons.

A lack of desire

Heads certainly dropped during the second half for Wigan.

Even when Iain Thornley levelled the scores just before the hour mark, it still felt as if it was still Leeds on top.

That try had the potential to change the momentum, but the damage had already been done.

The fight wasn’t there from the Warriors, while Leeds just kept going.

The tries from Rhyse Martin and Cameron Smith in particular felt disappointing.

It just seemed far too easy for them to force their way to the line.

There was also the build-up to Richie Myler’s try, where Harry Smith allowed the ball to bounce from a high kick, which proved to be a gift for the visitors.

There was certainly just a lack of energy from Peet’s side.

Yes, they are missing bodies, but the long turnaround would’ve given them time to recharge their batteries, so there’s no excuses for a performance of this type.

Fans head to exits

A lot of supporters headed home early.

It’s hard to blame them, as towards the end it became hard to watch.

Since Peet took over as head coach last year, fans have always stayed until the very end, so their quick exits shows just how bad the performance was after the break.

Next week provides Wigan with a good chance to make amends, as they take on the same opposition in the Challenge Cup.

After the last two performances, a big improvement will be needed if they want to go far in the competition this year.