Wigan Warriors v Leigh Leopards: RL Commercial chair confirms 'independent panel review' into 'learnings' of ticket dispute
Rugby League Commercial chair Nigel Wood has confirmed an independent panel will conduct a review into the ‘unprecedented’ build-up to Friday night’s Super League semi-final between Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards.
Reigning Super League champions Wigan reached their third straight Grand Final thanks to a hard-fought 18-6 win over borough rivals Leigh, who produced a courageous effort at the Brick Community Stadium.
However, the build-up to Friday’s game was dominated by a well-publicised ticketing dispute, with Wigan having issued a statement claiming that Leigh owner Derek Beaumont had told them the Leopards did not intend to fulfil the fixture over a dispute concerning away ticket allocations.
Beaumont wanted Leigh to be given more tickets after the Leopards had sold out their initial allocation, something which Wigan refused on the grounds of safety advice, according to their official club statement that they issued on Wednesday morning.
The Leigh owner then released a statement of his own on Wednesday night, claiming that Wood had suggested RL Commercial would be open to a review of the incidents leading up to the game.
Wood has subsequently confirmed himself publicly on Saturday lunchtime that an independent review panel will now happen, in a public statement issued by the Super League and Rugby Football League websites, which praised Wigan and Leigh for their performances in the game, whilst admitting they will try and garner some ‘learnings’ from what transpired in the build-up in the eyes of both clubs.
“Congratulations to both Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards on their performances last night, and congratulations to the Warriors for qualifying for their third Grand Final in a row,” said Wood.
“The build-up to last night’s game was unprecedented, and has highlighted learnings for the future, which an independent panel will review following this weekend’s fixtures.
“The play-offs have not let us down with terrific performances and entertainment as always. I am looking forward to tonight’s second Betfred Super League Men's Semi Final - best wishes to Hull KR and St Helens.”
Meanwhile, Wigan had announced that they had already sold 10,000 tickets for the Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 11 – just 14 hours after their tickets went on sale following their win over Leigh.