Wigan Warriors beat Leigh Leopards to claim bragging rights in Battle of the Borough

Matt Peet’s side trailed 8-0 for much of the opening half in Leigh, but four unanswered tries saw the Challenge Cup holders complete the turnaround and strengthen their push for a top-two finish.

Leigh made the brighter start and opened the scoring after eight minutes when Adam Cook kicked a penalty goal after Wigan were penalised for holding down in the tackle.

The hosts extended their advantage seven minutes later as the ball was shifted wide for Innes Senior to dive over in the corner. Cook was unable to add the extras, leaving Leigh 6-0 in front.

Wigan thought they had pulled a try back on the half-hour mark when Liam Marshall finished off a length-of-the-field move, only for the video referee to rule it out after Jake Wardle was adjudged to have pushed Umyla Hanley while competing for the ball in the air. Leigh made the most of the decision as Cook added another penalty goal to stretch the lead to 8-0.

However, the Warriors hit back just before the break through a moment of individual brilliance from Jai Field. The Australian took a quick tap near his own line before racing 95 metres to score beneath the posts. Harry Smith converted to cut the deficit to just two points at half-time.

Wigan carried that momentum into the second half and took the lead for the first time five minutes after the restart. Noah Hodkinson reacted quickest to Jack Hughes’ offload before finding the supporting Bevan French, who sprinted under the sticks for a simple converted try.

The visitors tightened their grip on the contest in the 52nd minute when Zach Eckersley intercepted a Lazarus Vaalepu pass and raced 40 metres to score. Smith was unable to convert.

Eckersley then turned provider six minutes later, producing a neat pass to send Hodkinson over in the right corner as Wigan opened up a 20-8 lead.

Smith missed the chance to extend the advantage further after pulling a penalty goal attempt wide midway through the second half, but Wigan remained in complete control during the closing stages.

Brad O’Neill was once again outstanding in the middle of the park as the Warriors comfortably saw out the contest to secure another important two competition points.

Leigh: Gareth O’Brien; Innes Senior, Andy Badrock, Umyla Hanley, David Armstrong; Adam Cook, Lachlan Lam; Joe Ofahengaue, Liam Horne, Isaac Liu, Owen Trout, Jack Hughes, Louis Brogan. Subs: Robbie Mulhern, Lazarus Vaalepu, Jacob Alick-Wiencke, Matt Davis. 18th man: Ben McNamara.

Tries: Senior | Goals: Cook 2/3

Wigan: Jai Field; Noah Hodkinson, Zach Eckersley, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall; Bevan French, Harry Smith; Ethan Havard, Brad O’Neill, Luke Thompson, Sam Walters, Ollie Partington, Kaide Ellis. Subs: Patrick Mago, Taylor Kerr, George O’Loughlin, Shea O’Connor. 18th man: Sam Eseh.

Tries: Field, French, Eckersley, Hodkinson | Goals: Smith 2/5

Referee: Chris Kendall | Attendance: 10,265