Wigan Warriors 10 Leeds Rhinos 22: Five things we learned

Five things we learned from Wigan's 22-10 defeat against Leeds in Liam Farrell's testimonial...
Wigan fans got their first glimpse of Jake Bibby and Jackson HastingsWigan fans got their first glimpse of Jake Bibby and Jackson Hastings
Wigan fans got their first glimpse of Jake Bibby and Jackson Hastings

1. Don't let the scoreline worry you.

This was a Wigan team of two halves, with the first-choice line-up taking them to half-time before fringe players from a 13-man bench began taking over.

Wigan were 10-6 ahead at half-time, slipped to 10-10 before Leeds powered away in the final minutes against a youthful line-up which had a dig but, understandably, didn't have the same strike or cohesion.

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Before their two late tries, the Rhinos elected to kick a penalty with 13 minutes to go - and coach Richard Agar later made the point of insisting it wasn't his decision!

2. A crowd of 3,717 turned out on a shivery afternoon to salute Liam Farrell's decade of service.

Among the tributes in his testimonial brochure, Shaun Wane said he ranks him alongside Sean O'Loughlin, Pat Richards says "if you're picking a team you want Faz in there", while Kris Radlinski says he "has to be the general of the ginger crew!"

He led the sides out and gave a typically robust performance before a minor neck injury cut short his involvement.

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3. It wasn't all about Liam Farrell, of course - fans were keen to see how the new recruits went.

Jake Bibby, the former Salford centre, was strong defensively and opened the scoring with a nice try from Jackson Hastings' pass.

Hastings may have only been at the club for ness than three weeks but he slotted in well, barked instructions and had a roaming role, rather than being locked into one side.

Mitch Clark never got the chance to show his quality in the middle, while fellow prop George Burgess rested a minor hip injury.

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4. Adrian Lam says that for half an hour, Wigan were outstanding.

It's true.

They looked crisp and sharp with the ball, and they looked like they had ideas. Whether that's Hastings' introduction, Bevan French's switch to full-back or the fact the players are more familiar with Lam's methods - or a combination of them all - they could easily have added to their two first-half tries, if it wasn't for a little pre-season rust.

Liam Marshall also had some eye-catching moments while homegrown props Liam Byrne and Ollie Partington also impressed.

5. Leeds coach Agar saluted Wigan's "touch of class" for rallying behind Rob Burrow after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

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Wigan warmed-up in special tops emblazoned with Burrow's name, and former No.7 on the back, and there was a bucket collection around the ground.

Farrell's testimonial brochure, meanwhile, included an 'opposition dreamteam'. His halfback? "Someone asked me last season who was the hardest opponent I've faced," said Farrell. "And I answered, 'Rob Burrow'. I'd rather have the biggest front-rower in the world charging at me than Rob."