Wigan Warriors 6 Castleford Tigers 4: Five things we learned

Five things we learned from Wigan's scrappy 6-4 win against Castleford...
It was tough going for both sidesIt was tough going for both sides
It was tough going for both sides

1. It was ugly and Adrian Lam didn't care. Not one bit.

There's a time to turn on the style - and Wigan have proved capable of doing that this season - but at this time of the season and in those conditions, this was all about the two points.

It didn't make much of a dent on the table, nudging them up to eighth. But with the visit of lowly London on Thursday, they could soon be back in the top-half of the ladder - and three successive wins would swell their confidence ahead of a Challenge Cup tie with Warrington.

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2. As a spectacle, it was a great advert for scrapping the Easter double fixtures.

The entire occasion fell flat, there was a lack of energy across the park and the awful conditions ruined any chances of this fixture coming alive.

The gate of 10,000-plus presumably including some season ticket holders who stayed dry at home and watched on TV!

3. Sam Powell scored the only try of the game with a close-range effort in the second-half.

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And it was fitting he took the glory because the hooker was one of Wigan's better players.

He put in a shift defensively and helped manage the game well.

Thomas Leuluai also excelled at times, while Jake Shorrocks seems to be settling into the halfback role.

4. The over-riding positive for Wigan was their defensive effort.

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Castleford weren't at their best - they had a list of absentees - but they had the bulk of possession in the first-half, and the hosts' line held firm.

Lam had asked for a better attitude in defence, and his players certainly responded, showing a fighting spirit which was admirable.

5. Finally, it was good to see Oliver Gildart chalk up his 100th game for his hometown club - an impressive achievement given he is still 22.

He was presented with his shirt before the game by his family, including dad Ian - himself a former player.

Gildart revealed in the week he used to watch footage of Gary Connolly to improve his defence; Connolly was at the game, watching it alongside chairman Ian Lenagan in the directors' box.