Wigan 'all but confirmed' to win League Leaders' Sheild after win over Leeds Rhinos
Two quickfire tries from Adam Keighran – coupled with the early loss of Rhinos full-back Lachlan Miller due to injury – handed the visitors an advantage that they rarely looked like relinquishing.
Wigan all but confirmed top spot in the Betfred Super League after turning on the style to sink long-time leaders Leeds 40-8 at a sold-out Headingley.
Two quickfire tries from Adam Keighran – coupled with the early loss of Rhinos full-back Lachlan Miller due to injury – handed the visitors an advantage that they rarely looked like relinquishing.
Matt Peet’s side ran away with it at the end, with Keighran completing his hat-trick at the death, with six kicks lifting his personal contribution to 24 – and almost certainly setting up a celebratory night at the Brick Community Stadium next weekend.
Wigan’s emphatic win means they will lift the League Leaders’ Shield assuming they avoid defeat at home to free-falling Catalans Dragons – and will head into the post-season play-offs as both the top-ranked team and overwhelming favourites.
The Rhinos can point to the absence due to injury of Maika Sivo and James McDonnell, arguably their top two performers this season, but they will need both of them back and much more should they face the same opponents again in October’s Grand Final.
Arriving in West Yorkshire on the back of a club-record 13 Super League wins, Wigan were undaunted by an intimidating atmosphere at Headingley, and were offered an almost immediate boost when Miller limped off, forcing a hasty reshuffle by Rhinos boss Brad Arthur.
Chris Hankinson dropped back from second row but had almost no time to settle before Austin Daniel engineered space on the right flank and handed over to Keighran to open the scoring.
An inch-perfect 40/20 from Bevan French piled on more pressure and after Hankinson’s intervention prevented Luke Thompson from touching down, Keighran duly zipped over on the next play to add his second and lift the visitors into double figures.
Leeds reduced the deficit out of nowhere on the half-hour when Ash Handley dropped onto Jake Connor’s precise kick, and they briefly looked to be gaining the ascendency before Wigan pounced on the half-hour mark, French’s perfectly-weighted pass falling into the hands of Daniel who cantered over for his side’s third.
Connor’s long-range penalty on the half-time hooter reduced Leeds’ deficit to six at the interval, and when impressive teenager Zak Loyd carved out space in one of the opening attacks after the re-start, the home stands were swelled with optimism.
But Harry Newman was bundled into touch trying to land it in the corner, and Wigan responded by easing further clear when Zach Eckersley surged down the inside-left channel and fed Liam Marshall, who zoomed over in the corner.
Leeds responded by pummelling the Wigan line through a series of repeat sets but it proved unbreachable, and a late trio of tries from French, Jai Field and Keighran put the seal on an outstanding night for the visitors.