At times, this was a game that had all the hallmarks of two sides still feeling the effects from the Easter period – at others, a thoroughly engrossing and entertaining contest that was decided several times over in a pulsating final quarter. Yet the talk post-match was not about another Thursday thriller in Super League but a key incident at half-time which left the Huddersfield coach, Paul Anderson, seething.
With his side leading 12-6 against Wigan at the break, Anderson was furious after the stand-in Wigan captain, John Bateman, confronted the referee, Joe Cobb, about the speed of the rucks during the first half.
Huddersfield subsequently spent 18 minutes of the second period with 12 men after receiving two yellow cards amid an 8-1 penalty count in Wigan’s favour, with the Warriors ultimately taking advantage to move to the top of Super League – much to the chagrin of Anderson, who was incredibly critical of the officiating, accepting that a ban awaits him during an extraordinary post-match outburst.
“It’s absolutely disgraceful,” Anderson said. “I’m a mixture of pride at my side’s performance and all the other emotions you can imagine. You can put this in big, bold letters – I want to know what was said to the referee at half-time. I’d like an explanation as to why the game was refereed differently in the second half – I’ll get a fine and they’ll say every decision was right, but I think it is a load of shite.”
Their 11-0 win against Warrington last week had left many suspecting they would cause Wigan problems here, and had it not been for a few key decisions going against them, they could have been heading back to West Yorkshire with two points. Instead, they left empty-handed, but with plenty of optimism for what lies ahead in the coming weeks as they bid to battle their way out of the bottom four.
Wigan are still without a plethora of key stars, but their coach, Shaun Wane handed the armband to Bateman and will have been satisfied with how the 22-year-old responded. Bateman shows incredible maturity for someone with such inexperience, and if his first performance is anything to go by, the former Bradford youngster will certainly wear the armband again in the future.
“I wasn’t falling for the trap of them being at the bottom,” Wane said afterwards, defending the half-time incident with Bateman. “He can speak to the referee, and he’s allowed to do that as captain. It was obvious that the ruck speed was slow.”
Huddersfield led at half-time despite soaking up an immense amount of pressure on their own line, as Anthony Gelling’s try was countered by two well-taken tries for Ryan Brierley, who would finish with a hat-trick.
Yet that was just a fraction of the drama to follow. The second half brought frenzy aplenty, spearheaded by the Giants’ first yellow card, for the young forward Nathan Mason. Two tackles later Wigan levelled through a try for Bateman but the Giants tore upfield shortly after and Brierley scored his third.
A try, third conversion and field goal from Matty Smith then put Wigan 19-18 in front, and even though the visitors were a man down again when Aaron Murphy was sent to the sin bin, Danny Brough’s own field goal made it 19-19, setting up an incredible finale. However, it was the 13 men of Wigan who finished stronger, and after Smith’s second one-pointer, Dan Sarginson compounded Huddersfield’s, and Anderson’s, misery with a late try.
Wigan Sarginson; Charnley, Gelling, Gildart, Tierney; Gregson, Smith; Mossop, Powell, Flower, Bateman, Isa, Sutton. Interchange Clubb, Tautai, Burke, Wells.
Tries Gelling, Bateman, Smith, Sarginson. Goals Smith 4. Field goals Smith (71, 78).
Huddersfield Brierley; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Connor, Murphy; Brough, Wood; Johnson, Hinchcliffe, Huby, Wardle, Ta’ai, Lawrence. Interchange Rapira, Leeming, Mason, Roberts.
Tries Brierley 3. Goals Brough 3. Sin bin Mason (55), Murphy (72). Field goal Brough (75).
Referee J Cobb.
Attendance 10,914.
