This was not so much a crucial Super League victory as it was a statement to the rest of the competition. Six days on from Wigan’s dismantling of great rivals St Helens in the Challenge Cup semi-finals, Matt Peet’s team have now humiliated the side that were top of the table heading into this weekend.
If you did not know the first trophy of the season was on the verge of being handed out, you certainly do now. With their date against Hull KR just a fortnight away at Wembley, Wigan have clicked into gear at precisely the right time – just as they have done so many times over the past four or five seasons.
There were questions about Wigan’s credentials after four successive league defeats last month. For a club of this stature, that is a run of significant note. But with the scent of a salivating final against Rovers in the Challenge Cup final in the air, the Warriors proved once again that when it really matters, they can find their form.
Their attacking players shone but just like last week in the 32-0 win over Saints, it was defensive brilliance that truly caught the eye in this victory. Leeds’ star players were stunted and the intensity from the Warriors in forging a 16-0 half-time lead was a joy to behold, and the hallmark of a truly great side.
The magnificent Jack Farrimond scored their opener before further tries from Adam Keighran and Noah Hodkinson before half-time gave Wigan a commanding lead their dominance with and without the ball merited. In contrast, Leeds were unable to lay a metaphorical glove on their opponents, on the night they could have returned to the Super League summit.
Peet and his team came under scrutiny with their run of four losses. Suddenly, those doubters have been emphatically silenced. “I was questioning things myself – that’s my job, isn’t it?” Peet said. “There’s very fine lines, very fine margins and it’s not just week to week, but minute to minute, player by player. We’ll just keep trying to get better.”
One defeat does not define a season especially when, as mentioned, you sat top of the table going into this weekend. But this loss rounded off a miserable week for Leeds, who are bracing themselves for the departure of another key star after it emerged half-back Brodie Croft is heading for Warrington on a lucrative deal from 2027.
Croft will be the fifth frontline player to leave the Rhinos; Cameron Smith is heading for Wakefield while Harry Newman, Mikolaj Oledzki and James McDonnell are all joining Perth next year. There is an enormous rebuild coming at Headingley this winter which perhaps suggests this may be Leeds’ best chance of silverware for some time.
Wigan: Field; Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Hodkinson; Farrimond, Smith; Havard, O’Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Walters, Partington. Interchange: Ellis, Mago, Eseh, Kerr.
Leeds: Miller; Sivo, Newman, Handley, Hall; Croft, Connor; Holroyd, Levi, Palasia, Hankinson, McDonnell, Watkins. Interchange: Oledzki, Jenkins, O’Connor, Smith.
Referee: Liam Moore.
Which possibly adds a layer of pressure to what Leeds are doing. All clubs find themselves at different points in the cycle and it is abundantly clear the Rhinos are on the verge of a huge overhaul. This squad has one last chance to claim a first Grand Final since 2017 and with their coach, Brad Arthur, out of contract later this year, these are fascinating times at Headingley.
“We got beat on the basics,” Arthur said, while also stressing the news around Croft did not affect them here. “I thought our effort was good and our team identity was good but they were too good for us on both sides of the ball. We didn’t do the basics of the game well enough.”
Leeds had to score first after the break but instead, they conceded a crucial try when a wonderful kick from Harry Smith – who underlined his England credentials on the night when the reigning Man of Steel, Jake Connor, struggled – led to Jake Wardle crossing to make it 24-0.
Maika Sivo’s late consolation at least ensured Arthur and Leeds would not be unable to score at Wigan for the second time in three seasons, but they will be bruised by a damaging week not just on the field, but off it too.
As for Wigan, all eyes now turn to another defining fortnight. Wembley looms large on the horizon but between now and then? A mouthwatering clash with the side they face in the final, Hull KR, in a huge Super League showdown. What a two weeks we have in store.
