Hull FC stun Wigan to boost play-off hopes

Betfred Super League

Wigan (0) 12

Wade attempts, Havard goals, Smith 2.

Hull FC (20) 32

With a superb victory over reigning champion Wigan Warriors at the Brick Community Stadium, Hull FC completely transformed the Super League play-off picture.

With a utterly dominant first-half display that gave Matt Peet’s side a 20-point lead, the Black and Whites completely blew it.

And they came back after the break to show that it wasn’t a fluke, scoring two more tries to bring their total to sixth place.

Hull FC put together their best performance of the season while second-placed Wigan was below their usual high standards. They used a tactical masterclass to target the home side’s vulnerability with the high ball.

In the second half, Wigan’s account was opened by Winger Christian Wade’s superb solo effort, but his handling errors during attempts to catch high kicks led to Hull tries on three occasions.

After four minutes, Zach Eckersley looked certain to score in the corner, but his failure to ground the ball suggested that this might not be a routine 80 minutes.

The home side’s cards began to fall ominously when the center was immediately helped off after suffering a potentially serious lower leg injury shortly after.

Sure enough, Hull FC took the lead, and their opening attempt served as a model for how they defeated their hosts throughout the afternoon.

Wade may be devastating going forward, as he later demonstrated, but Aidan Sezer quickly realized he was vulnerable when he faced a high ball, and Wade forced him to fumble on the fifth tackle before Jed Cartwright threw his chip away.

Following that, Wigan made a superb field position, which a Sezer line break and offload gave Cartwright a second on 23 minutes, when they made the next error with a Kaide Ellis fumble 30 meters out.

Sezer then successfully angled his 30-minute cut through the posts himself. The Black and Whites won 20-0 with a penalty from Charles just before the half-time break.

The pep talk from his Hull counterpart John Cartwright did not perform as well as it did from Wigan’s Peet at half-time.

On 54 minutes, Wade’s superb rubber-ball run down the left and his balance and dancing feet leading to a score of 20-6 suggested Wigan might make a game of it, leading to a 20-6 lead.

However, Hull FC gradually regained control after Jai Field was forced to leave the field after hitting his head on the turf and failing a head injury assessment that had prevented him from playing next week’s game against Catalan Dragons.

On 64 minutes, Harvey Barron should have converted from the right corner but Jordan Rapana missed the opportunity to convert after another Wade fumble under a high kick from Charles.

Ethan Havard from Wigan once more cut the lead to 26-12 with additional extras from Harry Smith, but Jack Ashworth put the finishing touches on a brilliant performance by extending the lead back up to 20 close to the hooter.

After winning the Challenge Cup in March, Hull FC won their second game against Wigan, but Cartwright will now have to concentrate on their home form, which has been their biggest flaw this season.

Matt Peet, the coach of Wigan:

“Christian Wade apologized to the team for making a few errors right away on the field, but I knew it would happen, so I made the decision to choose him.”

“I had enough in practice last week to believe that we would move in the right direction,” said Christian, who made a few errors and was clinical for Hull FC.

“But he’s been playing well and will continue to work hard.” That’s the sport’s nature.

I understand how and why it happened, but we’re disappointed to lose, especially when we concede the points we did in the first half. When people find out about it, it surprises me.

“The play-offs are very possible in the present league table,” said one player.

John Cartwright, the coach of Hull FC, told BBC Radio Humberside:

“I thought the entire team did a fantastic job.” We’ve struggled to hold on to the ball for a while, which has hurt us, but today everything worked out for us.

Christian Wade has a lot of carry, but he is new to the game and is very dangerous when he kicks high to him and attempts to make a tackle on him. The key factors were the kick’s and chase’s positions.

Although I’m not sure if many people believed we could have won, I’ve always liked the phrase “underdog.” A plan rarely comes to fruition 100%, and today was one of those days.

Wigan: Field, Marshall, Eckersley, Wardle, Wade, Keighran, Smith, Havard, O’Neill, Dupree, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis

, O’Neill,

Changes: Hill, Byrne, Leeming, and Mago.

Hull FC: Hardaker, Barron, Rapana, Litten, Martin, Charles, Sezer, Ese’ese, Cust, Knight, Cartwright, Fash, Aydin,

Changes: Ashworth, Briscoe, Laidlaw, and Hutchinson