Leigh stun Warrington with dramatic late comeback

Betfred Super League

Leigh (2) 20

Attempts: Hanley 2, O’Brien 4, Trout Goals

Warrington (8) 16

With a stunning home win, Warrington Wolves’ Super League play-off hopes were thwarted by Leigh Leopards’ two stunning late fightbacks in three minutes.

After Marc Sneyd and Gareth O’Brien successfully exchanged penalty kicks, Wire held the lead 8-2 at the break with Matt Dufty’s try, which was assisted by Josh Thewlis’ stunning run.

Before Umyla Hanley restored the lead to within a score, his younger sibling, Jake Thewlis, crossed five minutes after half-time to make Warrington 12 points clear.

With less than three minutes left, Sneyd’s superb 46-meter penalty kick gave Wolves a 16-8 lead before Hanley doubled up before Owen Trout crashed over for the winning score.

With seven rounds left, Warrington, who suffered a mystifying defeat, are still eighth and four points clear of the play-off spots.

Warrington showed aggression and energy right away, pinning their hosts for the majority of the opening quarter against lowly Castleford Tigers, who had suffered a limp defeat at Castleford Tigers last time out.

However, steadfast Leigh defense prevented them from scoring even with their dominant play, with Sneyd winning the penalty for Joe Ofahengaue’s high tackle on Sam Powell, who had been held up on the line just before the break.

And Leigh were soon level through Ryan Matterson’s penalty for late contact after O’Brien had barely set an attacking boot in Wire territory.

However, when Josh Thewlis cut back into the center with a breathless run inside his own half on the right wing before sending Dufty in under the posts, order was restored in the 32nd minute.

Just one score, in the second half, was all there was if there was concern for a subpar Leigh and concern for Wire.

Jake Thewlis crossed for his eighth Super League try of the year after George Williams’ superb kick down the left wing was well received for Sneyd.

With 15 minutes left, Dufty had a second score, and a potential decider, that the video referee had overturned due to a Lachlan Fitzgibbon obstruction.

When Hanley stretched out to touch down O’Brien’s deflected grubber kick, Leigh were back in it just as the Warrington line was barely troubled.

O’Brien’s conversion resulted in a six-point lead for the Leopards, but Sneyd’s long-range dead-eye penalty once more put the visitors up two scores.

However, Hanley broke through for a second try after a Warrington score was rejected following a video review, this time from Toby King, and O’Brien’s conversion cut the lead to 16-14.

Adrian Lam, head coach of the Leigh Leopards, told BBC Radio Merseyside:

It was a strange game, and I can’t get my head around it.

The players dig in and discover a way to get there at the end is inspiring, even though I was emotionally exhausted and frustrated for the majority of it.

“I believe the week off definitely hurt, in some way, because it slowed our momentum. We’ve not played that poorly in a while, but we’ll take it.

I believed Warrington played some good rugby and probably deserved to win, but some seasons are determined by performances like this and victories in the very last moments.

Sam Burgess, head coach for the Warrington Wolves:

I thought it was fantastic, a game that was truly intense.

“We looked much more like ourselves, and I thought our game was much better.” We enjoyed the break.

They’re a great side, they threw a lot at us in the final fifteen minutes, and we didn’t do it well enough, but we kept showing up.

McNamara, Tuitavake, Davis, and Badrock swap.

Warrington: Dufty, Josh Thewlis, Wrench, King, Jake Thewlis, Williams, Sneyd, Yates, Powell, Vaughan, Stone, Fitzgibbon, Currie, and others.

Changes: Walker, Wood, Matterson, Philbin, etc.