Wigan hold on for Magic win against Warrington

Betfred Super League

Wigan (12) 22

Field, French, Miski, Keighran 3 Goals: Keighran

Warrington (4) 20

In a Magic Weekend thriller at St James’ Park, the Wigan Warriors held on to beat Warrington Wolves to finish second overall.

Before Warrington’s Jake Thewlis turned in at the corner, Jai Field dived in to give Wigan the lead. Soon after, Bevan French added to their lead.

After the break, Rodrick Tai attempted to close the gap for Wigan, but Abbas Miski and Adam Keighran failed to do so.

Thewlis’ second clawed Warrington within two points, but Stefan Ratchford missed the extras as Wigan held on in the dying moments thanks to Joe Philbin’s powerful carry over the line.

Wigan’s victory puts them back in second place after borough rivals Leigh’s defeat of Catalans on Saturday bumped them down.

When Field received French’s offload and saw a gap before running in the line, Wigan went ahead with Field’s 14th try of the year in all competitions.

French’s try was quickly followed, but Wigan were given an odd advantage by referee Chris Kendall, who misplaced Jake Thewlis before he could try to take the Warriors’ talisman.

Thewlis unapologetically responded to Warrington’s first try by going in style, but Ratchford missed his kick at goal, keeping an eight-point lead.

Oli Leyland and Ratchford were fielded in the halves by Warrington, with George Williams, Marc Sneyd, and Danny Walker serving as the Warriors’ starting lineup. Leyland made his first appearance in the lineup since he was withdrawn after the Warriors’ humiliating defeat in Las Vegas.

Wigan believed Field had advanced further, but Junior Nsemba was found guilty of blocking Leyland during the build-up.

When Kruise Leeming and Wigan touched down just before half-time, it was a case of deja vu, but it was once more attributed to Nsemba obstructing Leyland in the build-up.

After the break, Josh and Jake Thewlis worked together to prepare Tai for the score, but Miski ran in with ease after French and Field’s outstanding work helped Wigan maintain pace.

Keighran added a try to his impressive points total by failing to initially receive a high kick that luckily fell for Jake Thewlis. However, when the ball came in, Keighran ran in from distance, but not before wrong-footing Matt Dufty as he cantered in on the wing, he accidentally hit Matt Dufty.

With six minutes left, Philbin touched down with an extended arm to ensure Wigan would work for the points, though Warrington made sure Wigan would do the same.

Dufty made amends for the error that caused Keighran’s score by slashing his way through the Wigan defense and running the entire field before handing it to Josh Thewlis, who then touched down his brother Jake.

Matt Peet, the head coach of the Wigan Warriors:

“I’m pleased I got the points, but I had a feeling it might be that game.” Nothing about the lads would have surprised me, despite my best efforts.

“A few years ago, everything we were talking about was quickening things up, including any dead time, without any indication that we were heading in the wrong direction.

“This isn’t just about the game of today,” he said. It has been discussed for some time. Really strange . Today’s game won’t likely feature many tired players, in my opinion.

Sam Burgess, the manager of Warrington:

“I believed we didn’t have a great start, missed a few opportunities, and will probably end up feeling a little more disappointed,” she said.

You can’t dispute the team’s commitment to one another and the bravery to continue competing, even though it would have been nice if we had kicked that goal.

“I believe our performances have been improving, and we will have a challenging match on Sunday in the]Challenge Cup] semi-final.”

Leeming, Dupree, Hill, Walters, and others.

Warrington: Dufty, Josh Thewlis, Lindop, Tai, Jake Thewlis, Ratchford, Leyland, Yates, Powell, Vaughan, Holroyd, Fitzgibbon, Currie, and others.

Harrison, Philbin, Musgrove, and Crowther swap.