WIGAN WARRIORS did just enough to register a 10-8 victory over Castleford Tigers in controversial circumstances.
Wigan started the brighter of the two sides, Liam Marshall crossing in at the corner following great hands by Jake Wardle. Harry Smith couldn’t convert as the Warriors led 4-0 after seven minutes.
There really wasn’t much to shout about from either side in the opening 40 minutes although Sylvster Namo’s bulldozing run did have the home side’s fans on their feet.
That was until Hoy split the Wigan defence like a knife through butter with six minutes go until half-time before audaciously dummying French to slip over the line. Rowan Milnes couldn’t convert with the scores locked at 4-4.
In a typical Castleford fashion this season, a lost ball from Milnes invited more Wigan pressure as the half-time hooter approached, but this time Craig Lingard’s side held firm.
HALF-TIME: CASTLEFORD TIGERS 4-4 WIGAN WARRIORS
The Tigers kept the scoreboard ticking over on 51 minutes when Milnes slotted a penalty after Wigan were found to be offside.
The hosts were harshly sent down to 12 men when Cain Robb was sinbinned for a hard tackle on Abbas Miski but even then the Warriors couldn’t breach the hosts’ line.
Instead, Milnes added another two points from the boot when Wigan were found guilty of a high tackle.
8-4 down, Matt Peet’s side drew level with a lucky ricochet following a brilliant French break. From that tackle, Wardle offloaded inside and Milnes palmed the ball into Marshall’s hands who couldn’t not score.
Smith missed that conversion but the halfback sent Wigan into the lead moments later after Luke Thompson’s line-splitting run was ended with a late tackle off the ball.
Castleford kept coming, but a Nixon Putt knock on with six minutes remaining left The Jungle crowd flat – and the players seemingly fed into that.
However, it took another controversial decision to put the final nail in the Tigers’ coffin.
Zach Eckersley was caught on the last tackle with Thaler willing to let play go on until Walters ran in. That left video referee Chris Kendall to inform Thaler of a penalty in Wigan’s favour.
And the Tigers just couldn’t clamber their way back towards the end.
FULL-TIME: CASTLEFORD TIGERS 8-10 WIGAN WARRIORS
Castleford Tigers
34 Tex Hoy – 7
23 Jason Qareqare – 7
35 Corey Hall – 7
4 Sam Wood – 7
5 Innes Senior – 6
16 Rowan Milnes – 7
7 Jacob Miller – 7
15 George Griffin – 6
14 Liam Horne – 7
8 Liam Watts – 6
12 Alex Mellor – 7
11 Elie El-Zakhem – 7
29 George Hill – 6
Substitutes
17 Nixon Putt
21 Sylvester Namo – 7
24 Cain Robb – 7
37 Matty English – 7
Tries: Hoy (34)
Goals: Milnes 2/3
Sinbin: Robb (54) – high tackle
Wigan Warriors
6 Bevan French – 7
2 Abbas Miski – 5
26 Zach Eckersley – 5
4 Jake Wardle – 6
5 Liam Marshall – 7
23 Ryan Hampshire – 5
7 Harry Smith – 7
14 Mike Cooper – 5
9 Brad O’Neill – 5
16 Luke Thompson – 7
22 Sam Walters – 8
12 Liam Farrell – 7
13 Kaide Ellis – 7
Substitutes
10 Liam Byrne – 6
15 Patrick Mago – 6
17 Kruise Leeming – 5
20 Harvie Hill – 5
Tries: Marshall (7, 60)
Goals: Smith 1/3
Click here to get the digital edition of League Express
Click here to subscribe to the print edition of League Express
League Express is also widely available from local newsagents across the north of England.
