ST HELENS 20 WIGAN WARRIORS 24
LORRAINE MARSDEN, Totally Wicked Stadium, Friday
WIGAN WARRIORS may have had an easy ride of things to take the Challenge Cup Final victory over St Helens in June, but fast forward three months and they were made to work for the full 80 minutes to secure the League Leaders’ Shield against the same opposition.
The victory saw Wigan retake a one-point lead at the top of the table over Saints, but with a guaranteed two points next week following the cancellation of the game against Warrington Wolves, top spot has been confirmed for Denis Betts’ charges.
But Saints were determined to spoil the party, and based on this performance they will still fancy their chances should they progress to make another Grand Final in October.
It didn’t start well for Saints though as they failed to find touch with a penalty in the opening set, Wigan took full advantage to open the scoring. Anna Davies took the ball into the Saints half before a neat grubber kick from Isabel Rowe bounced kindly for the chasing Jenna Foubister to touch down between the posts.
So often this season Wigan have taken the lead early and then preceded to steamroller their opposition, but that was not the case here and Saints soon hit back when Molly Jones coughed up possession 15 metres from their own line. After moving the ball down the middle, Channy Crowl spotted a gap after taking a short pass from Katie Mottershead to touch down. Faye Gaskin’s goal drew the sides level.
It got even better for Saints 13 minutes later when a repeat set allowed them to put more pressure on the visitors and when Rachael Woosey fed Dani McGifford a neat pass, the winger squeezed through a gap to touchdown in the corner. It was too far out for Gaskin to add the conversion.
But the lead didn’t last long and from the restart Wigan went the length of the pitch to equalise. Much of the damage was done from a break by Rowe, before the ball was fed out to Anna Davies who raced in at the corner. Rowe’s missed conversion left scores level.
With five minutes of the half remaining Saints’ left edge combined once again with Luci McColm putting Woosey in for a try. Gaskin nailed the conversion from out wide, which proved important as Wigan scored again through Georgia Wilson in the final seconds of the half. But Rowe was off target once again, meaning the hosts held a slender two-point lead at the break.
Wigan came out firing after the break but still had to work hard to earn crucial field position, but once they did, they soon found a way through as Foubister and Mary Coleman linked up before Grace Banks found some speed to go in at the corner. Rowe made up for her previous misses to add the conversion from the touchline.
In a game that had been neck and neck throughout, it ws perhaos hardly surprising that Saints were soon level once again. Motterhead darted through gap and sent Shona Hoyle away. She was brought down by Banks and Eva Hunter, but Saints worked the ball right for Phoebe Hook to touch down.
With ten minutes left a high kick was not gathered by Beri Salihi, by now playing at fullback after injury to Rebecca Rotheram early in the second half, and from the resulting set, the ball was worked outwide to Molly Jones, who found a way through in the corner.
When Salihi let another kick bounce and conceded a goal line drop out, Wigan tried in vein to take a crucial two-score lead, but Saints defence held firm to set up a tense final three minutes.
But with bodies tiring, neither side could find that final way through and Wigan held on to secure another piece of silverware.
GAMESTAR: Isabel Rowe’s kicking game caused Saints problems all night.
GAMEBREAKER: Molly Jones’ try nine minutes from time ultimately settled this enthralling tie.
MATCHFACTS
SAINTS
22 Rebecca Rotheram
2 Phoebe Hook
1 Beri Salihi
18 Rachael Woosey
25 Dani McGifford
6 Zoe Harris
7 Faye Gaskin
14 Naomi Williams
9 Katie Mottershead
10 Chantelle Crowl
23 Luci McColm
11 Shona Hoyle
13 Jodie Cunningham
Subs (all used)
8 Vicky Whitfield
17 Caitlin Casey
20 Erin McDonald
29 Hollie Bawden
Tries: Crowl (10), McGifford (23), Woosey (35), Hook (62)
Goals: Gaskin 2/4
WARRIORS
1 Grace Banks
2 Anna Davies
3 Georgia Wilson
4 Molly Jones
24 Ruby Hunter
6 Jenna Foubister
7 Isabel Rowe
8 Mary Coleman
19 Remi Wilton
10 Shaniah Power
11 Eva Hunter
15 Cerys Jones
13 Megan Williams
Subs (all used)
9 Carys Marsh
12 Vicky Molyneux
17 Emily Veivers
22 Mia Atherton
Tries: Foubister (2), Davies (28), Wilson (39), Banks (49), M Jones (71)
Goals: Rowe 2/5
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 10-6, 10-10, 16-10, 16-14; 16-20, 20-20, 20-24
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Player of the Match
Saints: Katie Mottershead; Warriors: Isabel Rowe
Penalty count: 2-4
Half-time: 16-14
Referee: Brandon Worsley