WIGAN WARRIORS ensured it was a perfect preparation for their World Club Challenge showdown with a hard-fought 32-4 victory over Castleford Tigers.
However, it was in highly controversial circumstances as the Tigers were reduced to 12 men on the half-hour when Liam Watts was sent off for a remarkably harsh shoulder charge on Wigan’s Tyler Dupree.
To set the tone, the Warriors were given two penalties and a six again in the opening three minutes, with Harry Smith breaking the deadlock with a two-pointer before Danny Richardson equalising with the boot moments later.
It was nip and tuck throughout with the Tigers having the best of the chances with Innes Senior going close off a Luke Hooley grubber around the midway point in the first-half.
Smith was sinbinned shortly after for a dangerous tackle on Hooley before Liam Marshall almost snuck an intercept off a Hooley pass.
Richardson had the chance to add another two points from the boot after Wigan were found guilty of ripping the ball and the halfback did just that with Castleford leading 4-2 with half an hour gone.
It all went wrong for the Tigers moments later as Liam Watts was harshly red carded for a shoulder charge on Tyler Dupree. Adam Keighran added the two to level the scores at 4-4.
Inevitably, the Warriors made the extra man count and, following a Kruise Leeming grubber, Patrick Mago dotted down. Smith converted to make it 10-4 with the break looming.
Against 12 men and with yet more penalties given in the Warriors’ favour, the visitors struck again on half-time with Mago powering through the line before offloading to Bevan French who cantered over. Smith converted excellently from out wide to make it 16-4 at the break.
Marshall grabbed his own try on 51 minutes after great hands from Jake Wardle on the inside. Smith couldn’t convert this time as Wigan led 20-4.
Leeming added his own four-pointer as the hour approached, following up a kick from Abbas Miski with Smith making it 26-4.
Both teams looked like they were ready for the end of the game with the red card blunting the fixture as a contest as Marshall still had time to dot down before the end. Smith rounded off the scoring at 32-4.
Castleford Tigers
1 Luke Hooley
5 Jason Qareqare
3 Jack Broadbent
4 Sam Wood
5 Innes Senior
6 Danny Richardson
7 Jacob Miller
10 George Lawler
14 Liam Horne
17 Nixon Putt
11 Elie El-Zakhem
22 Charbel Tasipale
13 Joe Westerman
Substitutes
2 Josh Simm
8 Liam Watts
19 Sam Hall
20 Muizz Mustapha
Tries:
Goals: Richardson 2/2
Red card: Watts (29) – shoulder charge
Wigan Warriors
1 Jai Field
2 Abbas Miski
3 Adam Keighran
4 Jake Wardle
5 Liam Marshall
6 Bevan French
7 Harry Smith
16 Luke Thompson
9 Brad O’Neill
10 Liam Byrne
11 Willie Isa
12 Liam Farrell
13 Kaide Ellis
Substitutes
14 Mike Cooper
15 Patrick Mago
17 Kruise Leeming
19 Tyler Dupree
Tries: Mago (35), French (40), Marshall (51, 75), Leeming (55)
Goals: Smith 5/6, Keighran 1/1
Sinbin: Smith (20) – dangerous tackle
Penalty count: 10-6
Six again: 3-2
Half-time: 4-16
Referee: Tom Grant
Scoring sequence: 0-2, 2-2, 4-2, 4-4, 4-10, 4-16; 4-20, 4-26, 4-32
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