WIGAN WARRIORS 26 WAKEFIELD TRINITY 12
DAVID KUZIO, The Brick Community Stadium, Friday

HARRY SMITH did his hopes of a starting shirt for England in this year’s World Cup no harm after another controlled and polished performance helped Wigan go top for the time being.

A whirlwind ten minutes in the first half saw the Warriors race into an 18-0 lead thanks to a breakaway score from Bevan French and two tries from Liam Marshall.

Trinity won the second period 12-6 and showed glimpses of why they have been at the top end of the table all season, but this game was won by the way Smith controlled everything in the middle of the park.

Smith was allowed too much time with the ball as he punished Wakefield with his kicks all evening, while Jai Field – whose late breakaway try sealed the result – Bevan French, Luke Thompson, Kaide Ellis and Patrick Mago all caught the eye.

After a set-for-set opening eight minutes, the game came to life with French passing forward for a Zach Eckersley no-try off a Brad O’Neill break, then making up for it with a try-saving tackle on Max Jowitt following Oliver Pratt’s charge upfield.

Wigan finally took the lead in the 17th minute as they turned defence into attack. A wayward pass from Jake Trueman hit the turf, and French picked up the loose ball and raced 75 metres to score under the posts.

It did not take long for Wigan to score their second try with a well-worked team move. Field and Smith both teased the Wakefield defence with mazy runs, before Mago showed fast hands to get the ball to Jake Wardle, who then found Kian McDermott and the second-row forward fed Marshall in the corner.

An error from Zac Lipowicz on his Trinity debut gave Wigan possession and they took full advantage. A strong run from Mago set up the play which saw Smith, Field and Wardle all combine to send Marshall over for his second.

Wakefield came close to ending the half with points as Lipowicz chased a kick from Jack Sinfield, but it evaded him and he collided with the advertising hoardings.

Instead Wigan made it a four-score lead as Keighran slotted over a penalty to add to his three earlier conversions.

Trinity did a much better job in the second half, and finally posted some points when Trueman’s neat chip was collected and grounded by Corey Hall and Jowitt converted.

Wakefield were growing in confidence and they thought they had reduced the deficit further when Jowitt touched down, but the video referee ruled Hall’s boot had touched the line before he offloaded it back inside.

After piling more pressure on, a Mike McMeeken knock-on saw Field face the full length of the pitch, outpacing Jayden Myers, to effectively end it as a contest in the 65th minute, with Keighran again goaling.

An error from Field from the restart gave Wakefield a glimmer of hope, but they had another try ruled out as Harvey Smith knocked the ball on over the line.

They received a penalty for Wigan being offside, so they had another crack and this time scored as Ky Rodwell went over.

Jowitt converted to make it 26-12 with eleven minutes remaining – but it was never going to be enough.

GAMESTAR: Harry Smith was outstanding for Wigan as he made Trinity work tirelessly from their own half with his probing kicks.

GAMEBREAKER: Wigan never seemed to be in any real danger of losing the game, but the breakaway score from Jai Field gave Wakefield too big a mountain to climb.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: The way Jai Field picked up a loose ball in front of his own line before racing 97 metres to score was a joy to watch.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Harry Smith (Wigan)
2 pts Jai Field (Wigan)
1 pt Luke Thompson (Wigan)

MATCHFACTS

WARRIORS
1 Jai Field
2 Zach Eckersley
3 Adam Keighran
4 Jake Wardle
5 Liam Marshall
6 Bevan French
7 Harry Smith
8 Ethan Havard
9 Brad O’Neill
10 Luke Thompson
23 Kian McDermott
17 Oliver Partington
13 Kaide Ellis
Subs (all used)
15 Patrick Mago
25 Taylor Kerr
37 Josh Cartwright
41 Shea O’Connor
18th man (not used)
20 Sam Eseh
Also in 21-man squad
33 George O’Loughlin
34 Finlay Yeomans
38 Austin Daniel

Tries: French (17), Marshall (22, 27), Field (65)
Goals: Keighran 5/5

TRINITY
1 Max Jowitt
2 Oliver Pratt
3 Cameron Scott
4 Corey Hall
21 Jayden Myers
6 Jake Trueman
20 Jack Sinfield
24 Tray Lolesio
9 Tyson Smoothy
10 Ky Rodwell
26 Zac Lipowicz (D)
12 Matty Storton
8 Mike McMeeken
Subs (all used)
15 Caleb Hamlin-Uele
16 Caius Faatili
17 Harvey Smith
34 Emre Guler (D)
18th man (not used)
25 Jordan Williams
Also in 21-man squad
19 Lachlan Walmsley
27 Myles Lawford
31 Kian McGann

Tries: Hall (54), Rodwell (69)
Goals: Jowitt 2/2

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 18-0, 20-0; 20-6, 26-6, 26-12

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Warriors: Harry Smith; Trinity: Jake Trueman

Penalty count: 5-4
Half-time: 20-0
Referee: Chris Kendall
Attendance: 15,652