A win for the Wigan Warriors, over Wakefield Trinity at the DW Stadium, would see them go ahead of Warrington and to the top of the table on points difference, ahead of the international break which would see England in action against France next Saturday.
The question on the lips of the travelling Wakefield supporters was not whether their side would get their first win of the season but how many they would lose by and if they would even manage to register a point after suffering five nulls so far in a catastrophic start to their 2023 season.
Wigan were handicapped by thirty points on the coupon, not surprising as Wakefield have averaged just five points a game while leaking thirty through their paper-thin defences. There was zero chance of a shock.
A late change for Wakefield saw Liam Kay replace Will Dagger at full back with eighteenth man Eddie Battye promoted to the bench.
Wigan´s first try came on six when a Bevan French pass hit a Wakefield hand and dropped into the path of Liam Marshall to pick up the ball and go over. Smith added the conversion for 6-0, Wakefield already needed to score more than their average to take the lead.
A French miss-out pass on twenty found Abbas Miski to walk over in the corner for the second try of the afternoon. Smith added the touchline conversion for a 12-0 lead. It wasn´t all plain sailing for the Warriors but they were into a comfortable lead at the quarter game stage.
Lee Kershaw picked up a kick from Joe Shorrocks but tried to offload, the ball bouncing into the hands of Ethan Havard to walk in under the sticks for a gift of a try. Smith added the conversion for 18-0, it was already game over at the interval.
At the start of the second half, Trinity failed to score through Liam Kay after good work by Jay Pitts when it looked almost impossible for them not to.
A tip tackle from Willie Isa on Harry Bowes saw the Wigan man sin-binned for ten minutes on fifty-one.
Wakefield avoided the humiliation of another zero when Jay Pitts went over on fifty-nine as he forced his way through a congested Wigan defence to force the ball onto the ground. Mason Lino converted in off both posts for 6-18. It had been a disappointing opening twenty minutes of the second half for Wigan, and a twenty-minute spell which bolstered Trinity.
Fabulous handling and footwork from Wigan saw them get their first of the second half on seventy with a miss-out ball, break infield by Miski who then passed to French to score in the corner. Smith was unable to add the extras from the touchline.
Expansive Wigan play came to nothing on seventy-six as a kick to the corner evaded King and he was unable to ground before going dead in goal. It was the last scoring opportunity of the game, the second forty won by the visitors after a disappointing Wigan showing.
This was not the game that was expected, Wigan looking a little under par despite a comfortable victory while Wakefield avoided the trouncing that was expected and even managed to get over the whitewash themselves. Wigan do go to the top of the table while Trinity stay anchored to the bottom but on the action in this game you wouldn’t have thought that there was such a gulf in league table positions. Wakefield will probably be the happier, Wigan will be holding a Monday morning inquest as to how come they were so lacklustre.
Wigan Warriors: French (T), Miski (T), King, Wardle, Marshall (T), Shorrocks, Smith (3G), Byrne, Powell, Havard (T), Isa (SB on 51), Pearce-Paul, Smithies. Subs: Mago, O´Neill, Hill, Nsemba. 18th Man: Eckersley.
Wakefield Trinity: Kay, Kershaw, Lyne, Langi, Taufua, Milnes, Lino (G), Whitbread, Bowes, Proctor, Hewitt, Ashurst, Pitts (T). Subs: Battye, Eseh, Bowden, Atoni. 18th Man: .
Half-Time: 18-0.
Full-Time: 22-6.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 10-0, 12-0, 16-0, 18-0 : HT: (SB), 18-4, 18-6, 22-6: FT.
Lead Exchanges: Wigan.
Referee: Aaron Moore.
