Round 14
Wigan Warriors 10 l. Hull KR 12

2007 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Robins secure second win over Warriors
Sun May 20, 2007
Source: www.hullkr.co.uk

The Robins secured a second win over the Warriors at the JJB this season, and more importantly, a vital two points, as they clung on to a narrow two point lead for the final ten minutes of the game.

Having ended their losing run in the best possible fashion at the Millennium Stadium, the Robins were full of confidence as they looked to repeat their early-season victory over the Warriors. But with Wigan enjoying a better run of form, and seeking revenge, the Red and Whites were all too aware that they were in for a tough evening.

The Robins got off to a strong start, with a towering bomb from Paul Cooke forcing a mistake from Chris Ashton and providing the first attacking opportunity of the game. But the Wigan defence were able to repel three consecutive sets and keep their line intact. The Warriors got their first attacking chance minutes later, and only a great one-on-one tackle from James Webster prevented Pat Richards from touching down.

Wigan hadn't learned from their defeat earlier in the season, as they were making mistakes with the ball, and it was only a matter of time before Rovers took advantage. Paul Cooke missed a forty metre penalty kick midway through the half, but with almost half an hour gone, the Robins finally opened the scoring. David Tangata-Toa combined with Chris Chester to give Luke Dyer a chance against his opposite number, and with the hint of a dummy, the Australian was through the gap and over. Cooke's conversion flew across the face of the posts, but with four minutes to go, the Robins extended their lead.

Chris Chester again combined with Dyer, and just as it appeared that the centre had run out of room, he kicked round Pat Richards and raced after the ball. It looked like Chris Ashton was going to get to the ball first, but Dyer reeled it in one handed before deftly putting Ian Hardman over. Cooke was on the mark with the conversion, to give his side a ten points to nil lead at the break.

Half-Time: Wigan Warriors 0 Hull Kingston Rovers 10

The teams came out to find a torrential downpour had hit Wigan, and to make things even worse, the Warriors were on the attack early. Darrell Goulding thought he had open the scoring for the home side inside the first five minutes, but a despairing tackle from Byron Ford knocked the ball loose. However, Wigan weren't going to be denied for long, and only a couple of minutes later, Trent Barrett stepped into a gap and used his size and strength to get the ball down. Pat Richards added the extras, but they were cancelled out five minutes later by a Paul Cooke penalty, awarded for a high tackle.

Wigan were laying siege to the Rovers line, with Iafeta Palea'aesina making a nuisance of himself at every opportunity. The Red and Whites were scrambling like their lives depended on it, but there was nothing they could do to prevent Pat Richards from taking Thomas Leuluai's cross-kick and touching down. That cut the gap to only two points, but Richards' conversion flicked the post and went wide.

With only ten minutes to go, and only two points separating the two sides, it was anyone's game. Nails were being bitten all round the stadium, but as time ran down, it looked as though the Robins were going to hang on for the win. With the last play of the game, Wigan needed to go eighty metres if they were to win the game, and it looked ominous as the Cherry and Whites kept the ball alive and crossed the half-way line. But some desperate scrambling defence saw Rovers hold out, and secure what could be a vital two points.

Full-Time: Wigan Warriors 10 Hull Kingston Rovers 12

Hull KR: 1. Ben Cockayne; 24. Ian Hardman, 21. Luke Dyer, 3. Jon Goddard, 5. Byron Ford; 31. Paul Cooke, 7. James Webster (c); 20. Mick Vella, 9. Ben Fisher, 15. Jim Gannon; 17. Mark O'Neill, 28. Chris Chester, 14. Stanley Gene. Replacements: 30. Mark Lennon, 16. Jason Netherton, 18. Danny Ward, 10. David Tangata-Toa.

Wigan: 1. Chris Ashton; 2. Mark Calderwood, 3. Phil Bailey, 14. David Vaealiki, 5. Pat Richards; 6. Trent Barrett, 7. Thomas Leuluai; 8. Stuart Fielden, 16. Shane Millard, 10. Iafeta Palea'aesina; 11. Gareth Hock, 19. Harrison Hansen, 13. Sean O'Loughlin (c). Replacements: 9. Mickey Higham, 24. Eamon O'Carroll, 22. Joel Tomkins, 20. Darrell Goulding.

Referee: Mr. R. Laughton
Attendance: 13,538

Hull KR:
Complete Sets: 16+13
Incomplete Sets: 7+7

Wigan:
Complete Sets: 10+14
Incomplete Sets: 7+6

Report source: www.hullkr.co.uk


Hull KR upset Wigan
Sat May 19, 2007
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Wigan Warriors experienced a sickening sense of deja vu as Hull KR withstood a second-half onslaught to sneak home 12-10 and record their second victory at the JJB Stadium this season.

First-half scores from Luke Dyer and Ian Hardman gave Rovers a 10-0 interval lead and, despite tries after the break by Trent Barrett and Pat Richards, the Robins held on as Richards hitting the post with his second conversion attempt ultimately proved decisive.

The visitors certainly would have had no fears arriving at the JJB Stadium, having already won 26-16 here in early March.

Tries in the final 10 minutes of the half from Dyer and Hardman gave Rovers a commanding interval lead and, although Barrett and Iafeta Paleaaesina inspired the home side after the break, it was not quite enough to steal the points.

The tone was set for Wigan when Chris Ashton dropped the first bomb of the game from Paul Cooke to give Rovers tremendous field position with barely a minute gone.

Only bone-crunching defence from Thomas Leuluai stopped a rampaging Michael Vella, while Mark Calderwood did well to deflect a clever kick from James Webster shortly after, with the evergreen Stanley Gene lurking.

The Warriors were finding it hard to get any kind of continuity going in attack, but quick hands from Leuluai and David Vaealiki gave Pat Richards a sight of the corner, only for Hardman to force him into touch a yard short.

Wigan showed their intent when they were awarded a penalty bang in front for a hand in the tackle on 15 minutes but to chose to run it to no avail.

Rovers adopted a more safety first approach when they were awarded a penalty of their own six minutes later from fully 40 yards out, only for Cooke's kick to fade past the posts.

It mattered not, though, as Dyer then walked through the tackle of Leuluai to notch the first try of the night, the angle beating Cooke's conversion.

A jinking run by Leuluai briefly raised home hopes, and then Stuart Fielden did cross the line, with three Rovers defenders on his back, only to be penalised for a double movement.

Rovers were visibly growing in confidence at the seeming lack of ideas in the Wigan ranks, and extended their lead six minutes before the interval through Hardman.

Dyer dribbled the ball past a helpless Richards, and found the on-loan St Helens man on his inside for the walk-in score, which Cooke goaled.

The Warriors needed a swift response at the start of the second half, and their cause had not been helped by the arrival of the rain during the interval.

It did not seem to bother Barrett, however, and the classy Aussie stand-off stepped up to the plate to haul his side back into it.

First he produced a super ball to get Joel Tomkins through a gap, although the supporting Darrell Goulding lost the ball in the act of scoring.

Seconds later he put Gareth Hock through on the crash ball, only for full-back Ben Cockayne to pull off an amazing last-ditch tackle a yard short.

Barrett clearly decided enough was enough on 47 minutes, this time dummying out wide, barging through the defence and taking Cockayne over the line with him.

Richards added the extras to reduce the arrears to four points, but a knock-on from Stuart Fielden in the next set halted the Warriors' resurgence, and a high shot on Vella from Hock allowed Cooke to make it 12-6 to Rovers as the final quarter approached.

A bulldozing 30-metre run from Paleaaesina, leaving four unfortunate Rovers men in his wake, put Wigan on the front foot again, and Leuluai's long ball looked to have put Calderwood in at the corner, only for the ball to slip through the winger's hands and into touch.

A sublime chip over the top from Barrett was then only halted by a cynical shoulder charge from Jason Netherton, who was extremely lucky to avoid a spell in the sin-bin.

But, from the resulting penalty, justice was done when Richards reached highest to pluck Leuluai's bomb out of the air and touch down - only for his conversion attempt to hit the outside of the post to audible groans from the home fans.

Wigan Warriors (0) 10.
Tries: Barrett, Richards.
Goals: Richards.

Hull KR (10) 12.
Tries: Dyer, Hardman.
Goals: Cooke 2.

Wigan Warriors: Ashton, Calderwood, Bailey, Vaealiki, Richards, Barrett, Leuluai, Fielden, Millard, Paleaaesina, Hock, Hansen, O'Loughlin.
Replacements: Higham, O'Carroll, Tomkins, Goulding.

Hull KR: Cockayne, Hardman, Dyer, Goddard, Ford, Cooke, Webster, Vella, Fisher, Gannon, O'Neill, Chester, Gene.
Replacements: Lennon, J. Netherton, Ward, Tangata-Toa.

Referee: R Laughton (Barnsley)
Attendance: 13,538

Report source: www.superleague.co.uk

Article: Morgan hails Hardman influence

Fri May 18, 2007
• Wigan and Hull KR squads for Round 14 action
  

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