Wigan 20-0 Leigh: Williams inspires Warriors win

Match Stats

Wigan tries: Gelling (2), Williams
Wigan goals: Escare (4)

Leigh tries: -
Leigh goals: - 

Match Report

England stand-off George Williams produced three flashes of brilliance as Wigan saw off plucky Leigh 20-0 in an attritional derby at the DW Stadium.

The 22-year-old Williams scored an opportunist try and kicked superbly to create two for centre Anthony Gelliing to help the reigning world and Super League champions to their victory and preserve one of only three 100 per cent records three weeks into the season.

Fresh from their impressive first win of their return to the top flight over St Helens, the Centurions caused plenty of problems for their hosts as they went in search of a first triumph over Wigan for 33 years.

It was only 6-0 at half-time and the hosts were anxious enough to resort to drop-goal attempts to open up a two-score advantage before eventually overpowering their visitors.

It was certainly a far cry from the 62-6 hammering Leigh experienced on their only previous Super League visit to Wigan in 2005.

Harrison Hansen and Danny Tickle were alongside Warriors captain Sean O'Loughlin in the home pack that day and this time they were heroic for the Centurions, who gave debuts to Curtis Naughton, who is on a season-long loan from Hull, and Australian forward Lachlan Burr.

Wigan, who saw winger Liam Marshall make an encouraging debut, scored the only try of the first half after just six minutes when winger Lewis Tierney demonstrated quick reactions to gather Williams' clever kick to the corner and get Gelling over for his first try.

Full-back Morgan Escare added the conversion but he was wide with a penalty half-an-hour later while the Frenchman and O'Loughlin were also off target with drop-goal attempts as the game became a dogfight in the clinging mud.

Wigan had a good share of possession and looked marginally more threatening with the ball but Leigh's tigerish defence did enough to keep them at bay.

The Warriors had rather less to do in defence, with the Centurions ruining some promising build-up with careless final passes in the difficult conditions.

The champions were able to relax a little when Williams jinked his way through a rare chink in the visitors' defence five minutes into the second half - after substitute Tony Clubb had been brought down inches short of the line - and Escare kicked his second goal.

That effectively killed the match but not the Centurions' spirit as they continued to take the game to the champions and, in their best attack of the game, winger Matty Dawson was bundled into touch as he made a dash for the corner.

Escare nudged his side further in front with a 67th-minute penalty and also converted Gelling's second try, which was created by a superb break by man of the match Williams.

Match reaction

Leigh coach Neil Jukes: "We are not going to win many games with nil. We went into our shell too much.

"We were worried too much about the wet weather and the greasy ball. Some of the errors that we came up with were just fundamental ones and on that back of that we had to do far too much defending.

"We never challenged them enough. Our attack was way off. We needed to be braver with the ball and we weren't.

"I fancied us tonight. I said to the lads 'it's winnable, we've not come to make the numbers up'. We had to play very, very well to get a result and we were nowhere near it.

"It's not the end of the world, I'm just disappointed we didn't show ourselves in a better light."

Wigan coach Shaun Wane: "I'm very happy, especially to nil a team like Leigh who can play.

"After our first two games I said we needed to concentrate on our defence and we did.

"I want to pay a lot of respect to Leigh, who will definitely win loads of games this year.

"They are a good team, very physical and experienced. It's the first time we've played them for many years so they were looking forward to it and so were we."

Wane on injuries to Joe Burgess, Lewis Tierney and Ryan Sutton: "We had a fair bit of disruption, losing two front rowers and two wingers.

"I can't see them playing on Thursday (v Warrington), although we'll know more after they've had scans. All three have gone to hospital."