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globalrugbyleague - Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:26:00 GMT
Wigan moved up to second in Super League after a hard fought 24 – 14 victory at home to Bradford.

The game was played in poor conditions which worsened as the night went on.

Despite the challenge of mother nature both teams attempted to play some attractive footy on occasions, but the game was mostly a tough battle in the forwards.

Wigan went into the sheds 12-8 up thanks to tries from both centres George Carmont then Darrell Goulding. They then added three second half tries care of Pat Richards, Joel Tomkins, and Harrison Hansen, which proved to be too much for Bradford.

The Bulls dominated proceedings early on which led to Wigan conceding countless penalties.

Thomas Leuluai was sin binned after eight minutes as a result.

Bradford hooker Wayne Godwin wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation by tapping the ball then crashing over the line from close out. Deacon added the conversion, putting the Bulls 8-0 up, adding to a previous penalty.

Wigan replied instantly winning a scrum after Pat Richards’ restart bounced then found touch.

From that set, Trent Barrett placed a grubber kick into the corner which George Carmont reached to first and scored after a benefit of the doubt decision by video referee Ashley Klein.

Richards then converted to put the Warriors within two-points of the Bulls.

The game started to become a scrappy affair as conditions worsened and referee Richard Silverwood was giving penalties for fun. Glenn Morrison found this out the hard way when he was sin binned for persistent penalties after 33 minutes.

Bradford bombed a certain try three minutes before half time which led to Wigan’s Gareth Hock making a break down the middle of the pitch, resulting in Wigan scoring in the corner through Darrell Goulding.

The conditions deteriorated further in the second half, forcing both sides to play simple rugby league. Both sides made errors with ball in hand but Wigan managed to create chances which they executed expertly.

Pat Richards gave Wigan a ten point lead when he collected Trent Barrett’s high bomb and touched down in the corner.

Bradford showed some good aggression through 18 year old Great Britain prop Sam Burgess who was hunting down his opposite number Stuart Fielden.

Chris Feather grabbed a try to put the Bulls back in the game, but Wigan wrapped up the win when Joel Tomkins and then Harrison Hansen crossed the whitewash.

After the game Wigan coach Brian Noble said: “It’s difficult to play the type of rugby that we want to play and that Bradford want to play when the conditions are like they are.

“I thought we showed the right amount of quality at the right time in relation to scoring points.

“It’s a good start but we can’t afford to get carried away because there are too many good teams out there.”

Bradford coach Steve McNamara said:

“I’m disappointed we haven’t took the two points, and I’m disappointed at where we are in this moment in time in terms of playing four games and having only won one.

“The players are really really disappointed and frustrated.”

Man of the Match Thomas Leuluai said: “I just did my job and played the boys round the park and we got the result.”

Bradford are yet to show top six form this year, whilst Wigan are looking strong contenders for silverware on the basis of their record so far. - Read More, Here