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Hull KR 28 Wigan Warriors 36: Spirited Warriors prove too good for Hull KR
HULL KR fellt to defeat as Wigan came out fighting after a week of adversity to record a much-needed win at Craven Park.
Warriors coach Brian Noble's own position has been under scrutiny while Gareth Hock faces the prospect of a two-year ban after testing positive for cocaine, but they put all that aside and came out on top against Rovers.
Having gone in at the interval trailing 16-14 following an early double from Peter Fox, 16 unanswered points after the break for Wigan looked to have put the game beyond doubt.
Late scores from Daniel Fitzhenry and Jake Webster closed the gap to just two points making for a nervy finish but Wigan held on and Pat Richards' stry and conversion two minutes from time sealed it.
The opening score came in the third minute for the Robins as Michael Dobson showed great vision and technique when lofting a kick high into the sun and Amos Roberts stood no chance against the towering Paul Cooke.
Cooke claimed the ball and slung it wide to winger Fox who finished clinically in the corner.
Dobson kicked the resulting conversion and just four minutes later Fox crossed for his side's second try, taking Kris Welham's pass at knee height before crossing the whitewash. This time Dobson was unsuccessful in adding the extras.
The Lancashire club pulled one back in the 18th minute when centre Phil Bailey piled over the line to put the finishing touches to a scrappy effort.
The scores were level minutes later following a moment of brilliance from Wigan stand-off Sam Tomkins. He showed great balance and agility in stepping his way through a hole in the home defence and found George Carmont who wrestled his way over the line to score.
The home side clearly began to struggle and fast hands and good running from deep proved their undoing again when the video referee adjudged Richards to have squeezed over in the corner to make it 14-10 to the visitors.
Five minutes before the break the home side regained the lead when Dobson dropped a pass in a gap between two Wigan defenders. Prop Mick Vella, who had just come onto the field, raced through and collected the ball on his way to the line.
Dobson was successful with the conversion to leave the half-time score 16-14 in favour of the home team.
The Warriors did not give up, though, and regained the lead four minutes after the break when Bailey helped himself to his second score of the evening.
The home defence backed off and Welham came up with a poor one-on-one miss to allow the Warriors' centre to walk in a try.
Richards missed the conversion but it did not matter as his side went over again in the 51st minute.
Sean O'Loughlin threw what appeared to be a forward pass to second row Harrison Hansen but he sauntered over the line and the referee awarded the score.
Richards sent over his second conversion from five before Tomkins deservedly got his name on the scoresheet in the 54th minute.
Newton failed to keep hold of O'Loughlin and when the loose forward ran out of room he managed to find Tomkins on the inside.
Richards again improved his tally and despite Rovers crossing twice late on through Fitzhenry and Webster to close the gap to two points, Richards killed the game with a length-of-the-field score at the climax.
Hull KR: Briscoe, Fox, Welham, Webster, Cockayne, Cooke, Dobson, Vella, Fisher, Wheeldon, Newton, Galea, Murrell. Substitutes: Fozzard, Netherton, Fitzhenry, Walker.
Wigan Warriors: Phelps, Roberts, Bailey, Carmont, Richards, Smith, Leuluai, Coley, Riddell, Prescott, J. Tomkins, Hansen, O'Loughlin. Substitutes: Fielden, Paleaaesina, McIlorum, S Tomkins.
Referee: T Alibert (Toulouse).
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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