Wigan Warriors 20 Leeds Rhinos 6: Rhinos stutter as Charnley chalks up hat-trick

Although the scoreline may suggest otherwise, Leeds Rhinos really were not too far away in this, the first genuine meeting of Super League powers this season.

As is so often the case, the margins which dictated the outcome between these two sides were desperately narrow and, on this occasion, Wigan, with hat-trick winger Josh Charnley irresistible, simply edged the big moments.

Consequently, there will be no alarm bells ringing at Headingley Carnegie; with a little more execution finesse of their own, and a more considered approach to ball retention, the champions are fully aware they have plenty of potential to improve.

Whether or not they will make the requisite advances in time for Friday’s World Club Challenge against Manly is the immediate question but coach Brian McDermott insisted that looming prospect had no influence on Saturday’s performance.

“Whether we had the World Club Challenge next week or not, we were going to go headstrong for this and try and build some momentum,” he said.

“We still needed to get two points so I don’t think it had a bearing.

“We’re certainly not panicking. We didn’t get spanked. There are no huge problems. We were playing a team that lost their first game (against Huddersfield) and who were in front of a big home crowd. Wigan were always going to be tough. We talked about this being a 12-round world title fight and it had a feel of that. We just couldn’t land enough punches.”

Some punches were landed in the literal sense, however, when Leeds loose forward Weller Hauraki and Wigan hooker Michael McIlorum had a disagreement towards the end of the first half.

Leeds were penalised, perhaps harshly, and it immediately led to Charnley’s second try, a salutary lesson ahead of the visit of the Australian champions’ visit; their discipline has to improve,

Little love has been lost between these sides in recent years and that flair-up was one of a few; Lee Smith antagonised Charnley with a late challenge after his first try, Wigan’s Gareth Hock was his usual irritable self while McIlorum and Carl Ablett seemed to have a running battle all evening.

However, it was a closely fought, rugged contest with Leeds’s pack holding their own throughout and the West Yorkshire club simply missing some finish when their limited chances came.

Kylie Leuluai had an effort ruled out because Kevin Sinfield’s pass was marginally forward while Rob Burrow was wrongly pulled back because Ryan Hall’s delivery was deemed the same.

Hauraki – playing as an emergency centre after Smith departed with a rib injury – also spilled an inviting pass and such errors hurt the visitors badly.

Conversely, Wigan, who handed a first start to 20-year-old centre jack Hughes and a debut to 21-year-old prop Tom Spencer, were ruthless.

Charnley hinted at his menace when he had an effort ruled out by video referee Richard Silverwood as early as the fourth minute for a debatable obstruction.

But he was not denied from thereonin, finishing smartly in the 16th and 28th minutes following clever build-up play with the dynamic Sam Tomkins typically chiming into the line to produce the telling assists.

Pat Richards converted both to make it 12-0 at the break and added a penalty soon after the re-start.

However, when Leeds finally earned a penalty of their own, they struck immediately. McIlorum and Thomas Leuluai did brilliantly to deny Brent Webb after Sinfield’s twirling run but there was no stopping Darrell Griffin as the ex-Huddersfield prop thundered over for his first try for the club.

Sinfield improved the 55th-minute effort but hopes of a fightback were dashed when Charnley completed his treble following another cute handling movement, this time involving Sean O’Loughlin and Darrell Goulding, who looked accomplished in the Wigan centre.

Leeds had their own issues in that position given Kallum Watkins was ruled out due to a wrist injury picked up in training and Zak Hardaker had to switch to the wing following Smith’s injury.

Ablett then reverted to centre which subsequently damaged Leeds elsewhere and restricted their fluency but Jamie Jones-Buchanan did enjoy a towering performance.

Renowned more for his industry and defensive aptitude, the England second-row proved their most potent attacker with a series of bustling line breaks which will have caught the watching eyes of Manly.

This was the Rhinos’ first defeat in eight games, ironically stretching back to the Challenge Cup final loss against Wigan at Wembley last August, and Warriors coach Shaun Wane thought his side fully merited the success.

“It was down to the middle unit,” he said. “When they run hard and bash people it makes it very easy for the halves to play.”

Wigan Warriors: Tomkins; Charnley, Goulding, Hughes, Richards; Finch, Leuluai; Mossop, McIlorum, Flower, Hansen, Hock, O’Loughlin. Substitutes: Tuson, Lauaki, Lima, Spencer.

Leeds Rhinos: Webb; Smith, Hardaker, Ablett, Hall; Sinfield, McGuire; Bailey, Burrow, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Delaney, Hauraki. Substitutes: Leuluai, McShane, Clarkson, Griffin.

Referee: T Alibert (Toulouse).