Wigan Warriors 28 Leeds Rhinos 6: Zak Hardaker helps toothless Rhinos avoid unwanted record

Rhinos were heading for their first nilling since 1998, but Zak Hardaker – one of the few Leeds men to emerge with any credit – crossed on the final play.

Liam Sutcliffe, Beau Falloon and Brett ferres were involved in the build-up and Hardaker added the extras to make it 28-6.

It was Leeds’s fourth defeat in five Super League rounds and, despite the late face-saver, one of their worst attacking performances since Brian McDermott became coach in 2011.

Wigan were poor for three-quarters of a disappointing game, and it could have been an even worse scoreline had Wigan got their attack into gear sooner than the 56th minute.

It was 6-0 up until then, but Leeds collapsed following the hosts’ second try. It’s hard to believe this was a rematch between last year’s Grand Finalists. Wigan weren’t much better than average, but Leeds were dreadful.

McDermott hailed Man of Steel Hardaker, after the game. claiming he kept the scoreline down.

“It probably should have been about 24-0 at half-time if it hadn’t been for Zak Hardaker at the back,” McDermott said.

“Whether we have won or lost this year, Zak has been throwing his body into everything offensively and defensively.

“We just need a few people to take a leaf out of his book.”

McDermott admitted Wigan failed to punish Leeds in the first period. “I have got to say Wigan let us off the hook on probably three separate occasions when they should have kept hold of it, he said.

And the Leeds boss refused to use injuries as an excuse for his team’s fourth defeat in five First Utility Super League rounds.

“That may have had some effect, but I thought the nucleus of our team were off today,” he said. “Defensively we were nowhere near.

“There comes a point in time when you don’t want to give yourselves too much of a mountain to climb,” he conceded.

Wigan had a try ruled out after 12 minutes when Liam Farrell crossed from Matty Smith’s pass. Referee Ben Thaler thought it was a try, but asked video assistant Richard Silverwood to check and he decided Dan Sarginson had obstructed Kallum Watkins.

That came on the play after Tony Clubb had been held up over the line by Ferres and Hardaker.

Wigan, on the back of three penalties and a couple of repeat sets, created a series of half-chances early on, but wasted them through poor handling, with Dom Manfredi, Sam Powell and John Bateman all turning the ball over near Leeds’s line.

That pattern continued, with Sarginson – on a couple of occasions – and Liam Farrell guilty of mistakes which let Leeds off the hook after decent approach play.

Rhinos struggled to get over the half-way line, though a terrific offload from Adam Cuthbertson allowed Jordan Lilley to make some ground.

Leeds should have done better when Ben Flower went high on Rob Burrow to give the visitors an attacking opportunity, but Mitch Garbutt dropped Keith Galloway’s offload.

Then Sarginson couldn’t take Manfredi’s pass deep in Wigan territory and Leeds could have taken two points when Burrow was held down in front of the posts.

Instead they tapped the penalty and Liam Sutcliffe kicked early in the count for Handley to chase, but Josh Charnley cleared the danger.

Up to that point Rhinos’ defence had been good, but their kicks went straight to the opposition. On 28 minutes, Burrow managed to split a couple of defenders with a long punt, but Manfredi picked up and weaved 80 metres almost to the line, before Hardaker managed to pull him down.

Manfredi beat five attempted tackles, but Bateman got the reward for his brilliance by nipping over from acting-half.

Matty Smith added the extras and that completed the first half scoring. Leeds only showed a spark of invention on the final play of the half, when they kept the ball alive in thrilling fashion before the Wigan defence managed to smother Kallum Watkins.

Jones-Buchanan had gone close to surging over on the previous tackle. Shortly before, they had a penalty in Wigan territory, but Galloway lost possession.

Right at the start of the second half Keinhorst went close, then Hardaker’s kick forced a goal line drop out, but from that Cuthbertson offloaded straight to Powell.

There was a skirmish when Handley tried to shove Charnely back in-goal, but tipped him over the horizontal.

Wigan made big metres in the set from the penalty and Smith’s kick on the last almost put Farrell over, but he knocked-on.

The second try didn’t come until the 56th minute. Bateman’s pass to Ryan Sutton in the build-up looked to be forward, but Leeds’s right-side defence should have kept Gildart out.

Smith could not convert, but 10-0 looked like a winning lead. Wigan obviously thought so because they turned down a possible two points a couple of minutes later.

That paid off as some good work by Taulima Tautai and a brilliant offload from Anthony Gelling created a try at the corner. A break by Charnley set up field position for Clubb to crash over and then Gelling scored a solo try, Smith converting all three.

Leeds desperately need Danny McGuire back. Without him a team packed with trike power look frighteningly blunt.

The penalty count finished 9-7 in Wigan’s favour (5-4 to Leeds in the first half).

Wigan: Sarginson, Charnley, Gelling, Gildart, Manfredi, O’Loughlin, Smith, Clubb, Powell, Flower, Bateman, Farrell, Burke. Substitutes: Mossop, Tautai, Sutton, Gregson.

Leeds: Hardaker, Handley, Watkins, Keinhorst, Hall, Sutcliffe, Lilley, Galloway, Burrow, Cuthbertson, Achurch, Ferres, Singleton. Substitutes: Falloon, Jones-Buchanan, Garbutt, Mullally.

Referee: B Thaler (RFL).