Wigan Warriors 34 Leeds Rhinos 12: Jai has a Field day as visitors collapse after promising start

There wasn’t much between the teams for a lot of the game, but Leeds were ripped apart in a 10 minute spell either side of half-time when Wigan, inspired by Jai Field, scored four unanswered tries.

Rhinos got off to a good start, were the better team for 24 minutes and could have been further than 6-0 ahead, but then Field - a player Leeds showed an interest in two years ago - took hold of the game, preventing a try at one end and scoring two down the other.

Rhinos were a bit unfortunate to be behind at the interval, but the difference was Wigan - having not scored in two home games against Leeds last year - took their chances.

Leeds were still well in the game, but not for long. Nine minutes after the restart they were 22 points adrift - Field having completed his hat-trick - and there was no way back.

The positive was the way Leeds played in the opening quarter when they swarmed over Wigan in defence and, with Aidan Sezer calling the tune and Blake Austin linking nicely, they put the hosts under heavy pressure.

They weren’t able to make enough of it, though and once Wigan had drawn level, they were comfortably the superior team. To add to Rhinos’ woes, they lost winger Ash Handley to a leg injury early in the second half and, yet again, didn’t manage to keep 13 players on the field throughout, Liam Tindall being sin-binned with three minutes left.

Austin marked his debut with a classy try after 11 minutes, most of which Leeds had spent on the attack.

He took Sezer’s pass, fooled Jake Bibby with a dummy and step and cut past Liam Farrell to open the scoring with a touchdown which Sezer converted.

That came after Kai Pearce-Paul knocked on deep in Wigan territory and then, after keeping Leeds out with some strong defence, the home team were caught offside on their line.

Handley was desperately close to adding a second try for Leeds at the end of the first quarter, from Sezer’s pass after Austin had almost dummied through again, but Wigan’s right-side held him up on the line.

With David Fusitu’a missing because of the concussion he suffered last week, the obvious selection would have been Jack Broadbent into the team either on the right-wing or at centre, alongside Tom Briscoe.

Instead, Tindall got the nod. He did okay and would have scored a spectacular try, but for a brilliant piece of defence by Field.

The Leeds man took a high kick, beat the advancing defence and accelerated along the wing, but Field came across, made the tackle and slid Tindall into touch.

Moments later, with 24 minutes gone, Field then went from try saver to scorer, with a freak touchdown.

Jack Walker knocked on near his own line and from the scrum, Cade Cust’s pass seemed to have been knocked on by Jake Bibby. Field picked up and went over, but referee Liam Moore sent the decision to video assistant Ben Thaler as ‘no try’.

Replays, though, showed the ball had been missed by Bibby and, inadvertently, hacked on off the back of his foot - scorpion kick-style. Credit to Field for playing to the whistle and narrowing the angle to make his conversion a formality.

That turned the flow of the game and Wigan dominated the rest of the half, going close twice before Field scored on the final play to give them a six-point lead at the breaK.

John Bateman was held up over the line and Sezer made a try-saving tackle on Zak Hardaker, but with 40 seconds left Field took a pass from Bateman and sliced through the middle for an excellent finish, which he also converted.

Field also set up the attack which led to Wigan’s third try four minutes into the second half, with a run from near his own line. At the end of the set, Pearce-Paul kicked over the line, Moore thought Sam Powell had got the ball down and, eventually, Thaler agreed and Hardaker’s goal made it 18-6.

Field then completed his hat-trick by taking a pass from Patrick Mago - who had caught the from the restart - and scorching 80 metres for a spectacular score.

That was also converted by Hardaker and soon after, Walker seemed to have a kick covered on Leeds’ line, but the ball came out and Powell - following up to make the tackle - had the simple job of touching down.

Rhinos pulled six points back with 20 minutes left when Matt Prior - now their top try scorer for the season, went over from close range off acting-half Kruise Leeming’s pass, after Austin had almost dummied through and Sezer added the extras.

Wigan, though, had the last laugh when, with six left, Cust was held up over the Leeds line, but dumped the ball back and Liam Farrell touched down. Hardaker’s third goal completed the scoring.

Late on, video ref Thaler ruled Tindall had obstructed Liam Marshall as the Wigan man chased a kick and Moore showed a yellow card.

Referee Moore had a decent game. The penalty count was five-three in Leeds’ favour (two-one to Rhinos in the first half) and Wigan received four set restarts to Leeds one (three-nil before the break).

Rhinos’ reserves were due to begin their season against Newcastle Thunder at Stanningley last night, but the game was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

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