Wigan Warriors 6 Leeds Rhinos 20: Wolves await Rhinos after Moon leads fightback to deny Warriors

But, as it happens, Warner Brothers could not have picked a finer time than last night to associate themselves with rugby league as Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors, 34 supermen in their own right, produced one of the greatest games of the season.

Both sides wore specially-designed shirts featuring the Superman ‘S’ logo highlighting the current Man of Steel movie and they duly played their part in an epic.

Leeds, demonstrating all their champion class, edged it and nudged their opponents out of third place to secure a highest finish since 2009 and set up an opening play-off game at Warrington Wolves a week tomorrow.

Wigan, who have worryingly lost four successive Super League games in and around their Challenge Cup final victory, face a trip to minor premiers Huddersfield Giants next Thursday night.

Although the final scoreline suggests an easier ride, for an hour this was as tough, physical and intense as it gets and it certainly bodes well for the end-of-season finale.

Joel Moon, possibly the finest signing of this campaign after joining Leeds from Salford City Reds, came up with a couple of killer plays to clinch it for the visitors who had trailed 6-4 at the break.

First, the Australian centre sucked in defenders and smuggled out a lovely flick pass for Carl Ablett, the England second-row who then came up with two old-fashioned fends, including one that dismissed Sam Tomkins, to surge over in front of the elated Leeds fans in the 42nd minute.

Next, after England winger Ryan Hall had produced an outrageous off-load of his own, Moon dived in at the corner on the hour mark to leave Wigan utterly deflated, Kallum Watkins finishing them off with a smart individual effort of his own.

Jamie Peacock, the veteran prop who has rightly been the very embodiment of all Superman or Man of Steel references this season, was immense again up front but, as he would be the first to admit, this was truly a team effort with Leeds showing all their familiar tenacity, poise, skill and control when it really mattered most.

With Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Brett Delaney both successfully returning from injury, Brian McDermott’s side are shaping up nicely once more.

With defences being in such dominant form, it was always going to take a rare individual error to open the game up.

It would be harsh to describe Blake Green’s pass as such. Pat Richards would undoubtedly have scored if his fellow Australian’s delivery had made it to his left flank but, instead, Ben Jones-Bishop pre-empted the move and plucked it out of the night sky.

The Leeds winger still had some work to do as he set off on a 95m sprint for the line. Sam Tomkins, no slouch himself, was angling back across the pitch with momentum which seemed set for a collision just moments before the goalline. However, Jones-Bishop found an extra kick and just beat the England superstar to score his ninth try in 11 games since returning from a life-threatening blood clot.

Sinfield could not convert from wide out but Jones-Bishop thought he was over for a second soon after only to be brought back for provider Watkins being marginally offside at Zak Hardaker’s kick.

Leeds had a resolute DW Stadium goalpost to thank for denying Iain Thornley a response.

The ex-Leeds Carnegie centre had found a rare chink in the visitors’ midfield to cut through on a lovely move before bumping off countless defenders.

The champions just managed to scramble back to deny him, Sinfield, Danny McGuire and Hardaker making full use of that post too to deny the rangy three-quarter. Wigan were not denied, though, shortly before the break when Green atoned for that earlier error, shaking of Watkins and sprinting clear from inside his own half before finding Richards in support.

The hosts had won possession moments earlier in a marvellous piece of play from Sam Tomkins, who managed to not only tackle Ryan Hall as the Leeds winger gathered Burrow’s dangerous grubber but also steal the ball in the same move.

The try-scorer’s conversion gave them an unlikely 6-4 interval advantage but few could argue with the quality of Wigan’s defence which had deterred McDermott’s side for three consecutive sets on their own line at one point.

However, the West Yorkshire side produced that perfect start to the second period and never looked like letting their grip slacken.

It was a fitting memorial to two major names in their history – Terry Clawson and Joe Warham – who have recently passed away.

Clawson, described as one of the game’s “great characters” by Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington, has died at the age of 73.

He is best remembered for two finals just seven days apart in 1972, when he blamed himself for missing three kicks in their 16-13 loss to St Helens in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley, but then won the Harry Sunderland Trophy after inspiring the Championship decider against the same opponents.

The former Featherstone Rovers and Wakefield Trinity player was also a member of Great Britain’s World Cup-winning side in 1972.

Warham – who died aged 93 – was team manager when the club lifted their first league title in 1961 and again when Leeds were crowned champions for a second time eight years later.

Wigan Warriors: S Tomkins; Charnley, Goulding, Thornley, Richards; Green, Smith; Mossop, McIIorum, Powell, Hansen, Farrell, Flower. Substitutes: Tuson, L Tomkins, Crosby, Taylor.

Leeds Rhinos: Hardaker; Jones-Bishop, Watkins, Moon, Hall; McGuire, Sinfield; Leuluai, Burrow, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Singleton. Substitutes: Delaney, Achurch, Kirke, Sutcliffe.

Referee: R Silverwood (Mirfield).