Wigan Warriors 24 Leeds Rhinos 4: Rhinos restore pride with a resilient Wigan display

Missing eight regulars – one less than last week – they slipped to a fifth defeat but delivered a performance rich in character and spirit considering their current problems and the previous form of the side they were facing.

Wigan, who have lost just once this season, must have thought they would be in for an easy ride when they saw the Rhinos team-sheet but were left panicking as the depleted visitors gave them one of their toughest tests yet.

Brian McClennan's side, with prop Ryan Bailey outstanding and Brent Webb leading from the back, only trailed 6-4 heading into the hour mark. However, Darrell Goulding gave the mistake-ridden hosts some breathing space with the first of his two tries and exhausted Leeds finally ran out of steam.

It had been a different matter in the first half when, with Wigan showing none of the class or slickness which had seen them shoot to the top, the visitors gained confidence with every passing minute the game remained scoreless.

They had Danny Buderus, Bailey, Ryan Hall and youngster Tom Bush returning but lost Brett Delaney and Kylie Leuluai to the sickness bug which had kept Bailey out against Hull KR, were also without Jamie Peacock while captain Kevin Sinfield failed a late fitness test.

After an encouraging opening, when they absorbed everything Wigan threw at them, they seemed to have broken the deadlock when Rob Burrow scampered to the line.

Pat Richards produced an outstanding cover tackle to halt the scrum-half but Thomas Leuluai – in trying to aid his Wigan team-mate – only served to give Burrow the momentum required to roll over and touch down.

It was very fitting. Leeds, who handed former Salford prop Luke Ambler a debut, needed all the help they could get. However, they did not get any aid from video referee Thierry Alibert who thought otherwise and ruled out the effort.

It was, however, a sign of Wigan's increasing desperation, thwarted by continued solid defence and their own poor handling, that they tried challenging the officials for a try themselves.

Leeds winger Bush impressively defused a Sam Tomkins bomb and stretched out from behind his own goal-line to get the ball back into play. Lee Mossop flopped on the youngster and pushed him back while a Wigan team-mate tried claiming he had got a hand on the ball. Alibert gave it short shrift and Leeds earned a penalty to clear their lines.

They eventually broke though in the 33rd minute when George Carmont linked into the end of a crisp move wide involving Sam Tomkins, Sean O'Loughlin and a perfect final pass from Amos Roberts before slipping back inside a flailing McGuire.

The score, converted by Richards, came on the back of Wigan's first repeat set but, 6-0 down at the break, Leeds showed their spirit, striking back in the 45th minute through returning England winger Hall.

A jinking McGuire was just denied by Carmont's tap-tackle but the hard-working Jamie Jones-Buchanan showed great awareness at dummy-half to go blind and put Hall – playing on the right to lend rookie centre Chris Clarkson his experience – in at the corner.

But Burrow could not land the conversion attempt and Leeds were undone soon after when Goulding scored.

Roberts and Richards – who had scored 20 tries between them already this season – set the position up with a couple of piercing back-to-back runs to get Wigan out of their own half.

McGuire and Bush dragged each one down in turn but, with the visiting defence now stretched, Leuluai and O'Loughlin combined to see Goulding slide in.

Richards curled over the conversion and then on the hour Joel Tomkins, looking more like an England player with every game, bludgeoned his way over after Buderus had kicked out on the full.

With Wigan's handling finally returning to their customary standard, and Leeds understandably tiring, they were unpicked again as Goulding went in for his second, Richards tagging on his third conversion before adding a late penalty.

Wigan: Roberts; Goulding, Gleeson, Carmont, Richards; S Tomkins, Leuluai; Fielden, Riddell, Coley, Bailey, J Tomkins, O'Loughlin. Substitutes: Prescott, McIlorum, O'Carroll, Mossop.

Leeds: Webb; Hall, Clarkson, Senior, Bush; McGuire, Burrow; Burgess, Diskin, Bailey, Pitts, Jones-Buchanan. Substitutes: Buderus, Lauitiiti, Amor, Ambler.

Referee: S Ganson (St Helens).

Results and reports: Page 27.