SUPER LEAGUE MATCH REPORT: Wigan Warriors 44-6 Hull KR
Wigan Warriors bounced back from their Good Friday derby defeat with a hammering of struggling side Hull KR on Monday afternoon.
MATCH DETAILS
Wigan Warriors eased past Hull KR in a one sided Easter Monday affair as Liam Marshall ran riot at the DW Stadium, with the young winger racing in for four of his side’s eight tries.
From the first minute the hosts dominated proceedings, but they had to wait 25 minutes to break the deadlock with Sam Tomkins scooting over from close range.
The floodgates then opened as Liam Farrell hit a fantastic line to extend the home sides lead.
Things went from bad to worse for the Robins before half-time as George Williams managed to find Marshall with a cut-out ball before returning the ball to Williams on the inside who dove over.
The Warriors still had time for two more tries before the half time hooter, as Williams grabbed another try through a perfectly weighted Tomkins kick. Farrell then grabbed his second off a Williams grubber kick just to the left of the posts.
Rovers finally got themselves on the scoreboard through an individual play by Chris Atkin, as the England Knights man chased down his own kick and fought to get the ball down over the line.
That was as good as it got for the away team though, as slick hands on Wigan’s left edge and a Sam Tomkins chip into the in goal area saw Marshall pounce to collect his second.
The left edge struck again as a penalty restart saw Williams throw another brilliant cut-out ball for Marshall to score spectacularly in the corner to complete his hat-trick.
He had a fourth soon after, as Wigan kicked deep for the wide man to chase down and pile more misery on the visitors.
On the full-time whistle Tomkins knocked over a penalty goal to finish off the rout and end the Warriors’ Easter schedule with a victory, to stay within touching distance of league leaders St Helens.
Hull KR remain second bottom with just two wins from their opening nine games.
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED
Gabe Hamlin debut
Gabe Hamlin left the field to a round of applause following his impressive debut. The former South Sydney Rabbitohs youngster didn’t look out of place down the middle of the pitch and proved he is definitely one for the future.
The 20 year old looks like he could be a fantastic find from down under if he can build on his debut performance, giving Shaun Wane a selection headache.
Field Position
Hull KR struggled to work their way into the final third of the half during the first 40, as the Wigan pack dominated proceedings. They struggled to complete and when they did the Rovers halves were forced finish their sets with a kick from inside their own half on a number of occasions.
Combine that with their lowly league position and their inability to get any points from Easter, Tim Sheens will be worried about the increasing probability of a bottom four finish.
Man Of The Match- Sam Tomkins Wigan Warriors
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It may seem harsh to deny Marshall this award following a four-try display, however the all-round performance of Tomkins was one of the most important factors leading to Wigan’s win. The fullback was dangerous with the ball in hand and with the boot, as he shone in attack to edge closer to his best.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Wigan Warriors Head Coach Shaun Wane
“There was some really good performances, I’m really pleased with that today. I like what Romain (Navarrete) and Gabe (Hamlin) gave me. Easter Monday is a difficult game because the players are still a bit sore from Friday but I thought our attitude was outstanding.”
Hull KR Head Coach Tim Sheens
“We were too indisciplined and we kept piggy backing them out of their own half. With the little ball we did have, we lost possession early in the tackle count too often and we didn’t find touch with a penalty.
“Those are the things you just can’t do at this level and we are burning ourselves in terms of energy. You can’t keep tackling a team of Wigan’s quality and as the fatigue set in we made more errors. People were trying to solve things on their own rather than working as a unit and we need to sort that out.“
THE RESULT
Wigan Warriors 44
Tries: Tomkins (25), Farrell (30, 39), Williams (33), Marshall (36, 50, 68, 76)
Goals: Tomkins 6/9
Drop Goals: n/a
Hull KR 6
Tries: Atkin (45)
Goals: Shaw 1/1
Drop Goals: n/a
SQUADS
Wigan Warriors: 1. Sam Tomkins; 2. Tom Davies, 3. Dan Sarginson, 4, Oliver Gildart, 22, Liam Marshall; 6. George Williams, 34, Josh Woods; 10. Ben Flower, 9. Thomas Leuluai, 25. Romain Navarette; 19. Willie Isa, 12. Liam Farrell, 14. John Bateman. Subs: 11. Joel Tomkins, 15. Ryan Sutton, 23. Josh Ganson, 30. Gabe Hamlin.
Hull KR: 1. Adam Quinlan; 5. Ryan Shaw, 3. Thomas Minns, 22. Liam Salter, 36. Justin Carney; 24. Chris Atkin, 20. Matty Marsh; 14. Lee Jewitt, 19. Tommy Lee, 10. Mose Masoe; 11. Maurice Blair, 12. James Greenwood, 17. Chris Clarkson. Subs: 8. Nick Scruton, 15. James Donaldson, 23. Josh Johnson, 28. Will Dagger.
Referee: Ben Thaler
