Wigan Warriors: Three talking points from the golden point victory over Hull KR
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Liam Farrell went over for a hat-trick in the 26-22 win at Craven Park, including the deciding try in additional time.
Matty Peet’s side were trailing heading into the final moments of the game, but a late diving finish from Abbas Miski took the game beyond 80 minutes.
Here are some of the talking points from the match:
An outstanding ending
Wigan showed superb character to claim the two points.
Heading into the final 10 minutes they were 22-14 down.
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Hide AdIt looked as if it was going to be another frustrating fixture at Craven Park.
Even when Liam Marshall’s try closed the gap, it still seemed like a big ask.
Then, with seconds remaining on the clock, Miski dove over in the corner to level the scores and send the game to golden point.
From there, they once again needed to keep themselves composed.
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Hide AdRovers had the first attempt, with Mikey Lewis hitting the post, but it was a moment of Bevan French brilliance that decided it.
The fullback saw a gap in the Hull KR defence and broke free, before providing the assist for Farrell’s winner.
Credit must once again also go to Wigan’s youngsters.
Junior Nsemba produced a try-saving tackle at the end of the first half to deny Ryan Hall.
The 18-year-old looked strong throughout, as did Harvie Hill.
Simple errors
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Hide AdDespite coming away with the two points, there are plenty of things for Wigan to improve on.
There were moments throughout the game where they gave away possession cheaply.
A couple of loose passes from Harry Smith resulted in the ball being lost, alongside a few poor kicks where the ball went straight out of play.
It wasn’t really the halfback’s night, with only one successful conversion to his name as well.
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Hide AdThere were also a few needless mistakes from play the balls, while some of the Hull KR tries did feel like they were too easy.
Nonetheless, the Warriors do deserve credit for the clinical moves that led to Farrell’s tries, as well as the quick build-up to Marshall’s first at the beginning of the second half.
Exciting times for Hull KR
There’s a lot to admire about the Robins- even if the final result went against them.
On the field, Willie Peters has got them playing some good rugby, which is winning them games.
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Hide AdThe atmosphere inside Craven Park was superb, with the supporters clearly behind the team.
It’s been no fluke that they find themselves so high up the table.
Their performance against the Warriors back in round one was clearly a sign of things to come.
They’ll be disappointed not to get another win against Peet’s side.
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Hide AdThe Warriors enjoyed far too much joy on the left side in attack, and probably should’ve been tested more in defence at times.
Losing on golden point will sting, especially conceding late in regular time, but it will be something they can use to learn from going forward.