Wigan Warriors thrash Leeds Rhinos on Magic Weekend
Last Updated: 22/05/16 7:37am
Wigan piled on the agony for fallen champions Leeds, beating the Rhinos 40-8 in a one-sided Grand Final rematch that brought down the curtain on the opening day of the 10th Magic Weekend at St James' Park.
The Warriors showed no mercy to a depleted Rhinos side, running in seven tries in a victory that takes them level on points with leaders Warrington and leaves the Yorkshire side rock bottom after 15 rounds.
Leeds handed a debut to 19-year-old prop Sam Hallas in the absence of 10 regulars through injury and suspension and played with no shortage of spirit and endeavour up to half-time before being blown away in the second half.
Former Castleford and Widnes second rower Willie Isa did the early damage by scoring his first tries for Wigan, while stand-off George Williams showed a welcome return to form in his side's biggest win of the season.
However, the Warriors are still not at their best and they were staring at a potential third successive defeat when when England centre Kallum Watkins accepted a neat pass from prop Adam Cuthbertson to score his first try for nearly two months and give Leeds an early lead.
It lasted only eight minutes, however, with Williams putting Isa through a gap in the Rhinos defence for his first try, which Matty Smith goaled.
Leeds then got on the wrong end of a string of penalties awarded by replacement referee Joe Cobb, who stepped in when Robert Hicks limped out of the action 18 minutes into the match, and quickly found themselves eight points adrift when Isa pounced on Williams' grubber kick to score his second try.
When the penalties swung the other way, Leeds were presented with a spate of possession but a chronic lack of composure prevented them from making much of it.
The champions' fortunes were summed up when skipper Danny McGuire went through a gap only to lose control of the ball as he attempted to touch down while Jamie Jones-Buchanan was held up on his back over the line and Watkins was inches away from touching down Jordan Lilley's grubber kick.
Sensing this was not going to be a runaway win, Smith attempted a long range drop goal just before half-time which went wide and Wigan had to settle for a 12-4 interval lead.
The game went away from Leeds when they conceded two further tries within five minutes of the restart.
Full-back Sam Tomkins, making his first start since his return to Super League, bamboozled the Rhinos defence with a jinking run and Williams straightened up to wrong-foot Zak Hardaker and claim his first league try since March.
Smith kicked his third conversion before hoisting a "bomb" which winger Dom Manfredi brought down for his side's fourth try.
The fragility of the Rhinos defence was illustrated on 52 minutes when prop Ben Flower powered his way over for only his second try of the season and Smith's fourth goal made it 28-8.
At that point the 39,311 crowd began to show their growing disinterest with a Mexican Wave that brought the loudest cheers of the match and Wigan did little more than go through the motions in the final quarter.
Hardaker was sin-binned for delaying the play-the-ball after a Josh Charnley break out of defence but the Rhinos scored a consolation try through second rower Mitch Achurch while down to 12 men.
On his return, Hardaker's battling efforts almost brought him a try but he was ruled to have made a double movement and Wigan made it a rout by adding further tries in the last six minutes through centres Oliver Gildart and Dan Sarginson, with Smith taking his goal tally to six.
