Wigan Warriors power past Hull with a dominant 48-12 victory
Last Updated: 24/07/15 6:07am
Joe Burgess extended his lead at the top of the Super League scoring chart with his 21st try of the season as Wigan hammered Hull 48-16 at the KC Stadium on Thursday night.
In Wigan's final fixture before the Super 8s, veteran full-back Matty Bowen scored two of his side's eight tries as the Warriors secured only a fourth away win of the season.
It enables Wigan to draw level with leaders Leeds, who are at home to Catalans Dragons on Sunday, and effectively ends Hull's top-four prospects.
Hull were seeking to end the first phase of the season with a fourth successive win but they sorely missed injured former internationals Gareth Ellis and Leon Pryce and proved no match for a Wigan side virtually at full strength and looking ominous at the right time of the year.
The visitors made the best possible start with two tries in the first 15 minutes. A superb pass out of a two-man tackle from Anthony Gelling freed Burgess and he showed a nice turn of speed on a 70-metre sprint to the line.
John Bateman, once more deputising at centre for the injured Dan Sarginson, got the second after winger Josh Charnley palmed the ball back from Matty Smith's accurate kick on the last tackle.
Smith added both goals to make it 12-0 before slow-starting Hull eventually began to pose some difficulties for the visitors' defence.
They pulled a try back thanks to Richard Whiting taking a pass from Jordan Abdull to slice through a hole in the Wigan defence for a try goaled by Marc Sneyd.
Hull fell further behind when Gelling hacked the ball on following Bowen's grubber kick and replacement hooker Sam Powell took advantage of a kind bounce to touch down.
Hull were denied a try when centre Jack Logan was brought back for a forward pass before George Williams scooped up the loose ball and went 40 metres for an opportunist score for Wigan.
Smith's goal made it 24-6 but he lost his 100 per cent record when his ambitious long-range penalty on the stroke of half-time went wide of the target.
Hull made a bright start to the second half but they could not match the finishing ability of their opponents.
Winger Tom Lineham was brought down a few feet short of the line by Bowen, who almost immediately got on the end of a slick inside ball from Joel Tomkins to score his side's fifth try.
There was no way back for the home side after their defence opened up invitingly for skipper Sean O'Loughlin to take Michael McIlorum's pass and stroll through for the Warriors' sixth try on 55 minutes.
The Black and Whites managed to create more half-chances but Fetuli Talanoa's offload near the line was intercepted and Steve Michaels put a foot on the touchline as he crossed by the corner flag.
Loose forward Joe Westerman eventually breached the Wigan line with a rampaging run for Hull's second try.
There was no doubting Wigan's superiority, however, which was emphasised when Bowen and prop Dom Crosby went past tiring defenders for further tries in the last 10 minutes, with Smith taking his goal tally to eight from nine attempts.
