Two interception tries from Harry Newman help Leeds overcome Wigan at the DW Stadium despite having Zane Tetevano sent off in the first half; Tom Holroyd, Richie Myler, Rhyse Martin, Cameron Smith and Liam Tindall all cross for the visitors
Saturday 13 May 2023 07:16, UK
Two interception tries from Harry Newman helped inspire 12-player Leeds Rhinos to a stunning 40-18 triumph away to Wigan Warriors in Friday’s Betfred Super League clash.
Tries from Abbas Miski and Bevan French, plus two conversions and a penalty from Harry Smith, helped ensure the Warriors led 14-6 at half-time at the DW Stadium.
The Rhinos responded with Newman returning an interception for a converted try from inside his own half but were left with it all to do when Zane Tetevano was sent off for a late, high tackle two minutes before the break.
But that red card seemed to light a fire under the visitors, with Tom Holroyd and Richie Myler crossing early in the second half. Wigan responded through Iain Thornley, but another Newman interception, plus scores from Rhyse Martin, Cameron Smith and Liam Tindall sealed an improbable victory.
The visitors had their backs against the wall for the opening 15 minutes as Wigan went in search of the opening try and the Warriors got their reward when a string of passes found Miski free on the right-hand side and he touched down in the corner, with Smith's conversion making it 6-0
Warriors were in no mood to repeat their result from last week which saw them lose to Hull FC and they scored a second try after Leeds knocked the ball on, the hosts receiving the ball 10 metres out and French finishing things off for a score confirmed by the video referee.
Rhinos' first period was littered with mistakes and a mix-up between Ash Handley and Smith led to an offside call before Wigan half-back Smith kicked another two points to extend the lead to 14-0.
Wigan seemed to be in total charge but Rhinos replied with a try out of the blue, Newman grabbing a pass on the Wigan line and counter-attacking to go over for Leeds' first points.
Two minutes later, Leeds were reduced to 12 men after Tetevano was shown a red card by referee Liam Moore for a late hit on Smith.
However, Leeds did not let their numerical disadvantage affect them and they scored another try straight after half-time when Holroyd crashed over after consecutive set repeats.
Leeds then went ahead four minutes later after a high kick fell kindly for Myler, who raced over close to the posts much to the jubilation of the away faithful.
Wigan needed to respond and looked to have steadied the ship when they levelled matters through Thornley's try on the left edge of the try line, but Rhinos hit the front once again as Newman intercepted a pass, similar to the first half, and raced away over the whitewash.
Against all the odds, Leeds started to enjoy themselves and extended their lead when Martin angled a superb run to cross over just before Smith rolled over to extend the Rhinos advantage to a remarkable 34-18.
And the away side capped off a superb second-half display when Tindall intercepted a poor Cade Cust pass and raced over as Leeds brought an end to a run of back-to-back defeats and condemned Wigan to their second-straight loss.
Leeds Rhinos head coach Rohan Smith
"There was a whole chain of events you couldn't imagine which happened back to back in that first half, but we regrouped and came back with good energy in that second half.
"There's no lack of spirit in the group, and the ability to play against that team, a man down, away from home - that's a big performance."
Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet
"It was completely unacceptable from us in the second half. I think we'll all be pretty embarrassed at that.
"We always knew Leeds, with the style they play, were a threat in the second half - and it turned pretty ugly."
Player of the match Harry Newman
"What an outstanding team performance to bounce back from last week where we let ourselves down in some key areas.
"It was massive for us tonight - you only have to look at what it means to the lads. We worked hard in training all week and dug deep for one another tonight."
Wigan and Leeds face each other again next week in the sixth round of the Betfred Challenge Cup, with the Rhinos welcoming the Warriors to Headingley on Saturday, May 20 (2.30pm).
