Wigan 8-20 Sydney: Morris hat-trick seals Roosters victory
Warriors beaten in World Club Challenge clash at DW Stadium
Last Updated: 18/02/19 8:43am
Brett Morris scored a hat-trick as the Sydney Roosters beat Wigan 20-8 in the World Club Challenge at the DW Stadium on Sunday.
Former Australia Test threequarter Brett Morris took advantage of two defensive blunders to score two tries inside eight minutes of his debut and went on to complete a hat-trick before half-time as the Roosters established a 14-4 lead.
The Super League champions rallied after their dreadful opening and tries from wingers Tom Davies and Liam Marshall gave them hope but they had left themselves too much to do.
Morris was named man-of-the-match, repeating his feat from the 2011 final when he scored two tries for St George Illawarra as they beat Wigan, also at the DW Stadium.
Wigan had hoped to set a new mark with a fifth win on their record-equalling eighth appearance in the annual global challenge but it is the Roosters who maintained their 100 per cent record with a fourth triumph to draw level with their hosts and Melbourne Storm.
The Roosters' victory, which followed their 36-14 win over the Warriors in Sydney in 2014, is the 12th by Australian clubs going back to 1987 and, perhaps more significantly, a ninth in the last 11 years.
It was Sydney's newcomer who stole the limelight, with Morris, who got his chance in the absence of centre Latrell Mitchell, making a blistering start to his Roosters career.
He shrugged off the attempted tackle of Oliver Gildart and Thomas Leuluai to score the opening try after only three minutes and doubled his tally five minutes later, stretching out of a four-man tackle to plant the ball over the line.
Prop Sio Siua Taukeiaho kicked one conversion to put the visitors 10-0 ahead and stun the home crowd but the Wigan fans were on their feet when hooker Sam Powell was tackled high and late by prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
The big Kiwi international got away with a lecture from referee Robert Hicks but Wigan made the most of back-to-back penalties to build pressure on the visitors' line and it paid off after 19 minutes when half-backs Leuluai and George Williams worked the ball out wide for Gildart to get Davies over for a much-needed try.
But Zak Hardaker was unable to add the conversion and the Warriors' fightback was halted by Morris, who was crafted sufficient space by half-backs Cooper Cronk and Luke Keary to complete his hat-trick nine minutes before the break.
Taukeiaho kicked a 40-metre penalty midway through the second half to extend the Australian club's lead but Marshall kept Wigan's hopes alive with a 65th-minute try in which he made the most of a poor pass by Williams to touch down at the corner.
It was never going to be enough, though, and left winger Daniel Tupou had the final say when he plucked Keary's kick out of the air to score the Roosters' fourth try four minutes from the end.
