Super League: Wakefield Trinity 30-12 Wigan Warriors: Hosts boost survival hopes with upset win

Kelepi Tanginoa scored a decisive second-half try as Wakefield moved four points clear of the drop

Wakefield boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation with a deserved home win over second-placed Wigan.

Trinity powered into an 18-6 half-time lead through Lee Kershaw, Jai Whitbread and Jacob Miller tries, before Sam Halsall hit back for a below-par Wigan.

Wakefield withstood some intense pressure before Kelepi Tanginoa crashed over for a decisive 65th-minute score.

Jai Field scored a brilliant solo try for the visitors, but Lewis Murphy's interception try wrapped up a huge win.

A second win in eight gives Wakefield a four-point cushion over bottom side Toulouse with only four games left and all but ends second-placed Wigan's hopes of reeling in leaders St Helens, who went six points clear with victory at Hull.

The Warriors had won nine of their 10 previous meetings with Wakefield, but the hosts dominated the first half and could have had more than their three-try haul from Kershaw, Whitbread and Miller.

Miller was denied an early score for obstruction and a collision between the Australian stand-off and the supporting Mason Lino stopped Trinity scoring again after James Batchelor's break.

Bevan French was switched to full-back and Field to the wing as Wigan looked to change things up, and some French magic created a try out of nothing for Halsall moments before the break.

The hosts retained their 12-point lead going into the final quarter as Lewis Murphy got a hand to Field's pass to prevent a certain try, as Warriors probed for a way through the Wakefield defence.

However, Wigan were off-key throughout, with French passing-up a simple scoring chance before Tanginoa and Murphy clinched a thoroughly deserved victory, either side of Field's superb consolation.

Wakefield head coach Willie Poching told BBC Radio Leeds:

"We are not home and hosed, we are not done yet. We've still got four games coming up in a short period of time which is a challenge in itself for us and to try to keep the bodies and minds fresh as possible to deliver that again.

"Probably the most pleasing thing for me was it was a real team effort and team performance.

"On top of that, we did it from minute one to minute 80 and we had a desire to really defend our try line. I think there was a period where we had to defend seven sets.

"Doing that against anybody's difficult, but against a team of the quality that Wigan have, in the conditions that we played in, they need to be really commended for that."

Wigan head coach Matt Peet told BBC Radio Merseyside:

"Wakefield started the game really well, we made some defensive errors and they posted points and after that I thought they completely dictated the tempo of the game.

"We weren't able to find our rhythm and that was credit to some good play from Wakefield. They kicked really well and also some tactical slowing down of the game which is all part of game management, so (we were) out-thought and I thought Wakefield played with a lot of intelligence.

"It's like watching different sports at times when you see, say Wigan v Warrington or St Helens v Leeds, compared to some of the other games that do descend into a bit of stop-start.

"I understand that some teams have to play to their strengths and also negate the strength of the opposition, but it's probably not the product we are looking for."

Wakefield: Arona, Crowther, Whitbread, Ashurst, Tanginoa, Batchelor, Miller, Lino, Murphy, Gaskell, Hall, Kershaw, Shaul.

Interchanges: Walker, Bowden, Battye, Aydin.

Wigan: Field, French, Halsall, Bibby, Marshall, Cust, Smith, Singleton, O'Neill, Cooper, Isa, Pearce-Paul, Partington.

Interchanges: Mago, Ellis, Shorrocks, Byrne.

Sin-bin: Mago (41)

Referee: Marcus Griffiths.

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