Wakefield pull off shock win against Wigan

Betfred Super League

Wakefield Trinity (10) 16

Tries: Faatili, Griffin, Johnstone Goals: Jowitt 2

Wigan Warriors (0) 10

Tries: Keighran, Field Goals: Keighran

Wigan Warriors squandered their chance to close the gap on Super League leaders Hull KR as they were stunned by an impressive Wakefield Trinity at Belle Vue.

Trinity weathered an early spell of pressure before opening up a 10-point lead at half-time through tries by Caius Faatili and Josh Griffin.

The sluggish Warriors failed to find their rhythm and, although Adam Keighran reduced the deficit to four points early in the second half, Trinity cemented their advantage with another score from Tom Johnstone.

Wigan eventually pulled back a late try through Jai Field, but it was not enough for them to stave off a third defeat of the campaign.

The result lifted Daryl Powell's side into the top half of the table and ended second-placed Wigan's nine-match winning run.

Heading into the game on the back of successive defeats, Trinity were immediately under pressure from the champions and spent most of the opening 15 minutes penned back near their goalline.

But the home side held firm, repelling Junior Nsemba's dive for the line before maximising their first genuine attack of the evening as Harvey Smith set up Faatili to spin his man and power over.

Winger Tom Johnstone (right) scored the third Wakefield Trinity try against Wigan Warriors

That score injected confidence into the Wakefield ranks, with Johnstone denied at the last by Liam Farrell, and Mason Lino's crafty kicking helping to trigger a series of defensive errors from the Warriors.

It was Lino's boot that enabled Trinity to extend their advantage before the interval as the scrum-half's kick split the Wigan line and Griffin eagerly gobbled up the opportunity, with Max Jowitt adding the extras to make it 10-0.

Wigan responded straight after the turnaround, winning two early penalties before Bevan French set up Keighran to gallop through on the right and dive across, and he followed it up with a successful conversion.

However, a mistake by Nsemba shortly afterwards gifted Trinity another set of tackles, and Jake Trueman's looping pass teed up winger Johnstone to score in the corner and restore his side's 10-point lead.

Jowitt, who had missed a routine conversion earlier in the game, was off target again with a penalty kick after Wigan were penalised for obstruction.

But it made no difference to the outcome as the Warriors - who had overturned a half-time deficit to triumph at Huddersfield last weekend - found the recovery job beyond them on this occasion.

Full-back Field narrowed the scoreline with seconds remaining after he collected Harry Smith's chip and raced away to cross the whitewash, but it was no more than a consolation for the defending champions.

Josh Griffin (second from right) scored just before half-time to extend Wakefield's lead

Wigan 'to take the lesson and get better' - reaction

Wakefield Trinity head coach Daryl Powell told BBC Radio Leeds:

"That's as good as we've executed a gameplan and it needs to be good against Wigan, they're that good a team. I'm super proud, it was an incredible defensive effort.

"Both sides of the ball from every player, the way they executed what we wanted to do was phenomenal. It's kind of mental the boys have got that energy on a five-day turnaround.

"We handled the physicality really well right from the start and continued. As a coach, it's utopia when your team can deliver those kind of performances.

"It looked a little bit tighter than maybe it should have been – you always feel with Wigan they're going to come up with something a bit different, which they did at the end."

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet told BBC Radio Manchester:

"We got beat at the end of sets. We weren't terrible but they were better, and they took the game to another level in terms of building pressure on us.

"The only let-down, particularly for the players involved, was there was a big stoppage towards the end of the game and there's a chance for a swing of momentum – that happens way too much.

"There's things we want to improve and some areas where Wakefield have taught us a lesson tonight. We have to take the lesson and get better.

"You learn more because of the intensity of the game. Unfortunately for us, when it went to that level, we had some lapses."

Wakefield Trinity: Jowitt, Walmsley, Hall, Pratt, Johnstone, Trueman, Lino, Cozza, Smith, Faatili, Nikotemo, Griffin, Pitts.

Interchanges: Scott, Hood, Vagana, Croft.

Wigan Warriors: Field, Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall, French, Smith, Byrne, O'Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis.

Interchanges: Havard, Mago, Leeming, Dupree.

Referee: Aaron Moore.