Wigan beat title rivals Hull KR to go top

Betfred Super League

Wigan (8) 24

Tries: Miski, Nsemba, French, Marshall 2 Goals: Keighran 2

Hull KR (12) 20

Tries: Parcell, Lewis, Burgess Goals: Lewis 4

Wigan Warriors took a huge step towards retaining the League Leaders' Shield as they came from behind to beat Super League title rivals Hull KR and leapfrog them into top spot.

The visitors started superbly as Matt Parcell crashed over to send them in front on 18 minutes and Mikey Lewis stunned the hosts by touching down five minutes later.

Abbas Miski and Junior Nsemba responded with tries as Wigan made their advantage count after Joe Burgess saw yellow, but Lewis' penalty gave the visitors a four-point lead at the break.

Burgess' try stretched that cushion to 12 points, but a Bevan French effort and Liam Marshall's double swung the game in Wigan's favour and sent them two points clear at the top with just two games of the regular season remaining.

Liam Marshall's two tries during Jai Whitbread's spell in the sin-bin proved decisive

With so much on the line it was unsurprising that the opening stages were so cagey - yet Parcell showed great power to ground the ball on the line for the game's opening score.

Lewis further padded out their tally having wrongfooted the Wigan backline to find space to run through with ease for his 17th try of the season but he sent his kick wide soon after to keep the hosts in touching distance.

A high-tempo first half was turned on its head following an intelligent move from Wigan to get themselves out of their own half.

The Cherry and Whites had looked at risk of letting the game move away from them after Lewis' try, but Jai Field's ingenuity and stamina inspired a run from his own half and deep into Hull KR territory.

Burgess went in late into the tackle that thwarted Field's run and held him down to earn a spell in the sin bin - and the yellow card proved decisive, aiding Wigan's recovery.

Miski dived in at the corner before Nsemba weaved through a hole in the visitors' defence to really get the hosts going - but Adam Keighran's wayward kicking meant the Robins still kept a slender lead while down to 12.

Peta Hiku almost scored an audacious crossfield try having intercepted French's loose pass but the Hull KR centre chose to offload to Burgess who atoned for his earlier yellow card to put the visitors into what seemed a commanding 20-8 lead.

Undeterred, French inspired a stunning response, chasing his own neat kick to go in and bring Wigan to within six points.

Once again, Hull KR's indiscipline proved their undoing and Wigan were given a further advantage when Jai Whitbread caught Tyler Dupree with his shoulder to earn himself 10 minutes in the bin.

That yellow card proved particularly costly as Wigan took control. Marshall put in a fine finish, first to level the scores and then notch the game-winning try in much the same fashion in the closing stages.

Headed into the end-of-season run-in before the play-offs begin later in September, Wigan face Leeds and Salford in their final two games, while Hull KR take on Leigh and Leeds.

Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet told BBC Radio Manchester:

"It was a fantastic game. Even when we were behind I thought: 'These are the games you want to be part of'.

"I thought there were spells where Hull KR were the better team. We had to fix a few things which I thought we did in the second half - we did some excellent stuff with the ball and we were free-flowing, structured, unstructured and those are the kinds of games that will get people watching rugby league.

"We got there in defence in the end but I thought some stuff in the first half was way below par."

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters told BBC Radio Humberside:

"Naturally the players are disappointed. They put a lot of effort into that game.

"We got in front and probably should have closed the game out. We were down to 12 men twice and that hurt us.

"We went more than toe-to-toe. They'll be looking over their shoulder that's for sure. We were in a really strong position in that game. We'll look forward to playing them again hopefully further down the track because 13 on 13 I thought we played extremely well."

Wigan: Field; Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Havard, Leeming, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis.

Interchanges: Byrne, Mago, Dupree, Forber.

Hull KR: Broadbent; Burgess, Hiku, Gildart, Hall; May, Lewis; Sue, Parcell, Whitbread, Hadley, Batchelor, Minchella.

Interchanges: Litten, Luckley, Storton, Tanginoa.

Referee: Jack Smith.