Stobart Super League Round 16 Review

Stobart Super League XVII Round 16 review by Simon Reuben

Wigan Warriors turned on the style as they dismantled Champions Leeds Rhinos at Headingley Carnegie Stadium.

The league leaders came into this game severely down on numbers in the forwards. Six members of their first choice pack were every suspended or injured.

Leeds apart from Kallum Watkins had a full size squad to select from, but from the kick off in which Carl Ablett fumbled it was not going to be their night.

Prop Jeff Lima took Michael McIlorum's short pass to crash over for Wigan first score, although slow-motion replays suggested he might have lost control of the ball.

The next try came courtesy of Sam Tomkins' quality break as he tore through the heart of the Leeds defence, leaving Danny McGuire grasping at thin air, as he sent the supporting Liam Farrell over.

Ryan Hall gave Leeds a lifeline as he took  McGuire's long pass to score in the corner, but it was only a consolation as the Warriors skipper Sean O'Loughlin took Brett Finch's perfectly-timed short pass to cross for a third try, to which Charnley added a third goal to make it 18-4.

Once again Tomkins showed his class as he carved open the home defence to get centre George Carmont sprinting over before scrum-half Thomas Leuluai added a fifth try on the stroke of half-time, jinking his way over for a trademark solo score as the game was up for the Champions as they trailed 26-4.

Leeds had lost McGuire to injury by then and their fortunes went from bad to worse in the second half. A desperate ankle tap by Sinfield on Tomkins halted the immediate danger after the full-back broke out of defence but it created the position for centre Darrell Goulding to send Josh Charnley over.

Tomkins was also involved in the move that enabled winger Anthony Gelling to get in on the try scoring act.

The Rhinos grabbed another consolation try through Hall, his second of the match, before Tomkins struck once more, breaking out of his own half to send Leuluai over for his second try.

And it summed up Leeds