Wigan Warriors secure Super League Grand Final spot with 18-6 win over Leigh Leopards in play-off semi-finals | Rugby League News

Wigan Warriors booked a spot in the Super League Grand Final with an 18-6 victory over neighbours Leigh Leopards at The Brick Community Stadium.

Wigan had a healthy 14-6 half-time lead through a converted Bevan French double plus Adam Keighran penalty, Leigh’s points coming through Robbie Mulhern and Gareth O’Brien.

The home outfit then spent the second half holding onto that lead, their terrific defence keeping Leigh out in front of an 18,523 crowd right until the final hooter as a French pass sent Sam Walters over with the home fans celebrating once again.

The build-up to the game was overshadowed by Wigan’s statement claiming Derek Beaumont had told them Leigh would not fulfil the fixture due to a dispute over ticketing, with the Leopards owner then implying he had never formally requested the game be cancelled in a statement of his own.

But Wigan’s focus is now squarely on their hunt for their third Grand Final victory in a row after being crowned winners in 2023 and picking up a historic quadruple in 2024.

If they were to make it three in a row, they would join just Leeds Rhinos and St Helens in having completed that feat.

Wigan will now face either Hull KR or rivals St Helens, who face off in the second semi-final on Saturday live on Sky Sports+ from 5pm.

French stars as Wigan book third Grand Final in a row

With the Brick Community Stadium loud for the latest edition of the ‘Battle of the Borough’ with a spot in the Grand Final on the line, ‘Storm Amy’ made her mark as the rain clattered down.

Leigh believed they had scored in the sixth minute as Owen Trout slid over but after a video referee check, it was deemed he was held up over the line by a Harry Smith wonder tackle.

With that reprieve, it then took Wigan just nine minutes to make sure they were competing high and then capitalised on a Leopards mistake, Bailey Hodgson dropping the ball as he was crunched by Liam Byrne and Liam Farrell. With the ball loose Sam Walters picked it up and sent it on to French who obliged to slide over, Keighran converting for a 6-0 lead.

However, in the 27th minute, Leigh put their territory to good use to hit back as Edwin Ipape fizzed a low pass that Mulhern did outstandingly well to take and go over. O’Brien converted to bring the game level.

While the game was close, with less than three minutes left on the clock, Ipape gave away a clear penalty for blocking off a chasing French which allowed Keighran to send two points over and then, once again, magic struck.

As Wigan opted to send it through the hands to the right edge with seconds of the half remaining, it allowed Jai Field to break through on the overlap. A supporting French was once again in the right place at the right time to dive over and Keighran slotted over the conversion for a healthy 14-6 half-time advantage.

Leigh came out after half-time and showed plenty of intent with many an opportunity on Wigan’s line, but the Warriors scrambled hard and kept them out, 10 minutes of pressure bringing no points.

As the Leopards continued to keep coming, they thought they were in as Trout went through on the edge for what looked a certain try, but Field came up with a beauty of a try-saving tackle, leaving the visitors with only 15 minutes to get back into the game.

With Wigan’s defence intensely solid, Leigh chanced their arm but to no avail as mistakes arrived under the pressure, Walters rubbing salt in the wounds by running in as the hooter sounded for an 18-6 win and spot at Old Trafford in the Grand Final on October 11 to defend their crown.

What was the reaction to the dramatic ticketing dispute?

Post-match both Matt Peet and Adrian Lam reacted to the build-up, insisting that it had affected neither of their preparations. However, Lam did say he thought if a stadium can be full, it should be full.

“I stay out of that, to be honest with you. It would have been better to see 3,000 or 5,000 more fans here tonight, and of our fans, I think that would have been nice to see that, “Lam said.

“That is all I’ve got to say on that. The stadium wasn’t full, and it should be full in our greatest showpiece of rugby league in this country.

“However that gets solved, I don’t care and I don’t know. But I think if we’ve got a chance to fill the stadiums, fill the stadiums.”

Meanwhile, Peet said it was not something he had experienced other than in his time coaching in the “amateur game”.

“It didn’t touch us,” Peet said. “We said we were going to play so block it, I can’t be bothered making a comment about it.

“When you coach in the amateur game like I did, you come across it quite often.”

Field relieved to progress

Player of the match Jai Field to Sky Sports:

“A really tough game. They did give us some trouble this year as a side as well and they did again tonight. Obviously really relieved but also proud of the boys for digging in there.

“The weather and the wind sort of brings that sort of game into it, back and forth and high completion. It’s a collective effort.

“We have some tough middles who grind and work. Sometimes I’m just the beneficiary in the backline.”

On his pivotal tackle on Trout, Field said: “It took a fair bit of effort! That’s sort of your job at the back there.

“If they break your line, you’ve got to try and do your best to make a stop and luckily enough I was able to pull one off.”

Peet: Special performance from Peet

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet to Sky Sports:

“The win was made of toughness. Connection between the players. Certainly there’ll be things when we look back we could do better, but these lads, for one, they keep turning up for one another.

“And when they do get opportunities, they’re talented and they work out on their attack.

“Jai Field, it was a special performance from him today.

“I’m not great at singling people out but I just thought the kicks he was fielding, the cover tackle, and he was just a handful with the ball all night. So proud of him on a night when people might question whether it was cut out for him.

“He’s certainly developed that side of his game since he’s been in the northern hemisphere.

“We turned it around [after half-time]. A bit more physicality in the second half and for large parts, we controlled the field position and territory.

“We’ll have to be a little bit better than we were tonight if we’re to have success next week.”

‘Proud’ Lam: Moments before half-time proved the difference

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam to Sky Sports:

“I’m really proud of them. Obviously things didn’t go our way.

“Just some really big moments in the game just before half-time there. You take that away and it becomes a different beast. I was just proud of the efforts tonight.

“We’re getting there, bit by bit, but we’re heading in the right direction.

“I think the penalty for obstruction against Ipape just before half-time, that was really frustrating. I know they’re a team that in that last 10 minutes of each half, we talked about it, how they score most of their points in that period.

“I was just disappointed that penalty was given away and that just changed the momentum of that first half. In the end, really, that was the difference.

“There’s two tries [for Trout not scored] and I felt if we had nailed that skill down the left wing, there’s a try opportunity there. They’re the ones you’ve got to score from. It’s as simple as that.

“We gave ourselves an opportunity we didn’t quite nail when it counted most. Therefore, the way that it has ended is sad.

“Our goal now is probably to finish in the top two so we get this game at home. I’m enjoying the journey. We’re not finished yet.”

Super League 2025 – remaining fixtures

All live on Sky Sports; all times UK and Ireland

Semi-finals

• Fri October 3: Wigan Warriors 18-6 Leigh Leopards
• Sat October 4: Hull KR vs St Helens – 5.30pm

Grand Final (Old Trafford)

• Sat October 11: Wigan Warriors vs TBC – 6pm