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Southport 38 - 22 Wigan
Daniel Morris5 Apr - 16:02
Champions not quite at the races on Grand National Saturday
Wigan travelled to sunny Southport for the final match of the league campaign, a campaign which saw them crowned Champions, last time out against Bolton.
With many spectators keeping an eye on the action down the road at Aintree, it was Wigan who found themselves not quite at the races.
Southport opened the scoring with a scrum on the edge of the Wigan 22. A sweeping move across the backline moved the ball through hands into the waiting winger who finished with aplomb.
Wigan hit back with a penalty to bring the scores to 5-3 but it was to be a hard long afternoon before the Champions troubled the scorers again.
Southport, looked the better side for long spells and moved the ball well behind a solid set piece. 2 more converted tries before half time saw them take a 19-3 lead.
It was then that the game descended into something of a farce. A fracas broke out on half way with players from both sides grappling. As the sides were separated the Wigan captain, Harry Barker, was called over and shown a red card for an alleged headbutt.
After the break, Southport looked to press home their numerical advantage and scored from a well worked set move in the middle of the park.
Despite a 26-3 deficit, Wigan were defending diligently and kept the Southport side at bay for a quarter hour before the line was breached once again for a 33-3 lead for the home side.
Ill discipline from both sides saw another scrap break out and two of the participants were again shown a red card, one for each side, meaning it was now 14 v 13.
Southport used the resulting space well and managed to create an overlap before diving over in the corner. For a 38-3 lead.
With nothing left to lose, Wigan showed some of the form that had taken them to a league championship with a game left to play. Will Morgan benefited from some scrappy defending as Southport failed to deal with a chip through. The ball popped up into Ollie Morgan’s hands before it was played out wide to Will Morgan on the wing to finish from a couple of yards out.
With 10 minutes remaining, Morgan made another break down the right wing, beating the full back and finishing from the half way line. Zack Barker made the conversion and the away following dreamt of an unlikely comeback with the scores at 38-15.
With a couple of minutes to go, Morgan showed his class once again with another rangy break down the right wing. This time fixing his man before looping the ball inside for Zack Barker to finish in the middle. Barker added the conversion and the game ended 38-22.
Wigan will reflect on a successful season, having secured back to back promotions and the league title. Attentions will now be turned to the Papa John’s Trophy National Competition, which saw the Douglas Valley men reach the final at Twickenham, last May.
With many spectators keeping an eye on the action down the road at Aintree, it was Wigan who found themselves not quite at the races.
Southport opened the scoring with a scrum on the edge of the Wigan 22. A sweeping move across the backline moved the ball through hands into the waiting winger who finished with aplomb.
Wigan hit back with a penalty to bring the scores to 5-3 but it was to be a hard long afternoon before the Champions troubled the scorers again.
Southport, looked the better side for long spells and moved the ball well behind a solid set piece. 2 more converted tries before half time saw them take a 19-3 lead.
It was then that the game descended into something of a farce. A fracas broke out on half way with players from both sides grappling. As the sides were separated the Wigan captain, Harry Barker, was called over and shown a red card for an alleged headbutt.
After the break, Southport looked to press home their numerical advantage and scored from a well worked set move in the middle of the park.
Despite a 26-3 deficit, Wigan were defending diligently and kept the Southport side at bay for a quarter hour before the line was breached once again for a 33-3 lead for the home side.
Ill discipline from both sides saw another scrap break out and two of the participants were again shown a red card, one for each side, meaning it was now 14 v 13.
Southport used the resulting space well and managed to create an overlap before diving over in the corner. For a 38-3 lead.
With nothing left to lose, Wigan showed some of the form that had taken them to a league championship with a game left to play. Will Morgan benefited from some scrappy defending as Southport failed to deal with a chip through. The ball popped up into Ollie Morgan’s hands before it was played out wide to Will Morgan on the wing to finish from a couple of yards out.
With 10 minutes remaining, Morgan made another break down the right wing, beating the full back and finishing from the half way line. Zack Barker made the conversion and the away following dreamt of an unlikely comeback with the scores at 38-15.
With a couple of minutes to go, Morgan showed his class once again with another rangy break down the right wing. This time fixing his man before looping the ball inside for Zack Barker to finish in the middle. Barker added the conversion and the game ended 38-22.
Wigan will reflect on a successful season, having secured back to back promotions and the league title. Attentions will now be turned to the Papa John’s Trophy National Competition, which saw the Douglas Valley men reach the final at Twickenham, last May.
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