Leigh Centurions 50-34 Wigan Warriors – Betfred Super League strugglers Leigh Centurions beat reigning champions Wigan Warriors 50-34 – their first win over their near neighbours since 1984.
The game marked the opening game in the State of Mind Round with this year’s theme about loss watch the latest State of Mind film here www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZHfodzlPng&feature=youtu.be
Two tries in three minutes from Centurions hooker Liam Hood midway through the second half proved decisive as the home side withstood a Wigan fightback after racing into an 18-4 lead.
Neil Jukes’ men had lost 10 of their last 11 going into the game while worryingly for Warriors coach Shaun Wane, his side have now not tasted success in their last seven in Super League.
Wigan had won the previous 19 meetings between the teams but the eight-try Centurions made it an unpleasant first visit to Leigh Sports Village in a competitive game for the Warriors.
Danny Tickle’s first-half try took him past 2,500 points for his career, which includes 572 for Wigan, one of his former clubs.
Wane said: “It’s a tough one to take, conceding 50 points at Leigh, but all respect to them. We are scoring points but our goal-line defence was unaccceptable.
“We had a chance at half-time and I thought we could get back in it. But our attitude to defending our goal-line just went in the second half and it cost us dearly.”
On the run that Wigan are on, he added: “It’s just very, very frustrating. It can’t carry on and it won’t carry on. We keep coming up with losses.
“I don’t want to make excuses because Leigh were good today. We have got to train hard and potentially we’ve got the same team that beat Cronulla (in the Dacia World Club Series) coming back from injury.
“It’s alright people looking down their noses at us seeing us in a bad situation but I know what we’re capable of and we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”
National leads in public health and suicide prevention joined Manchester Mayor to support State Of Mind at the game
Jukes said: “I am really pleased. Even through this tough period, the guys have been turning up for each other every week though results might suggest they don’t.
“They are a good team, a tough team and they work hard. We have not been far off in recent weeks with the ball in hand in particular.
“Tonight we showed a really good mentality and we got rid of a lot of the scruffiness in our game to put an 80-minute performance together.
“The staff have been working incredibly hard in this tough period. (Leigh Centurions owner) Derek Beaumont in particular has been outstanding with me and he has understood the journey we are on.
“The fans have been brilliant again and I was glad we gave a performance for them.”