Wigan secured the premier spot on the Betfred Super League ladder with a club‑record twelfth consecutive win, dispatching a resilient Wakefield side 26‑12 at the Brick Community Stadium. Coach Matt Peet’s squad capitalised on a string of handling mistakes from the visitors to build a commanding 20‑point lead by halftime, and they cemented the triumph after Jai Field intercepted a long pass just after the hour‑mark, turning defence into attack and sealing the result. The timing of Wigan’s surge to the top of the table sends a clear warning to their rivals, especially long‑time leaders Leeds, who now face mounting pressure as they travel to York on Sunday. Peet lauded his players’ perseverance, noting, “I’m very pleased with how the game unfolded.
The first half was intense and went set‑for‑set for a long time and we came out the other side of that. In the second half we got a little bit sloppy but we had to defend for the most part and it probably did us good. Wakefield throw so much threat at you and they never stop asking questions.” For Wakefield, the loss marked a fourth straight defeat. They began brightly, even being denied an opening try when Oliver Pratt appeared to ground the ball for Max Jowitt, only for officials to rule a knock‑on.
A few minutes later Wakefield capitalised on a rare mis‑play by Bevan French, who inadvertently sent Zach Eckersley over in the corner from a forward pass, keeping the scores level early on. Wigan soon turned the tide.
After a tight opening quarter with no points, they exploited two Wakefield errors to score three tries in ten minutes, establishing an almost unassailable lead. French punished a careless pass from Jowitt by sprinting over the halfway line for the first try. Six minutes later, a penalty pass found Kian McDermott, whose precise delivery allowed Liam Marshall to dive into the corner for the second score.
Marshall added a third try shortly after, benefitting from another Wakefield handling lapse. Three successful kicks from Adam Keighran, combined with a late‑half penalty, gave Wigan a comfortable 24‑0 advantage at the break. Despite the looming defeat, Wakefield displayed grit at the start of the second half. Jake Trueman’s clever kick evaded French, enabling Corey Hall to touch down on 52 minutes, narrowing the gap.
A subsequent penalty and another set‑piece gave Wakefield a chance to get closer, but Hall’s foot slipped into touch as he attempted to flick the ball back for Jowitt, thwarting the effort. The visitors’ hopes were finally extinguished when Mike McMeeken fumbled a ball, allowing Jai Field to sprint the length of the field and cross for Wigan’s fourth try. Wakefield’s Ky Rodwell added a late score, making the final tally more respectable but insufficient to change the outcome.
Wakefield head coach Daryl Powell criticised the officiating, stating, “I do think the refereeing department have to ask themselves a couple of questions. There are two teams that were top class but there are other parts of the game that weren’t. I’ll be asking my team to get better from tonight and I think the officials should be doing the same.” In a separate fixture, Leigh Leopards continued their push for a playoff berth with a crushing 62‑10 victory over the Bradford Bulls.
Adam Cook was the standout, amassing 30 points by converting all 11 goal attempts and scoring two tries, while Leigh piled on 48 points in a dominant second half. Robbie Mulhern opened the scoring for Leigh in the 12th minute, with Cook adding the conversion and a penalty. Bradford responded when a handling error by Leigh allowed Waqa Blake to dive over in the corner.
Louis Brogan restored Leigh’s momentum before halftime, finishing a move that put the hosts ahead 14‑4. The second half began with Bradford fumbling the kickoff, giving Innes Senior an immediate try in the corner. From there, Leigh’s attack flowed relentlessly. Lachlan Lam initiated a sequence in the 48th minute, finishing his own move before setting up Cook, who chased down his own kick for another try.
Senior added a second try, while Umyla Hanley completed Lam’s long pass, and Joe Ofahengaue capped a flowing move with a try just over ten minutes remaining. Cook later broke away for his second try, and Lam rounded off a superb individual display with a second score of his own. Bradford’s Eliot Peposhi managed a consolation try, but the damage was done.
Leigh’s victory marked a fourth consecutive win, following a recent triumph over Leeds Rhinos. Head coach Adrian Lam praised his side, saying, “Really happy with it, obviously a lot of confidence from last week’s win. I thought throughout that second half especially we were unbelievable.
Cook kicking at 100 percent certainly helps. He’s been under pressure during the season at times but a nice week for him to find his form.” Bradford, plagued by injuries, slipped further toward the bottom of the table. Coach Kurt Haggerty reflected, “It was a very tough night. We competed for 40 minutes like we have done for the majority of the season.
We got to a point where we were so many bodies down but some of the defence wasn’t acceptable that we tossed up in the second half. We won’t feel sorry for ourselves, I won’t let the group feel sorry for ourselves. We’ve got three tasty games to go and we’ll keep scrapping.” Sky Sports will broadcast every Super League match this season, with two games each round shown live on the main channel and the remaining five available via Sky Sports+.