Wigan secured the top spot in the Betfred Super League with a club‑record twelfth consecutive win, comfortably defeating a resilient Wakefield side 26‑12 at the Brick Community Stadium. Matt Peet’s outfit capitalised on a string of handling mistakes from the visitors to build a commanding 20‑point lead at the break, and they cemented the result with a spectacular length‑of‑field interception by Jai Field just after the hour‑mark. The timing of Wigan’s rise to pole position sends a clear warning to their rivals, especially long‑time leaders Leeds, who now face a crucial test when they travel to York on Sunday. Peet praised his players’ determination, saying, “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, it was a fourth straight defeat. They started brightly and were denied an opening try when Oliver Pratt appeared to ground the ball for Max Jowitt, only for the referee to rule a knock‑on in the process.
Earlier, Wakefield had benefited from a rare mistake by Bevan French, who inadvertently sent Zach Eckersley over in the corner from a forward pass, keeping the scores level for a short spell. Wigan’s dominance was evident early. After a tight opening quarter‑hour with no points, the hosts turned the tide by exploiting two Wakefield errors in quick succession. French punished a careless pass from Jowitt by powering over the halfway line for the first try.
Six minutes later, a penalty pass set up Kian McDermott, whose exquisite ball found Liam Marshall in the corner for the second score. Marshall’s try came almost immediately after another handling lapse from Wakefield, and three successful kicks from Adam Keighran, combined with a penalty just before the half‑time whistle, left Wigan comfortably ahead at the interval with four tries to their name. The second half saw Wakefield fight back with heart. At the 52‑minute mark, Jake Trueman’s clever kick evaded French, allowing Corey Hall to dive over for a try that narrowed the gap.
A subsequent penalty and another set gave Wakefield a chance to get closer, but Hall’s foot slipped into touch as he attempted to flick the ball back for Jowitt, nullifying the opportunity. The visitors’ hopes were finally extinguished when a loose ball from Mike McMeeken was scooped up by Jai Field, who sprinted the length of the field to score Wigan’s fourth try.
A late effort from Wakefield’s Ky Rodwell added a consolation point, making the final score 26‑12. Wakefield coach Daryl Powell was vocal about the officiating, stating, “I do think the refereeing department have to ask themselves a couple of questions. There’s two teams that were top class but there’s 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, the Leigh Leopards continued their playoff push with a crushing 62‑10 victory over the Bradford Bulls.
Adam Cook was the star, contributing 30 points by converting all 11 attempts and crossing for two tries, while Leigh piled on 48 points in a dominant second half. Robbie Mulhern opened the scoring for Leigh in the 12th minute, and Cook added the conversion and a penalty before a handling error allowed Bradford’s Waqa Blake to score in the corner. Leigh’s momentum surged after the break. A fumble on the kickoff gave Innes Senior a quick try in the corner, and the hosts continued to pile on points.
Lachlan Lam initiated a move in the 48th minute that culminated in Cook’s second try, and Senior added a second effort shortly after. Umyla Hanley finished a brilliant long pass from Lam, and Joe Ofahengaue completed a flowing sequence with another try well into the final ten minutes. Cook later broke away for his second try, and Lam capped his outstanding individual display with a second try of his own, while Bradford’s Eliot Peposhi managed a late consolation score.
The win marked Leigh’s fourth consecutive victory, following a triumph over Leeds Rhinos the previous week. Head coach Adrian Lam told Sky Sports, “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 per cent certainly helps. He’s been under pressure during the season at times but a nice week for him to find his form.” Bradford, hampered by injuries, remain at 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.” Overall, the weekend showcased Wigan’s relentless consistency and Leigh’s explosive attacking flair, while Wakefield and Bradford will need to regroup quickly to halt their slide.
Sky Sports will broadcast every Super League match this season, with two games each round shown live exclusively and the remaining five available on Sky Sports+.