Second win for Warriors
Wigan scored their second home victory of the Super League season on Friday night after overcoming a spirited Hull KR side 32-6.
Last Updated: 12/02/10 10:06pm
Wigan scored their second home victory of the Super League season on Friday night after overcoming a spirited Hull KR side 32-6.
The Warriors scored six tries in all, four of them coming in a second half which saw the home side gain reward for both their skill and some hard work off the ball.
Amos Roberts touched down a brace, with each try bookending a performance featuring further scores from Martin Gleeson, Pat Richards, Joel Tomkins and Sean O'Loughlin - the latter scoring the 50th try of his career.
Even so, the result flatters Michael Maguire's side slightly owing to Rovers' strong first-half display, with Ben Fisher scoring their only try.
Frenetic
The opening minutes of the match were frenetic and it was the home side who took best advantage.
After pressing during their first two sets, Wigan took the lead in the fourth minute after Rovers' Paul Cooke was adjudged offside.
Quickly powering their way towards the posts, the ball was then fed right to Roberts - the winger finding himself in acres of space to touch down.
Richards missed the extras but the Warriors were two tries to the good just moments later after ex-Warrior Michael Dobson was penalised for interference on Gleeson.
Again Wigan came forward, this time with Cameron Phelps whose offload fed Gleeson to touch down.
Richards converted this time to seal his side's strong start - Hull KR barely having escaped their own half during the first 13 minutes.
Finally winning a penalty of their own, the visitors almost issued a response but, having twisted his way towards the left-hand corner, Kris Welham's pass to Liam Colbon went forward.
The Robins at last had a chance to spread their wings but despite gaining plenty of ground early in their next set, the ball was turned over.
Their next chance to start clawing Wigan's lead back came in the 27th minute but after a break from Clint Newton, Shaun Briscoe's lunge for the line off the fifth tackle was unsuccessful.
They continued to find a way back into the game, however, and it was little surprise when more pressure finally allowed them to breach Wigan's line.
Rovers coach Justin Morgan brought on both Mick Vella and Fisher and they made an immediate impact, with the latter scoring their first try after 33 minutes.
The Australia-born Scottish international darted between two challenges to dive over having accepted an offload from Liam Watts, with Dobson converting.
Both sides started the second half missing their full-backs, with Phelps and Briscoe sidelined by ankle and knee injuries respectively.
Both also had good chances to score in the opening five minutes of the second period, although Hull KR failed to exploit a goal-line drop-out while Wigan's Andy Coley knocked on fewer than five yards short.
Coley crossed the line moments later, although no try was given after the video referee decided that Vella had succeeded in his efforts to prevent the prop from grounding the ball.
Revival
However, signs of a Warriors' revival were confirmed when, following a 20-metre restart, O'Loughlin pounced one-handed on Sam Tomkins' crossfield kick off the fifth tackle to score.
Richards kicked the extras and did the same after he scored Wigan's fourth of the evening in the 55th minute, the tall left wing in the right place to collect another Tomkins kick.
The Warriors were by now looking for a try that would have proved a match-winner and Tomkins' brother Joel almost scored it in the 63rd minute, the second row being tackled just shy of what would have been a superb individual try.
Tomkins only had to wait six minutes though - Wigan's fifth of the night proving a family affair after his younger brother's kick off the fifth tackle found its way to him via O'Loughlin - Richards this time missing the extras.
However, he converted after Roberts picked up Dobson's attempted chip in Wigan's half and proceeded to sprint to the line for his second with four minutes remaining.
