Betfred Super League
Huddersfield (4) 10
Tries: Milne, Gagai Goal: Flanagan
Wigan (10) 24
Tries: Partington, Eckersley 3 Goals: Keighran 4
Zach Eckersley’s hat-trick broke Huddersfield Giants’ stiff resistance to send Wigan Warriors to within two points of the Super League summit.
Jim Lenihan’s side made a nonsense of the fact they had suffered 11 straight defeats going into the game and threatened to do the league double over the in-form Warriors after pulling off a shock victory at the Brick Community Stadium in March.
Taane Milne’s try put the league’s bottom side ahead, but Oliver Partington and Eckersley hit back with tries which had Matt Peet’s team 10-4 up at the break.
The hosts raised their game again in the second half to level through Jacob Gagai but as their discipline faltered and Joe Greenwood was sin-binned for dissent, Adam Keighran’s penalty and a late Eckersley double secured the win for Wigan.
Huddersfield have suffered another tough week, losing three players for the season through injury and having long-serving chairman Ken Davy step down, and the sight of Wigan rolling into town on the back of seven successive wins in all competitions had some supporters fearing the worst.
Lenihan has started to work a little magic, however, and after Huddersfield soaked up the expected early pressure, they struck first as Milne finished strongly.
Wigan have been in imperious form and they soon edged ahead as Partington stretched out to finish after evading two tackles following Keighran’s short, sharp pass.
Tanguy Zenon was forced off with a head injury after being knocked out cold, and Eckersley took advantage of a brilliant Keighran pass to score his first try of the evening and open a six-point gap at half-time.
Tempers flared throughout the game and referee Matty Lynn’s patience ran out just before the interval as he sent both Tui Lolohea and Shea O’Connor to the sin-bin for a tussle at the play-the-ball.
It started to look like the game would slip away from Huddersfield, but they muscled up again in the second half and levelled when Gagai finished a slick passing move and George Flanagan, on as the 18th man, kicked the extras.
Suddenly it was Wigan who looked unsure of themselves, but the game turned on moments of indiscipline.
Huddersfield thought they had scored a brilliant counter-attacking try after Wigan’s teenage half-back George Marsden had dropped the ball, but referee Lynn disallowed it for a forward pass.
To rub salt in the wound, Wigan challenged the decision and were awarded a penalty for a high challenge on Marsden, with Keighran converting the two points to restore the lead.
Huddersfield were still hunting the win but when they were penalised for a knock-on, Greenwood disputed the decision despite the captain’s challenge having been used, and he was sent to the sin-bin.
That ended the superb Huddersfield effort as Wigan went up the other end and Harry Smith, the calmest man on the pitch, dinked a beautiful kick for Eckersley to race through and collect for his second try.
With all resistance over, Eckersley claimed his hat-trick, and made it 19 tries for the season, from George O’Loughlin’s pass on the last tackle.