Leigh shock Wigan in extra time after first 0-0 draw in Super League history

The Guardian

13-02-2025

Leigh Leopards secured their first win at Wigan Warriors in 42 years to stun the reigning Super League champions and win arguably the most remarkable game in the competition's 30-year history.
For the first time since 1993, a professional rugby league match finished 0-0 after 80 pulsating and gripping minutes.
That meant the game would be settled in golden point extra-time and after just two minutes of additional play, Gareth O'Brien's magnificent drop goal proved to be the difference and ensure the Leopards emerged victorious against the odds.
Incredibly, it was the first 1-0 scoreline in a game of rugby league in over 30 years, dating back to Barrow's victory at Hull KR in the old Second Division in 1994. Both sides were defensively outstanding and you wondered if the Leopards would eventually falter against a Wigan side who won every single trophy on offer last year. But in the end, it was Leigh who held their nerve when it mattered most in incredible circumstances.
With their trip to Las Vegas a fortnight away and anticipation starting to build, Wigan pulled out all the stops to make the opening night a spectacle on and off the field. The headline act? Legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer, flown in especially by Sky Sports to promote the Vegas trip: and he introduced the teams amidst a raucous atmosphere.
But the action took a while to click into gear on the field: quite a while, in fact. The opening half-hour was played out largely in the middle of the field and while the intensity was unquestionable, the cutting-edge from both sides was somewhat lacking. Wigan came the closest in that first 30 minutes, but Luke Thompson failed to ground Bevan French's clever kick.
Leigh spent most of the early exchanges camped inside their own half but as the break approached, the Leopards improved. The introduction of their interchange bench began to nudge the momentum in their favour, but two glorious opportunities to open the scoring came and went, with the Warriors' defence holding firm under pressure.
The hosts then came desperately close to breaking the deadlock again, and had it not been for a superb last-ditch tackle from Ethan O'Neill, Tyler Dupree would have almost certainly broken through to score the first try of the night. But Leigh's defensive efforts, much like for most of the half from both sides, proved to be too strong - and at half-time, it was scoreless.
There was an historic moment with the very first tackle of the second half: the first use of captain's challenge in Super League after the concept was introduced in the off-season. Wigan were penalised for a ball steal but were unsuccessful after it was adjudged Adam Keighran had indeed ripped the ball from a Leigh defender's grasp.
But as the hour mark approached, so too did two pivotal moments. First, the momentum looked to have swung Leigh's way as Wigan's captain, Liam Farrell, was sin-binned for kicking the ball away. But two tackles later, and with a man advantage, Leigh surrendered possession inside their own half and Jai Field cut through – but again, there was a ball steal in the build-up to keep it at 0-0.
But the Leopards couldn't make that ten-minute spell without Farrell on the field count for anything meaningful. In truth, such was the strength of Wigan's defence, there wasn't even a half-chance to speak of for the visitors while they had a man advantage and as the clock ticked into the final quarter, the game – and the new season – was, incredibly, still waiting for its first points.
And that wait would go on all the way to the end of the 80 minutes, creating Super League history in the process. Both sides spurned opportunities to kick what would have been the winning drop goal in the final minutes, with Leigh making a mess of their last chance after Adam Keighran was sin-binned for Wigan with a minute to go.
But as the game entered extra-time and with a man advantage again, Leigh would not let their second chance slip. O'Brien, who famously kicked the drop goal that secured Salford's survival in the Million Pound Game almost a decade ago, held his nerve to win the game for the Leopards.