Leigh beat Wigan in extra time after 0-0 draw
Betfred Super League
Wigan Warriors (0) 0
Leigh Leopards (0) 1
Drop-goal: O'Brien
Match ended 0-0 after 80 minutes
Leigh beat reigning champions Wigan in golden-point extra time of the opening game of the 2025 Super League season - after the two sides played out the first 0-0 draw in the competition's 29-year history.
Gareth O'Brien kicked the decisive drop-goal three minutes into the additional time, ensuring a losing start for last season's Quadruple winners.
The defensive discipline of both sides shone during a physical contest between these two near neighbours, with neither able to break the deadlock in an attritional but engaging 80 minutes.
O'Brien's one-pointer sparked massive celebrations and secured Leigh's first win at Wigan since 1983.
Champions Wigan the hunted as Super League returns
Captain's Challenge & what else is new in Super League?
Live music from The Lathums, pyrotechnics before kick-off and legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer welcoming the teams to the field all contributed to the big-event feel on the opening night of the Super League season.
What transpired afterwards was a game lacking in points but with no shortage of endeavour, defensive brilliance and late drama.
Leigh scrambled superbly to deny Jake Wardle and Tyler Dupree in the first period, while Wigan's Jai Field had a score midway through the second half ruled out by video referee Jack Smith for an illegal ball steal earlier in the move.
At the other end, against a Wigan side that did not concede a try in any of their final four games of last season, winter recruit David Armstrong was unable to find a Leigh team-mate having escaped three Wigan tacklers.
With the final hooter looming, Leopards half-back Lachlan Lam leapt high near his own posts to claim Harry Smith's lofted kick which seemed destined for the onrushing Bevan French.
Having grasped the ball, the grounded Lam was tackled dangerously by Adam Keighran, for which the Wigan centre was sent to the sin-bin.
Up against 12 players and having seen off Wigan's first set of six tackles in extra time, Leigh worked the ball into position for O'Brien to land the match-winning drop-goal.
Wigan captain Liam Farrell, who himself had been shown a yellow card earlier in the match, created a moment of Super League history early in the second half.
One of the new additions to the competition this season is the captain's challenge, which allows teams to contest certain on-field decisions made by the referee.
Farrell appealed against Liam Moore's ruling of an illegal ball steal, which was rejected following a video review.
Wigan head coach Matt Peet told BBC Radio Manchester:
"I hope it's spoken about for years to come and credit to Leigh - they didn't come here and fluke or nick a win, they earned a win and fair play to them.
"It was great pre-match - [it had] energy and a buzz and was exciting for a packed crowd. The game matched up to it.
"I've been involved in a lot of play-off games and finals over the years and it had that sort of feel about it, where you're just waiting for a mistake or a penalty. It was a great standard to start."
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Manchester:
"It's a bit surreal that we've won 1-0 but I'll take it.
"When you've got so many new players in the group and four or five making their debuts, there was some uncertainty and nervousness about how we were going to play.
"One thing I wanted to see from the group was to see that they were connected together and that they would be resilient - and I got that in abundance.
"I'm really happy. If Wigan had won 1-0, I would have been as happy as I am now because it's going to take some time to develop this group and I'm looking forward to that journey."
Wigan: Field; Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Byrne, Leeming, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis.
Interchanges: Mago, Dupree, Hill, Forber.
Leigh: Armstrong; Brand, Niu, Hanley, Charnley; O'Brien, Lam; Trout, Dwyer, Mulhern, Halton, O'Neill, Liu.
Interchanges: Ipape, Hughes, Tuitavake, Davis.
Referee: Liam Moore.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Warrington pin hopes on Marc Sneyd to defy odds and inflict more final woe on Hull KR
Were you to have the briefest glance at the Super League table and the recent form of the Challenge Cup finalists, you would think the Wembley meeting of Hull KR and Warrington Wolves is going only one way. Rovers have lost only once all year and are the standout side. Warrington, in contrast, sit eighth and to suggest they have been inconsistent under Sam Burgess would be putting it mildly. But a couple of things could redress the balance and make this an intriguing final. Advertisement Related: Rugby by rail: the romance (and regret) of going to games by train Firstly, history hangs heavy on the shoulders of Hull KR. Without a major trophy since 1985 and scarred by countless defeats in finals since then, including two in the past two seasons alone, you do wonder quite whether taking that most important step will come into the thinking of the Rovers players when they walk out at Wembley on Saturday. Warrington, meanwhile, are armed with a man who not only knows how to win these games but excel in them. Marc Sneyd began the season as a Salford player but, when their financial problems deepened, Warrington acted swiftly to sign the scrum-half in March. It has proven to be a masterstroke, with Sneyd's best performance in a Wire shirt thus far coming in the semi-final against Leigh. Incredibly, that display came only 13 days after he fractured an eye socket. Sneyd is one of only five men to win the Lance Todd Trophy for man of the match in the final twice, after back-to-back victories in 2016 and 2017. To add an extra layer of intrigue, both those cup final wins were for Hull FC, the arch-rivals of the side he is trying to stop from ending their trophy drought on Saturday. Advertisement 'He's an impressive guy,' Sam Burgess said of the scrum-half this week. 'We saw what he did in the semi-finals. He's a very composed bloke, nothing really flusters him and the bigger the stage, the more he seems to enjoy it.' Already a legend on the west side of Hull, Sneyd could enrich this legacy further if he engineers Warrington to victory this week, while also bringing a first trophy to the Wolves since 2019. 'He beat me there in 2017,' Sneyd's half-back partner, George Williams, admits. 'He's thrived on the big stage so many times, he's won two Lance Todds and I'm hoping he gets a third because if he does it'll mean a Warrington win. He's been brilliant to play with.' And it would not be a stretch to suggest that with their title hopes looking remote at best in Super League, they are putting all their proverbial eggs in this basket. No decision epitomises that mentality more than the fact the England captain, Williams, will take to the field on Wembley on Saturday less than eight weeks removed from ankle surgery that initially looked set to rule him out of the final. It is undoubtedly a gamble and, as any league historian will tell you with the cases of Gavin Miller in 1986 and Keith Senior in 2005, those types of decisions in a Challenge Cup final can often backfire. 'There's always an element of risk,' Burgess admitted on Monday. 'But it's not groundbreaking. We've pushed really hard to get him ready for this game. If there was no rush, maybe he wouldn't play.' Advertisement Williams insisted this week he is fully fit; he will need to be should Warrington stand a chance against a mightily impressive Hull KR side. Burgess, who has reiterated he will see his Warrington contract through to the end of next year after missing out on the Perth Bears job, is again within touching distance of his first trophy as a coach. For all the talk of Rovers needing a trophy, there is perhaps a fair argument Burgess and Warrington need one just as much after defeat in last year's cup final and falling short in the playoff semi-finals in Super League. 'I think we're bigger underdogs than last year because we were playing well last year,' Williams, who himself has lost two finals and is yet to win one, says. 'Nobody is giving us a chance but we're fine with that.' 'This year has been different to last year. I thought it was easy last year but I've been challenged with a number of things this year and had to make some hard decisions. But I've still really enjoyed it. I'm contracted until the end of 2026 and I will finish my contract out here at Warrington.' Burgess has already courted plenty of interest in Australia for the work he has done at Warrington in 18 months. Win this Saturday against all the odds and his stock will rise once again – on both sides of the world.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Who's in and who's out as Warrington Wolves reveal Wembley squad
Warrington Wolves and Hull KR are preparing to face off in Saturday's Challenge Cup Final (Image: Allan McKenzie/ WARRINGTON Wolves and Hull KR have confirmed their 21-man squads for Saturday's Challenge Cup Final. And for The Wire, head coach Sam Burgess has named a squad that is largely the one many expected. Advertisement Having declared himself fit earlier in the week, skipper George Williams is included and is set to return at stand-off having missed the past seven matches - including the semi-final victory over Leigh Leopards - due to surgery on ruptured ankle ligaments. Second-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon is also expected to be fit despite limping off during the first half of Friday's Super League victory over Castleford Tigers with a knee injury, while centre Toby King and forward Jordy Crowther are in contention as they battle to recover from groin and ankle issues respectively. While their injury crisis has somewhat eased, Burgess still remains without long-term absentees such as Matty Ashton, Oli Leyland (both ACL), Danny Walker (knee), Leon Hayes (ankle) and Cai Taylor-Wray (hamstring). Outside-back Connor Wrench is also brought in as Burgess makes two changes to the 21 he named last week. Young hooker Ben Hartill and forward Tom Whitehead are the unlucky duo to drop out. Advertisement The club left the job of announcing their most important squad of the year to their fans in a novel video released this afternoon. Warrington Wolves 21-man squad for Challenge Cup Final vs Hull KR Jordy Crowther, Ben Currie, Matt Dufty, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, James Harrison, Adam Holroyd, Toby King, Arron Lindop, Joe Philbin, Sam Powell, Stefan Ratchford, Dan Russell, Marc Sneyd, Rodrick Tai, Jake Thewlis, Josh Thewlis, Paul Vaughan, George Williams, Max Wood, Connor Wrench, Luke Yates Having completed their final full training session yesterday, the Wire squad are now in London and will complete their preparations with a final 'captain's run' session at Wembley itself tomorrow afternoon. Advertisement Meanwhile, opponents Hull KR have their own injury recovery story within their 21 in the shape of Michael McIlorum. The experienced hooker was expected to miss at least another month with a torn bicep but is in contention to play having been named in head coach Willie Peters' squad. The Robins are also able to welcome back New Zealand international prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves after he missed the past two games, including their 31-12 Super League victory over Warrington at The Halliwell Jones Stadium, through suspension. They will, however, be without full-back Arthur Mourgue, who is cup-tied having featured in the earlier rounds of the competition for Catalans Dragons before his move to Humberside.
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Top 2026 Notre Dame safety target Joey O'Brien narrows list to four, sets commitment date
Top 2026 Notre Dame safety target Joey O'Brien narrows list to four, sets commitment date Notre Dame football is looking for an elite 2026 safety to pair with current commitment Ayden Pouncey. The player at the top of that list is Pennsylvania's Joey O'Brien, who on Wednesday night cut his list down to just four schools: Oregon, Penn State, Clemson and the Irish as On3's Hayes Fawcett announced. The nation's No. 64 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings also set his commitment date for June 20th, just 15 days away. At one point in O'Brien's recruitment, it very much looked like he was a Notre Dame lean, but it seems like he very much enjoyed his recent official visits to see the Nittany Lions and Tigers have put a wrench into that thinking. He will take ann official to see the Ducks this coming weekend, but the good news is that the Irish get the last shot with O'Brien heading to South Bend starting on June 13th. With the Irish getting a last shot at impressing the 4-star, it could bode well with his decision a week later. It doesn't always work out that way, but Notre Dame has put themselves in a great position to land O'Brien later this month.
