Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - Labrokes Challenge Cup Quarter Final
Saturday 25th June 2016. Kick Off 5:30pm at DW Stadium

Match Report

In my 33 years on this earth, Wigan have only ever lost three Challenge Cup ties in Wigan (I don't count the game at Leigh last year). Those losses were against Castleford in 1983, Castleford in 1986 and Castleford in 2014. Granted the first two of those victories were when I was months old and three years old but given this record I kept my expectancy muted ahead of this one.

In that match two years ago Castleford won with a superb defensive display to keep Wigan down to four points. Ahead of this one I felt that if Cas were to repeat the feat that they would need to do it again with top draw defence.

My gut feeling though pre match was that Castleford wouldn't have that kind of effort in their locker and for that reason I was confident of Wigan victory. I mean Daryl Powell's side actually have Super League's worst defensive record and in the first half here it showed.

Wigan were excellent in the first half and it was off the back of a very high completion rate of 88%. Sam Tomkins then pulled the strings in creating the first try for Dan Sarginson down the right before scoring himself by stepping past poor defence by Grant Millington. In cup ties conversions are massive and Smith set a good tone with the first try being converted off the touchline, the second try was bang in front for 12-0.

That was after 14 minutes and for a spell after that the visitors had chances but Wigan's defence held firm and then Wigan came out of that with two more tries.

Josh Charnley at the double with two tries, the second of which saw him wrestling over from a metre out. Smith may have missed the second conversion but he hit the first off the touchline and that sent Wigan 22-0 up at the oranges.

A score like that should be game over but Wigan's second half display took that far too literally. The intensity fell away, as did the set completion, and they practically invited Castleford to launch a comeback.

Defence was still good though because it took Castleford 19 second half minutes to finally score with Luke Dorn being sent under the posts for 22-6.

Had Castleford got the next try it would have been really interesting but any potential of Wigan having to sweat over the line was extinguished with a try from Dom Manfredi on 65 minutes. I say try but the the reality was that it was never grounded in a million years and should never have been awarded. Video Referee Rob Hicks decided he "may have got a finger tip on it" and that was enough to stick with referee Chris Campbell's on field call. I think it was 99.9% no try and 0.1% a try and find it staggering that Hicks gave it. That call didn't decide this match but if that decision had decided a final it was be an absolute disgrace.

Smith missed the extras but at 26-6 the tie was now over with the clock defeating Castleford as much as the scoreboard. They did have the last say though with a try from Ben Crooks in the final minute but the job had been done by Wigan long before and they are once again just 80 minutes away from Wembley.

Team Sheets

Score Sheet

Scoring and Incident Pattern

Referee

Chris Campbell

Match Attendance

8,010

Weather

Dry with Cool Breeze.