Wigan overcame a brave Hull KR performance to regain the top spot in Super League with a hard-fought 21-16 victory at the DW Stadium.

The Challenge Cup finalists had to come from behind to win, as tries from Mick Dobson and Greg Eden cancelled out Josh Charnley’s early opening score. They also had to contend with the loss of talisman Sam Tomkins through illness and the loss of Sean O’Loughlin during the first half through injury, while Pat Richards was rested from the first team squad.



In the absence of Tomkins and Richards, academy products Ryan Hampshire and Jack Burgess stepped up to the first team and handled their roles well in the face of a determined Hull KR onslaught.

But the star of the show was Josh Charnley, who scored two tries, kicked two goals and saved two more in defence to ensure that two vital league points in the race for the league leaders’ shield went the Warriors’ way.

The victory sets up an intriguing clash with fellow league leaders contenders Huddersfield next week, though their rivals from down the A49, Warrington, will no doubt have a say in where the shield ends up in six weeks’ time.

Josh Charnley opened the scoring for Wigan when he benefited from a neat handling move that created an overlap out wide to waltz in for a simple score. The fleet-flooted winger could not convert his own touch down from the touchline and Wigan surrendered their early lead moment later when Greg Eden hit back for Rovers.

The full back was on hand to collect a well-timed pass from Dobson, hitting the line at pace behind a lead dummy runner to exploit the gap created in the defence and touch down near the posts, allowing Dobson to land the simple conversion and put the Robins ahead.

The Newcastle Knights-bound scrum half crossed himself in the 34th minute when his drop of the shoulder at the line split the Wigan defence to allow him to race home from 20 metres out to notch a try against his former club and extend Rovers’ lead, despite missing the ensuing conversion attempt.

The lead was cancelled out right on the stroke of half-time when Matty Smith’s pinpoint grubber behind the Rovers’ defence was collected by Charnley who attracted the defenders before slipping a neat pass inside to the supporting Goulding, who romped away for the score, with Charnley’s conversion taking the teams into the break level on the scoreboard.

With Lincoln Withers in the sin bin after the break, Wigan immediately took advantage of the extra man as they shifted the ball wide to Charnley, who was ruled by the video referee to have legitimately touched down in the corner.

Charnley was then denied his hat trick by the video referee just moments later when he was judged to have knocked on while trying to touch down Goulding’s grubber into the in-goal area.

Hull KR continued to defend resolutely in a frantic second half – even when Matty Smith’s 40-20 gained Wigan important field position, Sean Gleeson forced the error from the resulting scrum play to render the territorial advantage redundant.

The Robins then forced their way down field with a good kick from Dobson that forced an error from young Briscoe on the wing, before a penalty and another Wigan knock on gifted the visitors dangerous field position of their own. They thought they had capitalised when the ball was shifted wide to ex-Wigan Winger David Hodgson, but opposite number Josh Charnley did enough to force his trailing foot over the touchline before he could touch the ball down.

Both sides continued to fight for supremacy in the forwards in the closing stages, before Wigan shifted the ball wide to Anthony Gelling who fooled the Rovers’ fringe defence with a dummy and stolled over to appear to seal the victory for the Warriors before a Matty Smith drop goal further rubbed salt into the Robins’ wounds.

But Hull KR had other ideas and when Tuimavave crashed over from short range with four minutes left, the hosts’ five point lead appeared fragile.

It was downright precarious when Rovers kept the ball alive on the last tackle before Dobson’s kick to the corner found David Hodgson , but desperate last ditch defence from Charnley and Goulding managed to bundle the dangerman into touch to secure the two valuable points for the Cherry and Whites.

Wigan: Hampshire, Charnley, Goulding, Gelling, Burgess, Green, Smith, Mossop, McIlorum, Taylor, Hansen, Tuson, O’Loughlin

Replacements: Hughes, Lauaki, L Tomkins, Crosby

T: Charnley 2, Goulding, Gelling

G: Charnley 2

DG: Smith

Hull KR: Eden, Hall, Gleeson, Salter, D Hodgson, Burns, Dobson, Paea, J Hodgson, Walker, Cox, Mika

Replacements: Withers, Beaumont, Hepi, Tuimavave

T: Eden, Dobson, Tuimavave

G: Dobson 2

H/T: 10-10

F/T: 21-16

RLFans Man of the Match: Josh Charnley (Wigan)

Referee: Richard Silverwood

Attendance: 12,194