Hull FC threw plenty at Wigan but came up short in a fiery clash at the MKM Stadium.
Lewis Martin impressed on his return to the Hull FC side.
Wigan Warriors held the lead for just eight minutes against Hull FC but that was enough to get the job done against a spirited home side, who threw the kitchen sink and everything else at the in-form Cherry and Whites and just came up short.
The Black and Whites, with 13 players out due to injury and suspension, led for over 71 minutes after taking the game to Wigan. In one of their best performances of the season to date, their pack stood up and relished the physical battle, with Jake Arthur, who played neat and tidy as the leading half-back, crisply getting Hull around the field.
Elsewhere, veteran outside back Tom Briscoe continued to roll back the years before Harry Smith’s match-winning try in the 72nd minute. That was the first time Wigan got themselves ahead on the scoreboard – and from there on, they saw the game out, even if not for some last-minute drama that saw Adam Keighran miss a penalty goal and Hull run out of time with the MKM Stadium scoreboard going off deep into the final few minutes.
Taking the lead, Hull were aggressive and fired up, and they kept going throughout. Mirroring the disruption seen this season, they had three players sent for HIAs in the first half, with Hugo Salabio, Joe Batchelor, and Harvey Barron all leaving the field, with the latter the only one not to come back on. But they kept going.
Andy Last challenged his side to meet fire with fire – and they did exactly that. They were physical and aggressive, and immediately got into Wigan.
They got their reward, taking the lead through Lewis Martin, back in the side as one of three changes alongside Zak Hardaker and Matty Laidlaw. The winger took Aidan Sezer’s fiery pass to score out wide, running in from 20 metres out and fending off Jai Field’s cover tackle to ground the ball.
The home side had opportunities to extend their lead, but Wigan stood firm. The away side were awarded a penalty and soon hit back, with Bevan French firing a pass out to Zach Eckersley to score out wide. But that was as good as it got for them in the first half.
Hull hit the lead again through Harvey Barron, who took Tom Briscoe’s drop-off pass from dummy half to storm over. Chances kept coming, but the hosts couldn’t add that decisive blow – with tries ruled out for Tom Briscoe, dubiously so as he looked to ground the ball from an Arthur kic, and then for Davy Litten, who was held up by the Wigan defence.
The Black and Whites took a deserved 10-4 lead into the break, but Wigan soon clicked into gear with Noah Hokinson scoring out wide off a neatly executed scrum play move. However, Hull soon stepped it up again, with Sezer finding Jed Cartwright on a strong line. The back rower crashed over, putting the home side two scores to the good.
Wigan thought they hit back through French, with Logan Moy palming back an attempted 40/20 for the full-back to win the chase and ground the ball. But on replay, the Hull full-back had a foot in touch, and the home side were momentarily let off, with the Warriors scoring on the next set through Adam Keighran.
Keighran then levelled the scores with a penalty goal, with a frantic end to an absorbing MKM Stadium clash playing out. Hull got into position to try and win the game, but Sezer’s drop goal attempt was wide. And on the next set, Wigan punished the home side, who shot out the line and opened up the space for Harry Smith to score.
That put the Cherry and Whites into the lead for the first time and it’s a lead they held – despite some late drama with the scoreboard not working and Hull working the ball upfield, only to run out of time. An absorbing contest, with Wigan edging it – and by the skin of their teeth.
Teams
Hull Starting XIII: 24. Logan Moy; 2. Harvey Barron, 19. Tom Briscoe, 3. Davy Litten, 5. Lewis Martin; 6. Jake Arthur, 7. Aidan Sezer; 8. Herman Ese’ese, 9. Amir Bouourh, 10. Harvie Hill; 11. Joe Batchelor, 4. Zak Hardaker; 26. Hugo Salabio
Interchange: 12. Jed Cartwright, 25. Matty Laidlaw, 29. Will Hutchinson, 38. Jeremiah Mata’utia. 18th Man: 36. Lennon Clark
Wigan Starting XIII: 1. Jai Field; 2. Zach Eckersley, 3. Adam Keighran, 4. Jake Wardle, 28. Noah Hodkinson; 6. Bevan French, 7. Harry Smith; 20. Sam Eseh, 9. Brad O’Neill, 10. Luke Thompson; 11. Junior Nsemba, 12. Liam Farrell; 17. Oliver Partington
Interchange: 19. Jack Farrimond, 13. Kaide Ellis, 15. Patrick Mago, 23. Kian McDermott. 18th Man: 25. Taylor Kerr
Scorers
Hull Tries: Martin, Barron, Cartwright. Goals: Hardaker 2/3
Wigan Tries: Eckersley, Hodkinson, Keighran, Smith. Goals: Keighran 2/6
Scoring System: 4-0, 4-4, 10-4, 10-8, 16-8, 16-14, 16-16, 16-20, FT
Referee: Liam Moore. Video Referee: Tom Grant
Attendance: 12,272