Wigan cruise past Castleford
Two tries from Oliver Gildart helped Wigan pull off a convincing 28-12 win against Castleford.
Shaun Wane made just one change to his Wigan side that won at Leeds last week. Ben Flower came in for the injured Dan Sarginson.
Castleford coach Daryl Powell also made just one change to his outfit that beat Catalans Dragons last time out. Garry Lo made his debut and replaced James Clare.
Castleford took the lead in the opening minutes. Wigan were caught ripping the ball in a two-man tackle and as a result, the Tigers opted to take the two and Luke Gale added a penalty goal to give his side a 2-0 lead.
The Warriors had two opportunities to add penalty goals in as many minutes. Sam Tomkins failed to add the first one from 40 metres out, but didn’t make any mistakes with second to level the score at 2-2.
Wigan scored midway through the first half following a fantastic break from Joe Burgess. The winger made a 60-metre dart down the left wing but was caught near the Castleford line by Greg Minikin. Gildart then picked up the ball up from dummy-half and touched down from close range. Sam Tomkins added the extras to put Wigan 8-2 in front.
Wane’s side looked a real threat every time they had the ball near the Tigers line. Liam Farrell stretched their lead after receiving a crisp pass from George Williams. The conversion was on point from Sam Tomkins, Wigan 14-2 Castleford.
Oliver Holmes pulled one back for the Tigers on the half hour mark. The back-rower steamed onto a Gale pass to beat off a couple of Wigan defenders to score. Gale converted, but Castleford were still 14-8 behind.
Papua New Guinea star Garry Lo flew over the line for Castleford towards the end of the first half to score on his first ever Super League appearance. England half-back Gale converted, but the Warriors narrowly led 14-12 at the break.
Wigan couldn’t have started the second half any better. Burgess made a five 70-metre break down the left side before offloading the ball to the supporting Gildart who got his second.
The hosts were in good flow in the second half. England star Williams produced a bit of magic footwork to reach over the line. Sam Tomkins converted and Wigan were 24-12 to the good after 59 minutes.
Tony Clubb put the icing on the cake for Wigan late on following a powerful drive from close range to seal a convincing 28-12 win for the Warriors.
Wigan: S Tomkins; Marshall, Bateman, Gildart, Burgess; Williams, Powell; Clubb, Leuluai, Flower, Isa, Farrell, O’Loughlin. Subs: J Tomkins, Sutton, Tautai, Navarrete.
Castleford: Trueman; Minikin, Webster, Shenton, Lo; Roberts, Gale; Watts, McShane, Massey, Holmes, Wardle, Foster. Subs: Millington, McMeeken, Milner, Cook.
Starman: Sam Tomkins was fantastic in attack and defence for Wigan. He led the Warriors around the park all game and was constantly talking to his team-mates.
Attendance: 11,866