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| Blistering start blows Wigan off course |
Blockbusting wingman |
Apparently, nobody told the Dragons they weren't supposed to win this. The return to Wembley was supposed to see Wigan return to the scene of so many of their triumphs and it was all set up with St Helens lying in wait after disposing of Bradford the day before. But after the opening 20 minutes, it was clear that it wasn't going to pan out that way. |
That opening salvo began in the third minute as Adam Mogg - tormentor in chief out wide - broke from half way, fed Younes Khattabi with a slick reverse pass and the winger had Casey McGuire steaming up in support to take the scoring pass. Worries about Stacey Jones taking over the kicking from the injured Thomas Bosc proved unfounded as he had a great day with the boot and he converted this one with ease. He was spot on again five minutes later, this time from the southern touchline after John Wilson crossed in the corner from a blind-side move after Wigan had coughed up possession deep in their own territory. Kicking the restart out on the full did nothing to settle Wigan nerves. They were rattled and it was showing.
Try number three came on 14 minutes as McGuire kicked down the line. The bounce was horrendous - well it was if your name is Pat Richards - as it broke from leg to off, completely wrong footing Richards and allowing Mogg to dribble the ball forward and touch down for another converted try. The opening quarter closed with a try for Vincent Duport - Bosc's replacement on the wing. McGuire's kicking was causing problems all day and this time it was a fumble from Mark Calderwood following a dab through that allowed Duport to cross in the corner. Jones couldn't kick the sideline conversion this time - his only miss. 22-0 after just 20 minutes and Wigan were stunned.
Even at this early stage in proceedings, it was a case of managing the gap and playing the percentages. The astute kicking of Jones and McGuire allowed the Dragons to do this with some ease. Discipline was also good, as it generally has been all season, but as things got a little more heated and the pace raised, it began to slip. And on 35 minutes, it told. A penalty given away close to the line gave Wigan the opportunity and Thomas Leuluai got on the end of a Trent Barrett pass after a lightning quick play-the-ball caught the defence napping on the short side. That wasn't quite the end of the first half scoring as Jones kicked a penalty with three minutes remaining to make it 24-6 at the break - a most welcome break to get heart rates under control.
It didn't take long after the restart for the Dragons to get back on track. Jones cleverly pinched the ball just three metres from the Wigan line and he fed Duport who crossed for his second of the afternoon. Jones duly booted another touchline conversion. At 30-6, we were surely there already. A few heads were scratched four minutes later as Jones calmly slotted a drop-goal over, but the value of that would become apparent later on.
Wigan eventually got back into it in the 54th minute as Mickey Higham jumped out of dummy-half and skipped past a couple of defenders to score by the posts for Richards to add the two for 31-12. Wigan's greatest opportunity came just after the hour with the sin-binning of Jones. He needlessly blocked Calderwood from taking a quick tap restart and Steve Ganson, officiating, deemed it a professional foul and sent the Dragons' talisman for a ten-minute breather.
He'd only served two minutes of his penalty when Darrell Goulding got over the line after Wigan stretched the short-handed defence on the right hand side. Richards goaled for 31-18 and was on target again in the 67th minute after a Jason Croker kick landed in Sean O'Loughlin's hands who fed Calderwood. The winger got past Clint Greenshields, but Younes Khattabi kept him honest. 31-24 and now the drop-goal was looking like a brilliant play from Jones. |
Defensive colossus |
The match was finally sealed by two plays either side of the little general's return to the fray. With 69 minutes on the clock, and three minutes away from Jones' reintroduction, Calderwood was set clear and looked certain to score. Somehow, Wilson and Duport got across in time to bundle the ex-Leeds man into touch in-goal. Another try there and Wigan really would have fancied it. It was a huge play and if that didn't win the match, then Jones' first involvement following his return certainly did. Jogging back on from the bin, his first touch saw him grubber to the line. Croker kicked forward and dropped on it under the sticks giving Jones a simple kick to seal the victory at 37-24.
What a performance. It's difficult to pick out a star in a team effort such as this. Alex Chan got the official man of the match award and he was part of a huge effort up front alongside Jérome Guisset and Sébastien Raguin. Adam Mogg was a danger throughout, as was Vincent Duport and the two half-backs - indeed it was Casey McGuire who topped the voting for the sang-et-or.net man of the match. Wigan weren't properly in it after that blistering opening. They just couldn't get going and credit for that has to go to the Dragons. Barrett - as classy an operator as they come - was shut out of the game almost completely. The forwards were never competing on an even footing and the backs, as a consequence, never got decent service until Jones' brush with the law. It was quite possibly the best performance the Dragons have put in during their brief history. And as a reward, Wembley now beckons.
Whether they can lift themselves again for a seeming hiding to nothing in late August is a question that can wait for another day. For now, this is a moment to savour.
MATCH FACTS
DRAGONS 37-24 WIGAN
| | DRAGONS | T | G | DG | | WIGAN | T | G | DG |
| 1 | Greenshields | | | | 5 | Richards | | 4 | |
| 25 | Khattabi | | | | 2 | Calderwood | 1 | | |
| 4 | Mogg | 1 | | | 3 | Bailey | | | |
| 3 | Wilson | 1 | | | 14 | Vaealiki | | | |
| 18 | Duport | 2 | | | 23 | Colbon | | | |
| 6 | McGuire | 1 | | | 6 | Barrett | | | |
| 7 | Jones | | 6 | 1 | 7 | Leuluai | 1 | | |
| 19 | Chan | | | | 8 | Fielden | | | |
| 26 | Quigley | | | | 9 | Higham | 1 | | |
| 10 | Guisset | | | | 10 | Paleaasina | | | |
| 11 | Raguin | | | | 11 | Hock | | | |
| 12 | Croker | 1 | | | 12 | Fletcher | | | |
| 13 | Mounis | | | | 13 | O'Loughlin | | | |
| 8 | Ferriol | | | | 18 | Prescott | | | |
| 15 | Griffi | | | | 19 | Hansen | | | |
| 17 | Gossard | | | | 20 | Goulding | 1 | | |
| 21 | Touxagas | | | | 25 | McIlorum | | | |
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