Betfred Super League
Wigan Warriors (0) 0
Leigh Leopards (0) 1
Drop-goal: O’Brien
Match ended 0-0 after 80 minutes
Leigh beat reigning champions Wigan in golden-point extra time of the opening game of the 2025 Super League season – after the two sides played out the first 0-0 draw in the competition’s 29-year history.
Gareth O’Brien kicked the decisive drop-goal three minutes into the additional time, ensuring a losing start for last season’s Quadruple winners.
The defensive discipline of both sides shone during a physical contest between these two near neighbours, with neither able to break the deadlock in an attritional but engaging 80 minutes.
O’Brien’s one-pointer sparked massive celebrations and secured Leigh’s first win at Wigan since 1983.
Live music from The Lathums, pyrotechnics before kick-off and legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer welcoming the teams to the field all contributed to the big-event feel on the opening night of the Super League season.
What transpired afterwards was a game lacking in points but with no shortage of endeavour, defensive brilliance and late drama.
Leigh scrambled superbly to deny Jake Wardle and Tyler Dupree in the first period, while Wigan’s Jai Field had a score midway through the second half ruled out by video referee Jack Smith for an illegal ball steal earlier in the move.
At the other end, against a Wigan side that did not concede a try in any of their final four games of last season, winter recruit David Armstrong was unable to find a Leigh team-mate having escaped three Wigan tacklers.
With the final hooter looming, Leopards half-back Lachlan Lam leapt high near his own posts to claim Harry Smith’s lofted kick which seemed destined for the onrushing Bevan French.
Having grasped the ball, the grounded Lam was tackled dangerously by Adam Keighran, for which the Wigan centre was sent to the sin-bin.
Up against 12 players and having seen off Wigan’s first set of six tackles in extra time, Leigh worked the ball into position for O’Brien to land the match-winning drop-goal.
Wigan captain Liam Farrell, who himself had been shown a yellow card earlier in the match, created a moment of Super League history early in the second half.
One of the new additions to the competition this season is the captain’s challenge, which allows teams to contest certain on-field decisions made by the referee.
Farrell appealed against Liam Moore’s ruling of an illegal ball steal, which was rejected following a video review.
‘Surreal we’ve won 1-0 – but I’ll take it’
Wigan head coach Matt Peet told BBC Radio Manchester:
“I hope it’s spoken about for years to come and credit to Leigh – they didn’t come here and fluke or nick a win, they earned a win and fair play to them.
“It was great pre-match – [it had] energy and a buzz and was exciting for a packed crowd. The game matched up to it.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of play-off games and finals over the years and it had that sort of feel about it, where you’re just waiting for a mistake or a penalty. It was a great standard to start.”
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Manchester:
“It’s a bit surreal that we’ve won 1-0 but I’ll take it.
“When you’ve got so many new players in the group and four or five making their debuts, there was some uncertainty and nervousness about how we were going to play.
“One thing I wanted to see from the group was to see that they were connected together and that they would be resilient – and I got that in abundance.
“I’m really happy. If Wigan had won 1-0, I would have been as happy as I am now because it’s going to take some time to develop this group and I’m looking forward to that journey.”
Wigan: Field; Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Byrne, Leeming, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis.
Interchanges: Mago, Dupree, Hill, Forber.
Leigh: Armstrong; Brand, Niu, Hanley, Charnley; O’Brien, Lam; Trout, Dwyer, Mulhern, Halton, O’Neill, Liu.
Interchanges: Ipape, Hughes, Tuitavake, Davis.
Referee: Liam Moore.
Read the full article here
