Battle of the Borough: Wigan Warriors Overcome Leigh Leopards in Bruising Encounter
On a gritty Friday night at the Brick Community Stadium, the ‘Battle of the Borough’ between Leigh Leopards and Wigan Warriors lived up to its billing as a bruising encounter. Despite a valiant effort, Leigh fell to a 24-6 defeat against the reigning champions.
Injury Concern for Charnley
The Leopards’ prolific winger Josh Charnley was forced off the field in the latter stages of the first half after sustaining a rib injury during a carry. As confirmed by coach Adrian Lam, Charnley will undergo scans over the weekend to assess the extent of the issue.
“He’s done his ribs, I think it might be rib cartilage,” Lam told Love Rugby League. “We’ll get that X-rayed over the weekend and see what the issues are on Monday.”
Lam Proud of Leopards’ Performance
Lam was nevertheless proud of his side’s performance, highlighting their physicality, defensive resilience, and the numerous opportunities they created. However, the Leopards were ultimately undone by the brilliance of Wigan’s Bevan French and Jake Wardle.
“I thought we were the better team to be honest,” Lam said. “I thought we created a lot of opportunities. I thought we attacked really well. I thought we defended the majority of the time really well except from defending (Bevan) French and (Jake) Wardle, I think they are the two players tonight that changed the game.”
Enthralling Spectacle for the Crowd
The 16,053-strong crowd at the Brick Community Stadium was treated to an enthralling spectacle, with both teams showcasing their physicality and skill. Despite the defeat, Lam believes the experience will benefit his side, who currently sit seven points adrift of the play-off places.
“I think the game was an outstanding game of rugby tonight as in the physicality side, I think both teams turned up to play,” Lam added. “It’s the first time that we’ve played together with that forward pack since the start of the year, so I wish it could’ve been sooner but it’s not. I’m just really proud of our effort there, I thought we were really physical, defensively we were outstanding apart from a couple of little glitches.”
As Leigh continue their hunt for a play-off spot, the focus will now turn to Charnley’s recovery and the team’s ability to build on this performance in the coming weeks.
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