Wigan Warriors Narrowly Defeat Warrington Wolves in Challenge Cup Warm-Up
Wigan Warriors secured a hard-fought 19-18 victory over Warrington Wolves in their Challenge Cup final warm-up match. Head coach Matt Peet opted for a strong lineup against a much-changed Wolves side, and the Warriors managed to hold on for a tight win, though the victory came at a cost.
The game’s most controversial incident occurred in the 69th minute, when Adam Keighran received a red card for a high shot on Warrington’s Arron Lindop. Referee Jack Smith deemed Keighran’s shoulder to have made direct contact with Lindop’s head, leaving the official with no choice but to send the Wigan player off.
“His legs have been taken, he’s very low, but there’s contact with the head. You know, the more you watch it, the tougher it is to look at and favour Adam. He’s a friend of mine, I really do hope he gets to run out at Wembley next week. But it’s going to be a nervous couple of days for the Wigan club and Adam himself,” said Wigan legend Sam Tomkins.
Tomkins also questioned the current rules around head contact, arguing that it’s unrealistic to expect a player to anticipate an opponent’s drop in height.
“The wording of the ruling that you’ve got to expect a player to drop height. I don’t know how a player can expect that. He doesn’t know how Junior Nsemba‘s going to tackle him from the inside. He doesn’t know if he’s going to break through that tackle.”
However, fellow pundit Jodie Cunningham believes that given the heightened focus on head safety in the sport, defensive players have a responsibility to avoid forceful contact with an opponent’s head, regardless of the circumstances.
The decision to show Keighran a straight red card means he now faces a nervous wait to see whether he will be available for next weekend’s Challenge Cup final. Unless mitigating factors can be found, he is likely to receive a ban for the incident, which would be a significant loss for the Wigan Warriors.
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