London Calling

My Verdict from the East Stand

WIGAN WARRIORS 48 - LONDON BRONCOS 18, SUNDAY 24TH FEBRUARY 2013

I must admit that I do like Sunday afternoon games.  Maybe it’s because I’m always rushing home from work on Fridays, grabbing some tea, and then going straight to the game feeling tired after a hard week at work.  I also prefer afternoon games rather than night games as I have a young family and I can relax more, the kids don’t complain they are tired and don’t fidget half as much.

Even saying all that I don’t enjoy games as much when the club shuts the north stand and puts the away supporters in the northern side of the east stand.  It leads to a flat atmosphere, the home supporters don’t have any banter with the away supporters as their aren’t very many there at all.  Fans can’t bounce off each other, chant at each other, I don’t like it!

Unfortunately in the first half especially I thought that the referee, Robert Hicks, spoilt the game as a speculate.  In my opinion he set his stall out very early in the contest blowing for a very soft penalty when he could of let the play go.  This meant that every time a player was slightly late getting up after tackling then he would be penalised.  The game descended into a penalty-a-thon, the game didn’t flow at all, it was very stop start.  Hicks would blow for a penalty every set of six it felt like, it wasn’t just Wigan, it was London who were giving away the penalties also.

I wasn’t surprised then when Sam Tomkins was sin binned for back chat on sixteen minutes.  Sam claimed that he had one foot over the dead ball line when he knocked a grubber kick out, and he probably did, which within the new rules would of given Wigan a tap on the twenty.  The referees didn’t agree and gave a drop out.  Sam gave Hicks some verbal abuse and was sent to the sin bin, a correct decision to the letter of the law, which Hicks was certainly playing to today.  It’s just a shame that Hicks didn’t play to the same letter of the law when Sam knocked the ball out.  Anyway, I suppose we all make mistakes, Hicks made a mistake in not giving the tap, Sam made a mistake in abusing him.  Sam needs to clear up that side of his game, I know he wants to win every game but he needs to learn to bite his lip.  I can remember Sam being sin binned for giving back chat when Little Britain's Daffyd, sorry, I mean, when Steve Ganson was the ref.  Ganson was speaking to Tomkins about something or nothing during a game, Tomkins asked him was he upset because St Helens had just lost (as the Saints result had just flashed up on the scoreboard), Ganson mustn’t of liked this as he sin binned Sam.  Thinking about it I suppose we can let Sam off with that one!

In the first half Wigan were dragged into the game that London wanted to play.  We were dragged down to their level.  We were very sloppy with the ball in hand, passes weren’t sticking and kept hitting the deck, and our defence wasn’t the best either.  We weren’t meeting the London players, we kept standing off them and gave them time and space with the ball in hand.

I was glad when the hooter for half time sounded.  The painters and decorators would of been needed in the home dressing room this week after the half time team “talk” that Shaun Wane gave the players I’m sure.  

In the second half Wigan came out and played much better.  Stuart Cummings, The Match Officials Director, (posh name for the boss of referees) must of given an half time talk to Robert Hicks as in the second half he refereed much better and let the game flow.  After all of the penalties given in the first half I was surprised that the ref didn’t give either side a team warning.  In the second half the ref didn’t disappoint, at first glance I thought Hicks had cracked up and was starting to “Gangnam Style” in the middle of the pitch, then I realised that he had in fact put the entire London side on a team warning.  He must of finally grown some balls as when the Broncos infringed again Matt Cook was sent to the sin bin.

The Warriors kept the Broncos scoreless in the second half, winning it 26 - 0, which is a fantastic achievement in this level of Super League.  All in all it wasn’t a bad Wigan display, in the second half at least, and this was without Wigan hitting top gear.  I think they barely needed to get it out of third.

Pat Richards was the sponsors man of the match.  I don’t know which game they were watching but it certainly wasn’t the same game I had just witnessed.  They were probably too busy munching on prawn butties.  I would of given the man of the match to Iain Thornley but then again what do I know?!?  Onwards and upwards Wigan, onwards and upwards!

Wigan Warriors 48	---	London Broncos 18
Tries (9): Iain Thornley 2 Josh Charnley 2 Mike McIlorum Sean O'Loughlin Sam Tomkins Pat Richards Blake Green	---	Tries (3): Liam Colbon Keiran Dixon Chad Randall
Goals: Pat Richards 6/9	---	Goals: Michael Witt 3/3

*** This article first appeared in issue 2 of Cherry & White (a Wigan Warriors Fanzine).  You can follow Cherry & White on twitter @CherryWhiteZine and purchase the fanzine here :- cherrywhite.bigcartel.com ***