Wigan Warriors suffered a narrow defeat to Leeds Rhinos, losing 12-10 in a tightly contested match at AMT Headingley Stadium on March 22, 2025. Despite scoring tries through Liam Marshall and Bevan French, the Warriors could not secure a victory as Leeds clinched the win with a late score.
The match began with Leeds opening the scoring in the 10th minute, with Riley Lumb capitalizing on a dropped ball from Wigan's Jacob Douglas. Jake Connor added a penalty goal at the 28-minute mark, extending Leeds' lead to 6-0 and leaving the visitors in search of a response.
Wigan's breakthrough came late in the first half when Liam Marshall crossed the line, benefiting from an inch-perfect kick by Harry Smith. The halftime score was 6-4 in favor of Leeds.
In the second half, Bevan French showcased his skill to give Wigan a brief lead at 10-6 after scoring in the 50th minute, again with the assistance of Harry Smith, who converted the try.
However, the tide turned back towards Leeds as Jack Sinfield scored a crucial try in the 66th minute, allowing the Rhinos to regain a two-point advantage, which they maintained to the final whistle.
Post-match, Wigan coach Matt Peet reflected on the game, noting, "It was a good game which ebbed and flowed. Leeds were the better team at the start of the game and points came, whereas we grew into the game and raised the bar in the second half. In the end, we didn’t get the result, but there’s plenty to be proud about and some lessons we’ll learn."
Peet emphasized the importance of assessing their performance for improvements. He stated, "Whether we’ve won or lost, we look for a response from every game and things to improve on. If we’d have won by four points we wouldn’t be saying we were brilliant, but because we lost by a couple, we should still take the positives out of it."
Peet also provided an update on Abbas Miski, who had to withdraw during warm-up due to a previous injury. "Abbas is doing it tough at the moment and I’m really proud of the way he’s battling through the pain, which is what a lot of people don’t realize behind the scenes. He needs a surgical procedure which we’ll get done when we can," Peet mentioned regarding Miski's condition.
Regarding his team's performance, Peet praised the resilience of Jacob Douglas, who was a last-minute replacement. He said, "The fact is even the most experienced wingers drop high balls, but it’s what happens next that’s important. I was hoping he’d react the way he did after the error happened which speaks volumes about him. He got better as the game went on and I’m really proud of him."
Peet also commended Jack Farrimond's debut performance. "I liked his physicality and energy which was quite inspiring. He was one of the first to bend his back and make good contact which other people followed," he noted.
Next up for the Wigan Warriors is a home match against the Salford Red Devils on March 30, 2025, where they will look to bounce back from this narrow defeat and capitalize on the learning opportunities from the match against Leeds.
