(Reuters) – Bevan French scored a superb first-half try as Wigan Warriors capped their dominant season with a 9-2 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in an enthralling Super League Grand Final on Saturday to complete an unprecedented quadruple.
Wigan, who had already won the World Club Challenge, the Challenge Cup and the League Leaders’ Shield this season, won their second successive title while Hull’s long wait for a major trophy continues, their last title came back in 1985.
“To win four trophies this season, it’s been a crazy ride,” Wigan captain Liam Farrell told Sky Sports.
“We were pretty tired tonight but we knew it was going to be like that. Hull KR like to grind teams down, but we think we’re good at that too.”
The opening half was an intense physical battle with both defences holding firm, although Mikey Lewis did touch down early on for Hull but it was ruled out for an earlier knock on and it was Wigan who found the breakthrough in the 23rd minute.
French received the ball inside his own half and after cutting through the smallest of gaps with a dummy, showed electric pace to go over for the try and Adam Keighran converted.
Hull almost went over before halftime but Lewis was held up on the line in the corner, and Harry Smith struck a drop goal on the stroke of halftime to give Wigan a 7-0 lead at the break.
The game opened up in the second half, and a heavy shower of hailstones fell on Old Trafford to add to the drama, with a crowd of 68,173 treated to an entertaining season finale, but for the first time this campaign Hull failed to score a try, which they badly needed.
A Lewis penalty closed the gap in the 56th minute but five minutes later a dangerous tackle from Lewis on Farrell gave Wigan the chance to restore their seven-point lead and Keighran made no mistake with his kick and Hull could find no way back.
French was awarded the inaugural Rob Burrow Award for player of the match, named in honour of the former England and Leeds Rhinos player who died in June after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2019. Burrow won eight Super League titles in his career.
It was Wigan’s seventh Super League title, but the first time they have managed to win back-to-back crowns.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Toby Davis)
