Wigan maintained their winning start to the new Betfred Super League season with a ruthless 54-0 derby thrashing of Leigh.
After Leigh chairman Derek Beaumont reignited last season’s ticket battle with inflammatory remarks just before kickoff at Brick Community Stadium, the Warriors spoke out in an emphatic manner on the field.
Successive tries from Adam Keeglan, Bevan French, Jay Field and Harry Smith put the result in the first half virtually beyond doubt.
Field, Zach Eckersley, Junior Nthemba, Smith and Tom Forver added more tries after the break, with Keiglan scoring nine goals from the same number of tries to end a one-sided game.
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Leeds Rhinos’ Jarrod O’Connor, Danny Levy and Cam Smith ride the roller coaster at El Loco and Canyon Blaster in Las Vegas
“This is probably the worst performance in my time coaching at the club,” said Lee coach Adrian Lam, who took charge in 2022.
“I just want to go home, wake up and start next week as soon as possible. Really. We were very poor, but they were very, very good. That’s the bottom line.”
“Tonight was an absolute nightmare.”
Lee initially brought in what appeared to be die-hard supporters, but as Beaumont admitted, the club returned 3,550 of the 5,000 tickets allocated.
In a strongly worded memo released just 40 minutes before kickoff, Beaumont cited unresolved issues related to October’s playoff semifinals as the reason for the lack of attention.
Leigh fans in the room quickly fell silent as Wigan scored four tries in the opening 30 minutes to take a 24-0 lead and clinically shifted their focus to the field.
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Hull KR wingers Tom Davis and Noah Booth ride the Slotzilla zip line at Fremont Street in Las Vegas
Keiglan scored the opening goal on the right from a French pass after Liam Marshall had been stopped short moments earlier on the opposite flank.
Marshall claimed another point soon after, but thought they had only been pulled back for a forward pass, but Lee’s relief didn’t last long.
Adam Keeglan scores a try for Wigan’s Junior Nthemba (Photo by Bruce Rollinson/SWpix.com)
French overcame two tackles to score a touchdown, and Field crashed in from close range after Smith’s kick was deflected back by Nthemba.
A handling error thwarted Lee’s attempt to break into his own half, and the procession continued as Fields weaved through the defense and tucked Smith under the posts.
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Leeds Rhinos stars Ryan Hall and Harry Newman took a tour of the Las Vegas Strip in a military hammer, soaking up all the sights and sounds of the iconic city
Leigh were able to get some rest at half-time, but the result was even more disastrous as they lost Matt Davies to injury shortly after the restart, with Patrick Mago and Smith on the field denying Wigan their fifth try.
A penalty for Luke Thompson’s heavy shot forced Wigan to march downfield, giving Eckersley an opening in the corner and Lee contributing to his team’s defeat.
Nthemba scored with a deft kick from Smith and added his own after a quick break.
Nthemba celebrates with Jay Field after scoring try against Leigh
Fauver ducked under the posts in the final moments of the match to score over a half-century.
“I don’t mean to criticize. It’s round three,” Lam added. “But it’s clear that we have a lot of hard work to do. I’m going to give them a chance to respond and I’m going to hold them all accountable. It’s not just one or two.”
“They weren’t playing their best rugby and were very lenient on us.”
2026 Super League – Important dates and highlights
Rugby League in Las Vegas: Saturday 28 February: Hull KR v Leeds Rhinos, 11pm (Sky Sports) Super League 30th Birthday: Thursday 26 March: Castleford Tigers v Bradford Bulls, 8pm (Sky Sports) Rivals Round: 3-5 April Super League in Paris: Saturday 6 June: Catalunya Dragons v Wigan Warriors (Paris) 6:30pm (Sky Sports) Magic Weekend: July 4-5 Rivals Round Reversal: July 23-26 Elimination Play-Offs: September 19-20 Play-off Semi-Finals: September 26-27 Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will continue to broadcast every Super League match live this season. Exclusively live, including two matches from each round, the remaining five matches will be shown weekly on Sky Sports+.
