Leigh Leopards secured their first win at Wigan Warriors in 42 years to stun the reigning Super League champions and win arguably the most remarkable game in the competition’s 30-year history.
Both sides spurned opportunities to kick what would have been the winning drop goal in the final minutes, with Leigh making a mess of their last chance after Adam Keighran was sin-binned for Wigan with a minute to go.
In truth, such was the strength of Wigan’s defence, there wasn’t even a half-chance to speak of for the visitors while they had a man advantage and as the clock ticked into the final quarter, the game – and the new season – was, incredibly, still waiting for its first points.
That meant the game would be settled in golden point extra-time and after just two minutes of additional play, Gareth O’Brien’s magnificent drop goal proved to be the difference and ensure the Leopards emerged victorious against the odds.
There was an historic moment with the very first tackle of the second half: the first use of captain’s challenge in Super League after the concept was introduced in the off-season.
