2020 Wigan Warriors season
Wigan Warriors 2020 season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Super League XXV Rank | 1st | |||
Play-off result | Runners-up | |||
Challenge Cup | Semi-finals | |||
2020 record | Wins: 15; draws: 0; losses: 6 | |||
Points scored | For: 489; against: 318[a] | |||
Team information | ||||
Chairman | Ian Lenagan | |||
Head Coach | Adrian Lam | |||
Captain | ||||
Stadium | DW Stadium | |||
Avg. attendance | 12,222 | |||
Agg. attendance | 48,889 | |||
High attendance | 15,040 | |||
Low attendance | 10,333 | |||
Top scorers | ||||
Tries | Bevan French (17) | |||
Goals | Zak Hardaker (72) | |||
Points | Zak Hardaker (164) | |||
| ||||
|
The 2020 season is Wigan Warriors's 40th consecutive season playing in England's top division of rugby league. During the season, they competed in the Super League XXV and the 2020 Challenge Cup.
Preseason friendlies
[edit]The 2020 pre-season saw three matches played including a testimonial, against Leeds Rhinos, for academy graduate Liam Farrell who has been playing for the first team since the 2010 season.[1] The first match against the London Skolars was a continuation of an annual event between the Warriors and Skolars, resulting in a 70–6 win by the away side. The second match against the Leeds Rhinos resulted in a 10–22 loss for Wigan. The final match against derby rivals Leigh Centurions, ended in a 6–12 loss for the Warriors.
Date | Opponent | H/A | Result | Scorers | Att. | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 January 2020 | London Skolars | A | 70–6 | |||
19 January 2020 | Leeds Rhinos | H | 10–22 | [2] | ||
23 January 2020 | Leigh Centurions | A | 6–12 | [3] |
Super League
[edit]Source:[4]
Regular season
[edit]Matches
[edit]Win Draw Loss Postponed/Cancelled/Expunged
Date and Time | MW | Versus | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Position | TV | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 January, 19:45 | 1 | Warrington Wolves | H | DW Stadium | W | 16–10 | French, Powell, Marshall | Hardaker (2) | 15,040 | 6th | Sky Sports | [5] |
7 February, 19:45 | 2 | Castleford Tigers | A | The Mend-A-Hose Jungle | L | 12–16 | Byrne, Burgess | Hardaker (2) | 8,848 | 7th | Not Aired | [6] |
13 February, 19:45 | 3 | Toronto Wolfpack | H | DW Stadium | W | 32–10 | Smith, French (2), Burgess, Farrell (2) | Hardaker (4) | 10,333 | 2nd | Sky Sports | [7][b] |
23 February, 19:45 | 4 | Hull FC | H | DW Stadium | W | 26–12 | French, Manfredi, Hastings, Isa | Hardaker (5) | 12,005 | 2nd | Not Aired | [11] |
1 March, 15:00 | 5 | Huddersfield Giants | A | John Smiths Stadium | W | 42–10 | Isa, Marshall (3), Powell, Manfredi, Partington, Burgess | Hardaker (5) | 6,574 | 1st | Not Aired | [12] |
8 March, 15:00 | 6 | Hull KR | H | DW Stadium | W | 30–16 | Hastings (2), Farrell, Powell, Marshall | Hardaker (5) | 11,511 | 1st | Not Aired | [12] |
13 March, 19:45 | 7 | Salford Red Devils | A | AJ Bell Stadium | L | 14–18 | Hastings, Powell | Hankinson (3) | 4,796 | 1st | Sky Sports | [13] |
22 March, 15:00 | 8 | Catalans Dragons | H | DW Stadium | Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic: On 16 March the Super League and RFL announced the suspension of all games until 3 April.[14] | |||||||
27 March, 19:45 | 9 | Wakefield Trinity | A | The Mobile Rocket Stadium | ||||||||
Indefinite suspension of the Super League announced on 24 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] | ||||||||||||
On 26 June the RFL announced the Super League would return on 2 August.[16] | ||||||||||||
9 August, 15:15 | 8 | Wakefield Trinity | N | Headingley Stadium | W | 23–22 | Hardaker, French, Marshall, Bibby | Hardaker (3) Drop-goals: Smith |
Played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] | 1st | Sky Sports | [18] |
16 August, 18:30 | 9 | Leeds Rhinos | N | Totally Wicked Stadium | W | 28–10 | Farrell, Manfredi, French (2), Bibby | Hardaker (4) | 1st | Sky Sports | [19] | |
29 August, 16:15 | 10 | Catalans Dragons | N | Halliwell Jones Stadium | Postponed due to two Catalans Dragons players testing positive for COVID-19. Wigan's schedule was changed to play their round 18 tie against Castleford Tigers instead, who had been freed up in round 10 due to Toronto Wolfpack's earlier exit from the competition.[20][21] NB: This match was set to be aired on Sky Sports. | |||||||
29 August, 16:15 | 18 | Castleford Tigers | N | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 30–22 | Powell, Burgess, Farrell, Bullock, Flower | Hardaker (5) | Played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] | 1st | Sky Sports | [22] |
3 September, 18:00 | 11 | Hull KR | N | Headingley Stadium | L | 18–34 | Powell, Hastings, Smith | Hardaker (3) | 3rd >> 4th[c] | Sky Sports | [24] | |
12 September, 17:00 | 12 | Catalans Dragons | A | Stade Gilbert Brutus | W | 28–18 | Gildart, French, Burgess (2), Powell | Hardaker (4) | 5,000[d] | 3rd | Sky Sports | [25] |
25 September, 20:15 | 13 | Wakefield Trinity | N | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 28–16 | Hastings, French (2), Powell, Gildart | Hardaker (4) | Played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] | 3rd | Sky Sports | [26] |
29 September, 19:45 | 14 | St Helens | N | AJ Bell Stadium | L | 0–42 | 4th | Sky Sports | [27] | |||
9 October, 19:45 | 15 | Warrington Wolves | N | Headingley Stadium | W | 18–14 | Greenwood, Hardaker, Farrell | Hardaker (3) | 2nd | Sky Sports | [28] | |
14 October | 16 | Toronto Wolfpack | A | Lamport Stadium | Fixture cancelled following Toronto Wolfpack withdrawal from the Super League 2020.[9] | |||||||
15 October, 17:30 | 10 | Catalans Dragons | N | Halliwell Jones Stadium | Postponed due to several Wigan Warriors players testing positive for COVID-19. The match was later cancelled as a revised date was unable to be arranged.[29] NB: This match was set to be aired on Sky Sports. | |||||||
23 October, 17:30 | 17 | Salford Red Devils | N | Totally Wicked Stadium | W | 58–12 | Powell (2), Farrell (2), French (3), Hastings, Gildart (2) | Hardaker (9) | Played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] | 2nd | Sky Sports | [30] |
30 October, 19:45 | 19 | St Helens | N | Totally Wicked Stadium | W | 18–6 | Bibby, Leuluai, French, Hastings | Hardaker | 1st | Sky Sports | [31] | |
6 November, 19:45 | 20 | Huddersfield Giants | N | Headingley Stadium | W | 19–6 | Powell, Hastings, Hardaker | Hardaker (3) Drop-goals: Hastings |
1st | Sky Sports | [32] | |
8/9 November | 21 | Leeds Rhinos | Cancelled: Due to a significantly higher proportion of positive COVID-19 tests in the Hull KR squad, a decision was made to curtail the remainder of the season on 3 November. Select matches would still go ahead to enable all teams to have played a similar number of games.[29] | |||||||||
12/13 November | 22 | Hull F.C. |
League table
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PP | Pts | PCT | Qualification[e] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wigan Warriors (L) | 17 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 408 | 278 | 146.8 | 26 | 76.47 | Semi-finals |
2 | St Helens (C) | 17 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 469 | 195 | 240.5 | 24 | 70.59 | |
3 | Warrington Wolves[A] | 17 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 365 | 204 | 178.9 | 24 | 70.59 | Elimination semi-finals |
4 | Catalans Dragons | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 376 | 259 | 145.2 | 16 | 61.54 | |
5 | Leeds Rhinos | 17 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 369 | 390 | 94.6 | 20 | 58.82 | |
6 | Hull F.C. | 17 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 405 | 436 | 92.9 | 18 | 52.94 | |
7 | Huddersfield Giants[B] | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 318 | 367 | 86.6 | 14 | 38.89 | |
8 | Castleford Tigers | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 328 | 379 | 86.5 | 12 | 37.50 | |
9 | Salford Red Devils[C] | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 354 | 469 | 75.5 | 16 | 44.44 | |
10 | Wakefield Trinity | 19 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 324 | 503 | 64.4 | 10 | 26.32 | |
11 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 17 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 290 | 526 | 55.1 | 6 | 17.65 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (L) League Leaders' Shield Winners
Notes:
- ^ Does not include expunged win against Toronto Wolfpack
- ^ Following Toronto Wolfpack's decision to withdraw from the 2020 Super League due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[8] all previous results involving Toronto Wolfpack would be expunged from the 2020 season record.[9][10]
- ^ Due to the number of games being postponed and the limited opportunities to reschedule the Super League changed the format of the table so positions would be based of win percentage thus allowing for an even competition if teams don't play all 20 matches.[23]
- ^ Due to the difference in regulations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in France, a capped attendance of 5,000 was permitted for the game.
- ^ Where teams have the same win percentage, position is decided by points scored percentage (points scored divided by points conceded).[33]
Play-offs
[edit]Win Draw Loss
- All fixtures are subject to change
Date and Time | Round | Versus | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | TV | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 November, 19:45 | Semi-final | Hull F.C. | H | DW Stadium | W | 29–2 | Burgess, Smith, Hardaker, Bibby, French | Hardaker (4) Drop-goals: Smith |
Played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] | Sky Sports | [37] |
27 November, 20:00 | Grand Final | St Helens | N | KCOM Stadium | L | 4–8 | Bibby | Sky Sports | [38] |
Challenge Cup
[edit]Win Draw Loss Postponed/Cancelled
- All fixtures are subject to change
Date and Time | Round | Versus | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | TV | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4/5 April | Sixth round | Warrington Wolves | H | DW Stadium | Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic: On 16 March the Super League and RFL announced the suspension of all games until 3 April.[14] | ||||||
22 August, 14:30 | Warrington Wolves | N | Kirklees Stadium | Cancelled: Due to the withdrawal of tier 2 and tier 3 clubs, and Toronto Wolfpack from the competition, all sixth round will be redrawn.[39] Wigan was one of the six teams to receive a bye to the quarter-finals.[40] NB: This match was set to be aired on BBC One.[41] | |||||||
19 September, 17:00 | Quarter-final | Hull F.C. | N | AJ Bell Stadium | W | 36–4 | Powell, Farrell (2), French (2), Burgess, Gildart | Hardaker (4) | Played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] | BBC Two | [42] |
3 October, 14:30 | Semi-final | Leeds Rhinos | N | Totally Wicked Stadium | L | 12–26 | Smith, Hardaker | Hardaker (2) | BBC One | [43] |
Transfers
[edit]In
[edit]Player | From | Contract | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jake Bibby | Salford Red Devils | 3 Years | June 2019 | [44] |
George Burgess | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2 Years | June 2019 | [45] |
Mitch Clark | Castleford Tigers | 2 Years | June 2019 | [46] |
Jackson Hastings | Salford Red Devils | 3 Years | July 2019 | [47] |
Kai Pearce-Paul | London Broncos | 4 Years | November 2019 | [48] |
Brad Singleton | Toronto Wolfpack | 3 Years | September 2020 | [citation needed] |
Out
[edit]Player | To | Contract | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Samy Kibula | Warrington Wolves | 1 Year | September 2019 | [49] |
Caine Barnes | Workington Town | Undisclosed | September 2019 | [49] |
Dan Sarginson | Salford Red Devils | Undisclosed | October 2019 | [50] |
George Williams | Canberra Raiders | 2 Years | October 2019 | [51] |
James Worthington | Oldham Roughyeds | 1 Year | October 2019 | |
Callum Field | Leigh Centurions | Undisclosed | November 2019 | |
Tom Davies | Catalans Dragons | 2 Years | November 2019 | [52] |
Sam Grant | Swinton Lions | 1 Year | November 2019 | |
Mikey Fitz | Cronulla Sharks | 3 Years | November 2019 | |
Morgan Escaré | Released[a] | — | June 2020 | [53] |
Loans Out
[edit]Player | To | Contract | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Josh Woods | Leigh Centurions | 1 Year | December 2019 | |
Craig Mullen | Leigh Centurions | 1 Year | December 2019 |
Squad
[edit]First team squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Head coach Assistant coaches
Updated: 15 November 2019 |
Notes
[edit]- ^ Later joined Salford Red Devils
- ^ James McDonnell is currently undeclared for a national side and is eligible for either England or Ireland
References
[edit]- ^ "Liam Farrell Testimonial Preview | News | Wigan Warriors". www.wiganwarriors.com.
- ^ "Wigan Warriors 🍒⚪ (at 🏡)'s Instagram photo: "FULL TIME | Wigan Warriors 10-22 Leeds Rhinos . Wigan Warriors suffer a 10-22 defeat against Leeds Rhinos at the DW Stadium in Liam…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Wigan Warriors 🍒⚪ (at 🏡) on Instagram: "FULL TIME | Leigh 12-6 Wigan . The Warriors suffer defeat in their final friendly game. A great effort from a youthful Wigan side to…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Super League (Sky Sports)". SkySports.
- ^ "Super League 2020: Wigan Warriors vs Warrington Wolves talking points". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Castleford 16-12 Wigan: Tigers punish indisciplined Warriors". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Wigan Warriors 32-10 Toronto Wolfpack: Bevan French and Liam Farrell keep Wolfpack at bay". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Toronto Wolfpack pull out of Super League season as relegation is cancelled | Toronto Wolfpack | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com.
- ^ a b "Toronto Wolfpack season record discarded following withdrawal - Sports Mole". Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Toronto Wolfpack season record expunged following Super League withdrawal". Peeblesshire News.
- ^ "Wigan 26-12 Hull FC: Bevan French and Jackson Hastings inspire Warriors". Sky Sports.
- ^ a b "Huddersfield 10-42 Wigan: Liam Marshall hat-trick sends Warriors to top of the table". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Salford 18-14 Wigan: Red Devils come from 12 points down to claim Super League win". Sky Sports.
- ^ a b "Coronavirus: Rugby Football League suspends season until 3 April". 16 March 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Update: Season Suspension". www.superleague.co.uk.
- ^ Smailes, James (26 June 2020). "Super League restart: When are games, venues, TV details and more". HullLive.
- ^ a b c d e f "Super League: 21 games in 29 days in August as fixtures for rest of 2020 regular season are revealed". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Wakefield 22-23 Wigan: Warriors survive late Trinity fightback". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Wigan 28-10 Leeds: Liam Farrell scores 100th try as Warriors move top of Super League". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Two Catalans players who featured in Challenge Cup test positive for Covid-19 | Super League | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Wigan to play Castleford in R10 after Catalans clash postponed". 25 August 2020.
- ^ "Wigan 30-22 Castleford: Warriors edge Tigers in entertaining Super League clash". Sky Sports.
- ^ "2020 Betfred Super League | Competition Update". www.rugby-league.com.
- ^ "Hull KR 34-18 Wigan: Greg Minikin hat-trick helps Robins stun Warriors". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Catalans Dragons 12-28 Wigan Warriors: Joe Burgess' double helps Cherry and Whites to Super League win". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Wigan 28-16 Wakefield: Warriors go second after tough Wakefield win". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Wigan 0-42 St Helens: Regan Grace and Jack Welsby doubles help down young Warriors". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Warrington 14-18 Wigan: Warriors snatch Super League points late on through Liam Farrell". Sky Sports.
- ^ a b "Super League play-offs brought forward" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Wigan 58-12 Salford: Bevan French scores hat-trick as Warriors rout Red Devils". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Super League: St Helens 6-18 Wigan Warriors win top-of-the-table clash". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Wigan 19-6 Huddersfield: Warriors win League Leaders' Shield". Sky Sports.
- ^ "2020 Betfred Super League Competition Update". Rugby Football League. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Super League: Huddersfield v Castleford, and Warrington v Salford cancelled". BBC Sport. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ "Huddersfield season officially over". www.giantsrl.com. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Salford Red Devils: Super League club deducted three wins over financial breach". BBC Sport. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Super League (Sky Sports)". SkySports.
- ^ "Super League Grand Final: Jack Welsby clinches 8-4 win for St Helens over Wigan Warriors". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Challenge Cup sixth round to be redrawn" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Jackson, William (29 July 2020). "Live Challenge Cup draw updates as FC, KR and more discover fate". HullLive.
- ^ Smailes, James (17 July 2020). "Challenge Cup 2020 schedule and final date announced". HullLive.
- ^ "Challenge Cup: Hull FC 4-36 Wigan Warriors". 17 September 2020 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "Challenge Cup: Leeds Rhinos 26-12 Wigan Warriors". 1 October 2020 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "Jake Bibby joins Wigan | News | Wigan Warriors".
- ^ "Wigan lure George Burgess to Super League | News | Wigan Warriors".
- ^ "In focus: Mitch Clark | News | Wigan Warriors".
- ^ "Hastings to become a Warrior | News | Wigan Warriors".
- ^ "Wigan sign Broncos youngster | News | Wigan Warriors".
- ^ a b "barnes and kibula to leave wigan". Wigan Warriors. 10 September 2019.
- ^ "Farewell Dan Sarginson | News | Wigan Warriors".
- ^ "Farewell George Williams | News | Wigan Warriors".
- ^ "Davies Leaves Wigan for Catalans | News | Wigan Warriors".
- ^ "Morgan Escare: Wigan Warriors full-back leaves Super League club by mutual consent". 15 June 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Salford forfeited a game against Warrington. Under RFL operational rules, the game is recorded as a 24–0 victory for Warrington and converse loss for Salford with the points scored/conceded applying to both teams.[34]
- ^ Huddersfield were placed on standby to take the place of any of the four teams in the elimination finals should one be unable to fulfil their fixture.[35]
- ^ Salford deducted three wins by the Rugby Football League for failing to meet the terms of a financial commitment agreed in 2013.[36]