Wigan Warriors 16-12 Penrith Panthers: Super League champions snatch dramatic World Club Challenge win

Wigan managed to secure a thrilling 16-12 win over Penrith thanks to Jake Wardle's successful try conversion.

Even though they were initially struggling, the Warriors managed to gain the upper hand in the game and scored a try in the ninth minute thanks to Abbas Miski, who was the top try-scorer in the previous season. However, the Panthers were able to take back the lead with a converted score by Nathan Cleary at the 27th minute.

Wigan responded with a try from Kruise Leeming, but at half-time, the NRL champions were leading at 12-10 due to a successful conversion of a try by Dylan Edwards. Nevertheless, the lead was regained by center Wardle's successful try conversion during the second half, as the video referee determined that the ball was grounded while he was being tackled.

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The game was full of excitement until the very end. The video referee had to intervene to decide whether Taylan May had scored on the final play of the game. However, they concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the on-field decision of 'no try'. As a result, Wigan secured their fifth club world championship.

Game's Tale Unraveled

Wigan had the opportunity to increase their number of previous title victories during the night. Their latest victory was in 2017. Before the match, all four of their impressive winning teams were remembered during a presentation. Representatives from each team proudly displayed their championship trophies.

Although the Warriors had a great night, it didn't start off well. Willie Isa made a mistake by dropping the ball near his own 10 during the first set. However, since Penrith's stand-off Jack Cole is inexperienced, the team was able to endure the initial attack by the opposition.

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After 10 minutes, Jai Field led the team's first attack and was able to take advantage of a repeated opportunity to move towards the visitors' high-risk area. He then passed the ball out to the right where Bevan French was stationed, and saved the day by sending Lebanon's Miski over in the corner.

After only his second major start, Cole became more self-assured and confident. The Panthers then increased the intensity of their performance. Brian To'o was stopped from scoring very close to the goal line on the last play. Moses Leota also missed a chance to score due to a fumble.

The Penrith team scored a goal at the 30-minute mark thanks to Cleary. Miski missed Cleary's first kick, which gave Cole the chance to pass to the experienced scrum-half. He then ran past the other team's defense and scored, making the score two points ahead for the Australian team after he converted the goal.

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As Penrith was playing fast and hard, Wigan managed to come back with another move, this time on the right side where Adam Keighran passed the ball to Miski, who then sent it to Isa and finally to Leeming, finishing with a goal.

Wigan gained an advantage of four points because of Smith's score under the posts, but their opponents managed to equalize right before the halftime whistle. Dylan Edwards, the full-back, scored a try during a repeated play, and Cleary added another point to put his team ahead by two points at halftime.

In the second half, Cleary from Australia was still leading the attack for Penrith. He came close to scoring with a clever play that almost got Sunia Turuva into the corner. However, Wigan managed to resist the pressure and bounced back strongly. Wardle made a twisting move and scored a crucial goal that gave Wigan the lead again, and it happened 55 minutes into the game.

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After Smith successfully converted for the second time, Wigan was leading by four points. Penrith players seemed to be getting annoyed as Cleary, surprisingly, missed an opportunity following Isaah Yeo's breakthrough.

At the end of the game, the hosts managed to hold on despite the time running out. Field made a fantastic tackle right at the end and prevented May from scoring. May had broken away and was very close to equalizing the score but Field managed to push him out of the field of play.

French believed he had almost secured a victory for his team as he sprinted towards the ball after a Smith kick with only eight minutes left on the game clock. However, Wigan's ecstatic moment was suddenly interrupted because French was deemed offside.

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In the last moments of the game, the team playing at home felt nervous as Cole approached them closely. Then, just as the buzzer sounded, May scored a try in the corner. This made it a tense moment for Wigan because they had to wait and see if they had won the game. Finally, they were able to celebrate their exciting victory.

In Wigan, people were rejoicing over the big-screen decision, but Cleary's facial expression demonstrated his pain. Despite the fact that Cleary led the majority of the team, including three starters from the golden-point defeat against St Helens last year, they were unable to secure the trophy, which would have been a first for them.

The player who received the "player of the match" award in Wigan is Bevan French.

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Expressing my thoughts in words will not do justice to the unbelievable experience we had. Though we were mentally prepared for the challenges ahead, the intense situation that unfolded right till the end caught me off guard.

"I feel a sense of relief after that previous tackle - it's hard to put into words."

Matt Peet, the coach of Wigan who has achieved victory in every available championship within his third season.

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It's the players who achieved the goal, not me. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with them and enjoy working with them tremendously.

This evening marks the finalization of all our diligent efforts both on and off the field. It is now imperative that we continue to replicate this success repeatedly.

It's not only about achieving awards, but filling up this area and supporting a cause.

The leader of the Penrith Panthers, Ivan Cleary, has shared his thoughts on the team's recent performance.

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I don't want to discredit our team. They did a great job getting the ball in good positions and making opportunities happen. Unfortunately, we weren't able to capitalize on those opportunities, but they did play well overall."

The opposing team managed to get to our side of the field three times and each time scored a goal. This isn't something we're happy about, but they played better and managed to win tonight.

On Friday, March 1, Wigan Warriors will be back in the Super League when they play against Huddersfield Giants in a live match on Sky Sports Arena. The match will take place at the DW Stadium and will commence at 8pm. Meanwhile, on Friday, March 8, the Penrith Panthers will start their journey towards their fourth consecutive NRL title with a game against the Melbourne Storm, which will also be shown live on Sky Sports Arena. The match is scheduled to start at 9.05am.

You can catch all the matches of the upcoming 2024 Super League season, including the Rivals Round, Magic Weekend, the play-offs, and the Grand Finals for men, women, and wheelchair rugby games, by tuning into Sky Sports. For streaming rugby league and other sports content, you can opt for NOW service that requires no contractual bindings.