Salford never stopped fighting for points against Wigan but were unable to get on the board and unfortunately came away with a 54-0 loss.
Despite the scoreboard, the Reds continuously pushed Wigan back to their own line and applied the pressure but Wigan came out as the better side and managed to get 10 tries.
The game almost turned sour for the Reds within the first five minutes as the ball bounced badly for them and Smith was able to catch it and run through to the try line. Luckily for Salford, Smith was offside and the game was kept 0-0.
Their luck didn’t last long as Nsemba soon got a line break down the left wing and, with a quick offload, Wardle raced to the whitewash for the first points of the game.
The reds kept on challenging them, forcing a goal-line dropout as a high Morgan kick allowed Marsters to tackle Field in goal. This second set got them to 10 away but they were just unable to push those last few metres.
A second Wigan try was stopped by Foster at the try line as he chipped and chased it. Salford were then given the advantage when the Warriors brought down to 12 men due to Dupree getting a yellow card for his tackle on Connell.
Unfortunately the Reds were unable to take advantage as Walters broke through and managed to pass to Field who won the race to the whitewash.
Wigan pushed further ahead with two more consecutive tries after Nsemba got a line break and passed to Wardle, then got his own just minutes later.
With a second set of six, Salford fought to get right to the line but couldn’t get over. They continued their battle until the end of the first half as Chan got a line break and offloaded to Brierley for a brilliant offload to Morgan.
Wigan continued their lead in the second half as Field’s line break and offload awarded Marshall their fifth try of the game.
Having been denied his first attempt, French was soon able to get his name on the scoresheet with a try under the sticks.
Despite having to scramble for it, Wigan added another four to the scoreboard as a series of offloads allowed Walters to ground the ball.
Another scramble to get the ball across to the right wing gave the Warriors their next try as Eckersley managed to cross down the wing.
It looked hopeful for Salford as Marsters got close to the line and the Reds managed to dodge a couple tackles but unfortunately Sangare was tackled to end the set.
Again, Marsters got straight to the line, almost pushing over but he was just held back. Wigan had to start their second consecutive set from their own line.
French’s pass to Eckersley was unsuccessful, allowing Vaughan to collect and run. Salford got a successful Captain’s Challenge, after Shorrocks had been penalised for having a hand in French’s missed pass, so Salford could play on.
Nsemba lost got his second of the match but it was given as a no try due to obstruction by Harvie Hill, preventing a larger lead.
Unfortunately, the halt on Wigan’s lead was only temporary as Field ran the length of the pitch to get his second try and Smith achieved his sixth conversion.
Getting his hat trick in the final minutes of the match, Wardle crossed on the left pushing their score further ahead.
The game ended dramatically as in the finally 30 seconds, Connell managed to strip the ball and get over the whitewash. However, the ball hit the ground before he could put it down and the Reds stayed nilled.
MATCH FACTS:
Salford XIII: Ryan Brierley, Nathan Connell, Esan Marsters, Jonny Vaughan, Joshua Wagstaffe, Kai Morgan, Joe Shorrocks, Jack Ormondroyd, Finley Yates, Chris Hill, Shane Wright, Matty Foster, George Hill
Interchanges: Justin Sangare, Tiaki Chan, James Shields, Scott Egan
Tries:
Conversions:
Wigan Warriors XIII: Jai Field, Jacob Douglas, Zach Eckersley, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall, Bevan French, Harry Smith, Tyler Dupree, Cruise Leeming, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Liam Farrell, Kaide Ellis
Interchanges: Brad O’Neill, Patrick Mago, Harvie Hill, Sam Walters
Tries: Wardle (3), Field (2), Nsemba, Marshall, French, Walters, Eckersley
Conversions: Smith (7/10)
HT: 22-0
FT: 54-0
