MATCH REPORT: Midlands Hurricanes v Wigan Warriors

Frosty weather conditions saw the 2023 Super League Champions overcome the Midlands Hurricanes 24-20 in a closely contested affair at The Alexander Stadium.

The Hurricanes' kicked off their 2024 campaign by welcoming a youthful Wigan Warriors side to The Alexander Stadium. The visitors had a number of players that had taken part in the first-team's pre-season training camp in Portugal and sported a number of generational talent (with a sprinkle of new signings to boot).

The icy conditions in Birmingham seemed to be demonstrated by the players, as a slow start saw action focused on the referee’s whistle instead of the ball. The Hurricanes however sparked into life as Liam Welham found a break in the Warrior’s defence, his hard work earning some valuable distance and heavy pressure  on the visitors. With the wind firmly behind the Hurricanes, Jason Bass opened the scoring after a flurry of incisive passes down the right edge (4-0). The wind quickly rummaged around in its wardrobe to find a Warriors shirt as Brad Billsborough’s conversion attempt was blown away from the sticks.

Three successful defences on the Hurricanes' try-line seemed to dampen the Warriors' spirit as a counterattack began to build. In the blink of an eye Danny Barcoe had nothing but the try-line in front of him as he dummied past the outrushing Warriors. With Jon-Luke Kirby striding to his right,Barcoe made the final pass to extend the lead for the Midlands side (8-0). Scoring underneath the uprights gave Billsborough an easy chance to set the record straight with the woeful weather and  he duly did, adding the extras (10-0).

As the half-time whistle neared, the Warriors began to turn up the heat. Whilst the Hurricanes' defence made it seem as if an invisible wall had been placed on their try-line for the first 35 minutes Ryan Brown  quashed that conspiracy as he forced his way into an advanced position and  willed his way over the try line (10-4). Jack Farrimond converted comfortably (10-6).

The Warriors' rampage was not over yet. Some rapid flat passes from side to side allowed Thomas Ratchford to take advantage and burst through the centre of the field,  before passing out to Taylor Kerr  who plonked the ball down (10-10). Jack Farrimond's conversion was once again successful (10-12). A missed conversion was all that separated the side as the teams entered the sheds.

Half Time – Midlands Hurricanes 10 – 12 Wigan Warriors

The Hurricanes hurled themselves into the second half, with  the Warrior's struggling to cope early on. This immediate impact quickly led the home side to Wigan’s try- line and a Jason Bass incursion was too much to handle. A direct charge down the right-hand side of the field gave Bass all the space he needed to earn a valuable four points and his brace for the afternoon (14-12). Billsborough unfortunately could not fight off the elements and missed the conversion.

After the home side re-took the lead,  the match descended into a barrage of back-and-forth action with neither team upping the ante. It would take one player to break this stalemate – Wigan's Ryan Brown. The Warriors' opening scorer dug them out of trouble again, using pure will and aggression to bust through the defensive line and confidently place the ball over the try line, (14-16). The ever-unfazed Farrimond delivered again from the kicking tee (14-18).

Wigan seemed to gain some confidence after this point in the match, with both the passing and decision-making of the away side creating a plethora of opportunities. One of these opportunities fell to Taylor Kerr in the 70th minute and whilst it was as messy as a try as you’re going to see,  Wigan’s consistent pressure had to lead to something. Kerr eventually scrambled the ball over the line (14-22),with Farrimond converting  (14-24).

The closing moments of the match saw the Hurricanes regain their assertiveness and an impressive drive by Pecell Suguvanua opened up space for Sam Bowring to storm over the try-line to cap off an intense encounter (18-24), which was successfully converted by Dave Hewitt (20-24).

To sum up - a friendly match with just the right levels of intensity as well as some real quality on show. Suitably competitive until the final whistle, the relationship between these two clubs looks to be one of great  benefit to both teams.  

Final Score:

 Midlands Hurricanes – 20

Tries: Bass (2), Kirby and Bowring

Conversions: Billsborough (1/3) and Hewitt (1/1)

 Wigan Warriors – 24

Tries: Brown (2) and Kerr (2)

Conversions: Farrimond (4/4)