Simon Dalton presents his prediction bet on match of Rugby Superliga.
Wigan will travel to the MKM Stadium on Saturday to face a Hull side who have picked up just two wins during the season to date, most recently losing 24-10 to rivals Hull KR. So obviously reigning champions are the huge favourites. Wigan Warriors are unbeaten in their last 10 fixtures in all competitions, sitting four points clear at the top of the Super League table with a game in hand.
Recently Wigan happily announced that the ban for Adam Keighran he got during the previous match against St Helens was overturned. And Keighran is free to play this weekend against Hull FC.
Head coach Matt Peet has explained why they won the appeal: “We challenged the charge itself, there was a lot going on in that tackle. It was a messy tackle with extra Wigan players and Saints players getting involved. We felt it was unfair to pin it all on Adam and we made a strong case.”
Keighran is one of the League top goal and points scorers (24 and 64 respectively). He appeared in 14 games out of 17. And his absence would be a serious blow to Wigan’s plans of extending their lead in the tournament. With 1 red and 1 yellow cards so far Keighran is obviously under referees’ gun that can make him play more carefully than usual. Less tackles from Keighran is definitely a factor in defence and a chance for Hull front-runners.
One more serious obstacle. Jai Field and Bevan French, having 17 try assists in total this season, are now both injured. One of Wigan’s leaders Luke Thompson said about Hull: «I think they’ve had a few changes around their squad and stuff. It’s going to be another tough game as they all are». But frankly speaking the fortune turned its back on Hull FC as their loanee from Wigan Tiaki Chan is not allowed to play against his parent team. He is the one responsible for penalty kicks having 6 under his belt so far. And Hull being short on the bench does not have a decent substitute.
We assume that Hull FC will try to stay strong but their resources will be exhausted by the beginning of the second half.
