2010 Super League Grand Final

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2010 (2010) Super League Grand Final  ()
Super league grand final logo 2010.png
12Total
WIG Wigancolours.svg 16622
STH Saintscolours.svg 6410
Date2 October 2010
Stadium Old Trafford
Location Flag of England.svg Manchester
Harry Sunderland Trophy Flag of New Zealand.svg Thomas Leuluai
( Wigancolours.svg Wigan Warriors)
Headliners Diana Vickers
Referee Richard Silverwood
Attendance71,526
Broadcast partners
Broadcasters
Commentators
  2009
2011  

The 2010 Super League Grand Final was the 13th official Grand Final and conclusive and championship-deciding game of Super League XV. Held on Saturday 2 October 2010, at Manchester's Old Trafford stadium, the match was contested by English clubs St. Helens and Wigan Warriors. The final saw Wigan, who also finished League leaders, win 22-10, [1] taking over the crown of Super League champions from the Leeds Rhinos, who had held the title for 3 years. This was St. Helens' fifth consecutive Grand Final and their fourth consecutive Grand Final defeat, having won in 2006 and then lost three Grand Finals to Leeds between 2007 and 2009.

Contents

Background

#TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 Wigancolours.svg Wigan Warriors 272205922411+51144
2 Saintscolours.svg St. Helens 272007946547+39940

Route to the Final

Wigan Warriors

RoundOppositionScore
Qualifying Play-off Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos (H)27-26
Preliminary Semi-Final HKRcolours.svg Hull Kingston Rovers (H)42-18
Qualifying Semi-Final Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos (A)26-6
Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue.

St Helens

RoundOppositionScore
Preliminary Semi-Final Wolvescolours.svg Warrington Wolves (H)28-12
Qualifying Semi-Final Giantscolours.svg Huddersfield Giants (H)42-22
Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue.

Pre-match

Pre-match entertainment was provided by a performance from Diana Vickers. [2] Rhydian Roberts sang Jerusalem and then a minute's silence was also observed for Terry Newton who had died the previous weekend [3] before St Helens, wearing blue with white (as both sides' traditional colours are red and white), kicked off.

Match details

Wigan's captain, Sean O'Loughlin, was the only player who also played in his team's previous grand final in 2003. [4]

2 October 2010
18:00 [5] UTC+1
Wigan Warriors Wigancolours.svg 22 - 10 Saintscolours.svg St. Helens
Tries: Martin Gleeson (2)
Darrell Goulding
Sam Tomkins
Goals: Pat Richards (2)
Mark Riddell
Report
Tries: Andrew Dixon
Francis Meli
Goals: Jamie Foster
Old Trafford, Manchester
Attendance: 71,526 [1]
Referee: Richard Silverwood [1]
Player of the Match: Thomas Leuluai [6]
Wigan Warriors Position St Helens
6 Flag of England.svg Sam Tomkins Fullback 1 Flag of England.svg Paul Wellens
24 Darrell Goulding Winger30 Flag of England.svg Jamie Foster
3 Flag of England.svg Martin Gleeson Centre3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Matthew Gidley
4 Flag of Samoa.svg George Carmont Centre5 Flag of Samoa.svg Francis Meli
5 Flag of Ireland.svg Pat Richards Winger24 Flag of England.svg Jonny Lomax
19 Flag of England.svg Paul Deacon Stand Off 12 Flag of England.svg Jon Wilkin
7 Flag of New Zealand.svg Thomas Leuluai Scrum half34 Flag of England.svg Matty Smith
8 Flag of England.svg Stuart Fielden Prop10 Flag of England.svg James Graham
15 Flag of Ireland.svg Michael McIlorum Hooker 9 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Keiron Cunningham (c)
10 Flag of England.svg Andy Coley Prop15 Flag of England.svg Bryn Hargreaves
11 Flag of Samoa.svg Harrison Hansen 2nd Row11 Flag of New Zealand.svg Tony Puletua
12 Flag of England.svg Joel Tomkins 2nd Row4 Flag of New Zealand.svg Sia Soliola
13 Flag of England.svg Sean O'Loughlin (c)Loose forward13 Flag of England.svg Chris Flannery
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Riddell Interchange14 Flag of England.svg James Roby
14 Flag of England.svg Paul Prescott Interchange17 Flag of England.svg Paul Clough
17 Flag of New Zealand.svg Iafeta Paleaaesina Interchange22 Flag of England.svg Andrew Dixon
25 Flag of England.svg Liam Farrell Interchange25 Flag of England.svg Jacob Emmitt
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael Maguire Coach Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mick Potter

In the fourth minute Wigan were twelve metres out from St Helens' try-line when, on the fifth tackle, they passed it through the hands out to the right side where centre Martin Gleeson forced his way through the defence. [7] The video referee awarded the try and Pat Richards' conversion attempt missed so the Cherry & Whites were in front 4-0. At the fifteen-minute mark Wigan were working the ball out of their own half when they again moved the ball out to the right where Sam Tomkins made a break and then passed back inside to Thomas Leuluai in support. Leuluai then passed to Deacon who passed for Gleeson to cross untouched, putting the ball down behind the uprights for his second try. [8] Richards kicked the simple conversion so Wigan were in front 10-0. About three minutes later Wigan had again made their way up to within spitting distance of St Helens' try line where they passed the ball quickly out to right winger Darrell Goulding to dive over in the corner untouched. [9] Richards' sideline conversion was successful so The Warriors now led 16-0 with little over a quarter of the match gone. In the twenty-eighth minute St Helens had managed to make their way up inside Wigan's ten-metre line where Jon Wilkin got the ball and ran back inside across the defensive line, passing to Andrew Dixon who ran untouched through a gap for a close-range try. [10] The simple conversion was kicked by Jamie Foster so St Helens were trailing 16-6. No more points were scored in the remaining minutes so this was the half-time score. [5]

Crowds during the match 2010 SL GF.jpg
Crowds during the match

Pat Richards did not return to the field after the break due to an Achilles tendon injury. [11] In the fourth minute of the second half, Wigan were almost over St Helens' twenty-metre line when the ball went to Leuluai who dummied his way through a gap in the defence and managed to evade several more tacklers before clambering his way to the try line where it was ruled by the video referee that the ball was stripped from him. A penalty was awarded to Wigan and the option to kick was taken, but Riddell missed. [12] St Helens then enjoyed some possession but failed to convert their chances into points before Wigan were on the attack again by the fifty-third minute. From twelve metres out the ball was played and passed right, finding Sam Tomkins who dummied and took on the defensive line, somehow managing to maintain his momentum and reach out of a two-man tackle to plant the ball over the line. [13] Riddell missed the conversion attempt badly so Wigan were leading 20-6. A few minutes later the Cherry & Whites got a penalty in an easy kicking position and Riddell got the two points, extending the lead to 22-6. In the sixtieth minute Wigan crossed St Helens' line again but it was called back by the video referee due to obstruction. [14] Wigan were awarded a penalty ten minutes later and took the kick, but Tomkins' attempt missed, leaving the margin at sixteen points with ten minutes of the game remaining. In the seventy-fourth minute St Helens had made it into the opposition's quarter of the field where they swung the ball out to Francis Meli to score on the left wing. [15] Foster missed the sideline conversion attempt, so the score was 22-10 in favour of Wigan. [16] No more points were scored in the remaining minutes of the match so it was Wigan who celebrated their first championship since 1998.

Thomas Leuluai was awarded the Harry Sunderland Trophy as the Grand Final's man-of-the-match. [17] Wigan's new Australian coach Michael Maguire had won a championship in his first season as a head coach. For St Helens' it was their fourth consecutive grand final defeat and a disappointing exit from the game for their retiring captain Keiron Cunningham in his 496th game. [18]

Wigan's celebrations continued the following day with the team's open-top bus tour from JJB Sports HQ at Martland Park into Market Place, Wigan attracting thousands of fans despite rainy weather. [19] [20]

2011 World Club Challenge

By winning the grand final, the Wigan Warriors had earned the right to play against the 2010 NRL grand final-winners, the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the 2011 World Club Challenge in February.

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