Williams fires Wigan as Leeds wobble again

GEORGE WILLIAMS put the boot into stuttering Leeds as Wigan warmed up for their upcoming World Club Challenge showdown with a first win of the season.

Williams created two first-half tries and then scored himself after the break, putting the Warriors back on zero points in the table after their deduction for breaching the 2017 salary cap.

There were flashes of the new style of play that coach Adrian Lam is trying to implement, but next Sunday is likely to be a significant step up in intensity when Sydney Roosters come to town.

Close season signing Joe Bullock was again a major positive in just his second Super League performance, crashing over for a first-half try after impressing on his debut at St Helens.

Veteran Wigan skipper Sean O’Loughlin was also excellent, and Williams looks to be growing into life under fellow halfback Lam.

But while Wigan showed marked progress from their opening loss at St Helens, the same could not be said of opponents Leeds.

After their disappointing defeat at Warrington there were hopes of a notable improvement but, despite a promising start, there was little fluidity in the Rhinos display and a lack of attacking verve up front.

Defeat leaves their new boss David Furner still waiting for his first win in charge, and their much-vaunted overseas signings have yet to fire.

Wigan recovered from a shaky start to lead 22-12 at the break.

The home side conceded in Leeds’ first set when Tom Davies spilled a Richie Myler kick and Ash Handley pounced to score.

Wigan hit back when Dan Sarginson took Williams’ cross-field kick, but the Rhinos were soon over again as Brett Ferres plunged over.

The second quarter belonged to the Warriors as they scored three unanswered tries to take control of the contest.

Two of them again came from kicks, as Thomas Leuluai’s effort ricocheted fortunately for Ben Flower to touch down for the second straight game.

Then Williams again found his range for Joe Greenwood to finish.

It was three tries in 10 minutes when substitute prop Bullock took an O’Loughlin pass to storm over on his home debut.

The half finished on an unsavoury note with an allegation of biting against Leeds prop Mikolaj Oledzki on Wigan half-back Sam Powell placed on report.

After the break both sides struggled to find any kind of cutting edge.

Zak Hardaker broke the deadlock with a 63rd-minute penalty after a Handley high tackle on Davies, before Williams forced his way over to give the home side a 16-point cushion.

Kallum Watkins did respond for the visitors by slicing over out wide.

But Furner’s side were again plagued by errors at key moments and former Rhino Hardaker broke for Liam Farrell to put a seal on Wigan’s deserved win in the closing stages.