Wigan 36-22 Hull KR
Last updated on .From the section Rugby League
Super League top scorer Josh Charnley took his season's tally to 16 tries with a hat-trick as Wigan went top by beating Hull KR at the DW Stadium.
Wigan ran in five tries in 25 first-half minutes, Charnley's brace added to by Sam Tomkins, Lee Mossop and Anthony Gelling.
But the game was badly disrupted by referee Phil Bentham being stretchered off with a suspected broken leg.
Charnley claimed his treble, but Wigan were outscored after the break.
Shannon McDonnell, Josh Hodgson and Kris Welham added to Ben Galea's late first-half try, Michael Dobson adding three conversions.
Charnley, on duty again due to the absence of regular kicker Pat Richards, landed four of his seven attempts at goal for a 20-point individual haul.
After a 10-minute delay for treatment following his freak collision with visiting Aussie full-back McDonnell, Bentham was taken to Wigan Royal Infirmary, his place being taken by Robert Hicks.
Wigan opened the scoring after just five minutes when Tomkins spied a gap to send Charnley over in the corner before unleashing some magical footwork in a mazy crossfield run to claim the second for hmself.
Wigan's third try quickly followed after 17 minutes but it took an age to be awarded as referee Bentham went down in a heap in the build-up following a collision with McDonnell and did not witness Mossop go in under the posts.
Video referee Ian Smith eventually gave Mossop the nod before Gelling stretched over and Charnley claimed his second.
The visitors did get on the score sheet five minutes before the break when Blake Green and Dobson combined to send skipper Galea racing through.
The second half started the same way as the first, with Wigan crossing over the whitewash in a move that again went the full width of the field before Charnley raced in for his hat-trick, taking his overall tally to 18 tries in all competitions.
But Hull KR refused to lie down, scoring again when McDonnell was adjudged to have grounded the ball cleanly despite claims of a double movement.
Wigan hit back when Gelling used all his strength to get the ball down for his second of the night. But Rovers further reduced the deficit inside the last 10 minutes to make the scoreline more flattering, Hodgson collecting a neat offload from Scott Taylor to score at the side of the posts, before Welham cashed in on a Tomkins error.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Wigan coach Shaun Wane:
"There were a few things that happened defensively in the first half that upset me and it got worse in the second half. Them scoring 22 points is very disappointing.
"They won the second half and I don't take kindly to that. It is a dressing room of a losing team because they know our standards are higher than that. I would expect our team, if we got six sets on our own line, to defend them sets it is as simple as that and we did not do that.
"But, on the positive side, we have had a disruptive week with the England boys being away and we've had a few injuries. And overall I am glad to be top of the comp. This is a good win over a full-strength Hull KR team.
"Phil Bentham just fell awkwardly. It is a shame as he is a good bloke. I like him. That is a first for me. I have never seen that happen before."
Hull Kingston Rovers coach Craig Sandercock told BBC Radio Humberside:
"It was a very disappointing 25 minutes and everything we trained for during the week we didn't do.
"We've had problems with our discipline in the first half and we worked really hard this week to hopefully not give away any penalties in the first half.
"Unfortunately after 20 minutes it was 5-0 their way and you can't give a class side that many opportunities."
FRIDAY NIGHT'S LINE-UPS
Wigan: S Tomkins; Charnley, Goulding, Carmont, Gelling; Finch, Leuluai; Lauaki, McIlorum, Mossop, Hansen, Hock, O'Loughlin.
Replacements: Lima, Farrell, Tuson, Hughes.
Hull KR: McDonnell; Hall, Welham, Salter, D Hodgson; Green, Dobson; Paea, Withers, Taylor, Mika, Galea, Watts.
Replacements: Clinton, J Hodgson, Lovegrove, O'Hara.
Attendance: 14,457.
Referee: Phil Bentham (Warrington).
