With both Hull FC and Wigan already qualified for the Super Eights you could be forgiven for thinking that there was nothing to play for in tonight's encounter at the KC Stadium.

But for the top eight, the points amassed in the first twenty-three rounds are carried forward into the final seven so both sides were keen for a win. A win for Wigan would put them level on points with the league leaders, Leeds Rhinos and a win for Hull FC would get them two points closer to a Grand Final play-off place.

It took Wigan just five minutes to take the lead thanks to a great pass from Anthony Gelling to Joe Burgess who went eighty metres, wrong footing Jordan Rankin to go under the sticks giving Matty Smith a simple conversion.

On fifteen Wigan doubled their lead. Kick to the corner from Matty Smith was knocked backwards by a flying Josh Charnley and grounded by John Bateman. Smith kicked the slotted the conversion between the sticks for 12-0.

On twenty the home side opened their account after benefitting from two quick penalties when Jordan Abdull, in for the injured Leon Pryce, put Richard Whiting over from close with a short pass. Marc Sneyd added a simple conversion.

But it was brief respite from the Wigan onslaught. On twenty-three, kicks forward from Matty Bowen and Anthony Gelling saw the ball bounce into goal and Sm Powell was first to react and ground. Smith added the extras for 18-6.

Three minutes before the interval and Wigan got their fourth try of the night when George Williams picked up a a poor Joe Westerman offload and went fifty metres to score under the sticks. Again Smith was accurate with the boot and at half time it looked like Wigan were cruising.

Just like in the first half it was five minutes of play before Wigan registered their fifth. An inside pass from Joel Tomkins put Matty Bowen over by the posts and Smith added the extras for 30-6 and it was game over.

On fifty-five Shaun O'Loughlin got in on the scoring after Ben Flower earned them a penalty. The Wigan skipper walked past Mark Minichiello to score by the sticks and give Smith another simple conversion for 36-6.

With thirteen minutes left on the clock Joe Westerman crashed over the line off a Marc Sneyd pass with three Wigan tacklers attached. Sneyd kicked the goal from in front of the sticks to reduce the margin to twenty-four.

Ten minutes out from the final hooter and Matty Bowen dropped the shoulder and slid over for his second of the night. Smith kicked the two for 42-12.

The final try of the night was Dom Crosby's when he went through a gaping hole in the FC defence. Smith kicked the extras for 48-12 and a great confidence boosting win for the Warriors. For Lee Radfords Hull, it's back to the drawing board and they will need to re-invent themselves in the Super 8s.

FC: Rankin, Lineham, Talanoa, Logan, Michaels, Abdull, Sneyd (2G), Paea, Houghton, Watts, Whiting (T), Minichiello, Westerman (T). Subs: Thompson, Green, Bowden, Hadley.

Warriors: Bowen (2T), Charnley, Gelling, Bateman (T), Burgess (T), Williams (T), Smith (8G), Crosby (T), McIlorum, Flower, Tomkins, Farrell, O'Loughlin (T). Subs: Powell (T), Clubb, Tautai, Sutton.


Referee: Ben Thaler
Attendance: 10,787