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Page last updated at 07:57 GMT, Friday, 8 May 2009 08:57 UK

Morgan on Wakefield v Wigan

Justin Morgan
By Justin Morgan
Hull KR coach and BBC analyst

If there is one coach you don't want to come up against in the Challenge Cup it is Wakefield's John Kear because of his record in the competition.

He has a great ability to get his teams motivated and performing well when it is important.

He led Wakefield to the semi-final last year and although they go into Saturday's game against Wigan as underdogs, despite home advantage, he thrives on that and will make sure his players do too.

Wigan are a club that have enjoyed plenty of Cup success in past years and have a burning desire to get to finals and start winning trophies again under Brian Noble.

It all points towards a great game and although it wouldn't surprise me if the score changes hands a few times, I think in the final 20 minutes Wigan might put the game to bed.

With that in mind, here are three reasons why I think the Warriors will win:

COMBINATIONS AT HALF-BACK AND HOOKER

The triangle of the hooker and halfbacks is regarded as one of the key areas on the field.

Last weekend, Wigan had a good triangle in the half-backs Tim Smith and Thomas Leuluai, who are both in good form at the moment and Michael McIlorum, who deputised at hooker for Mark Riddell.

Even if Riddell comes back into the starting line-up, McIlorum is still a handy player to come in off the bench.

Smith's form probably hasn't been as consistent as Wigan fans would like but against St Helens he really stepped up to the mark and gave them great direction. His kicking game was also very good and he laid on a couple of tries.

Thomas Leuluai
Leuluai is expected to be a key figure for the Wigan outfit on Saturday

Leuluai has been a consistent performer for Wigan over the past couple of seasons and he is very good at taking the line on.

So often half-backs are good passers and kickers but don't take the line on very often but he does and I think his spell at hooker for New Zealand in last year's World Cup has given him the confidence to do that.

Then they can throw in young Sam Tomkins off the bench who is one of the most talented young players in Super League. He is very fast and his defence is improving all the time as we saw last weekend with his great cover tackle on Sean Long.

The way Noble can interchange those roles between the players in that key area gives them greater direction and impetus in both their running and passing, as well as their kicking and gives him more options than Wakefield.

606: DEBATE

They too have players that can interchange those roles like Brad Drew, Jamie Rooney and Danny Brough but I don't think their combination is working as well as Wigan's at the moment.

Wigan have the right balance of working off each other and not having one person running the play completely but sometimes I think Wakefield have relied heavily on Drew and Brough.

If they do get their combination right they will be difficult to beat but Wigan have the advantage.

CONFIDENCE

We often talk about the non tangible things in sport including confidence and there is no doubt that Wigan are full of confidence, especially after last weekend's victory over St Helens in Murrayfield.

Although Saints were below par, they are still a difficult side to beat.

Wigan celebrate
Wigan celebrate one of their tries against St Helens at Murrayfield

But Wigan worked hard and executed what they felt was a good game plan and their first-half display laid the foundation for their victory.

You can't get more of a boost than beating your arch-rivals and league leaders in the manner in which they did and I think that will play a huge part in their preparations for the Wakefield game.

Even though they will be playing away from home, it's worth remembering that they did beat Wakefield at Belle Vue in the league just a couple of weeks ago.

THE INFLUENCE OF GARETH HOCK

Wigan forward Gareth Hock has the ability to be a real game-breaker for his side.

He is one of the few players in today's Super League whose form can dictate whether his team wins or not.

He is a powerful and barnstorming forward and can be devastating with the way he carries the ball.

Gareth Hock
Hock has the ability to cause plenty of problems for the Wakefield defence

Because of the way he positions himself on the fringes of play, he often gets one-on-one tackles with halfbacks or other backrowers and because of his size and strength he has an advantage over them.

The only downside of his game is that sometimes he can fall into the habit of overplaying and offloading too much.

In the past there have been some issues with his temperament but I think that can be related to how well he is playing. If he has made some errors or conceded penalties or things aren't quite on song, that can have a negative effect on him.

I've seen more maturity in him over the past 12 months, probably since playing more international rugby, although he isn't the finished article yet.

For him, it's all about treading that fine line between playing with emotion and with a clear head.

He needs to do that on Saturday as there is every chance that Wakefield will try to ruffle his feathers but it will be a good battle for whoever is opposite him.

Justin Morgan was talking to BBC Sport's Elizabeth Hudson



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see also
Wigan 38-18 St Helens
02 May 09 |  Rugby League
Leuluai extends contract at Wigan
22 Apr 09 |  Wigan
Barrow 20-32 Wigan
05 Apr 09 |  Rugby League
Wigan's Hock given five-match ban
29 Jul 08 |  Wigan
Wakefield 16-32 Bradford
02 May 09 |  Rugby League
Wakefield 54-0 Leigh
03 Apr 09 |  Rugby League
Drew ready to pay back Wakefield
09 Feb 09 |  Wakefield


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