“Frustrated” Matt Peet reacts after Wigan Warriors lose to Leeds Rhinos

Wigan Warriors missed out on a chance to go back to the top of Super League as they were shocked by Leeds Rhinos who ran out as 30-4 winners at Headingley.

Despite the clash coming in Round 21, it marked the first time the two sides had met all season and it was the hosts who came out on top in comfortable fashion in the end.

Whilst Leeds Rhinos were very good, Wigan Warriors let the game run out of their control in the second half due to errors and ill-discipline, something that could certainly be a consequence of playing three games in ten days.

When asked about that whilst speaking live on Sky Sports post-match, Wigan boss Matt Peet explained: “It could be a reason but it’s certainly not an excuse.

“We knew what we were signing up for, we were prepared well. I thought at the start we tried hard to get our execution right, and then maybe the tiredness came in later in the game because it did get worse as we went on.”

Despite that admission, he was eager to compliment Leeds who won just their second game under Brad Arthur and kept their own playoff ambitions alive.

Peet noted: “Leeds were excellent, I thought they defended really well, and a lot of what they did with the ball saw them put us to the sword.”

Wigan Warriors slip to shock Leeds Rhinos defeat

Part of the reason Wigan Warriors were so fatigued was due to the fact they were forced to play three games in ten days, a consequence of their contesting the World Club Challenge back in February.

Having defeated Leigh on Tuesday night in that rearranged Round Two fixture, Peet’s side had the opportunity to reclaim top spot having played the same number of games as rivals Hull KR.

Instead, they put in an ill-disciplined performance that saw Adam Keighran sin-binned and Harry Smith sent off, leaving Peet to explain that he will have to “speak to the players” and Wigan got all they deserved.

“We never really got going which you do have to credit Leeds first and foremost. At times it was a million miles off, it was just the last catch or the last pass which means we left a few points out there but generally you get what you deserve and that’s all we got.”

Pushed on the ill-discipline and asked if he was frustrated, Peet hit back: “You’re right, I’m frustrated. I’ll speak to the players. I can handle the result and I can handle even not playing well but there are some things that we need to fix.

“I don’t think it’s ever a case of panic but there’s a lot to fix and work on. As you mentioned, there’s a reason why that we can point to but we still need to be better than that when we’re not playing well.”

They’ll now face St Helens at Magic Weekend with the possibility that they’ll be without Harry Smith following his red card.