Farrell rights Wigan's wrongs

Hull 24 Wigan 31

Wigan beat one of their main play-off rivals in Super League for the first time this season, thanks to Andy Farrell's points in the final minutes of an epic contest at The Boulevard.

Without a win over a top-four side until last night, they got their faltering campaign back on the rails, climbing above Hull into fourth place at the half-way point of the season.

A game of end-to-end action and wild fluctuations was locked at 24-all, with Farrell and Hull's Richard Horne unsuccessfully attempting drop goals before Farrell floated one over. That might have been enough to win it on its own, but just to make sure, Farrell plunged over for his second try of the game in the last minute, adding his fifth conversion to underline his multi-layered importance to his only club.

Farrell's influential performance came at the end of a difficult week during which his father was taken to hospital following a heart attack.

"He was absolutely outstanding,'' his coach, Stuart Raper, said. "That's why he's captain of his country. There are a lot of real leaders in rugby league in this country, but Andy is the top of the pack.''

Hull's Shane McRae has suffered at Farrell's hands throughout his coaching career in Britain. "It could have gone either way except for Andy Farrell," he said." He drives me mad sometimes. He's a champion player and they find ways to get results for their teams."

Farrell's first try steadied Wigan after they had fallen behind to Graham Mackay's early effort it was an example of how he has thrived as a running back-rower this season, shrugging of tackles to touch down.

Adrian Lam's side stepping try and Farrell's second goal gave Wigan an eight-point lead for the first time in the match. Hull hit back with a close-range effort from a tapped penalty by Andy Last before Stephen Wild celebrated his inclusion in the Lancashire squad by releasing Brett Dallas to restore the eight-point advantage.

Mackay's penalty whittled away at that lead and it was wiped out before half-time when Paul Cooke sold a dummy and stole through.

Wigan took the lead once more early in the second half, with Farrell supplying David Hodgson, whose kick and 40-yard chase to touch down showed his exceptional pace.

Even without six regulars, however, Hull showed plenty of resilience and the talented and versatile Horne wriggled through for the converted try that tied upthe scores yet again.

The game was now perfectly balanced with both sides manoeuvring for a match winning opportunity. Predictably it was Farrell who found a way of deciding it, completing a personal haul of 19 points for the match as he did so.It was not the ideal start to the weekend for McRae, who is getting married today – and Andy Farrell, who has spoiled his party on so many occasions, is specifically not invited.

Hull: Horne; Parker, Kohe-Love, Mackay, Chris Smith; Cooke, J Smith; Greenhill, Last, King, Maher, Ryan, Chester. Subs: Carvell, Poucher, Bird, Jackson

Wigan: Radlinski; Dallas, Hodgson, Johnson, Ainscough; O'Neill, Lam; O'Connor, Newton, Craig Smith, Wild, Furner, Farrell. Subs: Carney, M Smith, Bibey, O'Laughlin.

Referee: S Ganson (St Helens).