Big gamble pays off for happy Noble

Noble fielded a side short on forward reserves but high on invention and pace in a move that proved a master stroke.

"Maybe it was this elusive plan B that everyone talks about?" said Noble.

"Earlier in the week I decided to roll the dice that way. I thought our little people would trouble their big people. We needed to change our style of play because Wigan had beaten us the last two times.

"I thought we needed to do something different. While we weren't great, I thought the difference in emphasis really helped us."

In a departure from the traditional Bulls game-plan of revolving substitutions of the big men at regular intervals, Noble held back his interchanges, leaving Paul Anderson on and Joe Vagana off from the 15th to the 52nd minute.

"I was conscious that I needed to save a couple of forward reserves, so I was frugal to say the least. I also thought the injection of Pratt, Pryce and Paul, with Hape, Vainikolo and Vaikona running out of dummy half would trouble Wigan as the game went on. I thought they'd had four big knock-out games and the element of juice going down would get them, and it transpired that way," said Noble.

Wigan had the better of an opening period the Bulls players said was the fastest-paced they'd ever played in.

Veteran second-row Mick Cassidy blew the chance to give Wigan a dream start when he put down an inside pass from 19-year-old half-back Luke Robinson. And it was Robinson who created the next scoring opportunity when he was cut down in a high tackle by James Lowes on 12 minutes. Skipper Andrew Farrell's kick at goal from wide-out struck the upright and Joe Vagana gobbled up the rebound.

Four minutes later Wigan did draw first blood when second-row Danny Tickle danced around a flat-footed Paul Deacon, wrong-footed Lesley Vainikolo with a dummy, and outstripped the cover defence in a 30-metre run.

Farrell knocked over the conversion from almost the identical spot as his earlier miss to give Wigan a lead they fully deserved.

With Bradford struggling to dominate field position, another high tackle from Lowes (this time a slap on the stepping Brian Carney) allowed Wigan another crack at the line. But the Bulls' defence held and they managed to break out through Vainikolo before charges from Paul Anderson and Lowes allowed Paul Deacon to have a dart at the line on the final tackle.

Deacon was caught well short when a chip into the in-goal area might have been a better option.

Noble then introduced Robbie Paul at hooker for Lowes, and his first touch saw Terry Newton rip the ball out, but straight into the arms of the marginally-offside Gareth Hock.

Deacon showed he was once again on-song with the boot by drilling the penalty over the bar and deep into the crowd from 30 metres.

Ten minutes before half-time, the Bulls looked to have levelled when Vainikolo ripped the ball from a Wigan defender's clutches and fell over the line, after Carney had fumbled Deacon's cross-kick. But video referee Steve Cross ruled that Vainikolo had committed the slightest of knock-ons in his initial challenge of Carney and the try was ruled out.

Deacon closed the gap with another penalty on 34 minutes before a fine break from Daniel Gartner saw the Bulls lay siege to the Warriors' line for the final minute of the half.

Eight minutes into the second-half, Deacon broke the line and referee Karl Kirkpatrick spotted the supporting Gartner being held back and Deacon's penalty tied the scores. The turning point came when Leon Pryce finished Carney off over the top and smashed his head into the ground in a tackle. Carney was stretchered off unconscious and Pryce was allowed to play the ball he'd recovered.

Off-loads from Lowes and Vagana kept the ball alive for Shontayne Hape to feed full back Stuart Reardon, who staggered and then regained his balance before finding a gap between Quentin Pongia and Sean O'Loughlin to step through and plant the ball for the Bulls' opening try.

Deacon converted and, although the Bulls' fans were dancing in the stand to Rocking All Over The World, the status quo was over.

Prop Craig Smith departed when Farrell, intent on levelling the scores with Pryce, succeeded only in cleaning up Smith in his tackle on the Bulls' utility back.

With only 15 fit players and the Bulls looking rampant, the Warriors were shot. Only 55 minutes had elapsed and coach Mike Gregory had used all but three of his interchanges, while Noble still had seven up his sleeve.

The Bulls continued to keep the ball alive and dominate possession. Vagana and Reardon provided quality off-loads and Deacon then picked out the straight-running Hape with a fine pass for the Bulls centre to cut clean through for what proved to be the match-winner.

Deacon knocked over his hardest kick of the night to give the Bulls a 12-point lead.

With ten minutes remaining and both sides clearly out on their feet, Reardon fielded a Wigan kick and was caught in a tackle with not a single Bulls player behind him. A hobbling Tevita Vaikona sprinted 15 metres to get into dummy-half in what was a game-saving play.

Jamie Peacock also made it back and from his hit-up the ball was spread wide for Hape to break deep into Wigan territory.

Two rucks later Deacon sealed the match with a sweetly-struck drop goal from 20 metres.

Wigan hit back immediately when Martin Aspinwall busted through Reardon and Karl Pratt from a scrum on his own 20-metre line before rounding Vainikolo with ease and finding Kris Radlinski, who dotted down under the posts.

But it wasn't to be for Wigan, as Danny Tickle knocked-on from the kick-off to let the Bulls straight back in.

Peacock and Stuart Fielden were held up inches short and, with the Warriors' defence focusing on Pryce, who was screaming for the ball out wide, Lowes dived over from dummy-half for the 99th and final try of his career.