Warriors extend Rhinos record

While they could have the points taken away if they fare badly when the club appears in front of a Rugby League disciplinary panel charged with breaching the 2006 salary cap coach Brian Noble is refusing to be distracted by the off-field drama.

"We can't think about what's not in our control," he said. "The only thing we can do is prepare for games. July is an exciting month for us. We started it pretty disappointing on the first at Wakefield but I think we've responded really well."

He added: "We applied ourselves in practice and I think we've seen some very good performances."

The Warriors had beaten Bradford last weekend and their latest triumph continues their good run against the engage Super League pace-setters, despite an error-strewn match at the JJB Stadium. Thursday night's victory came on the back of a superb defensive effort, allied to a shrewd tactical switch.

Noble sprung a surprise by switching the returning Pat Richards to full-back in place of rugby union-bound Chris Ashton, with Liam Colbon keeping his place on the wing. The move paid dividends, with the pair contributing all but four of Wigan's points.

With Michael Withers retired and Ashton going to Northampton, Noble may have solved his problem over the number one position for next year.

"I needed to look at Pat Richards at full-back," he said. "I though Pat played well there and complemented the halves and Liam Colbon is going really strong on the wing."

Leeds, buoyed by their win at champions St Helens, missed the chance to return to the top of the table after failing miserably to handle the difficult conditions.

"It's disappointing," admitted Rhinos coach Tony Smith. "We made way too many errors, some uncharacteristic errors by some very good players. They are feeling pretty bad about it."