1-0 thriller! Super League season begins with scoreless 80 minutes

Leigh Leopards pulled off a stunning upset by securing their first win at Wigan Warriors in 42 years but the match will be best remembered for finishing 0-0 after 80 minutes.

It’s the first professional rugby league match to finish scoreless since 1993.

The game was decided in golden point extra time and only took two minutes for Gareth O’Brien to kick a drop goal and seal the victory for the Leopards 1-0.

Legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer was flown in to introduce the teams with the match expected to be a spectacle.

However, the action on the field took some time to heat up.

The second half saw the historic use of the captain’s challenge for the first time in the Super League, but it did not result in any points. Wigan was penalised for stealing the ball but was unsuccessful after it was adjudged Adam Keighran had ripped the ball from a Leigh defender’s grasp.

With neither team able to break the deadlock, the match went into extra time, where Leigh capitalised on a man advantage and O’Brien’s drop goal secured the win.

The Leopards' victory is a major achievement, considering Wigan’s dominance in the previous season, where they won the Super League and all the trophies on offer.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission