Leeds Rhinos have taken the hard route to their fourth engage Super League Grand Final in five years, for which they will be underdogs to St Helens next Saturday, but their grim determination cannot be underestimated on the strength of last night’s slender victory in a thrilling final eliminator.

Wigan Warriors’ defiance, in the shape of Mark Calderwood on the wing, bordered on the heroic. He was personally responsible for preventing four tries, but Leeds had the pace, poise and patience to prevail in what was arguably the game of the season. It took Wigan 75 minutes to find a way through the Leeds defence, Harrison Hansen’s try swiftly followed by Iaefeta Paleaaesina barrelling over and setting up a grandstand finish.

The situation for Leeds was defused by Stuart Fielden failing to catch the ball at the restart, with a minute left on the clock, and Lee Smith’s second try — in between the two that Leeds scored — which proved the difference. The 22-year-old twice hacked on a loose ball that had been produced by Paleaaesina’s poor pass out wide and ended Wigan’s brave effort to become the first side to reach Old Trafford from fourth place in the table.

Bad blood and thunder had coursed through a riveting encounter from the start. Smith contributed the only try of the opening half but the Leeds wing was fortunate only to be placed on report after lashing out with his boot on the ground in the face of Phil Bailey. The pace was relentless throughout and a coruscating break by Jamie Jones-Buchanan almost brought Leeds their first try. Calderwood dragged the forward down, but in diving at the feet of Smith, he conceded a penalty and triggered a mass brawl.

Calderwood was sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul. He was joined there for ten minutes by Keith Senior, of Leeds, who had waded in with fists flying. Kevin Sinfield edged Leeds ahead with the resulting penalty, which Pat Richards replied to on the half-hour after Danny McGuire had grabbed Gareth Hock around the throat. Both full backs were peppered with high balls, which added to the helter-skelter nature of a game short on compromise but high on skill and adventure.

It took Rob Burrow’s twinkling feet to catch Wigan off guard and the quick hands of Matt Diskin, Sinfield and McGuire on the right to supply Smith with room to squeeze over in the 36th minute, although Leeds had to settle for a four-point buffer at the break after Sinfield miscued his conversion attempt. Having prevented one try, Calderwood extraordinarily denied his former club three more times in quick succession. His outstretched arm defied Ali Lauitiiti and a well-timed shove directed Jones-Buchanan into the corner post, before he popped up in the middle of Wigan’s defence to crouch low and halt Burrow in his tracks.

A no-nonsense charge by Jamie Peacock, who rolled across in a double tackle by Richard Mathers and Liam Colbon and appeared to touch down, looked to have put Leeds in the driving seat. But in a farcical near five minutes of constant replaying by the video referee, Ian Smith was unconvinced. He had less trouble, however, awarding a try when Lauitiiti knocked the ball down for Scott Donald to switch inside to Senior after an hour.

Sinfield’s conversion made it 12-2, and when Donald was illegally pulled back, the Leeds captain stretched the advantage with a further penalty, before Hansen’s try set up a nerve-racking finale.

Scorers: Leeds Rhinos: Tries: Smith 2, Senior. Goals: Sinfield 3. Wigan Warriors: Tries: Hansen, Paleaaesina. Goals: Richards 3.

Leeds Rhinos: B Webb; L Smith, C Ablett, K Senior, S Donald; D McGuire, R Burrow; K Leuluai, M Diskin, J Peacock, J Jones-Buchanan, G Ellis, K Sinfield. Interchange: A Lauitiiti, R Bailey, N Scruton, I Kirke.

Wigan Warriors: R Mathers; M Calderwood, C Phelps, G Carmont, P Richards; T Barrett, T Leuluai; S Fielden, M Higham, A Coley, H Hansen, P Bailey, J Tomkins. Interchange: I Paleaaesina, T Smith, G Hock, L Colbon.

Referee: S Ganson.

Final: St Helens v Leeds Rhinos (Saturday, 6pm, Old Trafford)