Super League: Wigan Warriors 26-12 Warrington Wolves - Wigan bounce back to keep up play-off push

Wigan Warriors have now won three of their past four Super League games, with their solitary defeat during that period coming last week after a golden-point extra-time loss to struggling Wakefield Trinity

Wigan Warriors turned on the style to give their Super League top four hopes a boost as they condemned Warrington Wolves to a fifth consecutive defeat.

The hosts, smarting from their golden-point loss at Wakefield last week, coasted to victory in the second half.

Liam Marshall and Bevan French exchanged tries with James Harrison and Daryl Clark to make it 12-12.

But Wigan stepped up a gear after the break with Jake Wardle and Liam Farrell lifting the hosts to third place.

Defeat for Warrington stretches their miserable run and also means the Cherry and Whites have beaten them in all three meetings this season.

Daryl Powell's side drop to fifth following the loss, with the hosts leaping above St Helens and level on points with second-placed Leigh Leopards.

Wigan have twice won at Warrington this season, the second triumph coming in the Challenge Cup a month ago, when they were down to ten men.

They were never behind in those two wins, but Warrington began strongly at DW Stadium with Joe Philbin driving the ball deep into Wigan territory for Clark to tee up Harrison for a burst over the line.

French came up with a sharp cut-out pass to send Marshall over and level the scores, before Clark produced a typically impish dummy to dart over the line from a play-the-ball four metres out to restore the Wire's lead.

Wigan's response was the move of the match as Harry Smith, who kicked impeccably, feinted to do so out of his hands and instead sparked a fast break, with Wardle ripping a gaping hole in the defence and flipping a pass back inside for French to race over.

Warrington could not match Wigan's intensity after the break and when Sam Kasiano came up with a tackle off the ball, Smith's penalty edged the home side ahead.

Philbin was forced off with a head injury and as Warrington's effort flagged Wigan took advantage.

Kai Pearce-Paul, back after injury, drew in three tacklers to provide space out wide for Jai Field to whip a short pass that sent Wardle over.

Warrington pressed hard to try to get back in the game but when Stefan Ratchford fluffed a pass with the tryline beckoning, Wigan broke through Field and Farrell went over under the posts to settle the issue.

Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet:

"It was important that we got the win tonight. It was a big night for the club in terms of the Heritage evening and hosting the academy game as well, so the result was the most important thing.

"There were elements of the performance that were pleasing and some that we need to improve but the win was an important one.

"I thought we started slow. It took a few lads to come off the interchange and spark us through the middle, which they did.

"We have to be better at the start of games. I thought the two tries we conceded were quite poor ones but in the second half we seemed a little stiffer defensively."

Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell:

"Our business is all about winning and we haven't been - and that gets pretty frustrating.

"We are working hard. We have lost a couple of games against big opposition. There is a confidence that comes from winning, if you look at us at the start of the season, there were times when we weren't great but we went and switched it on against Salford, for example, and blew them away.

"Personnel-wise we cannot do that and confidence-wise we probably can't either. When you get behind it, make it difficult.

"I thought we started the second half really poor. We gave two points away and then we concede again pretty soon after that.

"We never really got a grip after that. I thought we had an opportunity when Stef (Ratchford) put the ball on the floor late in the second half. If we score there you are in with a shot. The bits of quality that their faster guys give them probably got them the win."

Wigan: Field; Miski, King, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Ellis, O'Neill, Byrne, Shorrocks, Farrell, Smithies.

Interchanges: Pearce-Paul, Mago, Hill, Nsemba.

Warrington: Dufty; Russell, Mata'utia, Ratchford, Minikin; Walker, Drinkwater; Dudson, Clark, Vaughan, Currie, Harrison, Philbin.

Interchanges: Kasiano, Bullock, Whitehead, Holroyd.

Referee: Chris Kendall.

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