Wigan Warriors 30 Warrington Wolves 20
WIGAN celebrated the news that Sam Tomkins will be returning to the club next season with a 30-20 win over Warrington Wolves.Much of the pre-match build-up had centred around the return from suspension of prop Ben Flower, famously red-carded inside two minutes of last season’s Grand Final for punching Lance Hohaia, an offence that landed him a six-month ban.
The game itself didn’t disappoint, and it book-ended the anticipated half-time announcement that superstar full-back Tomkins will return to the DW Stadium for 2016 following a two-year stint in the NRL with New Zealand Warriors for a fee in excess of £200,000.
For spells of the game, it looked like Warrington might spoil the party but they ultimately succumbed to a fifth defeat in six games.
Following last weekend’s 80-0 thumping of Wakefield, the Wolves started brightly and twice punctured the Wigan left side as first Joel Monaghan and Chris Bridge crossed for well-taken tries. Full-back Stefan Ratchford ran from deep and executed a stunning cut out pass to send captain Monaghan, back on the wing in recent weeks, over for his try and then Bridge finished well after beating his marker.
But Wigan hit back with a quire-fire double, as George Williams sent Liam Farrell over and then Ryan Hampshire’s converted try nudged the Warriors in front for the first time at 12-10, before Bridge’s second try swung the pendulum back Warrington’s way.
After Flower made his appearance from the bench, getting a fierce welcome most notably from Ben Harrison, the Warriors added their third try after an outstanding piece of skill by Joel Tomkins, who carried the ball in one hand and delayed his offload to put Dominic Manfredi over for the first of his three tries.
The return of Sam Tomkins was heralded at half-time, including an interview with chairman Ian Lenaghan on the big screen, but the Wolves hadn’t read the script, and re-took the lead with a lovely worked try. Richie Myler and Declan Patton, the youngster again preferred in the halves, linked up to send Ben Currie away, and he raced away from Hampshire, who had a torrid time under the high ball in both halves.
But Wigan were buoyed by the occasion, and tries for Manfredi and Anthony Gelling had them in the ascendency at 26-20. As time ran out, Matty Smith lined up a drop goal that was charged down by the Wolves, it spun out wide towards Gelling who kept the ball alive with a lovely kick sideways to Manfredi who touched down for his hat-trick.
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Wigan: Hampshire; Manfredi, Gelling, Sarginson, Burgess; Williams, Smith, Mossop, McIlorum, Crosby, J. Tomkins, L. Farrell, Bateman.
Replacements: Flower, Clubb, Tautai, L. Tomkins.
Warrington: Ratchford; Monaghan, Bridge, T. King, Ormsby; Patton, Myler; Hill, Higham, Asotasi, Currie, Westwood, Harrison.
Replacements: Clark, Sims, England, Laithwaite.
