A LATE Joe Philbin try sent Warrington Wolves in to the new season with a 16-12 win over Leigh Leopards in their final pre-season friendly.
A week out from their competitive opener, a Challenge Cup clash now at home against Championship side Sheffield Eagles, the Wolves prevailed in the swirling rain at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
George Williams got his first run-out as one of three changes to the starting team that beat Widnes 50-12 a few weeks ago, and they got off to a flier with Williams involved in moving the ball left for Toby King to open the scoring inside two minutes.
But the conditions didn’t lend themselves to expansive rugby, and in wind and rain, the game became a war of attrition through the middle, littered with penalties as referee Tom Grant applied the new interpretations around ruck speed that are likely to impact many early season game.
Leigh’s best chance came immediately after they conceded, Adam Cook’s high kick-off not dealt with and the Leopards built some pressure that didn’t come to anything.
Former Warrington winger Keanan Brand was sinbinned for dissent for his protests against Bailey Hodgson had slid in to touch with the ball as he tried to prevent a Marc Sneyd 40/20, and while down to 12 men, Leigh conceded a second try.
They had for the main part done well with a man down, actually spending some time camped on the Warrington line and forcing a drop out.
But with just a couple of minutes remaining of the first half, made the most of the extra man again moving the ball left with King turning provider to put Jake Thewlis sliding in at the corner. Marc Sneyd failed to add a second conversion, but Warrington led 10-0 at the break.
Leigh, with the wind behind them, came out with renewed vigour and really rolled their sleeves up at the start of the second half and within 14 minutes, had turned the game around.
Their first try came when some pressure on a Lachlan Lam kick forced a retreating Cai Taylor-Wray to misjudge the catch, and the loose ball bounced in favour of Andy Badrock, who wrestled away from Josh Smith to go over.
And the Leopards soon backed that up off the back of a penalty, Innes Senior crossing on the left, Cook goaling both for 12-10.
For a while, Warrington really struggled to get any territory. But they started to get some traction in the final 15 minutes, buoyed by a big Philbin hit that gave them some added field position.
Youngsters Ben Hartill, Tommy Rhodes and Ewan Smith joined the likes of Ewan Irwin already on the field and eventually they found their way.
Rhodes shrugged off a big hit by Liam Horne, which would ultimately see him leave the field, to keep the Wolves moving forward, with Irwin then taking the ball on and putting a side-foot kick inside that Philbin of all people managed to beat to the dead ball line and ground with an outstretched arm.
Warrington: Taylor-Wray, Josh Thewlis, J Smith, King (t), Jake Thewlis (t), Williams, Sneyd (1g), Yates, Walker, Byrne, Tanginoa, Stone, Currie. Subs: Crowther, Irwin (1g), Hayes, Bentley, Thomas, Philbin (t), Wood, Hartill, E Smith, Rhodes, Webster.
Leigh: Hodgson, Senior (t), Niu, Hanley, Brand, Cook (2g), Lam, Ofahengaue, Ipape, Trout, Halton, Alick-Wiencke, Hughes. Subs: Charnley, Davis, Horne, Towse, O’Brien, Badrock (t), McNamara, Wilde, Brown, Brough, Polec.
