A CONTROVERSIAL disallowed try for Ewan Irwin proved decisive as Warrington Wolves were beaten 30-18 by Wigan.
The Wolves led 12-0 early in the piece and thought they had levelled things up at 24-all with 10 minutes to play, only for a last ditch video referee intervention to deny Irwin for a knock on.
Irwin had earlier set up Albert Hopoate for the first try on five minutes, his long cut out pass finished well by the winger in the right corner.
The young half-back then dummied his way through to score, as Warrington made the most of their early chances, the second one coming off the back of a penalty for a high shot on James Bentley.
Bentley though would be sinbinned minutes later, shown the yellow card after being the culprit for a fourth infringement in the same passage of play as Wigan had several set restarts on the Warrington line.
The Warriors didn’t need a second invitation and scored immediately, as Josh Cartwright danced through under the posts after Wigan kept the ball alive on the last tackle.
Only a desperate intervention by Josh Smith, putting his foot under the ball as Jake Wardle put it over the line, maintained Warrington’s 12-6 lead at half time, but it was wiped out within six of the restart, dancing feet and strength from youngster Taylor Kerr getting him over to the right of the posts.
Warrington hit back immediately on their first real attack of the second half, with Irwin converting a penalty after he had been tackled high by Kaide Ellis.
But Toff Sipley made an error in the first tackle from the kick-off, and Wigan built pressure again, eventually scoring on the right when quick hands created room for Zach Eckersley to slide in.
His opposite winger Austin Daniel had a try ruled out by the video referee on the other side, the ball just coming from his finger tips as he dove over, and that kept Warrington in the game, with Matty Ashton levelling things up at 18-all with a strong finish on their left.
Wigan re-took the lead on 65 minutes when Adam Keighran’s kick was palmed back inside by Daniel, with Wardle and then Smith finding young front-rower Kian McDermott to power over from close range, despite the best efforts of Luke Thomas.
The see-saw encounter looked to have had another twist when Irwin stepped away from two and wrestled the ball to ground in the in-goal under pressure from Cartwright, and though well-placed referee Marcus Griffiths awarded a try, the video referee would halt the conversion and rule out, seemingly for a knock on.
That decision left Warrington and their coach Sam Burgess shellshocked, and they never recovered. Wigan secured the win with Daniel’s score five from the end after Smith’s long pass on the last tackle, to move Wigan within two points of league leaders Leeds courtesy of their seventh straight win.
Wigan: Cartwright, Eckersley, O’Loughlin, Wardle, Daniel, Keighran, Smith, Havard, O’Neill, McDermott, Mason, Partington, Ellis. Subs: Thompson, Mago, Kerr, O’Connor.
Warrington: Webster, Hopoate, Smith, King, Ashton, Irwin, Hayes, Thomas, Walker, Byrne, Bentley, Harrison, Currie. Subs: Sipley, Wood, Hartill, Tanginoa.
