 Challenge Cup semi-final two saw the supporters of Warrington Wolves and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats descend on the Leigh Sports Village for what the bookies thought would be a one-sided affair with the Wolves the strong favourite to make it to the final.
There were six league places between the two sides but with honours shared in their two Super League meetings this season the most recent memory will be of Wakefield's win by 36-28 back in May.
A game against Hull FC at Wembley on the 27th August awaited the winners of today's eighty minute battle.
The opening try came from an error when Stefan Ratchford lost the ball in his own twenty. Two tackles in and Craig Hall crossed in the corner off a high looping Jacob Miller pass. Liam Finn converted brilliantly from the touchline to give the Wildcats the best of starts.
Warrington struck back on a quarter on an hour when Jack Hughes carried three Wakefield tacklers over the line and drop to the ground to score. Kurt Gidley added the extras and two minutes later he added a penalty after interference at the play-the-ball.
On twenty-four Daryl Clark went from dummy half to outpace the Wakefield defence and dive in, and when Gidley added the extras it was 14-6. Warrington were starting to dominate and three minutes later Rhys Evans found space out wide to get the third Warrington try without response. This time Gidley missed the conversion attempt but it was looking ominous for the Wildcats.
Two minutes from the interval and Kurt Gidley pushed his way to the line to ground on the whitewash. He added the extras for a big 24-6 half time lead.
Five minutes into the second half and Warrington scored again, booking their place in the final. Fast hands saw the ball passed all the way down the line before an Atkins offload into the hands of Chris Sandow who ducked under the Wildcats tacklers to dive over. Gidley again failed to convert.
Stefan Ratchford added the sixth Wolves try two minutes later when he finished off a seventy metre, five player, break to go down the wing and ground one-handed as the Wakefield defence had no response. Gidley converted from the touchline for 34-6.
When David Fifita was sin-binned on fifty minutes for a nasty looking high tackle on Sandow it became mission impossible.
On fifty-three and interception and break from Matty Russell saw him hauled down fifteen short of the line but after a fast play-the-ball Ben Currie took the pass from Sandow to score in the left corner. Gidley converted from the touchline for 40-6.
The eighth Wolves try came on fifty-seven when a Brad Dwyer chip over the Wakefield defence turned into a foot race which was won by Toby King to ground in goal. Gidley slid the conversion over for 46-6.
Ben Westwood brought up the fifty, fifteen minutes from time, when he went from dummy-half through an ineffective Wildcats defence to ground. In the absence of Gidley, Ratchford added the extra two.
Small consolation for Wakefield on sixty-nine when Max Jowitt finished a classy sixty metre try after picking up a bounce pass. Liam Finn added the extras for 52-12.
The final try came two minutes from time when Toby King walked through a non-existent Wildcats defence to score without a defensive hand being put on him. Ratchford missed the extras but the final score was settled at 56-12.
Despite trailing early on in the game, as soon as Warrington started scoring they never looked on any danger of losing this cup tie. Wakefield were ineffectual in defence and had little to offer in attack. It was a masterclass from the Wolves and will be a big boost over the next few rounds of Super League before their date with Hull FC in late August.
Wolves: Ratchford (T, G), Russell, King T (2T), Atkins, Evans (T), Gidley (T, 7G), Sandow (T), Hill, Clarke (T), Sims, Currie (T), Hughes (T), Westerman. Subs: Dwyer (T), Westwood (T), Bailey, King G.
Wildcats: Jowitt (T), Jones-Bishop, Lyne, Arundel, Hall (T), Miller, Finn (2G), Scruton, Moore, Fifita (SB), Walton, Tupou, Sio. Subs: Crowther, Kirmond, Arona, Yates.
Referee: Gareth Hewer.
Attendance:
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