Wigan Warriors 30

Warrington Wolves 18

WARRINGTON Wolves may well have had some of their lethal weapons missing but the chance to appear in the 2004 Powergen Challenge Cup final was thrown away on Sunday.

Wolves were keen in defence, dominated territorially and enjoyed a greater share of the possession for large parts of Sunday's semi-final against their cup bogey side Wigan Warriors.

Wigan hardly stepped into Warrington's half in the first period and Wolves were so disciplined in their approach that they did not concede a penalty for the opening 32 minutes.

Wolves even matched Wigan in the forward battle despite being short of props to rotate, after starting the game without Paul Wood and Chris Leikvoll and then losing Mark Hilton after 25 minutes with a dead leg.

But Paul Cullen's men gifted their arch-rivals three tries, were sloppy in defence for the killer and were unable to find the clinical finishing touch in their own game often enough to capitalise on the chances they created. That is where they missed the likes of Graham Appo and Brent Grose.

Wayward passes went to ground at crucial points, with ones by Mike Forshaw and Dean Gaskell resulting in opportunist Brett Dallas tries, and there were Warrington touch downs that went begging.

In the end Wolves got what they deserved - knocked out of a competition they have not won for 30 years against a side they have not beaten in the Challenge Cup for 29 years.

During the last five minutes of the first half and first 10 minutes of the second half it looked as if Wolves' pressure would pay off but they let Wigan off the hook.

Ex-Wigan loose forward Forshaw, a two-times winner of the cup with Bradford, was unable to hold Lee Briers' pass for a certain try in the 38th minute.

Forshaw then had a try ruled out for a forward-looking knock back of Briers' high kick by Gaskell in the 44th minute.

After pulling back to 12-6 thanks to Ben Westwood's 46th minute try Wolves looked capable of adding more tries but the steam of their attacks went when Wigan gained a penalty for Warren Stevens' needless ball stealing attempt.

A few tackles later Andy Farrell banged over a penalty goal for a similar infringement by Danny Lima, who was a colossus in the Wolves pack, and Wigan seemed to lift themselves on the strength of it.

The most disappointing factor was that the Wigan team on show on Sunday must have been the weakest presented as opposition to Wolves in a long time, but somehow they still managed to pull off a win mainly thanks to stubborn defence.

With Warrington now out of the running it would be pleasing to see ex-Wolves skipper Mike Gregory win a trophy, even as Wigan coach, but if the cherry and whites repeat Sunday's dull performance in the final on May 15, then the silverware will be heading to Knowsley Road or the McAlpine Stadium.

Match facts

Powergen Challenge Cup semi-final, April 18, 2004

Wigan Warriors 30

Warrington Wolves 18

Warriors: Kris Radlinski; Martin Aspinwall, Stephen Wild, Kevin Brown, Brett Dallas; Sean O'Loughlin, Danny Orr; Craig Smith, Terry Newton, Quentin Pongia, Mick Cassidy, Gareth Hock, Andrew Farrell. Subs used: Adrian Lam, Terry O'Connor, Danny Sculthorpe, Mark Smith.

Wolves: Daryl Cardiss; Ben Westwood, Darren Burns, Ian Sibbit, Dean Gaskell; Lee Briers, Nathan Wood; Mark Hilton, Jon Clarke, Danny Lima, Jerome Guisset, Mike Wainwright, Mike Forshaw. Subs used: Mark Gleeson, Warren Stevens, Paul Noone. Sub not used: Gary Hulse.

Referee: Steve Ganson

Attendance: 11,175

Interesting note: Third time Wolves and Warriors have met in Challenge Cup semi-finals but Wigan have been the winners on each occasion.

Scoring: Dallas swoops on loose Forshaw pass to race over, 10mins, Farrell converts, 6-0. Radlinski wins race to Briers' chip kick and then sprints 80m to touch down, 23mins, Farrell on target again, 12-0. Briers penalty goal, 28mins, 12-2. Half-time. Westwood accepts Burns clever pass to fend off Orr and scoot over, 46mins, 12-6. Farrell penalty goal, 53mins, 14-6. Gaskell wild pass leads to Dallas try, 63mins, Farrell goals, 20-6. Burns squeezes between defenders to catch Briers' kick and plunge over, 66mins, Briers improves, 20-12. Dallas scoots out of Noone tackle and past flat-footed Guisset and Lima for 90m touch down, 71mins, Farrell converts, 26-12. Wild squeezes over in corner, 78mins, 30-12. Forshaw concludes try scoring, 81mins, Briers goals, 30-18.

Penalties: Warriors 5 Wolves 4

Scrums: Warriors 7 Wolves 3

Warrington Guardian top men: Lima 3pts, Wainwright 2pts, Forshaw 1pt. Ratings will be accumulated throughout the year.