IT was hard work but a much-changed Warrington Wolves side got over the finish line in the end.

Tony Smith brought in five new faces and made nine positional changes but Wolves maintained the heat on leaders Wigan and Huddersfield with an impressive showing of strength in depth.

The match, heralding first-team returns for Ben Harrison, Brad Dwyer, Tyrone McCarthy, Glenn Riley and Rhys Williams, finally swung Wolves’ way in the final 30 minutes.

Two-try Ben Currie, hard-working Mike Cooper and front rowers Garreth Carvell and Chris Hill stood out, while man-of-the-match Chris Bridge was a constant danger and made the break that turned the clash in Wolves’ favour.

Until the last 30 minutes, spoiling tactics at the play-the-ball restricted Wolves’ ability to play at their usual high tempo throughout the game.

Referee Tim Roby was far too lenient with the deliberate slowing-down process and accompanying niggling, with Rovers hooker Josh Hodgson making a particular nuisance of himself.

And some Rovers’ fans in the West Stand also displayed misbehaviour, throwing a beer bottle on the pitch at one point and a red flare after the final hooter.

Not for the first time this year that supporters of a visiting team from Humberside has required sturdy stewarding and a police presence.

Roby did lose patience with Rovers in the end and as the penalties piled up to 11-2, so did Wolves’ points.

Despite all the nonsense, Wolves were still able to get on the front foot when Carvell and Hill were on the field and built up an early 12-0 lead.

However, when they were spelled there was a lack of penetration and Rovers enjoyed a purple patch that they were unable to make the most of.

But the return of Carvell and Hill, when it was 12-6, sparked a rally of 22 unanswered points that blew the spirited Robins away.

It was a storming Carvell charge that paved the way for Wolves’ opening try after six minutes.

He left defenders on the floor when playing the ball, allowing Bridge a quick scoot and chip ahead for Hodgson to snatch the ball off full back Greg Eden with a juggle and score. Hodgson also converted for 6-0.

The score came after a Hull KR obstruction had relieved pressure at the Warrington end.

And two more penalties cost Rovers dearly again as the impressive Cooper blasted through three defenders on a powerful surge moments after Currie had been stopped inches short from a similarly gutsy drive. With Hodgson adding the extras, Wolves led 12-0 after 11 minutes.

But the territory and possession battle went the visitors’ way for the rest of the half.

The Robins hit back quickly, with a Travis Burns break and sweeping play leading to a kick that was covered by Williams over his own line but the drop-out paved the way for Jordan Cox to crash over from Burns’ pass. Michael Dobson’s goal cut the gap to six points after 16 minutes.

Craig Sandercock’s men dominated proceedings after that without reward.

Aussie half backs Dobson and Burns started to run the show, with their tactical kicking pegging Warrington back.

The closest they came to levelling was in the final act of the first half when Burns thought he had got over in the corner but whistler Roby called play back for a forward pass.

Wolves were struggling to get on the front foot with the slow play-the-balls again at the start of the second period but the return of Carvell and Hill made a difference and a touch of fortune led to Wolves extending their lead.

A Burns bomb dropped in front of a crowded-out Hodgson but the bounce favoured Bridge, who screamed 60 metres down field.

Then Wolves swept the ball right through Carvell, Hill and Hodgson to allow Briers to put Currie over in the right corner. Although Hodgson was narrowly wide with his touchline conversion attempt, Wolves were 16-6 ahead with 52 minutes gone.

Briers and Currie then came to the rescue at the other end, stopping Greg Eden inches short of the line after a diagonal dart.

The penalties started mounting for the Robins’ interference at the rucks and it took its toll as Wolves put the game to bed in 67th minute.

Michael Monaghan’s scrambled offload was smartly picked up by Hodgson and his combination with Joel Monaghan created space for Chris Riley to cut inside and score. Hodgson’s extras moved Wolves 22-6 in front.

Craig Hall kicked out on the full from the restart and moments later Michael Monaghan shook off Lincoln Withers’ feeble tackle attempt and crossed to the left of the posts, allowing Hodgson to convert for a 28-6 advantage after 70 minutes.

Currie showed some lovely footwork to turn Eden and Rhys Lovegrove inside out late on as he capitalised on an overlap with the final try, converted by Briers, to send Wolves into  next weekend's Challenge Cup semi finals on a winning note.

Wolves: Brett Hodgson; Rhys Williams, Chris Bridge, Joel Monaghan, Chris Riley; Lee Briers, Michael Monaghan; Garreth Carvell, Micky Higham, Chris Hill, Ben Currie, Trent Waterhouse, Mike Cooper. Subs: Brad Dwyer, Ben Harrison, Tyrone McCarthy, Glenn Riley.

Hull KR: Greg Eden; Craig Hall, Sean Gleeson, Liam Salter, David Hodgson; Travis Burns, Michael Dobson; Micky Paea, Josh Hodgson, Adam Walker, Rhys Lovegrove, Jordan Cox, Constantine Mika. Subs: Lincoln Withers, Richard Beaumont, Tyla Hepi, Evarn Tuimavave.

Referee: Tim Roby