Wigan Warriors u19 32 Warrington Wolves u19 6

WOLVES were defeated at Wigan in a bruising academy fixture on Saturday afternoon.

The game was played in constant rain that made playing conditions very difficult although both sides can be proud of the standard of play on show.

The young Wolves were guilty of several handling errors in the first half that Wigan managed to punish and although they improved significantly after the break it was the home side who deservedly took the spoils.

Wigan opened the scoring in the eighth minute when quick hands close to the Wolves line saw hooker Callum Wright and centre Oliver Gildart combine to put winger Josh Rodney over in the right corner.

Stand off Ryan Hampshire converted and then ten minutes later a strong run down the middle by prop forward Rhys Pugsley pierced a hole in the Warrington defence and a great offload put second row Connor Farrell over at the side of the posts. Hampshire added the conversion.

Warriors stretched their lead on twenty six minutes when a long ball on the Wolves ten metre line from Wright was collected off the floor by Rodney who rounded the cover to score wide out on the right and give his side a 16-0 half time advantage.

Six minutes into the second half a high kick on the last tackle by Farrell was fumbled by the wolves and Hampshire picked up the loose ball and put centre Ellis Grimes over wide on the left and then ten minutes later the Wolves task was made even harder when substitute Joe Collins was dismissed for a high tackle.

Just after the hour mark a kick downfield by the Wolves was collected on the halfway line by Warriors full back Lewis Tierney and his long pass found Rodney who raced through some weak defence on a fifty metre dash to complete his hat-trick.

Hampshire added the conversion but then the Wolves were rewarded for their sterling efforts when good work by loose forward Ben Currie and centre James Saltonstall put their side close to the Wigan line and substitute Toby King’s smart pass found stand off Jimmy Rowland who stepped round two defenders to score under the posts. Rowland added the extras himself.

Right on the stroke of full time Wigan’s Hampshire raced fifty metres down the right wing before being caught superbly by Currie but he somehow managed to slip the ball out and it was collected by Gildart who scored on the right. Hampshire converted to make the final score 32-6.

Warriors: Lewis Tierney; Josh Rodney, Ellis Grimes, Oliver Gildart, Dominic Manfredi; Ryan Hampshire, Jake Shorrocks; Rhys Pugsley, Callum Wright, Ben Austin, Connor Farrell, Grant Beecham, Rob Lever. Subs: Sam Brooks, Luke Waterworth, Ryan Sutton, Nic Gregson.

Tries: Rodney (8 mins, 26, 61), Farrell (18), Grimes (46), Gildart (80).

Goals: Hampshire 4 from 6.

Wolves: Scott Turner; Jake Eccleston, James Saltonstall, Will Fairhurst, Sean Henney; Jimmy Rowland, Declan Patton; Gavin Bennion, Andy Ackers, Joe Philbin, Jacque Peet, Jonny Brown, Ben Currie. Subs: Ryan Maneely, Toby King, Micky Learmonth, Joe Collins.

Tries: Rowland (69 mins).

Goals: Rowland 1 from 1

Referee: Robert Webb (Leigh)