Wire fan and published author Rob Watson gives his take on Saturday's Challenge Cup win over St Helens...

THIS was Wire’s biggest test since the re-start and it was great fun to watch them pass it.

They went up against the best team in the country, looked every bit as good as them and managed to come away with the win.

The pack being bolstered by the return of several first-choice forwards was obviously good, but the potential downside was that they would be rusty and lacking in match fitness after a couple of weeks in isolation.

Fortunately, there were no obvious signs of either of those things although I’m sure a few of them were feeling more tired than usual by the end of the game.

> GUARDIAN VERDICT: Wire prove once again to be St Helens' kryptonite

Warrington Guardian:

Jason Clark was one of the Wire forwards who returned on Saturday. Picture by Mike Boden

In some ways, this win was even more impressive than the one over the same opponents at Wembley on that glorious summer’s day last year.

For one thing, going eight points down to this St Helens team is not a place that many teams come back from but Wire completely kept their composure after that start.

This was also a performance where Wire were prepared to go toe-to-toe with Saints and backed themselves to outplay them.

A devastating spell at the end of the first half was the biggest difference between the two teams. Wire scored three brilliant tries in a short space of time, something that Saints so often do to their opponents and it was fantastic to see Wire doing it to them for a change.

With Jake Mamo and Matty Ashton in the same team, Wire are not short of speed and after good work from Toby King, those two combined to score my favourite try of the match.

Warrington Guardian:

Matty Ashton gallops over from long range. Picture by Mike Boden

With players like that in the team, you always feel there is a decent chance that Wire can score long-range tries, something that so many great sides over the years have been able to do more frequently than average teams.

They still look a little short on ideas on how to score when close to their opponent’s line – something that they mask to an extent by being such a threat from cross-field kicks.

With Wire’s defence being so good, it looks like they will not have to score too many points too often to win games but it is always good to have as many ways of scoring as possible.

In this match they did find another way to score but even at my most optimistic I am not going to put Anthony Gelling’s headed flick-on down as a training ground move perfectly executed.

Warrington Guardian:

Anthony Gelling scores. Picture by Mike Boden

This performance shows that Wire are more than capable of beating any team in the Super League.

What remains for them to prove is can they keep performing at that level consistently and whether they can do it when it matters in November, or whenever this season does eventually come to an end.

I am gradually getting used to being purely an armchair fan for now.

If this most bizarre of seasons does end up being the one that ends the long wait, hopefully at least we and the players will be allowed to celebrate that.