JOB done – but only just…
Having built a commanding advantage, Warrington Wolves very nearly saw it evaporate in the wake of a charging Toulouse Olympique side before eventually seeing out a Round 11 win in France.
It’s now three Super League wins in a row as they sit firmly inside the top six, but are performances trending the wrong way? But even if they are, is a bit more perspective needed?
We look at all of that and more in our key post-match talking points…
Another game of two halves
Two games in which Warrington Wolves did what was expected of them in similar ways.
As they did against Huddersfield Giants in their last Super League fixture, The Wire established early command with a strong first-half display – they did so without really getting out of second gear in Toulouse but while it may have been unspectacular, it was definitely solid.
Their completion rate was high, their discipline was good and when chances presented themselves, they were clinical to set themselves a platform to kick on.
But, as in Round 10, they did not kick on and the second half featured another concerning drop-off. It never threatened to cost them in Huddersfield, but it very much did in France.
Errors crept in, discipline collapsed and their game lost all momentum during a nightmare period of 10 minutes that cost three tries and a yellow card for Marc Sneyd.
In the end, they managed to turn the tide and get the job done, but they have to get to the bottom of the reasons why this is currently happening.
Is a concerning trend emerging?
So what is causing it? Why are performances less convincing all of a sudden?
Sam Burgess appeared to suggest the physical and emotional toil of last weekend’s Challenge Cup semi-final combined with the cross-Channel travel and a short turnaround was bound to catch up with his side at some point, but that doesn’t explain what happened in Huddersfield, Doncaster and Perpignan in the recent past.
Are teams starting to figure them out? Are cues going in the rack too early when good leads have been built up? Is it just the general ebb and flow of the season? After all, no team is going to play well every week as fatigue starts to kick in.
There is a particular quote from Burgess’ press conference that we shall analyse in two halves, the first of which is “We’re probably in one of those patches where we’re not quite where we need to be…”
An acknowledgment at least that performances have taken a dip, but fans will want to see action to put it right.
Perspective needed
And now for the second half of the aforementioned quote – “…but we’re picking up wins along the way which is important.”
That is a crucial thing to remember for those who are starting to react as if the primrose and blue world is about to fall in on itself again – it may not be completely stellar at the moment but in Super League at least, they are continuing to put points on the board.
Two points shy of leaders St Helens with a game in hand and a significantly superior points difference – there is every chance that, when they visit the BrewDog Stadium in a few weeks, they will do so with the chance to climb to the top of the table, and there won’t have been many predicting them to be there at any point in June.
They are six places and six points better off than they were at this stage last year having played one fewer game while they have the same number of points as they did at this point in the 2024 campaign, again from one less fixture.
What will add weight to sceptics’ arguments is that they were in a better position after Round 11 of 2023 – top of the table on 18 points – and they won just two of their next 11 Super League fixtures to ultimately cost Daryl Powell his job.
With such recent evidence of a collapse from a strong start, it is perhaps understandable for Wire fans to be jittery and cautious, but the facts are their team finds itself in a healthy spot in the here and now.
All hail the King
At the start of 2026, Toby King’s spot in the Warrington side was by no means guaranteed as he entered a big year – the last year of his contract with the club.
With two new centres signed and young players kicking down the door in his position, there were plenty saying he should be the one to make way.
Now, it is once again nye-on impossible to imagine a Wire team without him in it and his display in Toulouse was another example of why he continues to be such a key cog in the machine.
It wasn’t just his two tries either, but his work in yardage is vitally important in getting his side moving the right way – post-contact metres stats aren’t publicly available, but the chances are King’s are impressive given the way he seems to poke his nose through defensive lines with the majority of his carries.
There is still no further news on whether or not he will remain a Wire player beyond the end of this year, but he certainly isn’t doing his chances of earning further employment – whether it is here or elsewhere – any harm currently.
The good, the bad and the Bentley
When it became clear that James Bentley was heading for Warrington, it was always apparent that he was going to polarise opinion.
He has done wherever he has gone, and Sam Burgess is the latest head coach tasked with tipping the fine balance between the upside of his game and the downside towards the former.
His display in Toulouse was a perfect encapsulation of how he can both thrill and frustrate fans – and indeed coaches – in equal measure.
Defensively, he was everywhere – his 48 tackles including some particularly sharp ones out of marker was the highest of any player on the field – while he again showed he can time a pass superbly when he released Josh Smith to score.
However, that can often go hand-in-hand with sloppy discipline and of the five penalties Wire conceded here, Bentley was the culprit for three of them, two of which came within a minute of each other with his side under huge pressure in the second half.
Given the type of player he is, asking him to reign in his aggression would probably be counter-productive and when he gets the balance right, he tends to produce some superb displays.
Very much like it is for the collective, the key for Warrington now is narrowing the gap between the best and worst of their abrasive back-rower.
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