WARRINGTON WOLVES 35 HULL KR 12
KASEY SMITH, Halliwell Jones Stadium, Saturday

MATTY ASHTON scored a hat-trick as Warrington overcame a stubborn, twelve-man Hull KR to book their place in the semi-finals.

The victory sets up a trip to Leeds, but while the scoreline suggested a comfortable win, the action on the pitch told a different story.

Hull KR were under the pump for much of the game but somehow remained within touching distance of the Wolves.

They lost star winger Tom Davies in the second minute and then had to withstand several waves of Warrington pressure.

Even after being reduced to twelve by Peta Hiku’s dismissal for a petulant punch and conceding immediately afterwards, the Robins somehow kept themselves in the contest.

But ultimately the hill proved too steep to climb as Hull KR’s title defence – and Willie Peters’ reign as coach – ended in disappointing fashion.

That should not take anything away from Warrington, who struck at crucial moments and were the more complete side. Had they shown a little more cutting edge, the result could have been put beyond doubt earlier.

It was discipline which proved costly for Peters’ side in the opening stages. Having conceded a penalty, the Wolves capitalised. It was the opportunistic Ben Currie who couldn’t believe his luck when the usually-reliable Joe Burgess somehow lost his grip while attempting to claim George Williams’ grubber, and the loose-forward pounced.

The Robins were lucky Warrington’s lead wasn’t more when Burgess’ schoolboy fumble on the 20-metre line went unpunished.

With KR failing to clean up their game, Ewan Irwin was able to slot over a two-pointer to extend the lead to two scores. Then Ashton was denied by the video referee.

Burgess almost made up for his earlier error, but for some heroic last-ditch efforts from Josh Thewlis and Albert Hopoate.

The pair combined at the other end of the field moments later, but Hopoate couldn’t ground Thewlis’ deft cross-field grubber.

More chances for Warrington came and went. This time, Thewlis threw a poor pass which sailed behind his runners. Given the amount of defending done by the visitors, they would have felt a sense of relief.

From nowhere, they struck to drag themselves back into the contest when Arthur Mourgue weaved his way through Warrington from a kick return, with Burgess finishing the move to severely knock the Wolves’ grip on the game.

But there was time for another twist just before the hooter. A perfectly weighted Williams pass sent Kelepi Tanginoa through a gap in the defence, with Ashton taking over to finish in the corner.

More drama followed immediately after the break, with Hiku judged to have punched Williams. The force was more of a nudge, but with Hiku’s fist clenched, referee Aaron Moore had little option but to brandish a red card.

From the resulting set, Ashton grabbed his second – a period that would have left the travelling supporters infuriated, with replays appearing to show more than a hint of a forward pass in the build-up.

A disaster was averted when Thewlis was denied by the boot of Karl Lawton, as twelve-man Hull KR maintained hope of an unlikely comeback.

And, defying the odds, the visitors struck through Dean Hadley powering over.

But James Bentley changed the course of the game when he swooped in to intercept Tyrone May’s pass. He didn’t quite have the legs to go the length of the field, but Ashton did. The speedster raced all the way under the posts to complete his hat-trick.

Moments later, Hopoate executed a sublime finish in a score that finally killed off the spirited Robins.

There was time for a one-pointer from Williams and the departing Toby King – in his last game at the Halliwell Jones for Warington – put the icing on the cake, scoring a try just before the hooter.

GAMESTAR: George Williams had a hand in most of Warrington’s scores.

GAMEBREAKER: James Bentley’s intercept, which resulted in Matty Ashton racing off to score a hat-trick, was the final nail in the coffin.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Albert Hopoate’s finish in the corner was of the highest clash.

MATCHFACTS

WOLVES
2 Josh Thewlis
4 Albert Hopoate
23 Arron Lindop
3 Toby King
5 Matty Ashton
6 George Williams
18 Ewan Irwin
16 Liam Byrne
9 Danny Walker
10 James Harrison
12 Sam Stone
20 James Bentley
13 Ben Currie
Subs (all used)
8 Luke Yates
19 Leon Hayes
22 Joe Philbin
34 Kelepi Tanginoa
18th man (not used)
14 Sam Powell
Also in 21-man squad
1 Cai Taylor-Wray
25 Max Wood
26 Josh Smith

Tries: Currie (4), Ashton (39, 43, 60), Hopoate (64), King (79)
Goals: E Irwin 5/7
Field-goals: Williams (75)

HULL KR
1 Arthur Mourgue
2 Tom Davies
3 Peta Hiku
4 Oliver Gildart
5 Joe Burgess
6 Mikey Lewis
7 Tyrone May
8 Sauaso Sue
9 Jez Litten
11 Dean Hadley
16 Jai Whitbread
12 James Batchelor
13 Elliot Minchella
Subs (all used)
10 Tom Amone
14 Jack Broadbent
15 Sam Luckley
19 Karl Lawton
18th man (not used)
17 Rhyse Martin
Also in 21-man squad
22 Bill Leyland
23 Lee Kershaw
33 Frankie Dearlove

Tries: Burgess (36), Hadley (53)
Goals: Mourgue 2/2
Dismissal: Hiku (43) – punching

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 8-0, 8-6, 12-6; 16-6, 16-12, 22-12, 28-12, 29-12, 35-12

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Wolves: George Williams; Hull KR: Sam Luckley

Penalty count: 7-6
Half-time: 12-6
Referee: Aaron Moore
Attendance: 11,073