ST HELENS 6 WARRINGTON WOLVES 18
KASEY SMITH, BrewDog Stadium, Thursday

IT is often said that defence wins games, and it rang true once again as Warrington held firm against St Helens to move to the top of Super League.

Warrington soaked up sustained pressure and struck at key moments, extending Saints’ winless run against them to nine games and condeming Paul Rowley to his first home defeat as coach.

Saints took the lead early on and were dominant, but they had only one try to show for it, with the Wolves impressing in defence.

In the second 40, Warrington returned a transformed side in attack, seizing momentum and turning the game on its head. Saints were left to ponder where it had all gone wrong.

Saints could have been in front when Jonny Lomax darted for the line, but Thewlis and Matty Ashton produced a last-ditch effort to deny him.

Tristan Sailor started the game on the wing, but that lasted barely 15 minutes before he was shifted back into the halves following Lomax’s exit with a suspected broken jaw. Forced or not, the reshuffle paid off, as Sailor chased down his own grubber to grab the opening try and convert.

They could have been in again shortly after, but a superb ankle tap from Thewlis denied Owen Dagnall.

Things got worse for Warrington when James Bentley coughed up possession on his own line, but Saints simply could not capitalise.

Sam Burgess’ side had conceded the fewest points in Super League to this point, and that defensive steel was on full display to restrict St Helens, who threw everything at it and came away with little reward.

Right on the stroke of half-time, Warrington made one of their few attacking opportunities count. Starved of possession, Ewan Irwin injected blistering pace to burn off Curtis Sironen and Sailor before, on the last tackle, offloading to Josh Smith who sent Albert Hopoate off to score in the corner.

From the touchline, Irwin nailed the conversion to level the scores at half-time.

If the first half belonged to Saints, the second was firmly Warrington’s.

Shortly after the break, Ben Currie thought he had snuck over, but after a video review the try was chalked off.

In contrast to the opening 40, Saints were left scraping for opportunities. On a last play, George Whitby launched his kick high into the air when he perhaps intended a deep kick downfield. Jack Welsby decided to leave it and Smith pounced, breaking free from the weak hands of Daryl Clark and racing the length of the field to put his side in front.

But what followed was even more impressive. Saints earned a scrum just ten metres out and immediately began to trouble Warrington with late offloads that caused chaos in the defensive line. With two men overlapping out wide and the try looking inevitable, a desperate, last-ditch intervention from Matty Ashton saw him somehow get a hand to the ball, batting it away at the crucial moment as Warrington survived once again.

Irwin put the game to bed late on, dancing through to score after a knock-on from Welsby beneath a high kick.

That meant man of the match Thewlis’ late tackle of Dagnall off the ball, which brought a yellow card, was of no consequence.

GAMESTAR: Josh Thewlis came up with some huge efforts in defence to keep Saints out.

GAMEBREAKER: Ewan Irwin, who had been a menace all night, struck a decisive blow with his try in the final ten minutes.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Matty Ashton’s effort to prevent Saints from scoring when they had two men free out wide was sublime.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Josh Thewlis (Warrington)
2 pts Matty Ashton (Warrington)
1 pt Ewan Irwin (Warrington)

MATCHFACTS

SAINTS
1 Jack Welsby
24 Owen Dagnall
16 Matt Whitley
4 Mark Percival
6 Tristan Sailor
17 George Whitby
7 Jonny Lomax
8 Alex Walmsley
9 Daryl Clark
13 David Klemmer
11 Curtis Sironen
28 Jake Davies
22 Joe Shorrocks
Subs (all used)
5 Deon Cross
12 Shane Wright
15 George Delaney
17 Daniel Suluka-Fifita (D)
18th man (not used)
30 Tom Humphreys
Also in 21-man squad
2 Kyle Feldt
29 Alfie Sinclair
– Deacon Swarbrick

Tries: Sailor (17)
Goals: Sailor 1/1

WOLVES
2 Josh Thewlis
4 Albert Hopoate
26 Josh Smith
29 Zack Gardner
5 Matty Ashton
18 Ewan Irwin
19 Leon Hayes
21 Luke Thomas
9 Danny Walker
16 Liam Byrne
20 James Bentley
10 James Harrison
13 Ben Currie
Subs (all used)
14 Sam Powell
15 Toafofoa Sipley
17 Jordy Crowther
34 Kelepi Tanginoa
18th man (not used)
35 Lachlan Webster
Also in 21-man squad
1 Cai Taylor-Wray
11 Adam Holroyd
33 Tommy Rhodes

Tries: Hopoate (40), J Smith (54), Irwin (77)
Goals: Irwin 3/3
Sin bin: Josh Thewlis (77) – professional foul

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6; 6-12, 6-18

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Saints: Tristan Sailor; Wolves: Josh Thewlis

Penalty count: 4-5
Half-time: 6-6
Referee: Aaron Moore
Attendance: 11,590