ESL ESL Warrington - News, Views and Crews

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Betfred Super League
Warrington (14) 38
Tries: Widdop Currie, Mamo, Charnley 3 Goals: Widdop 7
Wakefield (6) 18
Tries: Fifita, Arundel, Kershaw Goals: Lino 3

Josh Charnley scored a hat-trick of tries as Warrington bounced back from their Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to beat Wakefield in Super League.

Gareth Widdop's try put Wire ahead and Ben Currie cemented their advantage before David Fifita's reply.

Jake Mamo extended the hosts' lead and Charnley crossed for his first.

Joe Arundel gave Wakefield hope of a comeback but Charnley ran in two more tries before Lee Kershaw scored a late consolation effort before the hooter.

The victory is Warrington's sixth of the Super League campaign so far and they remain in fourth place but only a point behind all the top three, having played a game more.

 

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Betfred Super League
Leeds (18) 26
Tries: Newman 2, Oledzki, Dwyer Goals: Martin 5
Warrington (12) 27
Tries: Cooper, Austin, Charnley, Walker Goals: Ratchford 5 Drop-goal: Williams

George Williams marked his Warrington debut with a last-minute drop-goal to give his new side a pulsating 27-26 Super League win at Leeds.

Rhinos led 18-12 at the break thanks to tries from Harry Newman, Mikolaj Oledzki and Brad Dwyer, with Mike Cooper and Blake Austin replying.

Josh Charnley went over in the corner for the Wire but Newman sprinted in.

Danny Walker levelled the scores again with a great run before England half-back Williams won it with seconds left.

 

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Warrington Wolves have signed prop forward James Harrison from Featherstone Rovers on a two-year deal from the 2022 season.

The 24-year-old has been a regular for Rovers, helping them to 13 wins from 14 in the Championship and also winning the 1895 Cup at Wembley last month.

Harrison, whose father Karl played for Great Britain, has also played dual-registration in Super League at Leeds.

 

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Thursday's Super League match between Warrington and Catalans has been postponed as four of the Dragons' "essential staff" have coronavirus.

The news came seven hours before the scheduled kick-off as three cases were discovered shortly before the French side were expected to fly to England.

It is not known if any players have tested positive, with "consideration" to be given to rearranging the game.

The 2021 Super League table is to be determined by win points percentage.

That decision was made to allow for the possibility of a significant number of matches being called off because of Covid-19 issues.

Hosts Warrington say match tickets will remain valid for the fixture if it is rearranged, or they can be transferred to their next home game against St Helens.

 

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Betfred Super League
Warrington (16) 20
Tries: Ashton, Davis, Charnley Goals: Widdop 3 Drop-goals: Williams 2
Salford (12) 19
Tries: Sio 2, Lolohea Goals: Escare 2, Inu Drop-goal: Lolohea

George Williams' golden-point drop-goal gave Warrington Wolves a morale-boosting win against Salford Red Devils with the play-offs looming.

Matty Ashton, Matt Davis and Josh Charnley tries gave the Wire a first-half lead, although Ken Sio crossed at both ends of the half for Salford.

Tui Lolohea's converted try put the visitors ahead with 20 minutes to go, but Gareth Widdop's goal squared it up.

George Williams and Lolohea traded drop-goals, before Williams settled it.

With third place already assured and home advantage heading into this penultimate game of the season, this final match on home turf was a chance for Steve Price to give youth a chance.

 

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Betfred Super League
Castleford (0) 24
Tries: Mata'utia 2, Turner, Millington Goals: Richardson 4
Warrington (26) 40
Tries: Ashton 3, Mamo 2, Wrench Goals: Ratchford 7, Widdop

Warrington Wolves survived a second-half fightback and the dismissal of Mike Cooper to end Castleford's Super League play-off hopes in a thriller.

The Wire went 32-0 up with Matty Ashton's hat-trick and two from Jake Mamo as departing Tigers boss Daryl Powell pondered a miserable farewell.

Peter Mata'utia's double, plus tries from Jordan Turner and the retiring Grant Millington gave Cas hope.

Connor Wrench finally eased Wire fears and brought Tigers' season to an end.

This loss means Hull KR and Leeds Rhinos will complete the top six, and face each other on Friday in their last league game to decide who plays Wigan or Warrington in the eliminators.

 

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Warrington prop Mike Cooper will miss Friday's Super League play-off eliminator against Hull KR after receiving a one-match ban.

The 33-year-old was sent off following a high tackle which struck Tigers prop Liam Watts.

Cooper has now been handed the one-week penalty notice by the Rugby Football League's match review panel.

He can appeal against the Grade B charge at an independent tribunal.

 

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Warrington Wolves have signed Wigan Warriors prop Joe Bullock on a three-year deal.

The 28-year-old has spent the past three seasons with the Warriors after joining from Barrow Raiders.

 

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Forward Jason Clark has signed a one-year contract extension with Warrington Wolves to keep him with the club through 2022.

The 31-year-old Australian joined the Super League club in 2019 and has made 66 appearances since then.

Prior to moving to Warrington, Clark spent 11 years with South Sydney Rabbitohs in his home country.

 

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Warrington Wolves hooker Danny Walker has signed a new deal to remain with the Super League club until the end of the 2024 season.

The 22-year-old has made 44 appearances since joining his hometown club from Championship side Widnes in 2019.

 

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Head coach Daryl Powell is keen to see how much progress has been made at Warrington Wolves when he takes charge of his first competitive game after replacing Steve Price this past winter.

Saturday's trip to Leeds Rhinos will kick off the Wire's first campaign under the former Castleford boss.

Powell has had the squad in training since November's pre-season start, but had just one full squad friendly.

 

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Betfred Super League
Warrington (16) 32
Tries: King 3, Ashton 2, Philbin Goals: Ratchford 4
Salford (6) 18
Tries: Sio, Ackers, Brierley Goals: Sneyd 3

Toby King's hat-trick helped Warrington record a first win in five games in all competitions as they beat Salford at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

King scored his first two tries along with a Matty Ashton score in the opening 40 to open up a 16-6 lead, as Ken Sio got Salford off the mark.

Joe Philbin and Ashton tries extended the lead before Andy Ackers added another Salford score.

King got his treble before Ryan Brierley's late consolation.

 

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Warrington captain Jack Hughes will be out for about four months with a shoulder injury.

The 30-year-old back-rower was withdrawn and helped from the field early on in the loss.

Hughes has played eight games in 2022, missing the Wakefield Challenge Cup defeat through suspension.

He joined Warrington from Wigan Warriors in 2016 and has scored 26 tries in 169 games for the Wire.

 

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Betfred Super League
Warrington (18) 32
Tries: Thewlis 3, King, Wrench, Currie Goals: Dean 4
Huddersfield (4) 10
Tries: I. Senior, Yates Goal: Russell

Josh Thewlis scored a hat-trick as Warrington outplayed Huddersfield with an impressive home performance in Super League against high-flying visitors.

Ian Watson's Giants were off-colour and slumped to back-to-back losses for the first time in 2022, with only Innes Senior and Luke Yates tries to cheer.

Thewlis scored his first two tries in the opening 40, along with a score from Toby King for Daryl Powell's side.

Wires' Connor Wrench, Thewlis and Ben Currie all crossed after the break.

Warrington's win was made all the more impressive by the makeshift nature of parts of the spine, with Peter Mata'utia pressed into service in the halves alongside Riley Dean.


With Thewlis deputising for Stefan Ratchford at full-back, only Daryl Clark remained from what would normally be Powell's first-choice base, but the stand-ins impressed.

Dean showed his passing range to tee up Thewlis and put the ball on a string with the boot for the same player and King.

Giants were hampered by ill-discipline, with playmaker Jack Cogger twice sin-binned, and their late industry for Yates' try was merely consolation.

 

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Josh Maguire signs on board.

 

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Warrington outside back Connor Wrench will be out of action for around nine months after injuring his anterior cruciate ligament.

The 20-year-old sustained the injury during the 32-18 win against Toulouse Olympique on 11 August.

Wrench had broken through into the Warrington first team this season, making 14 appearances this term.

 

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Warrington Wolves captain Jack Hughes, Gareth Widdop, Matt Davis, Robbie Mulhern, Jason Clark and Kyle Amor will all leave the club at the end of the 2022 Super League season.

Hughes, 30, captained the Wire to the Challenge Cup in 2019 and has made 169 appearances for the club.

Widdop, 33, has scored 20 tries and was named player of the season last term.

Clark, also 33, is set to join French side Limoux Grizzlies at the end of his contract.

 

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Warrington signing Josh McGuire believes he still has plenty to offer following his move from the Australian National Rugby League to Super League.

The back-rower, now 32, has played for Australia, Samoa and Queensland at representative level.

McGuire also played 259 NRL games for Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland Cowboys and St George.

 

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Betfred Super League
Warrington (30) 42
Tries: Dufty, Clark, Thewlis, Walker, Kasiano, Harrison, Minikin Goals: Ratchford 7
Leeds (0) 10
Tries: Olpherts, Sangare Goal: Martin

Warrington made an impressive start to the new Super League season with a convincing 42-10 win over last year's losing Grand Finalists Leeds Rhinos.

Wolves, who finished second from bottom in a miserable 2022, ran in five first-half tries and led 30-0 at the break.

Matt Dufty gave them an early lead, and he was followed in by Daryl Clark, Josh Thewlis, Danny Walker and Sam Kasiano.

James Harrison and Greg Minikin added further Wolves tries, with Derrell Olpherts and Justin Sangare replying.