WARRINGTON’S young guns were no match
for Wigan as they were out muscled and out classed 4-44 at the
Halliwell Jones in a pre-season friendly in front of a crowd of 6,711.
Fresh from agreeing a new two year contract with the Warriors second rower Sam Tomkins scored a hat-trick of tries for the visitors.
Richie Mathers, Joel Tomkins, Karl Pryce and Sean Ainscough scored Wigan’s opening four tries in the first 20 minutes and it could have been worse if regular goal-kicker Pat Richards had been there.
Instead the deputising Cameron Phelps missed three of his four kicks and the Warriors led 18-0 at that stage, before Pryce went in at the corner on the half hour mark for his second try of the game.
Sam Tomkins took over the responsiblities with the boot, but he too missed his first attempted conversion as Warrington went into the break trailing 22-0.
Mathers crossed for his second try of the match six minutes after the restart and again the conversion was missed before a strong break by Michael McIlorum sent Tomkins in under the posts and the scrum-half converted to make it 32-0.
Seventeen-year-old James Mendeika did get Wolves on the board around the hour mark, but in truth the Warrington youngsters were never really in the contest.
Tomkins stole the show with his second converted try 12 minutes from time and he then went on to complete his hat-trick on 75 minutes, with Phelps this time adding the extras, as Brian Noble’s charges signalled their intent for the new Super League season.
Only five of the Wolves’ 22-man squad had seen first team action before, but the gulf in class on this evidence will be a concern for head coach James Lowes.
Warrington: Chris Murphy; Kevin Penny, Matty Blythe, James Mendeika, Rhys Williams; Nigel Scott, Scott Leatherbarrow; Ben Harrison, Alex Thompson, Adam Neal; Tyrone McCarthy, Lee Mitchell, James Laithwaite. Substitutes: Dave Saxon, Josh Cullen, Matthew Lomax, Jack Reid, Chris Dean, Danny Martin, Gaz O’Brien, Liam Hulme, Greg Hamilton.
Wigan: Richie Mathers; Karl Pryce, Darrell Goulding, Cameron Phelps, Sean Ainscough; Sean O’Loughlin, Sam Tomkins; Andy Coley, Mark Riddell, Iafeta Paleaaesina, Mark Flanagan, Liam Farrell, Joel Tomkins. Substitutes: Eamon O’Carroll, Ian Thornley, Ben Davies, Michael McIlorum, Stuart Howarth, Chris Gerrard, Josh Veivers.
ATTENDANCE: 6,711
