The Warriors opened the scoring in the seventh minute when scrum half Evan Buckley made a break down the right that split the Wolves defence and he found hooker Joe McGann in support on his inside to race over. Stand off Alfie Maden converted and then just after the midway point of the half a ‘cut out’ ball from full back Sam Dickenson found centre Tom Farrimond at speed to go through a gap and score on the right. Maden added the conversion.

Five minutes before the break a ‘six again’ for Wigan paid dividends as quick hands from Buckley and Dickenson created room for winger Conner Oxbury to score in the right corner. Maden converted from the touchline but then right on the stroke of half time the Wolves got on the scoreboard when stand off Tommy Rhodes landed a penalty, after the Warriors had been punished for a dangerous tackle on substitute Ed Williams, to make the interval score 18-2 in the Warriors favour.

Five minutes into the second half the Wolves were back in the contest when Rhodes found Brady Bottomley out wide on the halfway line and the big second row handed off four defenders on a superb fifty metre run to score under the posts. Rhodes converted but then five minutes later the Warriors responded as Maden shaped to kick on the last tackle but caught the Wolves defence flat-footed as he ran the ball and shot through a gap to score on the left. Maden added the conversion.

The Wolves were determined not to lie down and after some pressure on the Wigan line they ran the ball on the last tackle as substitute Oliver Orgill found loose forward Ethan Holt who passed onto scrum half Jack Pendlebury and he fed second row Oliver Bishop who twisted in the tackle to score on the right. Rhodes converted but then the Warriors were a little fortuitous as a high kick on the last tackle from inside his own half by Maden looked to be heading straight out of play but Oxbury managed to hack the ball ahead and it bounced nicely into his arms for him to race over in the right corner. Maden added the conversion.

Two minutes from time the Wolves had Rhodes sin binned along with Wigan’s Buckley following a minor ‘flare up’ and then with the last play of the game Wolves substitute Tom Marshall ‘tipped’ the ball onto prop forward Isaac Holdsworth and he managed to get his hands free and slip the ball to hooker Leyton Haddrell who scored on the right. Bishop added the conversion to make the final score 30-20 to the Warriors.

After the game Wolves Academy Head Coach Daniel Hill said, “We fell short in the first week of the qualifiers, although the lads showed plenty of positives to take into our next game. I couldn’t fault the effort and intent for the full game, but we just come up short in losing some big moments in the game which we were punished for by Wigan. We will look at making the most out of the opportunities we create, and areas that can contribute to helping us win moments in big games, going into our remaining fixtures.”

WARRIORS

Sam Dickenson, Conner Oxbury, Tom Farrimond, Jovi Bentley-Elliott, Zak Bielecki, Alfie Maden, Evan Buckley, Lucas Fetherston, Joe McGann, Cody Lyons-Ashworth, Lewis Daniels, Harrison Pearson, Matty Halton.

Subs: Clayton Mayberry, Bailey Jones, Victor Omodele, Noah Forster, Charlie Jeffrey-Stott (18^th Man).

Tries

McGann (7 mins), Farrimond (21), Oxbury (35, 73), Maden (50).

Goals

Maden 5 from 5

WOLVES

Bailey Lund, Jack Fallon, Alfie Poles, Cameron Cooper, Regan Parkman, Tommy Rhodes, Jack Pendlebury, Isaac Holdsworth, Leyton Haddrell, Jamie Coop, Brady Bottomley, Ethan Holt.

Subs: Oliver Orgill, Zak Brand, Tom Marshall, Ed Williams, Reece Dobbs (18^th Man)

Tries

Bottomley (45), Bishop (66), Haddrell (80).

Goals

Rhodes 3 from 3

Bishop 1 from 1

Referee: Oliver Salmon (Huddersfield).

Academy suffer away defeat to Wigan