Challenge Cup: Wigan 14-12 Warrington – Warriors hold on with 12 men

Wigan (8) 14Tries: King, Miski Goals: Smith 3Warrington (0) 12Tries: Bullock, Thewlis Goals: Ratchford 2

Wigan Warriors played almost the whole game a man short but still reached the Challenge Cup semi-finals with a memorable win over Warrington Wolves.

It looked likely to be a game-turner when Wigan forward Kaide Ellis was shown a sixth-minute red card after twice squaring up to Stefan Ratchford in a melee.

But holders Wigan then went 8-0 up with a try from on-loan Warrington centre Toby King and two Harry Smith kicks.

Even when Joe Bullock pulled a try back after the break, improved by Ratchford, Wigan then scored a match-clinching second converted try from Abbas Miski.

Josh Thewlis gave Wire hope, Ratchford again converting, and the visitors thought they had won it when the winger went over again in the 79th minute but the referee Liam Moore chalked it off for a forward pass.

To a massive surge of home relief, that secured Wigan – 20-times winners of the tournament – a semi-final meeting with Hull KR, while St Helens will play Leigh or York.

Harry Smith landed all of his three kicks at goal, the third of them from the touchline

Neither side were in anything like their best form going into this game, having both lost two of their previous three Super League matches.

But the Challenge Cup can often stir the blood, especially between two local rivals with such history.

And this contest took just six minutes to burst into life when Australian loose forward Ellis twice put his head in Ratchford’s face in a quite unnecessary flashpoint that ended with both players surrounded by team-mates and blood coming from the bridge of the Warrington centre’s nose.

Yet it was Wigan who scored first when, from Smith’s crossfield kick, Miski rose highest to knock it backwards and the ball bounced kindly for King to clutch safely and dive over to score against his parent club.

Smith kicked the goal, then added another with a 22nd-minute penalty – and Liam Marshall could even have extended their lead, but was denied in the left corner by a magnificent tackle from Thewlis.

Wigan continued to hold out error-strewn Warrington until the 53rd minute when Bullock crashed over, and Ratchford converted close to the posts.

It did not take long to restore Wigan’s eight-point cushion as Miski dived over superbly in the right corner – and Smith superbly curled over the touchline conversion.

But, seven minutes from time, Sam Kasiano’s clever flick back to a high ball was transferred back – and Thewlis skipped inside to go over to the right of the posts. Then came that second late Thewlis chance when he thought he had scored, but the match officials chalked it off.

Wigan: Field; Miski, King, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Havard, O’Neill, Byrne, Shorrocks, Farrell, Ellis.

Interchanges: Cust, Singleton, Smithies, Hill.

Warrington: Dufty; Thewlis, Wrench, Ratchford, Ashton; Mata’utia, Williams; Dudson, Walker, Vaughan, Currie, Harrison, Kasiano.

Interchanges: Clark, Philbin, Bullock, Green.

Referee: Liam Moore.