Betfred Super League
St Helens (6) 6
Tries: Sailor Goals: Sailor
Warrington (6) 18
Tries: Hopoate, Smith, Irwin Goals: Irwin 3
Warrington Wolves moved back to the top of the Super League table by coming from behind to beat St Helens.
Tristan Sailor got the hosts off the mark with his kick and chase, but Albert Hopoate went in just before the break to peg Saints back.
Josh Smith ran in from 80 metres to send Warrington in front and a St Helens error led to their third, and decisive, try.
Jack Welsby spilled Ewan Irwin’s long-range kick, leading to the Wire gaining ground to mount another attack, with Irwin running in.
Victory for Warrington – their fourth win in a row – meant they leapfrogged Leeds as leaders.
St Helens’ defeat was their third on the bounce and meant they lost further ground in the battle for top spot, with Paul Rowley’s side fourth and with an inferior points difference to their rivals.
Zack Gardner’s first game of the season for the Wire did not last long – the visitors were forced into an early change when he suffered a dislocated shoulder as he extended his arm to the ground following a tackle.
A bruising first half then saw the hosts lose Jonny Lomax after a quarter of an hour with what appeared to be a jaw injury. He was later taken to hospital for scans.
Soon after losing Lomax, however, Sailor spotted the space to run through and chase his own kick to go over for their first try.
St Helens almost rallied and added a quickfire second try when Owen Dagnall raced down the wing, but Josh Thewlis put in a try-saving tackle to deny him.
A brutal first half continued, with Saints pair Jake Davies and Mark Percival and Warrington’s Jordy Crowther all leaving the field within minutes of each other for respective head-injury assessments.
There was still time in the half for Warrington to respond, however, as Josh Smith charged through and gained the ground needed to send Hopoate in on the verge of the hooter.
An attritional match continued in the second half and it took almost 15 minutes for the first score, which came when a wayward Saints kick was left to bounce and was met by Smith, who put in a lung-busting run to go in from distance and send the visitors in front for the first time in the match.
Jake Shorrocks went in hard on James Bentley as Saints continued to chase the game, with that incident being put on report, and minutes later Irwin made the difference as the visitors prospered from Welsby’s error to eventually send him through.
Warrington finished the game with 12 players after Thewlis was shown a yellow card for a professional foul, having brought down Dagnall as he burst clean through down the wing with three minutes remaining.
St Helens: Welsby; Dagnall, Whitley, Percival, Sailor; Whitby, Lomax; Walmsley, Clark, Klemmer, Sironen, Davies, Shorrocks.
Interchanges: Cross, Wright, Delaney, Suluka-Fifita.
Warrington: Thewlis; Hopoate, Smith, Gardiner, Ashton; Irwin, Hayes; Thomas, Walker, Byrne, Bentley, Harrison, Currie.
Interchanges: Powell, Sipley, Crowther, Tanginoa.
Referee: Aaron Moore.