Just points difference separated top and third coming into tonight's game at the Halliwell-Jones between the Wolves of Warrington and the Warriors of Wigan.

Warrington could boast the tightest defence, and the second best attack, with a massive points difference in their favour but whoever won tonight's match would go two points clear.

This was a real four-pointer and the outcome could go some way to deciding the minor premiership come September. On paper this was, without doubt, the game of the round.

It was a ferocious, but error strewn, opening seventeen minutes before Wigan finally broke the deadlock. The Wolves had just been denied a try by the video referee when Wigan took advantage of a penalty to gain easy metres and move the ball through hands from the centre field to the right wing for Josh Charnley to find a gap and slide over. Matty Smith was wide with the touchline conversion attempt.

Five minutes later and good Warrington pressure saw them into the lead. Ashton Sims earned a penalty and then some fast hands concluded with Daryl Clark throwing the dummy, dipping the shoulder, and going over by the sticks. Kurt Gidley kicked an easy conversion for 6-4.

On twenty-eight the Wolves went further ahead, again benefitting from a penalty, when Ben Westwood pushed through four tacklers to ground on the line. Gidley again added the extras.

A minute from the interval and Warrington were over the line again after Kevin Penny collected a high kick from Kurt Gidley to spin over the line to ground. Gidley added the extras and the Wolves were in total control, leading by 18-4 at the break.

Warrington dominated the opening seven minutes of the second half and that was how long it took for Ryan Atkins to find his way to the line off a Stefan Ratchford offload. Gidley kicked the conversion for 24-4 and the Wolves were moving out of sight.

On fifty-seven Ryan Atkins got his second of the night when the Wolves engineered the overlap off a Ratchford pass after Wigan had knocked-on under their own sticks. Gidley missed his first conversion of the night but let Wigan needing to score five converted tries.

Benjamin Jullien scored his first Wolves try taking a pass on his shoulder and pushing past the last defender. Gidley was accurate with the boot for 34-4 and with just a quarter of an hour left there was no way back for the Warriors.

John Bateman got a consolation for Wigan on sixty-eight by collecting his own grubber kick as it came back off the post padding. Matty Smith added the conversion for 34-10.

Ninety second from full time and Ben Westwood grabbed his second of the night as he again use brute strength to make a mockery of the four tacklers attached as he pushed five me tries to score. Stefan Ratchford took over the kicking duties and added the extras for 40-10 as the final hooter sounded.

After absorbing the Wigan onslaught for the opening quarter of an hour the Wolves dominated the rest of the game and were good value for their big victory. It was a professional Warrington performance and for sixty-five minutes they hardly put a foot wrong. Wigan weren't allowed to get any momentum and as they went increasingly behind, they looked increasingly disinterested.

Wolves: Russell, Penny (T), Evans, Atkins (2T), Lineham, Gidley (5G), Ratchford (G), Hill, Clark (T), Sims, Hughes, Currie, Westerman. Subs: King, Cox, Jullien (T), Westwood (2T).

Wigan: Sarginson, Charnley (T), Gelling, Gildart, Tierney, Gregson, Smith (G), Clubb, Powell, Mossop, Bateman (T), Isa, Sutton. Subs: Williams, Tautai, Burke, Wells.

Referee: Phil Bentham

Attendance: