Warrington came out all guns blazing to rack up four tries in the first quarter of the game in this top of the table fixture. However, it was standoff JP Hudson who first got the ball rolling in the third minute with a penalty from the Wilmslow 22. 3-0

Five minutes later, centre Archie Kellett ghosted over on an inside line to round off a succession of crisp interchanges in the back division, conversion by Hudson from under the posts. 10-0

Warrington scored again just after the restart when the ball came down the line to winger Tom McEniff who took play up to the Wilmslow try line. Although the winger was brought down just short, the ball was quickly shipped to centre Ryan Newton crashing over for Warrington’s second try. 15-0

McEniff himself was next on the score board a few minutes later taking the ball over wide on the right from a long pass from Kellett. 20-0

Although Warrington were generally making ground with ball in hand, standoff Hudson also employed the kicking game. A prodigious up and under, well retrieved by Hudson himself, took Warrington up to the Wilmslow 10m line but although Warrington recycled the ball they could not capitalise further on this occasion.

Wilmslow countered Warrington’s onslaught by kicking for territory and launching attacks from deep in the Warrington half. However, Warrington stole a Wilmslow line-out in the twenty fifth minute when hooker Harrison Turner snapped up a loose ball and sprinted out to half-way. A cross kick to winger McEniff kept the momentum going and the ball back inside to Turner in support gave the hooker Warrington’s bonus point try. 25-0

Wilmslow, however, stuck to their game plan and put severe pressure on Warrington from scrums in the Warrington 22 and from rolling mauls developed from line-outs. Although these were strenuously resisted, Wilmslow finally gained a pushover try but not before Warrington’s back rower Joe Craven had earned a yellow card for a no arms tackle in the resistance. Warrington then got the rub of the green two minutes before halftime when Wilmslow knocked on over the line as they went for their second try.

HT 25-5

A dismal second half followed for Warrington. Wilmslow dominated territory and possession aided and abetted by poor discipline from Warrington which, fifteen minutes into the half, gave the visitors an extra 10m. Wilmslow popped the ball into the corner and rumbled over from the subsequent line-out. 25-12

This was the first of three such tries stemming from rolling mauls which the visitors used to devastating effect, on one occasion earning 50m in the process 25-24

With ten minutes to go Wilmslow finally edged ahead with a penalty. 25-27

A fraught end to the game looked as if Warrington might finish, if not with a win, with a losing bonus point as well as the try bonus point. This was not to be as Wilmslow’s big wheel kept on rolling for two more tries.

FT 25-39

This was the epitome of the game of two halves with two starkly contrasting styles of play. While Warrington’s may have been more entertaining, formation try scoring was, on this occasion, more effective. Warrington’s poor discipline, however, contributed to their defeat. At one point they were reduced to 12 men as a result of two concurrent yellow cards which meant they had to revert to uncontested scrums which require an additional player to be sacrificed.

Team:-
1) Harry Kellett, 2) H.Turner, 3) S.Bennett, 4) W.Morgan, 5) J Evans, 6) Andy Kellett, 7) J.Craven 8) D.Fleming (c),
9) J.Whittaker, 10) JP.Hudson, 11) M.Caldwell, 12) Archie Kellett, 13) R.Newton, 14) L.Turner, 15) T.McEniff
Bench:- 16) T.Green, 17) S.Antrobus, 18) M.Beeley

Report by Roy Potts WRUFC

Next game:- Warrington v Wigan 28th February 2026 KO 14:15 (2:15pm)