King of upset victories
Warrington defy the odds
PRINCE Harry spurned a weekend with the rest of the family at Balmoral to be at Wembley.
He must feel it was a decision well made after Warrington Wolves put on a show fit for a king, never mind a prince, to stun favourites St Helens in a pulsating clash.
Led by the magnificent Stefan Ratchford, and in the absence of injured playmaker Blake Austin, the Wire pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the history of this grand old tournament.
St Helens are widely regarded as the best team in the country and for good reason. They are 16 points clear at the top of Super League.
Warrington had lost their last five matches and had looked like they had no idea where their next win was coming from. They know now.
Somehow the underdogs took e ver yt hi ng Sai nt s , who were justifiably aggrieved with referee Robert Hicks, hurled at them.
Somehow they got their noses in front and protected that lead as though their lives depended on it.
After going 12- 0 up they faced immense pressure. And when the gap was cut to eight they could have collapsed. They did not. With eight minutes remaining man of the match Daryl Clark forced his way over and their dream was realised.
Warrington’s likeable Aussie coach Steve Price, whose side were upset by Catalans Dragons here last year, said: ‘This is a better feeling, isn’t it? It was very hollow last year.
‘ I’m just very pleased for the players — they’ve worked their backsides off. It had to take a special performance and I’ve got a special group.’
The game may have gone another way had Saints been awarded a try when Morgan Knowles grounded a Theo Fages kick on three minutes.
For reasons known only to himself, Hicks ruled it out and did not even send it upstairs to the video room. Saints boss Justin Holbrook, who said the better team won, branded it ‘unforgivable’.
‘It’s a Challenge Cup final,’ he said. ‘You’d be filthy if it happened in a Super League match and they didn’t check it. It’s massive — you get your noses in front on a hot day. This may sound like sour grapes but I can’t get my head around it. It’s awful.’
Desperate defence kept the game scoreless until quick-thinking Joe Philbin spotted a gap and was over.
Saints full- back Lachlan Coote, who had a nightmare, dropped a Ratchford bomb and from the set of six Ben Murdoch-Masila went over.
With half-time approaching Warrington managed to hold out and Ratchford celebrated.
Another game-changer came when a flying Bryson Goodwin denied a trademark dive from Tommy Makinson. After a ferocious spell of pressure Fages finally breached the tiring primrose-and-blue wall. But Coote, unforgivably, could not add the extras and Clark made sure.
Prince Harry found a seat in the shade on a scorching day not for those of fair complexion.
The limelight, however, belonged to Warrington.