WARRINGTON Wolves loose forward Tawera Nikau was left stunned by his 79th minute red card against Wigan Warriors.

He said, straight after the hooter: "The referee sent me off and I don't know what for. I wasn't involved in the punch-up. I was too over-aggressive for him I think.

"I thought the referee didn't handle the game very well. I thought he lost control of it."

New Zealander Nikau is renowned for the aggressive way he plays the game and he was impressed by that factor in the Wolves' pack display at the JJB Stadium.

He said: "Up until Toa was sent off we were on top but were always going to struggle after that.

"But I thought our pack and the other players never gave up. We were aggressive but it was good, aggressive defence."

Nikau, who helped to condition the Wolves players during pre-season, was delighted by the stamina of the Wolves' mass turn out of support.

He said: "The supporters were fantastic. They never stopped singing and it really gave us a lift."