Wigan Warriors 14 Warrington Wolves 12, Challenge Cup verdict

A simple, structured game plan executed to perfection by half-backs after committed carrying and tackling elsewhere, bound together by a clearly solid bond and connection within the group.

None of that was evident from Warrington Wolves as they crashed out of the Challenge Cup despite Kaide Ellis handing them a golden opportunity to progress by planting a seventh-minute headbutt on Stefan Ratchford.

Kaide Ellis is shown the red card by referee Liam Moore (Image: SWPix.com)

More often than not, that advantage eventually tells if enough pressure is built. There should have been faith within the Warrington ranks that if they kept turning the screw, points would eventually follow.

Instead, they went for the early kill and what followed a half of rugby league that was desperately shambolic and up there with any of the horror shows they produced last year.

A first-half completion rate of around 40 per cent barely begins to tell the story – the kind of errors they were making were so frustrating because they were so basic.

This error from Ben Currie was one of 12 made by Wire in the first half (Image: PA)

At a time when cool heads were needed, Wire lost theirs and panicked. There seemed to be no semblance of a plan, the responsibility for which falls upon the team’s leaders on and off the field.

As such, Wigan were able to preserve their resources so that when Warrington’s periods of pressure did arrive after the break, they had plenty left in the tank to deal with it.

Tarring everyone in primrose and blue with the same brush would be unfair, however – amid a handful of Wire players who could emerge with some credit, Josh Thewlis shone the brightest.

Wigan were the latest team to test his nerve under the high ball but he had an answer every time while also coming up with some crucial defensive interventions, with a massive try-saving tackle on Liam Marshall the stand-out.

Were it not for him, his side would have been staring at a much bigger second-half mountain – at 8-0 down, the biggest victory was that they were still in the game.

Despite getting themselves back into the contest after the break and Thewlis being denied a last-gasp winner by Peter Mata’utia’s forward pass, they can have no complaints.

The three second-half tries they had ruled out – Daryl Clark was expertly held up by a Wigan defence that was energetic and committed all afternoon, Matt Dufty committed a double movement in his effort to reach the line and Thewlis’ non-try in the corner – were all the correct calls.

The blame can only be laid at one door. Warrington got what they deserved for continually shooting themselves in the foot.

There is little time to pick the bones out of this game but it is not as if it can be treated as a one-off brain explosion.

Performances have been wildly inconsistent for a while now and concern about where this season is going are justifiably growing. Alarm bells have been ringing and right now, they are getting louder.

What can be said for certain is that this has to be the nadir because we are now at the stage where performances like this start to become more and more costly.