Langer's sense of initiative has Hull in despair

Allan Langer has already said that he will be back at Warrington next season. The movement of Toa Kohe-Love, attracting attention from Bradford among others, is less certain, but on this showing Warrington will be equally keen to retain him.

Allan Langer has already said that he will be back at Warrington next season. The movement of Toa Kohe-Love, attracting attention from Bradford among others, is less certain, but on this showing Warrington will be equally keen to retain him.

Langer's promptings and Kohe-Love's finishing ability were too much for a poor Hull side which could not take the chance to close the gap on Castleford and the top five.

Kohe-Love is the classic example of a player who has learnt to run off Langer in the latter half of the season, something that bodes well for next year, if, as his coach, Darryl Van De Velde, insisted: "Kohe-Love is going nowhere."

Hull had all the early play and took the lead with the softest of tries, Luke Felsch merely showing the ball to Tawera Nikau after proceeding through the gap that opened obligingly.

The visitors applied prolonged pressure after that, but paid the price for failing to convert it into points. Alan Hunte lifted the siege with an interception and Kohe-Love's superb reverse pass sent Rob Smyth racing away, Lee Briers easily adding the goal from the touchline.

A dreadful pass from Mick Jenkins induced a knock on from Stanley Gene to give Warrington their chance for their second. Straight from the scrum, Langer manufactured an inviting channel for Kohe-Love.

Langer was also at the heart of Warrington's third, four minutes before half-time, weaving his way across Hull's defensive line, with more than a hint of obstruction en route, before sending Steve McCurrie barrelling over the line.

Briers missed an easy conversion, but added a strategic drop goal before, in first-halfinjury time, Langer once more released Kohe-Love.

Lee Penny tried to usher Hull back into the match with an absurd attempt to pass out of Steve Collins' tackle that presented Gene with a try.

Hull were not good enough to make further inroads, however, and Briers with a penalty and a soft try took Warrington closer to the winning post before Andrew Gee sent Ian Knott away.

The seventh and best of Warrington's tries came five minutes from time when Langer kept the ball alive for Kohe-Love's hat-trick and there was still time for Paul Noone to touchdown from Briers' kick.

Hull's coach, Shaun McRae, says that a top five place is still a mathematical possibility. On the evidence of this display, that is all it is.

Warrington: Penny; Smyth, Kohe-Love, Hunce, Powell; Briers, Langer; Gee, Farrar, Hilton, McCurrie, Knott, Nikau. Substitutes used: Busby, Noone, Peters, Guisset.

Hull: Poucher; Daylight, Collins, Simon, Herron; Horne, Robinson; Broadbent, Jenkins, Felsch, Maher, Gene, Grimaldi. Substitutes used: King, Craven, Wilson, Cooke.

Referee: S Cummings (Widnes).