Wakefield forced to hang on

Wakefield 22 Halifax 18

Wakefield summed up the unpredictability of Super League as they scraped home against the relegation favourites after winning convincingly at St Helens last week.

Apparently cruising to victory despite falling well short of last weekend's standards, Trinity were pulled up sharply when two late tries gave Halifax a chance of snatching the win and avoiding going four points adrift at the foot of the table.

Halifax were under pressure from the start, struggling to get back to their 10 metres and conceding an early two points to Jamie Rooney's offside penalty.

Halifax lost their second rower, Chris Birchall, when he staggered off after a high shot from Michael Korkidas, and they fell further behind to a try set up beautifully by Rooney. He took a pass from Brad Davis and accelerated through a gap to give a return ball to his half-back partner, before adding the goal.

Halifax got an unexpected foothold back in the game when Sean Penkywicz forced the ball over the line despite a two-man tackle. Dane Dorahy added the conversion then drew his side level with another goal.

Wakefield regained the lead just before half-time, Rooney kicking through for Richard Newlove to touch down. Rooney's penalty extended their lead after the break and his kicking put Wakefield further ahead on 56 minutes.

Just after the hour, Rooney and Davis repeated their first-half performance, Rooney again making the telling break and getting the ball away for the veteran scrum-half to score.

Martin Moana's pass out of the tackle created a try for Liam Finn, and then Penkywicz's break sent Lee Greenwood racing away only for Finn to miss the conversion.

Gareth Greenwood failed to take another interception that could have brought him a second try and Halifax, for all their late defiance, are now worryingly divorced from the rest of the table.

Wakefield: Holland; Sovatabua, Ellis, Newlove, Halpenny, Renney; Davis, Korkidas; March, Hood, Slattery, Field, Knott. Substitutes used: Seers, Jefferies, Wrench, Snitch.

Halifax: Finnerty; Greenwood, Donlan, Clayton, Frew; Dorahy, Penkywicz; Hobson, Lawless, Davidson, Cruckshank, Brocklehurst, Moana. Substitutes used: Halliwell, Finn, Birchall, Seuseu.

Referee: R Connolly (Wigan).