Wigan 10 Warrington 16: Briers steers Warrington to a winning start

Warrington made an impressive start to the Super League season last night with a highly effective, no-frills approach ideally suited to difficult conditions at the JJB Stadium.

The biggest crowd ever for a game in the opening round of the competition saw the Wolves show more cohesion than their expensively reassembled opposition. Wigan will undoubtedly get better, but this was not a good night for new players in key positions to get to know each other.

Warrington got the first points on the board through Lee Briers' penalty, which arose from Pat Richards losing the ball in a tackle and Sean O'Loughlin conceding a penalty for interfering at the play the ball.

It took a 40/20 kick from Trent Barrett - with his first touch of the ball as a Wigan player - to put his side on the attack. Warrington held firm this time, but gave away an equalising penalty when Briers failed to make the distance with a drop-out.

With the worst conditions of the winter so far to welcome the return of summer rugby, mistakes were inevitable as Micky Higham put Wigan under pressure with a knock-on, only for Warrington to let them off the hook.

It took almost half an hour for the first try to be scored, through Jon Clarke's break and pass to Vinnie Anderson. Chris Ashton's tackle seemed to have averted the danger, but the ball was moved swiftly to the left wing for Richie Barnett to score from Paul Johnson's pass and for Briers to land the goal from the touchline.

Adrian Morley marked his return to the British game by conceding a penalty for a high shot on Stuart Fielden but, far from punishing that indiscretion, Wigan gave Warrington the ball straight back through Harrison Hansen's fumble.

This was a blunder that was punished with Briers' pass sending Anderson over for a try that was ruled valid by the video referee to give Warrington a 10-point lead at half-time.

Anderson had what would have been his second try disallowed at the start of the second half and a relieved Wigan cut the lead when Mark Calderwood scored from O'Laughlin's kick after 48 minutes.

Anderson remained a handful for the Wigan defence, however, and when he was held down in a tackle Briers edged Warrington further ahead. Another penalty for obstruction took the Wolves a little closer to the finish line, but it was a nervous last few minutes after Higham's overarm pass to David Vaealiki gave Wigan hope. They were still pressing as the final hooter went but Warrington deserved the spoils.

"We handled everything that was thrown at us," said the Warrington coach, Paul Cullen , for whom the main negative aspect was the fear that Morley had fractured an eye socket on his debut.

Wigan's Brian Noble said: "We've a whole lot of work to do to get to know each other, but I'm excited by what we can achieve."

Wigan: Ashton; Calderwood, Bailey, Withers, Richards; Barrett, Leuluai; Fielden, Millard, Paleaaesina, Hock, Fletcher, O'Loughlin. Substitutes used: Higham, Vaealiki, Hansen, O'Carroll.

Warrington: Reardon; Fa'afili, Gleeson, Johnson, Barnett; Bridge, Briers; Leikvoll, Clarke, Rauhihi, Morley, Westwood, Anderson. Substitutes used: Wainwright, Wood, Parker, Sullivan.

Referee: S Ganson (St Helens).

* The defending champions St Helens suffered a shock 6-14 home defeat by Harlequins at Knowsley Road last night. Denied the time and space to play their usual expansive game, Saints struggled from the outset as the visitors' outscored Saints by three tries to one. Danny Orr, Lee Hopkins and Jon Wells touched down for Quins.