Connor Wrench doubles up to help Warrington survive Toulouse scare

Warrington took a significant step towards Super League survival but only after overcoming a half-time deficit to ensure the competition’s bottom club, Toulouse, remain two points adrift of safety.

What would be the most remarkable relegation in modern history looked a step closer to reality at the interval on a tense night in Warrington, when the hosts – one of Super League’s biggest-spending clubs – conceded three tries in seven minutes. That capitulation turned an early 12-0 lead into an 18-14 advantage in Toulouse’s favour.

A Toulouse victory would have taken them level with second-bottom Wakefield and ensured they, Trinity and Warrington were separated by just two points going into the final four weeks of the regular season. But Warrington, to their credit, responded with commendable spirit, and after keeping Toulouse scoreless in the second half they extended their advantage over the relegation zone to six points with four games remaining.

It looked as though it would be anything but a nervous night for the hosts in the early exchanges. They worked a deserved 12-point advantage as tries from Oliver Holmes and Connor Wrench put them in control. However, a host of further chances came and went and one wondered what their response would be if Toulouse scored against the run of play.

That question was emphatically answered in seven incredible minutes before half-time. Corey Norman halved the deficit before Éloi Pélissier crossed for two tries that stunned the home crowd, with Chris Hankinson converting all three. Incredibly, Toulouse led by four at the break despite being dominated for much of a one-sided first half.

The onus was on Warrington, who have collapsed so many times in 2022, to respond. They simply had to