• Wigan 20-6 Warrington• Zak Hardaker shines and Warriors keep risingHave two teams ever made the trip to Wembley for the Challenge Cup final in such contrasting form? For St Helens, their preparation for rugby league’s showpiece event could not have gone more smoothly. All their stars will be fit for next Saturday and, with four wins from their last five games, their 16-point lead at the Super League summit underlines their superiority at present.
How different the story is for their opponents, however. This is now five consecutive defeats for a Warrington side who have simply forgotten how to win, admittedly not aided by the loss of numerous key players including their marquee signing, Blake Austin, who is not yet cleared for the final. Here, they were well-beaten by a Wigan side who are showing signs of their near-annual trait of peaking when it matters. Comfortably adrift of the play-offs a few months ago, Wigan are now level on points with the second-placed Wolves and, on this form, undoubtedly the closest challengers to the Saints.