Wigan Warriors: Three talking points from the victory Warrington Wolves in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals

Toby King and Abbas Miski both went over for tries in the victory for Matty Peet’s side, who had to play the majority of the game with 12-men.

The Warriors will now face Hull KR in the next round on the weekend of July 22/23.

Here are some of the talking points from the game:

Ellis’ moment of madness

We’ll begin by getting the negative out of the way, and Kaide Ellis’ sending off.

It was clear from the start the Wigan players were up for the occasion.

The Warriors forced the Wolves out for an early goal-line drop-out, which led to the two teams clashing.

Unfortunately for Peet’s side, Ellis let his emotions get the better of him, as he moved his head in the direction of Stefan Ratchford.

Regardless of how much force was behind the action, it was a clear red card.

The nicest way you can describe it is as a moment of madness, but he lost his head, and let his teammates down.

It’s inexcusable, and will no doubt earn him a lengthy ban- which will impact the Warriors in the coming weeks.

It’ll be a blow to Ellis personally who has enjoyed a recent run in the team and has been performing well.

The reaction we’ve been waiting for

Now to the positives, despite playing the majority of the game with 12-men, the Warriors produced their best performance in well over a month.

They certainly upped their game after a number of underwhelming results.

Their energy was fantastic, and from the very first minute you could tell they were up for the challenge.

Even when Ellis was sent off, they remained on top, and were able to beat Warrington in every department.

When the Wolves struck back in the second half, the Warriors didn’t let their heads drop, and were quick to respond with another try of their own.

They were resilient and the effort was clear to see from everyone in cherry and white.

This could be a real turning point after a turbulent few weeks, and confidence will certainly be higher heading back into Super League next week.

Havard makes instant impact

Ethan Havard was one of Wigan’s key players on his return to action.

The prop has been out with an elbow injury for the last month, with his last outing coming in the previous round of the Challenge Cup against Leeds Rhinos.

He was superb throughout the match, and brought a breath of fresh air to the team.

During the last few weeks, Wigan have been punished for their lack of firepower in the pack, so it was evident exactly what Havard brings to the side.

Harry Smith also deserves credit for the way he controlled things, after a difficult few weeks for him personally.

While a few key players remain on the sidelines, Peet is now able to name more consistent sides- which will be a huge plus.