In hard-nuts like Tim Street Dave Whittle and Dave Bradbury they have the

In hard-nuts like Tim Street, Dave Whittle and Dave Bradbury, they have the grunt up front, with Adam Bristow and Simon Baldwin capable of opening up play with their wide running.Few sides have dealt convincingly with Paul Anderson in the centres and, best of all, they have the most prolific try-scorer since the heyday of Ellery Hanley and Martin Offiah in Neil Turley, with his freakish 55 tries so far.And yet Widnes are undoubtedly the opposition Leigh fear. They have a wealth of play-off know-how from their coach, Neil Kelly, and from players such as Richard Agar and Sean Richardson whom he has brought in.They will also be playing with a special sort of passion, knowing that defeat will end any Super League ambitions for the foreseeable future.. Darryl van de Velde has already announced that he is leaving his job as Warrington coach at the end of the season, but a section of the club’s supporters made it clear after this latest setback that they think he should quit now. Darryl van de Velde has already announced that he is leaving his job as Warrington coach at the end of the season, but a section of the club’s supporters made it clear after this latest setback that they think he should quit now.
Van De Velde took the board’s advice to hold his press conference well away from the mob and was then escorted to his car past chanting fans, few of whom would be impressed by the fact that there was nobody at Wilderspool more depressed by the Wolves frittering away a game they should have won.Ahead by 12 points midway through the first half, their defensive deficiencies ultimately outweighed the good things they did in attack, letting a tenacious London pick up the points to keep their play-off hopes just about alive.When Warrington moved the ball wide, as they did for Rob Smyth’s opener after eight minutes, they always looked dangerous. Typically, they squandered that advantage when Alan Hunte failed to hold Paul Sykes’ high kick and Jim Dymock equalised.Well worked tries from Lee Penny and Gary Mercer put Warrington in their strongest position of the game, before Glen Air changed the atmosphere. The Broncos have breathed more easily with him as hooker and his two tries brought London level by half-time.The second half was more tactical, but it was London who seized the initiative with Dennis Moran chipping cleverly over the defensive line and regathering to send Sylvain Houles away.Warrington came back through Smyth but the game’s crucial error came when Moran’s pass picked out Houles unmarked on the wing. Once more, defensive frailties had undone all Warrington’s good work.

Sykes made it a six-point gap with a drop goal, soon whittled down by Steve McCurrie’s try.Warrington had chances to snatch victory after that, particularly when Lee Briers’ 40-20 kick put them deep in Broncos territory. “But a couple of blokes panicked at the back end of the game,” Van De Velde said. “From 18-6 we had to win it, but a couple of lapses of concentration let us down.”With Warrington contemplating naming next season’s coach in the coming week, Van De Velde could decide the time has come to go. For the Broncos the season remains alive, with their coach Tony Rea, claiming that they were always confident they could hold on. “Their body language told me they were going to be able to deal with anything,” he said.

“Now I’d love to see them in the playoffs.”Warrington: Hunte; Smyth, Kohe-Love, Sibbit, Penny; Briers, Langer; Guisset, Clarke, Nutley, Mercer, Busby, Mikau. Substitutes used: Masella, Wood, Noone, McCurrie.London: Sykes; Warton, Potter, Roy, Houles; Dymock, Moran; Mestrov, Air, Cram, Millard, Retchless, Parker. Substitutes used: Fleming, Toshack, Johnson, Dooley.Referee: R Connolly (Wigan).. Next time the British and Irish Lions leave these shores I hope they remember that a successful squad starts with being a happy squad. Lots of things went wrong in Australia, but the basic failing was the lack of fun and harmony among them all. Next time the British and Irish Lions leave these shores I hope they remember that a successful squad starts with being a happy squad. Lots of things went wrong in Australia, but the basic failing was the lack of fun and harmony among them all.
It was always going to be difficult having all those players and not enough games to give every man the essential feeling that he was playing some part in the big picture.The Lions management should have been more aware of that part of their job.