Briers' late burst seals victory for Wolves

A late flash of quality from Lee Briers brought Warrington two vital points in the battle to avoid relegation from Super League.

Warrington had been ahead by a precarious single point seven minutes from time when Briers, who had been out-of-sorts for most of the game, chipped ahead and was tripped by Mike Wainwright as he chased the ball.

He slotted over the penalty and then, as time ran out, attacked the Salford defence for virtually the first time in the match, finding a gap and slipping through for the converted try that clinched the victory.

"It was very tense and a slightly nervous performance by both teams,'' said the Warrington coach, David Plange. "It wasn't pretty to watch but we got the two points and the end justified the means.''

There was certainly nothing pretty about a dour grind of a first half, the point scoring was confined to a penalty apiece and an Ian Watson drop goal which put Salford's noses in front.

There was plenty of committed defence but little wit or invention, with Warrington particularly at fault when they repeatedly had the ball handed over to them in attacking positions but could do little with it.

The Wolves regained the lead 10 minutes into the second half when Andy Coley was penalised for stealing the ball from Ben Westwood and Briers kicked the goal.

The direction of the game then hinged upon two interceptions. Watson's from Briers ended in a knock-on – one of several opportunities squandered by Salford – but Danny Halliwell showed the way it should be done eight minutes later by picking off a pass from Steve Blakeley to go 90 yards. It was another important contribution from a player on loan from Halifax, with Warrington unable to afford to make the deal permanent.

Salford replied almost immediately, even though Neil Baynes did not seem to have played the ball properly before forcing his way over from a quickly taken tap penalty.

Alan Hunte had a chance to snatch the lead back for Salford, but could not gather Paul Southern's kick. The game was still in the balance until Briers struck, leaving the Salford coach, Karl Harrison to rue the missed chances that leave his side just one point off the bottom.

"We made four clean line breaks and they made one,'' Harrison said. "We dominated long periods of the game. You can't knock anyone's commitment and desire to win the game, but sometimes you've got to use your brains.''

Warrington: Penny; Halliwell, Burns, Westwood, Alstead; Briers, N Wood; Fozzard, Clarke, Hilton, Guisset, Marquet, Domic. Substitutes used: Mathers, P Wood, Noone, Callan.

Salford: Broadbent; Arnold, Maloney, Littler, Gibson; Blakeley, Watson; Baynes, Alker, Highton, Ebrill, Treacy, Wainwright. Substitutes used: Jowitt, Coley, Southern, Hunte.

Referee: S Ganson (St Helens).

* Leeds Rhinos eased the pressure on coach Daryl Powell with a convincing 38-10 victory over Halifax at The Shay. Mark Calderwood led the way with two tries, as Karl Pratt, Kevin Sinfield, Keith Senior and Francis Cummins also touched down. Stuart Donlan scored two tries for the home side.