Warrington Wolves 34 Hull FC 6: Wire show way as Tony Smith struggles to fix deep-rooted issue

The 56-year-old will always be remembered fondly at Warrington Wolves after bringing back the good times to the tune of three Challenge Cups and two League Leaders’ Shields, as well as three appearances in the Super League Grand Final.

Although Warrington had a wobble in his final year, Smith left behind a strong legacy, just as he had at Huddersfield Giants and Leeds Rhinos.

The former Great Britain and England boss has taken on two more rebuilding jobs since in the rugby league mad city of Hull.

After taking the Robins from the brink of relegation to a play-off semi-final, Smith has set about working his magic at bitter rivals Hull FC.

He loves a challenge but must be wondering whether he has bitten off more than he can chew after seeing his side suffer a fifth straight defeat against his old club.

The Black and Whites are at the end of a cycle that brought two Challenge Cups – and have been for several years.

Although players have come and gone, Hull still have the look of a club between eras searching for an identity.

If anything, they have earned a reputation as a team that capitulate when the going gets tough, as evidenced by the 34-6 hammering at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

The Airlie Birds are stuck in a vicious cycle of feeling good and talking a good game, only for self-doubt to kick in when the pressure is on in the heat of battle.

A new group they may be but Smith's men are playing like a team weighed down by past failures.

As he goes about fixing a deep-rooted issue, Smith has had to start in the six inches between the ears.

Smith knows better than anybody that rebuilds take time, as Daryl Powell can testify to after a hellish first season in charge of Warrington.

Steve Price continued Smith's good work but the wheels came off spectacularly last year, the Wolves finishing second bottom against a backdrop of dressing room unrest.

Powell rode out the storm and has now got a squad that fits his image after major surgery in the off-season.

There are striking similarities with Smith's situation at Hull as he tries to get a squad that features 20 off-contract players pulling in the same direction.

If recent performances are anything to go by, he can write this first season off just as Powell did last year.

Warrington's early-season form is proof that the dark clouds can give way to sunshine but Saturday afternoon showed Hull have a long road in front of them.

It was always likely to be an uncomfortable afternoon against the red-hot Wolves and so it proved in front of the Channel 4 cameras.

Gallingly for the Black and Whites, Warrington did not need to get out of second gear on their way to a 28-0 half-time lead.

The Wire scored their opening try the first time they got into Hull territory, the outstanding George Williams kicking in behind for Matty Ashton to finish.

When Peter Mata'utia shrugged off several defenders to score close to the line 11 minutes in, the travelling fans behind the posts were left with an all-too-familiar sinking feeling.

Ben Currie scored Warrington's third try from Williams' deft lofted kick and Matt Dufty added his name to the scoresheet after racing clear from an error by Brad Fash deep in home territory.

Hull were playing like a team bereft of confidence on both sides of the ball, with their last-tackle plays particularly poor.

Defensively they were a mess, as they have been all season.

Josh Drinkwater highlighted why the Black and Whites came into round seven with the worst defensive record in Super League when he brushed off Tex Hoy and Jake Clifford with ease to help himself to a try.

Hull went about restoring lost pride in the second half but no amount of effort was going to make up for the previous four and a half games.

After Hoy threatened to produce a moment of magic with a break from deep and Carlos Tuimavave had a try ruled out for offside, Smith's men belatedly got on the board thanks to Brad Dwyer's close-range effort 19 minutes from time.

Perhaps guilty of putting the cue on the rack with a seventh straight win long since in the bag, Warrington came alive in the closing stages.

Matty Nicholson twisted his way over to score the Wire's sixth before Williams and Dufty almost combined for a wonder try.

Just a few short months on from looking bereft of hope, Warrington find themselves dreaming of a return to Old Trafford.

For Hull, who lost Hoy in the closing stages, attention turns to the Good Friday derby against bitter rivals Hull KR.

The biggest fixture on the calendar offers a shot at redemption and a chance to get their season moving in the right direction – but few Hull supporters will be relishing a date with their old foes on recent evidence.

Warrington Wolves: Dufty, Russell, Minikin, Ratchford, Ashton, Williams, Drinkwater, Mikaele, Walker, Vaughan, Currie, Nicholson, Mata'utia. Substitutes: Philbin, Dudson, Thewlis, Thomas.

Hull FC: Hoy, Litten, Tuimavave, Sutcliffe, Swift, Lovodua, Clifford, Taylor, Houghton, Satae, Savelio, Griffin, Fash. Substitutes: Lane, Cator, Evans, Dwyer.

Referee: Aaron Moore.