In a tightly contested encounter at the Waterloo, the hosts secured a hard-fought 12-7 victory over Warrington, edging their visitors in an absorbing battle of defensive grit and determined attack.

The match began at a frenetic pace, with both sides showing early intent. Warrington despite being severely depleted through, injuries illness and the January transfer window departures, showed that there is still a strong spine in this squad, that will no doubt grow as they develop together. Waterloo however, dominating possession and territory. Their pressure soon told when their impressive centre took advantage of a disconnect in midfield and darted through a gap in the Warrington defence to score a try under the posts. With the easy conversion from fly-half Jack Saunders, Waterloo took a 7-0 lead.

Warrington were quick to rally, and a series of punishing phases in the middle of the second half saw them work up to the Waterloo line where a penalty was awarded, with a quick tap the try seemed inevitable considering Waterloo were all offside however, the man in the middle felt different and bewilderingly penalised Warrington for holding on. Both teams continued to trade blows, with Waterloo's defensive line holding firm under intense pressure and Warrington unable to break through. The game remained tense and physical, with both packs showing their strength in the set piece and rucks.

It was Waterloo’s centre that ultimately made the difference, as they won a crucial scrum just inside Warrington’s half with half time imminent. From the ensuing possession, they worked the ball patiently through the phases, stretching the Warrington defence to score in the corner to give the home side a 12-0 advantage at the break.

Warrington came out in the 2nd half with a determination and steel that has been evident all season. This proved fruitful when captain Seth Phillipson crashed over and to all in attendance a try was clear. Once again the ref had a different view on the game and claimed the player at the bottom of the pile had been held up.
Warrington fought valiantly in the closing stages, but Waterloo's relentless defence and tactical kicking kept them at bay. With the clock winding down, Warrington again built through the forwards Tai Beddall, Leo Povey, to secure a quick ball to the backs where Logan Jones picked up on halfway and worked Genoa way to score under the posts. Will Reynolds drop kicked the conversion to leave the last 2 minutes as a glimmer over hope for a Lazarus esc comeback. Warrington manfully went about the task gaining territory with hard bulldozing runs from Joss Ivins, Tai, Seth and worked up to the 5m line, where once again a penalty awarded to Waterloo, tap, kick off the field was all that was needed. The ref felt that the tap was incorrect and awarded Warrington a scrum on the 5m, the pack held firm Logan, now at 8 picked and was stopped inches short, in trying to recycle the ball the ref blew and said held up over the line. This sealed the victory
making it 12-7 and ensuring they would finish the match with the narrowest of leads.

In the end, it was Waterloo's combination of defensive resilience and disciplined attack that secured the win, while Warrington will rue missed opportunities in attack, particularly in the second half. Despite the defeat, they showed plenty of character, particularly in their scrums and set-piece play.

The victory sees Waterloo secure a home 1/4 final, with an eye on moving further in the cup, where we wish them the best and Warrington will have to do it the hard way with an away 1/4.

The match was a showcase of rugby's fine margins, with Waterloo ultimately emerging as the deserving victors in a hard-fought contest.

Man of the match as nominated by Waterloo was Tai Beddall. Never stopped running hard and tackling all match.