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Two tries from Matty Ashton gave Warrington Wolves a comfortable Super League win over Castleford Tigers.
Tigers, now winless in their opening three matches, struck first with an early Josh Simm score.
But Warrington replied immediately, with full-back Ashton’s scores giving them the lead.
Sam Burgess’ side extended their lead immediately after the break through Matt Dufty, before Josh Thewlis’ late try confirmed a sizeable victory.
Both sides paid tribute to former head coach Darryl van de Velde before kick-off, following his death at the age of 72 earlier this week.
Simm’s lovely team try after four minutes silenced the Halliwell Jones Stadium, but fears of a shock were allayed when Ashton scored brilliantly in the left corner, his acrobatic finish levelling things up.
The hosts scored twice more before the break, with centre Stefan Ratchford’s kicking pushing Wire further clear.
The centre’s inclusion was a surprise to many, with young talent Connor Wrench rested after a strong start to the season. But his 100% success from the tee compounded Castleford’s struggles.
Dufty’s individual try at the start of the second half epitomised Warrington’s approach, with their strong carries and quick ball too much for the visitor’s defence.
Thewlis’ try pushed Warrington to 30 points with a score in the left corner.
The Tigers, who showed plenty of endeavour and heart but lacked a cutting edge beyond Innes Senior’s second-half try, have now lost their opening three matches.
Burgess’s Wire side, meanwhile, have recovered from an opening weekend defeat by Catalan Dragons to record back-to-back victories.
Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess:
“We were good in patches. Hats off to them. They played some great rugby early on and they got us in the corner.
“I thought we managed the game well after that but they got us into a bit of a grind.
“They came to play and threw their best at us, so we had to play as well.
“There are parts of the game we have to work on. There were a couple of old habits creeping in.
“We have got a bit of work to do but we are really happy with the two points because I thought Castleford were good.”
Castleford Tigers head coach Craig Lingard told BBC Radio Leeds:
“I thought we started the game really well, we had a real focus on defending tight, and bringing in our outside backs.
“But similar to last week, we compounded our own errors and took the game out of our own hands. We ended up conceding 18 points very quickly, and we were staring down the barrel.
“We were too passive. You have to make sure that you force a decision and force an outcome, it was too easy for Warrington, we didn’t test their skills.
“The effort is there, we cannot knock the effort. But it is about managing the smartness as well as working hard.”
Warrington: Dufty, Thewlis, King, Ratchford, Ashton, Hayes, Drinkwater, Harrison, Walker, Vaughan, Holroyd, Fitzgibbon, Currie.
Interchanges: Philbin, Musgrove, Powell, Wood.
Castleford: Hooley, Simm, Broadbent, Wood, Senior, Milnes, Miller, Lawler, Horne, Mustapha, El-Zakhem, Mellor, Westerman.
Interchanges: Putt, Hall, Kibula, Johnson.
Referee: Aaron Moore
