Warrington Wolves coach Tony Smith accepts Challenge Cup semi-final defeat

Warrington Wolves head coach Tony Smith has admitted that Hull Kingston Rovers deserved their win over his side in the Challenge Cup semi-finals.

Hull reached the final of the competition for the first time since 1986 on Saturday as they earned a 26-18 victory against the Wolves at Headingley Carnegie.

Smith admitted after the game that his players failed to adjust to the tempo of the encounter.

"We got off to a good start and then lost some control," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. "We lost the tempo of the game which became stop-start and it suited Hull KR. We didn't make the adjustments when the game was so slow.

"They played to the situation and deserved to win. We didn't play as well as we needed to. We made some hard work of our defence, we leaked a couple of softies."

Warrington are back in Super League action on August 7 when they travel to Leeds Rhinos in the first round of the Super 8s.