Wigan are one game away from the Grand Final for the third successive year after maintaining their late-season purple patch.

The Warriors held off a spirited second-half fightback from Hull KR to squeeze through their Super League preliminary semi-final at Craven Park and complete the line-up for the last four.

Wigan, who have lost to Leeds in the final eliminator in each of the last two years, will discover their next hurdle tomorrow when the Rhinos choose their semi-final opponents at a televised press conference at Headingley.

With 10 wins from their last 13 matches, Brian Noble's men have once more hit fine form at the right time and Leeds coach Brian McClennan may well want to avoid them on Friday night.

The Warriors played some of their best rugby of the season to open up an 18-0 half-time lead but were forced to sweat over the outcome after Rovers clawed their way back to 18-16 before Martin Gleeson's 64th-minute try enabled them to breathe more easily.

The England centre then added a second in injury time and Pat Richards took his goal tally to five to give his side a flattering margin of victory.

While Rovers came up with an error-strewn first 40 minutes, the Warriors produced an accomplished performance to seize control of the match by the interval thanks to tries from George Carmont, Iafeta Paleaaesina and Richards.

Sloppy Hull KR's fortunes were summed up in the early moments when the normally accurate Michael Dobson fluffed a straightforward penalty attempt.

The visitors, always more assured, were full of energy, with a superb kick-chase game that kept the Robins penned inside their own half for long periods.

After a tense opening, hooker Mark Riddell and full-back Cameron Phelps helped break the deadlock when they combined to get Carmont over in the corner after 15 minutes.

Richards missed the conversion attempt but succeeded with a penalty midway through the half when Rovers captain Mick Vella was punished for holding Phelps down in the tackle.

Stand-off Sam Tomkins was a constant threat for the Warriors but one glorious attacking opportunity was wasted when his older brother Joel ran in front of him to concede a penalty for obstruction.

However, Wigan established a firm grip on the game with two further tries in the final 10 minutes of the half.

Burly prop Paleaaesina proved unstoppable after taking the ball as first receiver from a tap penalty 10 metres out and Richards finished decisively at the corner having taken a pass from skipper Sean O'Loughlin.

Hull KR began their fightback when a long-range break by centre Jake Webster set up the position for stand-off Paul Cooke to get Kris Welham over for a try three minutes into the second half.

Rovers briefly lost full-back Shaun Briscoe with a cut head but they scored their second try in his absence, England winger Peter Fox taking Welham's pass to finish decisively at the corner.

Dobson found his accuracy to land the touchline conversion and Rovers were within two points of the visitors on the hour when substitute Chaz I'Anson took Dobson's pass and stretched out for the line to score his first try of the season.

The comeback was short-lived, however, for Wigan scored their fourth try within three minutes, with Gleeson taking Paul Prescott's pass to force his way over by the posts despite a valiant ball-stealing attempt from Briscoe.