Coach Wane glad as Wigan end winless league run
LONDON: Wigan coach Shaun Wane said he was happy but frustrated after watching his Warriors side claim their first Super League victory since April. Former South Sydney Rabbitohs winger Joe Burgess scored two late tries to seal a 28-12 win over Widnes on Sunday. The Warriors went into a 16-0 lead before allowing Denis Betts’s men to cut that advantage to just four points, until Burgess’s double in the dying minutes.
“I’m happy with the win, a bit frustrated,” said Wane. “There were too many errors, too many unforced errors. They got two tries from poor defensive errors but, apart from that, we defended really well.
“I think if we keep hold of the ball, we get rid of those unforced errors
10 penalties, eight unforced errors-we could have won by a bigger margin and that’s what we need to do. “We need to be a bit more ruthless and we weren’t that todaythough I’m happy we won.” The win for the defending champions ended their eightmatch winless run in the Super League. But despite Widnes threatening to come back into the game, Wane said he was always confident of the victory.
SALFORD BACK ON TRACK
“I wasn’t nervous,” he said. “I was confident we’d get the game and we’ve made some massive improvements.”
In Sunday’s other game, Salford ended a run of three defeats in a row to climb up to second in the table. Salford secured a 36-20 victory over Huddersfield and kept the pressure on top-of-the-table Castleford.
Rob Lui scored one try and helped set up another five for the hosts. Salford coach Ian Watson said he was pleased to see his side get their season back on track.
“After three losses, we did not want to say we have had a good season up to that and that was it,” he said. “There have been a few negative comments from people saying we have run the race. But this group is not about that. “We want to be really successful. A true team bounces back from defeat and we worked really hard to get that result.”
Defeat for Huddersfield-their first in five games-drops them down to eighth and leaves them flirting with danger. They are just two points ahead of Catalans Dragons, and the Middle 8s mix, with three games of the regular season left.
“We are going to need to win at least two out of the next three games, that’s for sure,” said Huddersfield coach Rick Stone. Elsewhere, new Dragons coach Steve McNamara was delighted to win his first game in charge of the French side. Julian Bousquet’s last-minute try for the Dragons was enough to snatch victory from Leigh on Saturday.
The 40-36 win lifts them to ninth in the table and the former England coach paid tribute to his players. “It’s a proud moment for me to be here after a win,” said McNamara. “The attitude and behaviour of the players on the field tonight was one that pleased me.
“They gave everything tonight, never gave up and were rewarded at the end of the game with picking up the two points,” he added. “It’s a result that has the ability to give us confidence in the coming weeks.” —AFP