CAS GIVEN FRENCH LESSON
Brilliant Bevan runs in two tries as Wigan maintain perfect record
BEVAN FRENCH added an extra dimension to Wigan’s impressive attacking arsenal as Adrian Lam’s side maintained their perfect start.
French made his first appearance of the campaign after a delayed return from Australia, with Lam picking him on the left wing to retain in-form Zak Hardaker at full-back.
The selection ploy worked perfectly, with Hardaker producing another impressive display and French finishing with two tries.
Sam Powell’s late effort sealed a high-quality contest, and with halfbacks Jackson Hastings and Harry Smith providing opportunities for French and others, Lam has a wealth of attacking options.
The Warriors coach said: “We joked in the week about Bevan scoring a hattrick in his first week back – he wasn’t quite there but it was good to get him back on the field.
“It gives the dressing room confidence when he’s sat there and I was pleased for him. He will take a couple of weeks to get fully right so we’re excited about where he can get to.
“We were really courageous, tough and resilient. Our defence was great.”
Wigan led 12-8 at the break after the visitors opened the scoring, Derrell Olpherts finishing a smart handling move in the right corner.
The response from Wigan was impressive. Hastings made a break from inside his own half, and after he was stopped, Smith took the line on, was ankle-tapped just short but flicked a superb pass for Hardaker to finish.
Three minutes before the break the home side crossed again, French finishing his first from a Liam Farrell pass.
The Tigers drew level again soon after the restart, Olpherts scoring his second (below, right) despite a valiant effort from French to hold him up over the line. But it wasn’t long before the Wigan man completed his own double.
This time it was a long-range break from Hardaker that put the Warriors on the front foot, allowing Hastings to kick intelligently for French to make it 16-12.
It stayed that way for 24 tense minutes before Powell secured Wigan’s win.
Tigers’ coach Daryl Powell said: “There was a real turning point with Zak Hardaker’s break from a poor kickchase from us.
“It was a tough game, we were in it for large parts but we lacked a bit of quality in attacking positions.”