FRENCH TOAST
Big-deal Bevan celebrates in style
BEVAN FRENCH marked his new four-year deal with a stellar display as Wigan walloped Leigh.
The Super League champions announced their Aussie superstar, 28, was staying put on Wednesday.
And barely 24 hours later the silky stand-off turned on the style as Wigan emphatically bounced back from their Good Friday loss at St Helens.
That was their first league defeat since July but there was no hangover, even without banned props Liam Byrne and Tyler Dupree.
Man of Steel French and livewire Aussie full-back Jai Field ripped lame Leigh to pieces, leaving them with just one win in six.
This local derby is dubbed the ‘Battle of the Borough’ but there was little fight from Adrian Lam’s side.
Wigan, who finished with eight different try scorers, raced into a 20-0 lead inside just 28 minutes.
Abbas Miski opened the scoring from Field’s cut-out pass. And when Leigh’s Matt Moylan was sin-binned for a 12thminute high tackle on Field, the visitors quickly struck again.
French dabbed in a perfect grubber for veteran Willie Isa to slide over for his first try in almost two and a half years.
Even when Leigh were back up to 13, there was no stopping Wigan. They scored back-to-back tries when Patrick Mago blasted up the middle and offloaded for Field.
He found French who followed up his own kick to score after Leigh centre Ricky Leutele made a hash of clearing.
In the next set, hooker Kruise Leeming exposed some awful defence on halfway to send Harry Smith scampering over for their fourth try.
Smith slotted the second of his four goals before Leutele finally responded with a 32nd-minute try.
Moylan converted but Wigan quickly doused any hopes of a comeback at the start of the second period. O’Brien’s poor kick was mopped up by Smith, who sent Field racing 90m for a spectacular try.
Adam Keighran exposed more shoddy defence to score next and Junior Nsemba, 19, made the most of a rare chance with his first Super League try.
The hosts responded via Josh Charnley, Moylan improving, but Jake Wardle pirouetted through more shambolic defence to send Liam Marshall in.
■ WARRINGTON have paid a fee to secure prop Daniel Okoro, 20, from Bradford, who, in turn, have taken Huddersfield’s Fenton Rogers on loan just days after he was suspended and charged with drink driving.