How Wigan Warriors’ secret weapon proved vital in dominant St Helens win

Wigan Warriors are beginning to stir into life as the business end of the Super League season arrives: and there were a few reasons why they were far too good for St Helens on Friday evening.

Matt Peet’s side clicked through the gears in some style without being anywhere near top form in a pretty ominous sign for the rest against their fiercest rivals. After a stuttering summer, there are clear signs why the Warriors are to be written off at your peril once again.

But over those summer months they have added another impressive weapon to their arsenal which has made them even more threatening than they were last year: Paul Deacon.

His arrival from Sale Sharks did little in terms of causing significant ripples outside of the Warriors when it was announced. But privately, Wigan have seen it as a major coup – and so they should.

Like Jamie Langley, who has made an enormous impact at Leeds Rhinos in leading their defensive efforts, the Super League champions have recruited a coach and tasked him with improving the area of the game he is an expert at. There are some other clubs in the competition who could perhaps consider something similar.

And like Langley, Deacon has hailed from a world-class environment at Sale, who have forged a reputation as one of English rugby union’s elite sides.

Deacon is tasked with transitions at Wigan. Last-tackle plays, and how Wigan start their sets with the ball after turning it over. The biggest headline-grabbing example of Wigan’s transitions being emphatic came when Bevan French and Jai Field combined to score the decisive try, having just been defending a few seconds earlier.

But Wigan have prided themselves on turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye for some time, ever since Peet took charge. It was the more minute areas of the game, the ones that are perhaps easily overlooked, where Deacon’s influence was felt on Friday evening.

No player kicked the ball on the field in the derby win more than Harry Smith. It is Smith who has worked incredibly closely with Deacon in fine-tuning his kicking game on the last tackles of sets.

Whether that is probing attacking kicks like the one which led to Liam Marshall’s try, or the ones that turned the Saints around frequently, the England scrum-half’s game seems to have really kicked on in recent weeks in that particular area.

Matt Peet was asked about Deacon’s role by Love Rugby League on Friday after the game. “It’s partly around working with Harry but more in our organisation overall.

“Where we practice our attention to detail, and Paul and Tommy (Leuluai) are doing really well on that. It’s good to have fresh eyes in there that’s for sure. We’ve got the kickers to work on but we’ve got some good aerial threat with Junior (Nsemba), Sam (Walters) and Adam (Keighran). There’s plenty to like there.

Smith’s game smarts and clever last tackle kicks were the backbone to everything Wigan did well after that nervy opening quarter. They were able to hold the Saints at arm’s length and force errors thanks to the pressure the Warriors’ kicking game exerted.

Clearly, Smith and French were wonderful kickers of the ball before Deacon arrived. But those at Wigan that have watched the former Super League winner in action say he is having a real impact in developing that aspect of their game.