Wigan edge out York as Warriors continue to buck concerning trend despite struggle

Wigan Warriors edged out Super League new boys York on Thursday night, winning 23-22 as they continue to buck the trend of being unable to get the job done without star men Bevan French and Jai Field. 

The Warriors have often struggled without French and Field in the team, and in reality, did so again as they left it late to down a resilient York side.

Not until Adam Keighran’s 63rd minute try did the Cherry and Whites hit the front foot for good on home soil, with the centre enjoying a pivotal role in a turnaround as Matt Peet’s men came from 14-0 down.

Most importantly, Thursday night’s success ensured Wigan would retain their 100% record in 2026, winning their first five in Super League this term as well as cruising their way into the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

But in addition, they also ensured the trend of winning without their two star men continued.

Wigan edge out York as Warriors continue to buck concerning trend despite struggle

Since the beginning of Matt Peet’s tenure in 2022, French and Field have taken to the field 73 times together across all competitions.

Wigan have won 57 of those games, which is a win rate of 78.08%.

Prior to this year, the fall off when both were absent had been drastic.

In the same timeframe since the start of that 2022 campaign, the Warriors had been without the pair in 26 games before this season.

They had won just 12 of those 26 matches, with a win rate of 46.15%.

But now, Peet’s side has successfully navigated their way through a Challenge Cup tie against Bradford Bulls and Thursday night’s Super League clash against York.

Albeit slender, the one-point victory against the Knights – which came via Harry Smith’s drop goal – means that since the start of 2022, Wigan have now won 14 of the 28 games they have been involved in without both French and Field.

That win rate is now up to 50%, and though there’s evidently plenty to work on, confidence should be taken from the last two weeks.

Youth products Noah Hodkinson and Jack Farrimond are proving capable deputies at full-back and stand-off respectively, and ultimately, have played big parts in back-to-back wins.

Hodkinson – who only made his first-team debut last weekend in the cup success against Bradford – got over for his first-ever senior try against the Knights midway through the second half.

His display earned him the Player of the Match medal from Sky Sports as well as the in-stadium man-of-the-match award at The Brick Community Stadium.