Wigan boss on Jai Field masterclass, Bevan French return & injured duo

Wigan coach Matt Peet was full of praise for in-form full-back Jai Field after his influential display in their 19-18 win over Hull.

The Australian full-back scored two tries to help the Warriors win their eighth game in nine in all competitions under Peet.

On Field’s solo try, Peet said: “Excellent try. It broke the game wide open.

“There were threats on both teams. You could see by watching Jai and Jake Connor that one of them was going to break the game open at some point.

“Jai has got the pace that he can do that and you know that if the ball lands in his or Bevan’s hands then it could land in four points.

“On top of that I thought his defence was outstanding. He fielded some really tough kicks. He played really brave and you can see that teams are looking to be physical with him and rightly so and I think he’s enjoying it.”

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Wigan sweat on duo as Bevan French returns

Fan favourite Bevan French made his eagerly-anticipated return to the field after almost 10 months out.

The Australian speedster came off the bench to play the second half – but it wasn’t a selection dilemma for Peet due to injuries to winger Liam Marshall (hamstring) and back-rower Willie Isa (shoulder) in the first half.

Peet said: “It ended up not being a headache tonight because Liam Marshall was injured at half-time as well as Willie Isa.

“It became quite straightforward so I didn’t have a decision to make. In the back of my mind I thought might happen at some point.

“We lost Kai (Pearce-Paul), Willie and Liam. We don’t know long how for. Straight away Bevan was in and Jake Bibby went on the other wing. What we do know is that we’ve got a lot of strength in depth and determination and a lot of togetherness.”

Peet was delighted to see French make his comeback, much to the applause of the Warriors faithful.

He added: “It’s like not seeing one of your friends doing what he loves for so long.

“He’s worked so hard since he’s come back. It was great to see him out there.

“I’ve just had a bit of a joke with him about making tackles from marker which I don’t think is in his job description! I love to see him out there. He’s one of the players you love to watch, just like Jai.”

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