Wigan Warriors lose star forward to major injury

Wigan Warriors will be without Ethan Havard for an unspecified period of time after breaking his jaw.

The prop suffered the injury in the victory over Wakefield Trinity and it has required surgery, with Wigan now monitoring his recovery heading into the second half of the season.

Coach Matt Peet said the timeline for his return is unclear and will be dependent on the way his jaw recovers after the procedure.

“He got operated on over the weekend,” Peet confirmed.

“In terms of timeframe, it’s going to be a case of seeing how he comes back and when he’s checked up. I know he’s healing and getting the metal out.

“He’s been excellent. He played big minutes as well. It’s a hole we’re going to have to fill.”

Elsewhere in the squad, Wigan are tracking well heading into their game with York. Peet saved special praise for Oli Partington for his excellent performances since returning to the club ahead of the new season.

“I’ve been really impressed with him. I’ll equally say that I think Kaide (Ellis), off the bench, has found some really good form. He’s played 60 minutes most weeks. Between them, they’re nailing that role.

“Oli’s energy and physicality balance with his good decisions with the ball. When we’ve got him and Kaide on, it brings that extra dimension of two middles who can carry and play. The most important thing with them both is the energy they bring in. I’m made up with the impact he’s made since we brought him back.”

While Wigan are flying and their opponents this week, York Knights, struggling for form, Peet is not willing to take them lightly.

“I feel there’s a lot of optimism around York. I know Mark’s a smart switched on coach and Clint’s got a long-term vision for the club. Like I said, I feel like they’ve troubled everyone.
They certainly troubled us when they came down to the brick earlier in the year. We were probably fortunate to get away that night with the win. They did really cause us problems.”