16 April 2023 , 13:35
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Wigan ace Bevan French helped down leaders Warrington and insisted: “We’re not worried if people aren’t talking about us.”
The Australian full-back created tries for Jake Wardle and Brad O'Neill in Friday’s 13-6 victory at Halliwell Jones Stadium. It ended Warrington’s 100 percent winning start to the Super League campaign. Daryl Powell’s side had earned plenty of attention after claiming eight on the bounce. And four-peat champions St Helens received a fanfare after securing the World Club Challenge in Sydney.
But Wigan have quietly been going about their business and are now just two points behind Warrington while Saints - who they beat on Good Friday - have tumbled. Asked if more people should be talking about Wigan, French insisted: “That’s up to them. It’s their opinion.
“We’re not really too worried about all the outside noise and who’s talking about who. We don’t read too much into it. We’re just really committed to trying to learn. We had St Helens last week and now this but we don’t even look at that: the last four weeks have been really tough. We had a gritty win at Huddersfield and Leigh who, with all the history the two clubs have, we knew they’d come out firing. But that was the benefit with everyone buying into the little things.
“It was really great to get the two points, and the importance of that. They’ve got off to a cracking start this season. The conditions didn’t benefit either team out there. It just came down to a really gritty match and commitment. I’m really proud of how everyone coped.”
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And Wigan are now on a five-match winning run even without key playmakers Jai Field and Cade Cust. That’s seen last season’s Super League top tryscorer French switch from wing to full-back where he's produced some stunning kick returns to get his side on the front foot. He said: "There’s parts of it I enjoy - and others not so much! I got a bit of a rush of blood a couple of times, thinking we can score every time, and I need to stay composed when pulling the trigger. I need to balance it out.
Wigan's Bevan French in action against Catalans (Paul Currie/SWpix.com) (Paul Currie/SWpix.com)"And the last few weeks have been a bit of a test for me aerobically. I’ve not played there since July last year. I’m trying to get used to that again. I do enjoy trying to read the game from that perspective. But there’s things I still need to work on. I really enjoy the challenge and just need to keep trying to improve every week.”
The ex-Parramatta star, 27, also paid tribute to Harry Smith, the young scrum-half who delivered a brilliant kicking game to help build the foundations for victory over Warrington. French said: “It’s such a big part of the game that goes unnoticed. It’s very important. He does a lot of practice with it and you see the benefits.
“You’ve got Faz (Liam Farrell) around him and Sam Powell inside him as well teaching him about that composure. It takes a lot of weight off his shoulders. It’s a big responsibility the way he manages the game and having those older heads around him makes him feel a bit lighter. He’s really composed.”