Salford 16-26 Wigan: Warriors open title defence with victory over Red Devils
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 11/02/17 4:32pm
Wigan made a comfortable start to their Betfred Super League title defence with a 26-16 victory over Salford at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Centre Oliver Gildart scored two first-half tries as the champions warmed up nicely for next Sunday's World Club Challenge clash with Cronulla.
Salford, who survived in Super League by the skin of their teeth last year, were out of the game by half-time, when they trailed 26-0, but rallied in the second half to create some optimism for the new campaign.
The Red Devils were without first-choice second row pair Weller Hauraki and Ben Murdoch-Masila through injury and are still awaiting the arrival of Australian stand-off Todd Carney so are unlikely to be at their best for some time yet.
Wigan will be encouraged by the debut of French full-back Morgan Escare while Thomas Leuluai and Joe Burgess showed some nice touches as they began their second spells with the club.
Salford endured a tough opening after conceding a third-minute try and losing centre Junior Sa'u and stand-off Robert Lui with head knocks, although the latter was able to return before half-time after his concussion assessment.
Wigan, without long-term casualties Sam Tomkins, Dominic Manfredi and Michael McIlorum as well as England second rower John Bateman, who was rested as a precaution, never looked back after Burgess palmed the ball back after reaching skipper Sean O'Loughlin's grubber kick for Gildart to score the opening try after only two minutes.
Burgess went over himself 11 minutes later and Gildart took a return pass from second rower Liam Farrell on 25 minutes to add his second.
It was all too easy as the Salford defence opened up invitingly for stand-off George Williams to jink his way over and on the stroke of half-time his half-back partner Leuluai created a first try since last March for second rower Joel Tomkins.
Escare kicked his third goal from five attempts to put his side 26-0 up at the break.
Salford had their moments in the first half, with winger Justin Carney twice dropping difficult passes in promising positions, and they opened the scoring after the break when replacement hooker Kriss Brining dummied his way over from acting half-back on his Super League debut.
Gareth O'Brien added the conversion and centre Niall Evalds threatened to add another try after producing a 50 metre break but the pacy Burgess got back to deny him.
Right winger Lewis Tierney then pulled off an interception to halt a dangerous Salford attack and denied scrum-half Michael Dobson a try by holding him up over the line.
The pressure on the Wigan defence finally told on 70 minutes when Sa'u forced his way over wide out and Salford added a third try five minutes later when Dobson pounced on a defensive error, with O'Brien kicking a third goal.
