Super League: Bevan French and Toby King help Wigan Warriors see off Salford Red Devils 20-16 in thriller
Bevan French's two tries and one from Toby King ensured the Warriors triumphed in a see-saw clash at the DW Stadium; Harry Smith kicked three conversions and a penalty; the Red Devils' scores came via two tries from Ken Sio, and two conversions and two penalties from Marc Sneyd
Last Updated: 25/03/23 7:12am
Bevan French’s double and Toby King’s try seven minutes from time saw Wigan Warriors snatch a 20-16 victory in a topsy-turvy Betfred Super League clash with Salford Red Devils on Friday.
Harry Smith had kicked the Warriors in front with an early penalty, but Ken Sio's converted try saw the Red Devils edge in front before the home side hit back with a converted score of their own from French.
Marc Sneyd's penalty ensured Salford went into half-time level at 8-8, and they retook the lead after surviving an early spell of pressure from Wigan following the restart thanks to winger Sio's second and another Sneyd penalty.
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French, switched to full-back after starting on the wing, got the Warriors back in the contest as the match moved into the final 10 minutes though and the win was secured three minutes later as centre King finished another flowing attack.
Story of the game
Two penalties in quick succession put the Warriors on the front foot, but they opted to take the two points on offer with half-back Smith converting after Adam Sidlow was penalised for a high tackle.
Wigan had plenty of possession inside Salford's half without creating many chances, although Jake Wardle was stopped inches short as he tried to power his way over on the last tackle.
Salford seemed to handle everything Wigan threw at them, and they managed to make them pay with the first try of the game. First, Joe Burgess went close on the left following a Sneyd kick, before Ryan Brierley tried his luck on the right and found Sio in the corner. Sneyd converted for a 6-2 advantage.
Wigan Warriors 20-16 Salford Red Devils score summary
Wigan Warriors: Tries - Bevan French (2), Toby King; Goals: - Harry Smith (4).
Salford Red Devils: Tries - Ken Sio (2); Goals: - Marc Sneyd (4).
The Warriors got their first try of the night with a moment of magic from French. He collected the ball on the right wing after Field's pass missed everyone. He then came back infield and threw an outrageous dummy to race clear. Smith converted as Wigan now led 8-6.
A penalty in front of the posts allowed England international Sneyd to take the two and level matters going into the half-time interval, although he attempted to sneak the lead with a long-range drop-goal attempt that failed to reach its intended target.
Field caused a whole host of problems at the start of the second half as he danced past a number of defenders, but he opted to offload to Wardle, who was brought down. Wigan were then awarded a penalty as Sneyd was penalised for an apparent elbow on French.
Just like in the first half, Salford soaked up everything Wigan could throw at them before posting points themselves. Sneyd, Brierley and Man of Steel Brodie Croft were calling all the shots and it was a long ball from the latter that allowed Sio to go over for his second of the night. Sneyd converted for a 14-8 lead.
Wigan continued to have plenty of ball in Salford's half, but their attack was out of sync and great defending on their line from Salford kept them in front. They extended their lead to eight points after Sneyd slotted over following a late hit from Morgan Smithies on Chris Atkin.
Wigan gave themselves a chance heading into the final 11 minutes when French grabbed his second as he finally found a gap in the Salford defence and sailed through it. Smith's conversion cut the gap to just two points with 10 minutes left on the clock.
The Warriors looked a different side now and they could smell victory. Farrell went close again before the ball went right and Field threw a couple of dummies before sending King over in at the corner, with Smith converting to secure the win.
What they said
Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet:
"I think we found a way to win, but we can certainly improve with the ball. I think a combination of team spirit in defence and some individual brilliance in attack won us that game.
"A lot of teams are built on that, but there is more to us that you saw tonight. We've got to find our flow with the ball and when we do we'll be a decent team, but...again a resilient performance."
Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley:
"I can have no complaints; everyone knows we can play rugby, but I thought they learnt we're a pretty tough team as well and resilient. The resources ran out at the end and a team like Wigan will get you.
"Some of the players were doing too many minutes and were out on their feet there. We'll probably have at least three of tonight's team unavailable next week."
Player of the match Bevan French:
"It was very back and forth, and I think they had a fair share of possession in the first half which put us under the pump.
"Every game this year, we've let teams get back into the swing of things. As much as it's entertaining to be a part of, we don't want to play like that moving forward and we want to be very disciplined because it almost hurt us."
What's next?
Wigan are back in action on Sky Sports on Thursday, March 30 when they travel to near neighbours Leigh Leopards for the 'Battle of the Borough' (8pm). Salford now face former head coach Ian Watson's Huddersfield Giants on Sunday, April 2.
