Super League: Salford Red Devils 12-30 Wigan Warriors - French hat-trick gives visitors victory
- Published
Bevan French last scored a hat-trick of tries in 2020, which also came against Salford Red Devils
Betfred Super League |
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Salford (0) 12 |
Tries: Cross, Watkins Goals: Sneyd 2 |
Wigan (6) 30 |
Tries: Smith, Marshall 2, French 3 Goals: Smith 3 |
Bevan French scored a hat-trick of tries as Wigan Warriors easily beat Salford Red Devils in Super League.
Harry Smith sent Wigan ahead with a converted score in a muted first half to give them a slender interval lead.
Liam Marshall went over with an acrobatic finish at the corner before Bevan French's cross-field try.
French dived in for his second and third either side of Marshall scoring again, while Deon Cross and Kallum Watkins scored late on for Salford.
Wigan's victory moved them up to second in Super League, above Huddersfield who briefly moved just below leaders St Helens courtesy of their win against Leeds.
Prior to kick-off, Liam Farrell signed a new three-year deal with Wigan to stay with the club until 2025 and the visitors took just 10 minutes to get off the mark through Smith.
The second half started off tense, with Salford's Alex Gerrard penalised for a high running tackle on Oliver Partington, and their task was then made harder when Marshall went over for his fourth try in successive games.
His fine solo effort at the corner was the third match in a row that he had scored in such a manner, adding to his Challenge Cup-winning score at Tottenham 13 days ago and try in their 32-12 win over Castleford last week.
French's 49th-minute score came from almost his own try-line, as he picked up the ball from the turnover and raced upfield, exchanging passes with Jai Field before going in on the wing.
Marshall swiftly added a second to his tally for the evening, keeping up his fine recent form, and French completed his hat-trick not long after.
It was the first time since 2020 that French had scored a hat-trick of tries, the last also coming against Salford Red Devils, who slumped to their 10th defeat of the campaign.
Salford Red Devils boss Paul Rowley told BBC Radio Manchester:
"We're a club fighting in the lower ends against the best team in the league at the minute and that's what it looked like.
"We did a lot of good stuff but not in long enough periods of time. First half was toe to toe and we take pride in that.
"We would have been delighted to get points on the board in the first half, it would have given us a lot of belief. In the second half, Wigan turned on the afterburners and I thought they were outstanding."
Salford: Brierley, Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess, Croft, Sneyd, Akauola, Ackers, Ormondroyd, Livett, Watkins, Taylor.
Interchanges: Luckley, Bourouh, Gerrard, Dupree.
Wigan: Field, French, Isa, Bibby, Marshall, Smith, Leuluai, Singleton, Powell, Byrne, Farrell, Bateman, Ellis.
Interchanges: Mago, Partington, Havard, Shorrocks.
Referee: C Kendall.