Matt Peet has hailed the impact of Bevan French following Wigan Warriors’ 38-0 win over Leeds Rhinos on Friday night.
The Warriors swept the floor with Leeds Rhinos, who couldn’t handle the pace, power and intensity of the home side, and French was at the heart of a lot of what they did well on the night.
The Australian, who recently returned to fitness following a hamstring injury, scored two tries on the night and set up one more for Abbas Miski with a delicate grubber kick through the line for the winger to touch down.
Harry Smith, Jai Field, Jake Wardle and Liam Marshall were among the other impressive performers for Wigan on the night and Peet gave some of the above names a nod while he waxed lyrical about his stand-off after the game.
“He’s very good,” Peet smiled to Sky Sports. “He makes my life a lot easier. He does so much, he’s obviously very talented but he does some unselfish things as well, his kick chases lift everybody, including the crowd.
“It’s the same with Jai, Jake Wardle, they’re talented but they do a lot of work that isn’t that glamourous as well.”
Asked about the blossoming partnership French has with Smith in the pivots, Peet added: “They had four weeks off together having coffees every day while we were battling on without them.
“They’ve worked on the connection over the last couple of years and transferring to the field. They complement each other because they both have different skillsets and it’s a pleasure working with them.”
The win ensures Wigan just need to avoid defeat against Salford Red Devils on home soil next week to get their hands on the League Leaders’ Shield once more.
“I think as tonight’s game, yeah, we were pretty good,” the Wigan Warriors head coach added. “Obviously never perfect but we learned a lot from last week, a few key areas, looking after the ball coming out of our end and a few things defensively. A big step in the right direction, there’s always points in us but we have to give ourselves a chance.
“There will bumps in the road and twists in the story yet for all the teams involved but you have to make sure you ride them out and hopefully the lessons you’ve learned through the season stand you in good stead.
“We always have great games against Salford. Paul Rowley and his team will come here and test us.”
