Wigan Warriors won the Super League Grand Final thanks to a moment of Bevan French magic leading to huge plaudits for the Australian.
French would deservedly become the first winner of the renamed Rob Burrow Award and it was no surprise to fans when he was handed that trophy after breaking the game open, and in doing so breaking Hull KR hearts.
In Rob Burrow-esque style, the Wigan Warriors man broke from halfway after selling a dummy before rounding the full-back to score the only try of the game as Matt Peet’s side won 9-2.
It was a tight and close affair outside of that one moment of magic, something that Jon Wilkin would highlight when speaking post-match on Sky Sports.
“In really simple terms, Wigan win on one moment and one defensive lapse from Matt Parcell and Mikey Lewis,” the ex-St Helens captain argued.
“And that one moment of magic from an artist who doesn’t use a paintbrush or sculpt but finds time and space on a rugby league field, creating things that nobody else can. That is the difference and it’s been the difference on the two sides here.”
Bevan French magic assessed as Wigan Warriors go back-to-back
It was a brutal reality check for Hull KR who had got the best of the first 15 to 20 minutes but when French broke free and opened the scoring, it seemed that a switch changed in the Hull KR camp.
They weren’t poor by any means but the nature of French’s try and how well-balanced both sides were seemed to suggest that Hull KR would need their own moment of magic, forcing them to perhaps overplay and subsequently fall short of scoring a try.
Wilkin would surmise: “I think for Willie Peters, it’s just seeing what fine margins it is when it comes to the biggest games.”
There is maybe truth in the saying that ‘you need to lose one to win one’ but there is even more truth in the fact that special players determine big games, something that Sam Tomkins would argue.
“They came up against a great player in Bevan French but is anyone surprised that Bevan French did that tonight?” asked Tomkins.
“He’s been doing it week on week now for a long, long time and that’s why he’s such a special player. He doesn’t come up with a piece of brilliance every month or a few times a year, it’s every single week.”
Bevan French with the opening #GrandFinal try 🤯
We’ve seen it all before from the @WiganWarriorsRL‘s wizard 🪄#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/tBovSWt2Ox
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) October 12, 2024
England captain George Williams added: “He’s writing some script. He was Man of Steel last year, Man of the Match in the Challenge Cup Final and then Man of the Match in this game. He’s winning back-to-back trophies, he’s done it all.”
The beauty of how Bevan French plays is that he simply plays what he sees and that ingenuity makes him so hard to defend and perfectly balances the generalship of Harry Smith in Wigan Warriors halves combination.
Speaking on the freedom with which French plays, Wilkin called for more of it and an abandonment of structure to help embrace the sport’s stars.
He argued: “We’re way too technical and tactical about how you should play sport. Enjoy it. He plays with an enjoyment and it plays with a vision that’s not bound by the rules that we all play by.
“That’s why he does exciting things. He’s playing a different game to everybody else. He doesn’t follow the rules and I love it.”