Wigan Warriors boss assesses ‘harsh’ Harry Smith ban as Castleford Tigers’ clash previewed

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet has labelled Harry Smith’s three-match ban as ‘harsh’ but one that the club will ‘take on the chin’.

England international Smith was handed a Grade E charge and a three-match ban for making contact with an injured or potentially injured player, relating to the moment in last week’s Challenge Cup tie when he pushed Wakefield’s Jazz Tevaga.

The RFL have been consistent in the fact that players cannot make contact with players in such a position for the obvious reason that they could cause further injury but many have still questioned the severity of Smith’s ban.

Matt Peet was not one of them, with the Wigan boss giving his verdict during his pre-match presser ahead of Sunday’s game against Castleford Tigers.

“Particularly the Harry one, the rules are in place, it’s a black and white rule,” Peet admitted, in a presser update shared on the Wigan Warriors website.

“I’ve seen in the past some lads getting banned from other clubs and I think everyone knows it’s harsh but the rules are in for a reason and we’ll take it on the chin.”

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Wigan Warriors boss assesses Castleford Tigers’ threat

Smith wasn’t the only Wigan player handed a three-game ban with forward Sam Walters receiving the same punishment for a headbutt and with both men set to be major misses, Peet explained what the next three weeks looks like for the pair.

He explained: “There’s an opportunity for them to get specific training in, particularly around strength & conditioning.

“That’s not a massive thing for Harry but for Sam, anyone who’s playing forwards and big minutes, it’s important that you take these opportunities to get a bit of extra physical work done.

“I think it’s important for both of them as well that they stay present around the group whether that’s in sessions and still affecting team meetings and helping us with our preparation.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s home game against Castleford Tigers, who are currently at the foot of Super League but he was well aware of the danger that Ryan Carr’s side pose given the fact the two sides met in February.

Peet said: “They’ve had a high turnover of players and we went there in Round One and they gave us a real tough game and I think since then they’ve ebbed and flowed a little bit but one thing I’m very conscious of is that they’ve had a week off out of the Wakefield game and they’ll be wanting to get back on track after that.

“Ryan Carr talked about getting a response from his team so we’ve got to be prepared for them to be highly motivated and very well prepared.

“They’ve shown when they can get their attack into gear, particularly in that game against Bradford, they’ve got excellent shape and some talented ball players. We need to be our best to minimise the chances they’ve got to execute.”