Wigan Warriors will welcome back Harry Smith and Sam Walters this weekend in a crunch Challenge Cup tie against rivals St Helens and head coach Matt Peet has explained how the club have turned the pair’s recent ban into a positive, insisting they can use it as a launchpad entering the second third of the season.
Smith and Walters were both handed three-match bans in the Challenge Cup quarter-final win over Wakefield Trinity and after missing out against Castleford Tigers, Warrington Wolves and Bradford Bulls, the pair are set to feature against St Helens.
It’s a welcome boost as Harry Smith will offer some much-needed experience in the halves whilst Walters’ return to the forward pack coincides with Ethan Havard’s suspension, which was upheld on Tuesday evening.
Speaking to club media at the press event on Tuesday, Peet said of the returning pair: “They’ve been getting work done and they’ve been involved in a lot of our sessions with a few extra for fitness over the weekend when the lads are playing games.
“We’ve got to turn it into positive now, and those lads should be coming in fresh for this part of the year.”
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Wigan Warriors boss previews big St Helens clash
There would be no finer way of turning their return into a positive than progressing to the Challenge Cup final where they’ll seek to lift the trophy they last won in 2024.
Given the occasion, Peet expressed excitement and positivity but also admitted: “There’s a little bit of nervousness which will build as the week goes on because it’s a big game. It’s one we are looking forward to and it’s a great opportunity to get through to the Challenge Cup Final and to take our Club to Wembley again.”
Doing so against St Helens would be even sweeter, particularly given the fact that Wigan Warriors and Saints haven’t played a knockout game against each other since May of 2022, where Wigan came out on top in what was Matt Peet’s first season in charge.
Peet said: “We’ve not played St. Helens in many knockout games in the last few years, so it’s great to be here again against a rival. They’re someone we have a lot of respect for, but someone who wants to get to Wembley as well. It’s going to be an awesome game.”
On that 2022 Challenge Cup clash, Peet recalled: “It was a great day for the Club, and for us as players and staff. I remember being with the lads’ families and my family after the game, and it was a big step for us at the time.”
Amid the recent form and the fact St Helens won the Good Friday derby, a victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Saturday would be yet another big step for Wigan Warriors.
