Wigan Warriors v Salford Red Devils verdict as hosts hit 50+ against Salford side missing stars

Wigan Warriors hosted Salford Red Devils in Round Six of Super League with the hosts looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

Matt Peet’s side did that with ease as they ran in nine tries against an understrength Salford side to win 54-0, however, it was a performance that Peet likely won’t have been too happy with.

Wigan were sloppy at times but they only had to be average to beat the battered and bruised Salford side, who fought to the very end and deserve plenty of credit for even taking the field given the current situation at the club.

Wigan had been boosted by news that Jai Field was available to play whilst Brad O’Neill also made his long-awaited return, starting from the bench behind Kruise Leeming.

For Salford, they were dealt another blow with Kallum Watkins not in their matchday squad with just Ryan Brierley and Joe Shorrocks among those in their first thirteen squad numbers to feature. Those late changes to the squad meant Salford had just six interchanges, as opposed to eight.

Here’s our verdict on how the game played out.

Salford Red Devils slip to heavy defeat as Wigan hit 50-point mark

Full-time pic.twitter.com/Yodp5tBWTM

— Salford Red Devils 👹 (@SalfordDevils) March 30, 2025

Wigan thought they’d got ahead early on when one of the young Salford backs let a high ball bounce, however, Jacob Douglas was judged offside which gave the Red Devils a reprieve. Salford would respond well but it didn’t take long for Wigan to get on the board as Junior Nsemba broke free and set up Jake Wardle.

The floodgates didn’t open as many expected with Salford standing resolute for the next ten minutes, at which point Tyler Dupree was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle, giving the Red Devils a numerical advantage. However, any hope of taking advantage were dashed when Sam Walters broke free, just as Junior Nsemba did, before setting up Jai Field for an easy score.

Wigan found plenty of fortune on that left edge and Jake Wardle scored his second in almost the same fashion as he had his first, courtesy of a Junior Nsemba break. The bigger cheer came when Brad O’Neill took to the field, making his return after his lengthy lay-off and O’Neill was key in starting the attack that saw Nsemba cross over minutes later to make it 22-0.

Bevan French thought he’d extended that lead when he ripped the ball from Esan Marsters but Chris Kendall’s on-field ‘No Try’ call proved crucial as video referee Marcus Griffiths couldn’t find evidence to overturn the decision meaning the score remained 22-0 at the half.

It didn’t take long for Wigan to get started again with Jai Field breaking from deep to set up Liam Marshall for a crossover with Bevan French then making it 32-0 minutes later. Sam Walters then added Wigan’s seventh as Wigan scored three in quick succession.

Wigan added another through Zach Eckersley just before the hour mark before a 15-minute period where Salford were arguably on top. That came to an abrupt end when Jai Field ran the length of the field but Jake Wardle still had time to complete his hattrick and make it 54-0.

Salford thought they had something to celebrate when Nathan Connell ripped the ball from Jai Field and grounded with seconds left on the clock but video referee Marcus Griffiths overruled Chris Kendall.

Good day for

Brad O’Neill returned to action after last playing back in July and his return was a very welcome one. O’Neill was on track to be a contender for a Dream Team nomination last year before his cruel injury. Seeing him back in action was the major positive of the day.

Bad day for

Rugby League loses out the longer this current Salford situation goes on. Salford fielded three of their academy players, one of whom debuted, two loanees and a number of players carrying knocks and injuries, only to get hammered as expected. Players are being punished for something that isn’t their fault.

Star man

Sam Walters has had a brilliant start to the 2025 season and today was no different. In truth, a number of Wigan players could have claimed this but Walters proved destructive with his running style, just as Junior Nsemba did. Salford could not handle those big bodies.

Teams

Wigan Warriors XIII: Jai Field; Jacob Douglas, Zach Eckersley, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall; Bevan French, Harry Smith; Tyler Dupree, Kruise Leeming, Luke Thompson; Junior Nsemba, Liam Farrell, Kaide Ellis.

Bench: Patrick Mago, Harvie Hill, Sam Walters, Brad O’Neill.

Salford Red Devils XIII: Ryan Brierley, Nathan Connell, Esan Marsters, Jonny Vaughan, Josh Wagstaffe; Joe Shorrocks, Kai Morgan; Jack Ormondroyd, Finlay Yates, Chris Hill; Shane Wright, Matty Foster, George Hill

Bench: Justin Sangare, Tiaki Chan, Scott Egan Jimmy Shields

The sides are locked in for the Warriors v Red Devils 🔒

Watch on @BBCSport, SuperLeague+ and SkySports+ 📺#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/ukQ9qqJOBP

— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) March 30, 2025