The bulldozers are coming in at Belle Vue.
But Wigan, with Bevan French in scintillating form, started the demolition job early by bashing Wakefield 46-22. Trinity’s 98-year-old East Stand is being knocked down on Monday as part of a much-needed stadium revamp. But there was no celebratory send-off for fans as they endured their side being dragged back into the relegation mire.
Rampant Wigan were 18-0 up inside just 14 minutes with dazzling French - recently returned to his favoured full-back slot - tearing Wakefield apart. It was the jet-heeled Aussie whose clever passes created tries for Kai Pearce-Paul and Liam Farrell tries either side of Liam Marshall’s effort. Although Wakefield hit back with converted tries from Max Jowitt and Mason Lino, a brilliant solo try from French put Wigan back in control.
And when Mason Lino was sin-binned for arguing about a ball-steal decision, the ex-Parramatta star also created another for Abbas Miski in the 37th minute. Challenge Cup holders Wigan moved to within two points of leaders St Helens who they face at Magic Weekend on Saturday.
On French’s stunning try, where he beat four defenders from a standing start, Warriors boss Matty Peet said: “I actually think Bevan looks most dangerous when you think there’s nothing there for him. Sometimes, when everyone else stops and waits, that’s when he’s at his instinctive best.
“When the game’s nip and tuck and, at that time Wakefield had had some joy (at 18-12), you’d love to claim it as a coach. But it was just down to Bevan’s individual talent. He’s a special player. And he's working hard on the other side of his game as well. He took a lot of towering kicks today and did a lot of unselfish things. He's great to work with. It's good to have a variety of threats. And Bevan's one of them. He's a player you love to watch."
French, 26, is out of contract at the end of the season with ongoing speculation about his future. Wigan want to keep him and asked if the player was any closer to securing his future, Peet said: “I wouldn’t say he’s any closer but we’re in communication.”
Jai Field’s wonderful pass put Miski in for his second at the start of the second half before French grabbed his own double. Ex-Llanelli and Doncaster RU winger Kyle Evans scored on his Wakefield debut. And Jowitt smartly went in for his second after French sailed the restart out on the full.
But Pearce-Paul got his second and Willie Poching's side, hammered 74-10 at Salford in their last outing, are in trouble. They are just four points ahead of bottom-placed Toulouse who beat Hull KR on Saturday, meet Wakefield next at Magic and now have a superior points difference to Trinity.
Poching said: “Some of the issues last week were attitude and some of that was better today. But we just found ourselves under the pump too often, especially at the start. Mason (Lino), though, promised me, he didn’t swear at the ref.”
