Wigan dismantle Wakefield to go back second

Betfred Super League

Wigan (18) 44

Tries: Keighran, French, Eckerskley 2, Nsemba, Field, Marshall, Walters Goals: Keighran, Smith 5

Wakefield (2) 2

Goal: Jowitt

Wigan Warriors went backmost to 2nd successful Super League pinch a broad 44-2 triumph against Wakefield Trinity astatine nan Brick Community Stadium.

First-half tries from Adam Keighran, Bevan French and Zach Eckersley saw them title into a 16-point lead astatine nan interval.

Scores from Junior Nsemba, Jai Field, a 2nd for Eckersley, Liam Marshall and Sam Walters aft nan break earned nan Cherry and Whites nan 2 points successful a objective display.

Warriors leapfrog bitter rivals St Helens successful nan array and are now 4 points down convention leaders Hull KR while Wakefield stay seventh, conscionable 1 constituent beneath Hull FC and nan play-off places.

Following a ascendant opening 15 minutes from nan hosts, a well-weighted grubber footwear from French recovered Australian centre Keighran who powerfully held disconnected 2 defenders to touch down and unfastened nan scoring.

Another French grubber footwear intended for Walters past rebounded disconnected nan goalpost earlier French reacted quickest to nan loose shot to dot down underneath nan sticks for his 100th effort successful Super League.

Warriors grabbed their 3rd successful nan 32nd infinitesimal erstwhile an outstanding one-handed offload from French recovered Liam Farrell, who successful move group up Eckersley to dive complete unopposed successful nan correct corner.

In nan past enactment of nan first half, Max Jowitt sewage Wakefield connected nan committee pinch a bully footwear from nan correct broadside aft Wigan's defence were caught offside.

With 5 minutes of nan 2nd play played, Marshall recovered abstraction down nan near manus broadside earlier unselfishly mounting up Nsemba to locomotion successful Warriors' 4th effort and efficaciously extremity nan lucifer arsenic a contest.

During a comfortable day for nan hosts, Farrell past recovered Patrick Mago, whose statement break allowed him to group up Field to decorativeness a beautiful move.

In his 100th quality successful Super League for Wigan, Ethan Havard was sent to nan sin-bin for clattering Lachlan Walmsley precocious connected nan hr mark.

Despite being down to 12 men, Wigan overloaded nan visitors connected nan correct wing, pinch French and Farrell progressive erstwhile more, earlier Eckersley dotted down his 2nd try.

With Havard backmost connected nan section and Trinity's Mason Lino temporarily disconnected having been shown a greenish card, winger Marshall sewage connected nan scoresheet erstwhile he acrobatically dived successful astatine nan area pinch a trademark decorativeness earlier Walters completed nan rout, powering complete pinch a infinitesimal left.

Wigan Warriors leader Matt Peet said:

"I'm wished to get america to beryllium capable to grip it amended erstwhile we've sewage definite players missing but we look much of a threat pinch our running, passing and kicking."

On Bevan French's return from injury:

"Getting Bevan back, there's nary shying distant from him improving america and giving america much balance. There was much to it than that but he was excellent, he astir apt exceeded my expectations.

"He threw 1 shot connected nan level successful nan 2nd half and [Wigan assistant] Tommy Leuluai was a spot miffed.

"We person to beryllium observant that we don't person excessively precocious expectations but I thought he was brilliant."

Wakefield Trinity leader Daryl Powell told BBC Radio Leeds:

"We conscionable gave distant excessively overmuch successful nan first half. We started nan crippled beautiful well, we sewage into bully positions, but we dropped nan shot erstwhile we went to play and you can't do those things against Wigan.

"[It was] difficult to defend, some nan first 2 tries. Wigan had 91% territory successful nan first half - if you're going to triumph a crippled against Wigan, you aren't doing it pinch those benignant of stats.

"I conscionable thought we were poor. Individual players person to play good for nan squad to play good - truthful yeah, not awesome today, but a spot of position is needed from wherever we've travel from. I thought they were really bully coming and we were really poor.

"I don't deliberation we've travel retired of nan break well, truthful we request to return our flip flops disconnected and get nan studs backmost out."

Wigan: Field; Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Havard, O'Neill, Byrne, Walters, Farrell, Ellis

Interchanges: Nsemba, Mago, Leeming, Hill.

Sin-bin: Havard (60 mins)

Wakefield: Jowitt; Walmsley, Scott, Pratt, Johnstone; Trueman, Lino; McMeeken, Hood, Storton, Vagana, Griffin, Pitts

Interchanges: Atoni, Cozza, Smith, Faatili.

Referee: Chris Kendall.