Wane: Vatuvei move was a '˜non-starter'

Warriors coach Shaun Wane has revealed the prospect of Salford's new big hitter Manu Vatuvei coming to Wigan was '˜a non-starter'.
Manu VatuveiManu Vatuvei
Manu Vatuvei

The winger, known as ‘The Beast’, is expected to make his Red Devils debut on Sunday in the Challenge Cup semi-final against Wigan.

And Wane says he is well aware of the capabilities of the New Zealand and Tonga international, having kept a close eye on his throughout his career.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Wigan coach said: “Vatuvei has played over 200 games in the NRL, and I think I’ve watched nearly all of them. He’s big, and he’ll be a handful for us.

“We did get contacted by Vatuvei’s agent a few years ago.

“But it was a non-starter - we were happy with what we had.”

Vatuvei joins Salford from New Zealand Warriors, where he was a team-mate of Wigan star Sam Tomkins during the full-back’s stint in the NRL, and Wane admits the star will pose a threat to his players.

“The talk’s all about him this week, but we’ve got some big hitters in our team and we’ll try and put him under pressure,” he said.

“It’s a challenge for my lads to handle him, but it’ll also be a challenge for him to handle my lads.

“We want to put him under the pump. He’s going to have to defend against us.”