Wigan Warriors: The 18th Man - 'A giant of our club, a respected ambassador for our sport and a gentleman'

Our panel of Warriors experts run the rule over last week’s win over Wakefield Trinity and pay tribute to Sir Billy Boston following the legend’s passing...

David Bailey:

The Warriors extended their winning run to 12 Super League games, beating their previous record in the summer era (which incidentally ended in title-winning seasons).

Wakefield came on the back of a two-match losing streak and were desperate to breathe some life into their faltering season. Once again, the game felt like a play-off game. Both sides were going set-for-set and kicking deep.

Wigan thought they had got their noses in front after a terrific 70-metre dash from Brad O'Neill, but the overlap was bombed with a forward pass.

Bevan French, who was responsible for the pass, then went from zero to hero as Wakefield went 60 metres themselves and French somehow wrapped his arms and legs around the ball, and there was no conclusive evidence to show it was grounded.

That man again finally put Wigan in front, scooping up a loose pass to race 65 metres. From that point, the Warriors never looked back, racing to a 20-0 lead before easing off in the second half.

Wigan really are showcasing their ability to soak up pressure and take their chances with aplomb, which is a handy characteristic as we edge closer to the knockout stages.

The League Leaders’ Shield looks like it will go to a decider at Headingley next week which is brilliant for the game.

The Warriors Women played a superb game against St Helens too, going 12 months unbeaten and not looking to end that run anytime soon.

They've come on so much under Denis Betts, losing just eight games in his tenure and seven of those were in 2024. Madness.

The Men’s reserves and academy are also unbeaten and the academy will face last year’s champions Warrington Wolves for the title too.

There really is a lot to be proud of at the club at the moment, which leads me onto a man that made us all proud. A man that represented the best of us.

The news broke on Tuesday that Sir William John Boston has been reunited with his beloved Lady Joan. A day none of us wanted to arrive.

A man who overcame every obstacle that came his way.

The fact he was the first black player to be selected for Great Britain on an Ashes tour was just one of many incredible barriers he broke, and I only hope he realised how important he was to so many. A trailblazer in every sense.

My personal memories of Billy were him behind the bar at The Griffin pub on Standishgate.

He was a giant of a man with a massive, hearty laugh and an even bigger smile. We'd go in there every Sunday that Wigan played at Central Park. He was everybody's friend, everyone's hero and will live on forever.

RIP, Sir Billy. The greatest.

Darren Wrudd:

With such an improved Wakefield side this year, they are going to be a handful come the play-offs and could push their way to the Grand Final.

They played a fast and high-pressure game against us last week which, although the half-time score did not show it, made us work extremely hard to gain the lead.

I thought our scramble defence was superb and we reacted quickly to the Yorkshire team’s threats, which came across the park and it is clear to see why they are so high up the table this year.

The second half was a bit loose for us and we kept inviting them in with dropped ball or errors, and you just can’t do that and keep getting away with it. If we are to win the remaining games, we really need to focus and play some percentage rugby league.

Next week’s game against Leeds Rhinos is now a must-win. It’s the serious time of the year and Leeds will be out to nail their title chances while we can break their hearts and possibly their spirit with a convincing win.

Finally, the news that dominates all others in the rugby league calendar this week is the extremely sad news that Billy Boston has passed away, surrounded by his family.

I am too young to have seen Billy play but have heard tales from my friends who did. Comments that he was the greatest player they have ever seen are common and the respect that he commanded from fans across the game speaks volumes of the character of the man.

His achievement of scoring 478 tries in 488 games for Wigan will quite possibly never be beaten and his presence at matches will certainly be missed.

A giant of our club, a respected ambassador for our sport and a gentleman.

My sincere condolences go to his family and friends. Billy, you were a star.