Gregory moves to clarify Warriors team talk

The Wigan legend played a key role in Wigan’s eight-year dominance of the competition before famously being responsible for ending that run - as Salford coach.

It emerged yesterday that the former Great Britain scrum half would be visiting Wigan to hand on his memories of playing in Cup semi-finals to the squad, and this has rattled Salford coach Ian Watson.

Watson said: “He wanted to come in here and speak to the boys. He was telling us he would like nothing more than for Salford to beat Wigan.

“If he goes in Wigan first he is not coming.”

But Gregory insists he never told Salford he would be doing a talk with them, though he says he was contacted by Salford CEO Ian Blease about a visit to the Red Devils.

Gregory said: “I class Ian Watson as a friend and I love Salford as a club.

“Salford did ask me if I would go and do a talk with them, I said I’d consider it, but I never told them I would.

“I told Shaun Wane I would go to Wigan because Waney is a friend, ex-roommate and a team mate.

“The talk isn’t about providing inspiration. It’s more passing on my knowledge of what it is like to play in these games.”

Gregory says he doesn’t even have Watson’s phone number to contact the Red Devils coach, and says he wishes the sides weren’t facing each other this weekend.

“I have great friends at both clubs and I don’t want to upset anybody,” he said.

“I genuinely hope whoever wins on Sunday goes on to win the Cup.

“Ian Watson has said I’m not welcome at the club, so if that’s the case I’ll go and sit with my old chairman John Wilkinson and we’ll talk about the good times.”