Wigan Warriors beat Castleford Tigers 32-22 at the DW Stadium as Ethan Havard makes a try-scoring return from injury

Ethan Havard made a try-scoring return to action in his first appearance of the season, following a spell on the side-lines.

Meanwhile, Jai Field once again starred for Matty Peet’s side, as he put in a great performance on the same day he was revealed as Super League player of the month for February.

Castleford took the lead within the opening 10 minutes, as Gareth O’Brien successfully kicked a penalty.

The first try of the game soon followed, as Zak Hardaker went over on the left-hand side for the home side.

Field started the move, as his electric pace quickly saw Wigan quickly break down the field.

The fullback was also involved with the second, as he once again used his speed to cut through the Castleford defence, before assisting Liam Farrell.

There were multiple occasions in the first half where Lee Radford’s side did well to break the Wigan line, but just struggled to produce the killer pass.

With five minutes remaining of the first half, they claimed their first try of the evening, as Greg Eden darted across the line on the right side.

Wigan were handed a temporary man advantage just before the break, as Mahe Fonua was sent to the sin bin for a harsh late tackle call.

They made the most of this five minutes into the second half, with Havard marking his return from injury with a try after a gap appeared in the Castleford line.

Moments later, the Warriors were over for another, as Field turned from creator to scorer.

His pace once again proved too much for the Tigers, as he picked the ball up well inside his own half, before cutting through the line of the visitors to score a fantastic try.

The lead would be extended further as Farrell forced his way over for his second of the night, before George Griffin pulled one back for Castleford just before the hour mark to make it 28-12.

That try seemed to re-energise Radford’s side, while Wigan appeared to take their foot off the gas.

Jake Trueman and Jake Mamo both went over in the space of five minutes, to set up a tense ending to the game, with only six points separating the two teams.

In the final moments of the match, the Warriors took back control.

They were handed another man advantage, as Brad Martin was shown a red card for a high hit on Willie Isa.

From the subsequent penalty, Hardaker stood up to take the two, which he added successfully.

With three minutes left on the clock, the winger successfully added a further two points, to put the game out of the reach of his former side.

Despite some shaky moments, Wigan were able to successfully bounce back from the defeat in Perpignan.

Wigan Warriors: Jai Field, Zak Hardaker, Kai Pearce-Paul, Sam Halsall, Liam Marshall, Cade Cust, Thomas Leuluai, Morgan Smithies, Sam Powell, Liam Byrne, Liam Farrell, John Bateman, Willie Isa.

Interchanges: Patrick Mago, Harry Smith, Oliver Partington, Ethan Havard.

Tries: Hardaker (11’), Farrell (23,’ 55’), Havard (45’), Field (48’)

Conversions: Hardaker (3/4)

Penalties: Hardaker (2/2)

Castleford Tigers: Gareth O’Brien, Derrell Olpherts, Jake Mamo, Mahe Fonua, Greg Eden, Jake Trueman, Paul McShane, George Griffin, George Lawler, Daniel Smith, Cheyse Blair, Kenny Edwards, Joe Westerman.

Interchanges: Suaia Matagi, Brad Martin, Bureta Faraimo, Tyla Hepi.

Tries: Eden(35’), Griffin (57’), Trueman (65’)

Conversions: O’Brien (1/2)

Penalties: O’Brien (1/1)

Yellow Card: Fonua (39’)

Red Card: Brad Martin (73’)

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