Wigan Warriors early squad news for Castleford Tigers opener with Harry Smith update given
Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peet has confirmed it will be the same 21-man squad to face Castleford Tigers in the Super League opener as the one that beat Rochdale Hornets last weekend.
The Warriors produced an impressive performance in their first competitive fixture of 2026 last Sunday, running in 15 tries to claim a comfortable 83-0 win over Championship side Rochdale Hornets in the third round of the Challenge Cup.
Next up for Wigan is a trip to Castleford this Sunday in their Super League opener, with Peet confirming that it will be the same 21-man travelling contingent.
A late call will be made on whether Harry Smith makes his return from a wrist injury, while young gun Jack Farrimond is also ready to play.
"The 21 will be the same as the weekend just gone,” said Peet.
"Harry Smith will be in the 21, we’ve got another session left, so if he comes through that alright, he is there for selection. Jack’s trained today as well, so without giving you the team, I’ve got some choices to make.
"Sam Walters is available – there were no issues there, so barring losing Oliver Wilson when we did, we’re in pretty good shape."
Senior halfback Smith played through the pain barrier towards the end of last season with his wrist, which he had operated on after England’s Ashes series against Australia last autumn.
“Whether we choose to use him or not this week, we’re very confident that we’ve protected him in the build-up to the start of the season,” Peet added.
"The good thing about that injury is that he has had all of his running on track, so he’s fit as a fiddle, he has been kicking the ball, it has mainly just been his contact that we’ve had to take our time with and reintroduce him to, and him being the competitor that he is, he has thrown himself in.
"When we found out he was going under the knife, we were told he would be available for the start of the season, and so it has turned out.”
Meanwhile, Peet shared praise for Ollie Partington, who has seamlessly transitioned to life back in cherry and white since returning to his hometown club last month.
"It’s just felt very natural, like he’s not been away, to be honest,” Peet said. “Obviously, he has got a lot of friends at the club, he knows all the staff, so he knows what we’re about philosophically, how we train and how we go about our work, so he has added a lot to the group, he has lifted us, and I think some of the players around him have enjoyed having him. He is that sort of energiser, and it’s early days still, but great signs.”
Peet also praised young prop Sam Eseh, who made his debut for the Warriors in last week’s win at Rochdale.
"I think it was a good reintroduction for him, wasn’t it?” Peet added. “Not a massive amount of intensity, he’s not had a big pre-season with his (ankle) injury in terms of rugby on the field, so it was probably the right game at the right week, and I thought he did really well.”