Wigan Warriors: Matty Peet says it was important to take a break and refresh ahead of the next part of the season

His side took some time off during the international period, ahead of their next match against Toulouse on Friday night, which is their first home game since April.

Peet states it was important for everyone involved in the first team to take a break.

He said: “We gave the lads some time off on the back of the Salford game.

“We also felt it was important for the staff to have a break as well, to spend time with our families.

“Kris (Radlinski) and Ian (Lenagan) have set great examples throughout the club about looking after people’s wellbeing.

“Coming out of lockdown and Covid there is a greater importance placed on mental health, and when you do get an opportunity to take some time away and refresh, it’s something we are encouraged to do.

“It was good for us to stop and reflect (on the Challenge Cup win), just acknowledging and drawing a line under it.

“The break was about taking pride in what we’ve done, but, more importantly, it has freshened us up and will now allow us to attack what seems like a pretty short run-in.

“We are so excited to get back to the DW Stadium. Our fans have been unbelievable so far this year, we’ve missed playing in front of them.

“It’s great when we are in decent shape and have a chunk of home games coming up.

“I hope the fans are as excited about Friday as we are, but we’ve got to play our part in getting the hard work done against a team who’s got a lot to play for.

“It’ll be a quality game between two highly motivated teams.”

Peet is wary of how tough Toulouse are to beat, with Wigan needing a late Harry Smith drop-goal to overcome them in the last meeting between the sides.

“They don’t tend to lose by many points,” he added.

“As the games put more pressure on them to get wins, I think they will become more dangerous.

“We have a lot of respect for Sylvain (Houles) and his team, and we know they’ve strengthened.

“It will be game on because they’ve come out from a break as well and they don’t come over here not to compete.

“We know we’ve got our hands full.

“We’ve looked at a couple of clips (from the previous meeting) to remind us what they are capable of, but we have a very honest group who know they are in for a game.

“There’s been several matches where they could’ve won. We have to be prepared and can’t be shocked by their intensity.

“You only need to miss the first 15 minutes in your effort areas and you can soon be two scores down.

“Our main focus is certainly on ourselves, but we never underestimate a team like them.”

Peet is also pleased that the club is honouring Armed Forces Day ahead of the match.

“What those people do is on a different level,” he stated.

“People make comparisons between the military and sport, and we can certainly learn a lot about the way they go about their business and the sacrifices they make.

“It’s something we talk about a lot and we have maximum respect for anyone who is involved in the Armed Forces.

“Opportunities like this to say ‘thank you’ and celebrate all the good work that goes on is special.

“The club is continually looking to evolve and improve, some special things are going on.

“It’s up to us as the flagship team to do all that justice, but it’s not missed by the group that we are creating occasions during games.”