Wigan Warriors: Three talking points from the victory Huddersfield Giants

Bevan French went over for a brace, while Jake Wardle was also on the scoresheet for Matty Peet’s side.

It was a close contest between the two teams, with Wigan doing enough to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Catalans Dragons.

Here are some talking points from the game:

A close affair

It was a strange contest between the two teams, with neither side really at their best in attack.

All of Huddersfield’s first half points came through successful penalties by Olly Russell, and rarely looked like troubling Wigan’s line.

Meanwhile, the Warriors benefited from errors by the Giants for both tries before the break.

At the beginning of the second half, it was the home side who made the most from a Wigan mistake, with the ball left loose for Kevin Naiqama to score after Liam Marshall spilled a grubber kick.

Despite a few mistakes from both teams, it still proved to be a tight contest defensively between the pair.

A strong two points for Wigan

Following last week’s defeat to Catalans Dragons, it felt important for Wigan to get back on track.

It wouldn’t have been the end of the world if they had lost, as it’s a long season with plenty of rugby to play, but it was still a good win to pick up.

After falling behind in the second half, they showed good character to get back in front.

It wasn’t the greatest display you’ll see from the Warriors, but they did what they needed to in order to get the win.

Each player worked hard and really showed commitment.

Familiar faces

Both teams were up against some familiar faces on Friday night.

Jake Bibby was among the ex-Wigan players in action for the Giants, as he was named on the wing for Ian Watson’s side.

There was a moment to forget for the 26-year-old during the first half, which saw him unable to deal with a high kick.

In contrast, it was former Huddersfield centre Jake Wardle who profited from this mistake, as he picked up the loose ball to go over.

The centre also did well for Bevan French’s second, as he patted down a high a high kick into the path of the winger.

It was a good night overall for Wardle as he really demonstrated the strengths he can bring to his new side.

Meanwhile, just before the half hour mark, former Wigan youngster Harry Rushton came on for his Giants debut.

The 21-year-old left the Warriors back in 2021 to join Canberra Raiders, but returned to Super League during the off-season.

After the match, Ian Watson discussed Rushton’s first game for the club.

"He was outstanding, I thought he was great,” he said.

"I’ve been excited since I knew he was playing, because I just wanted to see him in our team.

"He’s a great young kid and has been anchoring to get in there.

"He came on in the middle and was tough, carrying the ball well.

"He then had to go on the edge for us and handled that really easily.

"He had some tough assignments when Jai Field was running around, so I thought he did really good.”