Navarrete: Why I decided to return to Wigan Warriors

The French prop cut short his debut campaign with the Warriors last year to return to former club Catalans because he was homesick.

Many expected him to stay in his home country but he came back for pre-season training in January and, after impressing Shaun Wane with his attitude, made his first appearance of the season in last Sunday’s 30-18 win against Wakefield.

Now, Navarrete has revealed the secret to his U-turn - the 36-6 defeat by England during the World Cup.

The 23-year-old said: “I felt I had a good performance against England, and after that my mind changed.

“I started thinking about being back at Wigan.

“I realised I had a great opportunity and if I didn’t take it, I would look back and regret it.”

And so Navarrete gave himself just a few days rest after the World Cup tournament before starting his own training schedule to ensure he returned to the club in good condition.

“In the mornings I’d go to CrossFit, in the afternoon I trained with a personal trainer and at night I’d do boxing - a lot of work,” he said.

Navarrete is hoping he can retain his place in the Wigan side despite the expected return of Joel Tomkins for Sunday’s trip to Castleford.

“All the props here are good, every week is tough but I’ll try and give my best every game and hopefully I’ll stay in the side,” he added.

“I think now I have the Wigan mentality.

“Be tough in the head, run hard, tackle hard, be aggressive - be better than the prop in front of you.”