Why Bevan French now feels like an adopted Wiganer as Warriors ace discusses St Helens rivalry

The Australian superstar is currently in his seventh season with the Warriors, having scored 105 tries in 124 appearances following his arrival from the NRL back in 2019.

As he prepares for a mouth-watering Good Friday showdown with Saints at a sold-out Brick Community Stadium, French admits he didn’t know just how big of a rivalry it was when he first came over to Wigan.

“The rivalry between the two clubs was spoken about when I first got here, and I guess you don’t realise it until you get out there and experience it really,” French told Wigan Today.

“The rivalry speaks for itself, it doesn’t really matter where each team sits on the table when we verse each other, we just know it’s going to be 80 minutes full-on, so it’s great to be a part of and learn about it over the years. Obviously, your wins are better than your losses, but every time you come up against Saints, especially on Good Friday, it’s very enjoyable.

“I remember when I first got here, all they (the fans) said to me is ‘we don’t care if we don’t win trophies, as long as we win against Saints during the season!’. That was the first time I realised what it actually meant to the community, not only my teammates, but everyone in the town, they all thrived off it.”

French, who is contracted to the Warriors until at least the end of 2028, feels somewhat of an adopted Wiganer now, being very much settled in the north of England.

And because he has been part of the Warriors for so long, he absolutely understands what the derby against Saints means for the town.

“It obviously means a bit different now from when I first got here,” French continued.

“Obviously, you hear about it and you learn about it, but after being here for a certain amount of time, it feels like I’ve grown up here.

“It means a bit more now, I think at the start (of my time here) you want to do it because of how much it means to your teammates and the community itself but now I feel like I’m a part of it, and you play for yourself rather than just everyone else, so it’s good to be a part of.”

Asked if he felt like an adopted Wiganer now, the Tingha native laughed: “Yeah, basically. I won’t end up getting that (accent) though, I don’t think!”

More than 24,000 people are expected to be in attendance at the Brick Community Stadium, with both Wigan and St Helens selling out their tickets three weeks in advance.

“It makes you excited when you come up in these games with the atmosphere built around it,” French added. “You are a bit more up for it because of the atmosphere.

“I think it can put you under a bit of pressure, these games can come down to little moments when it’s built around the atmosphere, so we’ll have to be very switched on, but I think we’ve been heading in the right direction over the last month or so. I know the boys are excited just as much as I am.”