Wigan Warriors chief outlines three-pivot vision - ‘A new dimension to our attack’

Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peet believes the prospect of having Bevan French, Harry Smith and Jack Farrimond in the same side is an exciting long-term option for the club.

French has featured from the bench in Wigan’s last two victories over Wakefield Trinity and York Knights after returning from a three-month hamstring lay-off.

With Smith and Farrimond starting in the halves, French’s introduction has seen Farrimond shift to hooker for periods of games, a role the 20-year-old filled for an extended spell during last weekend’s 72-20 win over York.

Peet admits the arrangement is something Wigan will continue to explore moving forward, although he stressed team selection will remain a week-by-week decision.

“Bit of both,” Peet said when asked whether the setup was part of a long-term plan.

“It’s certainly a good option for us, I think. It’s worked well, Bevan’s a great player to bring on once the tempo of the game has flattened out a little bit, but it’s something we’ll tackle or decide on a weekly basis.

“It’s something we’ll certainly do again in the future, or we’ll continue to do, but there’s also having Jack on the bench brings other threats.

“It’s week to week, but it is part of a long-term plan, but as you know, you’re only a few injuries or results away from having to reconsider all that.”

The move also allowed Wigan to manage the workload of first-choice hooker Brad O’Neill, who has played significant minutes throughout the campaign.

Farrimond spent around 50 minutes at hooker against York, producing an encouraging display in what was effectively his first extended run in the role at senior level.

Having reviewed the performance, Peet was pleased with how the young halfback adapted to the role swap.

“I thought it was a good start for him and it’s the longest he’s played in there,” Peet said.

“We’ll continue to build, he brings a new dimension to our attack, having three pivots on together.

“Defensively, he was pretty sound as well, although he wasn’t on through sustained pressure defence.”

While Peet believes Farrimond can add another attacking threat when operating at dummy-half, he also feels the experience will help his development as a halfback in the long run.

The Warriors boss believes playing both positions will improve Farrimond’s overall understanding of the game.

“I think it’s not just about what he’s doing as a nine, I reckon it’s improving him as a player, broadening his understanding of what a scrum-half needs from his hooker and vice versa when he goes back in there,” Peet added. “It was a good week to keep Brad off the field for a little bit.”

With French continuing to build fitness following his lengthy absence, Wigan now appear to have another tactical option at their disposal as they approach the business end of the season.