Wigan Warriors won a game of two halves at the A J Bell Stadium today, leading Salford Red Devils 26-0 at half-time before Salford replied strongly in the second half to peg the Warriors back to 16-26 at the full-time hooter.
Wigan opened the scoring in the third minute, when winger Joe Burgess flicked a pass inside to his centre partner Oliver Gildart out wide, although French fullback Morgan Escaré couldn’t add the conversion.
After 13 minutes Burgess was in himself when he collected a superb George Williams kick, and this time Escaré kicked the goal to give Wigan a ten-point lead.
Wigan scored three more tries before the break with Gildart scoring his second, Williams touching down for his try and Joel Tomkins, back in the side for the first time since last July, touching down in the 39th minute.
Wigan fans who expected more of the same in the second half were disappointed, however, as the Red Devils staged a spirited revival.
Kris Brining, signed from York in the close-season, marked his Super League debut with a try on 48 minutes, and the Red Devils added two more tries in the final ten minutes from Junior Sa’u and Michael Dobson, with Gareth O’Brien having added two goals.
A full report will be in Monday’s League Express.
Red Devils: O’Brien, Johnson, Evalds, Sa’u, Carney, Lui, Dobson (C), Kopczak, Wood, Mossop, Jones, Griffin, Flanagan; Subs: Brining, Krasniqi, Tasi, A Walne
Warriors: Escaré, Tierney, Gelling, Gildart, Burgess, Williams, Leuluai, Nuuausala, Powell, Flower, Isa, Farrell, O’laughlin; Subs: J Tomkins, Clubb, Tautai, Sutton
Attendance: 6,253
