Wigan Warriors star Bevan French warms up ahead of the 2026 Challenge Cup final
Wigan Warriors have been dealt a huge injury setback heading into their Magic Weekend showdown against St Helens, with Bevan French one of four players ruled out of the clash.
French has suffered a fresh hamstring injury that is set to keep him on the sidelines for four weeks, just over a month since returning from a 12-week lay-off to his other hamstring. Thankfully for the Warriors, his latest issue is not as serious as the last but he is set for around a month on the sidelines which is expected to see him miss another derby against Saints, plus games against Warrington Wolves and Huddersfield Giants.
But that’s not the only blow for Wigan. They have lost England prop Luke Thompson for six weeks due to damaged foot ligaments, an injury that saw him helped off in the win over Hull FC last time out. Liam Farrell was also taken off in that game, and he is now also set for a month on the sidelines as a result.
And to make matters worse, Noah Hodkinson is also set for three to four weeks out of action with a fractured skull and eye socket that he suffered late on during the victory over the Black and Whites. The incident occurred during an awkward collision late on in the game, with the injury emerging in post-match assessment.
Wigan’s depth comes into question
Collectively, it is a major setback for Wigan, who are already without Liam Marshall to a hamstring injury, Ethan Havard after jaw surgery while Abbas Miski can’t play due to salary cap constraints.
It is in the outside backs where the real headaches will come for Matt Peet. French played on the wing once Hodkinson was withdrawn but with both out, as well as Marshall, it leaves them light.
Farrell’s absence may provide a debut for Lukas Mason, the young back-rower who scored a first-half hat-trick for Halifax in the Championship two weeks ago.
A huge rematch awaits
They take on a St Helens team with plenty of injuries to content with themselves though they were boosted by the fact they got no suspensions following their win over Bradford Bulls, while Daryl Clark could return.
The game is a spicy one given it is the first meeting between the two teams since Peet questioned the identity of their fierce rivals, comments he made after they nilled them in the Challenge Cup semi-final. Wigan are currently third in the table with St Helens fifth, though both teams have the same number of points.
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