Shaun Wane has warned his Wigan Warriors side they will face a tough test when the Huddersfield Giants visit the DW Stadium on Friday evening.
Both Super League heavyweights got their respective campaigns off to faltering starts last weekend, with the Giants crashing to a 19-0 home defeat while the Warriors could only draw at Widnes.
But Wane has warned his players that their first home fixture of 2015 will be no easy ride.
“It wasn’t a 19-0 game, Huddersfield played well,” he said of the Giants’ opening-day defeat to Hull.
“There is no doubt in my mind that they’ve got some very good players, it was a lot closer than the score suggests and they are a very good team.
“They beat us early on last year and I know they can play so we need to make sure we defend the best we can because they’ve got too many quality players in their team to get beaten to nil.”
The Warriors led 16-6 at half-time last time out against Widnes Vikings, but sloppy defending and slack finishing resulted in a 22-22 draw on Merseyside.
And Wane believes that last weekend’s result has given his squad the extra boost to claim the impetus against Huddersfield.
“It’s going to make it a great game,” he added.
“They’ll be hurting but so are we, we weren’t at our best (at Widnes) so you’ve got two teams that are really hurting and desperate to get the win.
“It’s not dampened our confidence. If anything it’s increased it because when I showed the players the clips the morning after they were quite shocked with how good we were in the things we did so we’re confident.”
Wigan will be without captain Matty Smith against the Giants, who received a suspension for lashing-out against Widnes.
And with the World Club Series clash against the Brisbane Broncos just eight days away, Wane knows that a victory would mean more than just the two points.
“I’m looking forward to it, I have got one eye on that game and I want to see things in our performance this week that will help us next Saturday,” he said.
“It’s all about building momentum and making sure we are hitting our straps in the big games.”
Main image courtesy of TetleysChallengeCup, with thanks.
