Wigan Warriors dealt major injury blow on eve of Super League season

[josie andrews]

Wigan Warriors off-season recruit and highly-rated back-rower Sam Walters suffered a broken collarbone during the club’s pre-season win over Hull.

The 23-year-old featured from the interchange bench for Willie Isa at the MKM Stadium, having made his first appearance in the abandoned friendly against Wakefield Trinity.

However, he was forced from the action in the latter stages of the game, with the Warriors claiming a dominant 40-0 win over Tony Smith’s outfit.

Head coach Matt Peet confirmed the injury blow during Super League’s official launch held in Manchester on Thursday, with another scan required.

“He’s broken his collarbone,” Peet revealed.

“He’s going to get a second scan to find out if he needs an operation or not.

"We’ll not know the complete timescale, but it’s probably looking around the three month area if he needs an operation.

“If he doesn’t need an operation, it may be a little bit less.”

Fellow back-rower Junior Nsemba has been ruled out until April having undergone surgery this off-season in the form of a meniscal repair, with Peet admitting he knew he had to build his squad expecting the ‘challenges’ that the sport brings in a single season.

The 39-year-old coach continued: “People talked about how many forwards we’ve got and a lot of people have said to me during pre-season, ‘How are you going to keep them all happy?’ - but we know what kind of squad we need and we know the numbers we need.

“We know the challenges this competition puts on your squad and this is a prime example of it.”

https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... on-4510421