An ode to Bevan French: Super League’s most entertaining player

Bevan French is the best player we have in Super League in the eyes of Sky Sports pundit Kevin Brown, and it’s incredibly hard to disagree, particularly after a performance like the one we saw from the Wigan Warriors star on Saturday afternoon at Huddersfield Giants.

Co-commentator Brown, and the main man on the mic in Dave Woods, both had a glowing review of French’s showing in Wigan’s 48-6 victory.

The Australian’s star quality shone through oncemore, getting over for two tries of his own but also making two – teeing up team-mates Kruise Leeming & Abbas Miski for simple walk-ins respectively.

His assist for Leeming midway through the second half at the John Smith’s Stadium was truly spectacular, somehow finding his team-mate’s hands with a pass behind from behind his back as he was being dragged to ground by two Giants defenders.

And as Sky showed the replays of that ridiculous bit of talent, with Woods describing it as ‘like something out of the magic circle’, Brown marvelled like the rest of us.

He said: “There are things that people do on a rugby field that most players can do or that a lot of the top players can do, but what Bevan French does… he’s out there on his own in the world of rugby, particularly with the way he can change pace off both feet.

“The world-class talent of French, he just goes off his feet and then BANG, it’s out of the back door. Quality, quality play.”

An ode to Bevan French: Super League’s most entertaining player

Quite ridiculously, French made 221 metres at the John Smith’s Stadium, with the Warriors enjoying a field day in the second half having gone into the sheds just 12-6 up at the break having seen Liam Byrne sin-binned in the very first minute of a tightly-contested first 40.

Only winger Liam Marshall, who grabbed a hat-trick, made more metres than French and the winger was also the only man to make more carries, 16 to the half-back’s 15.

A 15-metre average gain is not bad going for French at all though, and we’re sure his three clean breaks right through the Giants defence will have been much appreciated by all of a Cherry & Whites persuasion, including his team-mates.

Matt Peet’s men moved back to the top of the Super League table despite having played a game fewer than those in the running alongside them, the perfect preparation for a Challenge Cup semi-final against Hull KR next weekend in which the Warriors will look to avenge last year’s heartbreak in the same competition at the same stage against the same opponents.

Co-commentator Brown continued to wax lyrical over French post-match, adding: “Every time he touches the ball, you’re just thinking, ‘what’s he going to do?’, and he can do anything.

“His pass, his kick, his run, he’s the best in the competition. When he’s in that fluent form, it’s almost like he can’t do anything wrong, and his passing game today was sensational.

“He scored two world-class tries, but for me the pass of the game was the one out the back door to Kruise Leeming. The game was already done then, and it was almost an exhibition piece.”

And among Woods’ final comments were to highlight that French was ‘putting on a one-man show’. Those happen most weeks now. Sensational.

Note: All statistics taken directly from the official Super League website at the time of writing