FACING the reigning champions last week was always going to be tough and Wigan didn’t disappoint.

The result probably flattered Wigan and didn't really represent how close a contest the game was.

Having said that, the thing that struck me from the game was how good Wigan’s defence was.

The old saying is that defence wins games and that was definitely the case last Friday, when on a number of occasions the Wigan defenders managed to prevent tries by holding our guys up over the tryline.

This desire to defend probably won Wigan the game and I’m sure it will help them win many more games this year.

Wigan have obviously hit their straps regarding their defence and did extremely well considering they had a number of first-team players out through either suspension or injury, including last year’s Man of Steel Pat Richards, and their recent marquis signing from Australia, Brett Finch.

From what we saw last week I’m sure Wigan will definitely be the side to beat this year.