Wigan to remain Warriors after fans' forum

Wigan have denied any plan to ditch their nickname of the Warriors under their new regime.

The club's new chairman, Ian Lenagan, asked a fans' forum last week whether they wanted to retain the name, which has been criticised on some supporters' websites.

"It was a suggestion that came from supporters, so we decided to ask an audience of 550 of our hardcore what they thought," Lenagan said. "We were delighted to find that a majority were in favour of keeping it."

Lenagan, who took over the game's most famous club at the start of this month, has spoken of the need for a change of image, but it appears that will be attempted without a name change.

Meanwhile, Wigan are close to recruiting the outside back they need to complete their squad, but it will not necessarily be Gloucester's former Bradford three-quarter, Karl Pryce.

"We have a number of other possibilities," said Lenagan. He would not confirm or deny that the younger brother of St Helens' Leon Pryce, who has failed to settle in rugby union, is his prime target.

The Manchester amateur club, Eccles, believe that an argument over dog-walking on their ground might have led to the destruction of the game's tallest goal-posts.

The posts, originally from Swinton's Station Road ground, were chopped down by a mystery axeman last week.

The sticks, which were once a towering 82 feet tall, were relocated to Eccles' ground when Station Road was sold in 1992.

"Because of the force needed, it's clear an adult was responsible," said their secretary, Alfreida Kindon, of the attack.