Wigan Warriors put in one of the performances of the Betfred Super League season on Friday to put St Helens' League Leaders' Shield celebrations on ice.
Saints needed only a draw to retain the Shield and also had a chance to land an early blow in a match we could be seeing again at the Theatre of Dreams in a few weeks time.
It wasn’t meant to be though for Kristian Woolf’s Side, as they fell 30-10 at the DW Stadium, with the Warriors turning in a stirring performance. Despite holding the record for being the most successful attacking side in the league, it was their staunch defence that got the win as they kept St Helens quiet for the first hour.
These kind of games deliver ferocity from the opening whistle and Friday was no exception, with both sides throwing the kitchen sink at each other immediately. Early try efforts went the way of the Saints, as Morgan Knowles was held up over the Wigan line after winger Liam Marshall knocked on a Jonny Lomax bomb into the corner.
All four stands of the DW Stadium were bouncing. The attendance on the night exceeded 20,000, the highest attendance at a Wigan home fixture since the Good Friday derby of 2019. Saints kicker Lomax converted an early penalty given by referee Ben Thaler for a Wigan offside, his seventh goal of the season, to give St Helens a 0-2 lead after six minutes.
The first try of the night went the way of Wigan, however, as the familiar Jai Field-Bevan French combination delivered once again. An Alex Walmsley offside gave Wigan a fresh set on the St Helens 15 metre line, and Field spotted French free on the right side, who managed to get the ball down despite the desperate defence from England full-back Jack Welsby. A bit of a scuffle afterwards and a quick check from the video referee confirmed that this game was well and truly on. Harry Smith impressively converted from the byline.
By the 20 minute mark, both sides had plenty of opportunities to stamp their identity on the game. Wigan had been mainly pinned in their own half and had focussed on individuals like Lomax and Welsby to find a weakness and create animosity. Saints were off-loading well and finding gaps in the Wigan line, but unable to convert it into tries.
The next play saw a line break from Wigan kicker Smith provided by a quick pass from hooker Brad O’Neill. He was left with a simple pass to his colleague Jai Field to beat the full-back and the Aussie was left with clear air to the tryline under the sticks. Harry Smith converted with ease again to make it 12-2 after 22 minutes.
Five minutes later, Ben Thaler submitted the latest try attempt to review, with Tonga’s Konrad Hurrell pushing his way over the line through numerous Warriors’ defenders. It was a decision of no try on the field, and the referee couldn’t prove that he wasn’t held up in his attempt. Saints were getting closer to a breakthrough but Wigan were holding firm with all they’ve got. The tables had been turned as the best attack vs best defence in the league had to perform their opposition’s proficiencies.
With seven minutes left of the first half, Liam Farrell’s magic feet were on show once again as Wigan made it 18-2. He dodges two tackles on the Saints thirty and finds the gap. He’s on his bike and can’t be stopped by a diving Welsby and the Wigan fans were jubilant. Harry Smith was left with another simple kick from in front of the posts which he converted. Despite St Helens looking like the aggressors and more successful side on the night, it was Wigan scoring the points even after getting as many handling errors as line breaks. The Warriors went into half-time leading 18 points to two.
Wigan lead Saints 18-2 at half-time!
#SLWigStH | @Six_Again
The second half saw Saints shoot out of the blocks, keeping Wigan in their own ten metres with their first set of the half. Kristian Woolf’s half-time team talk will have been a lot harder than Matt Peet’s as St Helens tried to force themselves through a stubborn Warriors defence.
Wigan’s defence continued to be imperious through the first ten minutes of the second half, stopping Saints on their own line every time they had an attack and have clearly learned from their last clashes with St Helens this season. The tries they conceded at Magic Weekend and in their Good Friday game were nipped in the bud, with the Saints left scratching their heads as to how they get through the defensive line.
Saints prop Ignatius Paasi caused another video referee check with a dart towards the line, but it didn’t look like he crossed the line nor grounded the ball. It was followed by hooker Joey Lussick finally getting over the line for St Helens, scooting the ball from dummy-half and getting a try under the arms of Kai Pearce-Paul. Ben Davies stepped up to kick but failed to convert and the scores stayed at 18-6.
Three consecutive penalties inside the Wigan ten metre zone from offsides, high tackles and ball steals saw the Saints have plenty of chances to get over the line to regain some points on their rivals, but Wigan’s resilience made them look like the side leading the table rather than the ones chasing in second place. By the 66th minute, Wigan had just 22 play-the-ball’s in their oppositions half compared to 68 for Saints.
Injuries to Wigan’s Farrell and Saints’ Walmsley summed up the intensity on show, and the intensity continued as Liam Marshall got the next try of the game. An interception from the winger left him with a straight line to the tryline, but he had to get through a defending Ben Davies. The Saints full-back looked like he’d done enough to halt him, but Marshall managed to stay in play by a matter of feet, rose to his feet, dodged another tackle and slammed the ball down with aplomb. A solo effort that sums up the incredible season the Wiganer’s having. Harry Smith kept up his 100% conversion record to add the two extra points, and Wigan led 24-6 with ten minutes remaining.
The game wasn’t over yet. Joe Batchelor added his seventh try of the season with a lovely move down the left wing, running straight through Field after a few passes. Ben Davies missed again and the score was 24-10. Bevan French rounded off the night with a buzzer-beater try, running it into the corner after a looping pass from his brother in arms Field. It’s the Australian’s 55th try in 56 Wigan appearances, an incredible record as he moves another try clear of Ken Sio in the race for the top try scorer award. Smith converts the kick from the byline again to make it five from five, and it was a 30-10 Wigan victory at the DW Stadium.
Wigan remain unbeaten at home his season with just one fixture left. Saints are forced to wait to lift the League Leaders’ Shield, however it’s more of a matter of time than anything else with two rounds to go.
