A mouthwatering, top of the table, original derby saw reigning Champions Wigan Warriors take on the pretenders to their throne and arch rivals St Helens in front of a near sell-out crowd at the Brick with a season crucial two points up for grabs.
A win for Wigan would lift them four points clear of their rivals and with a game in hand and barring any disaster it would make them almost uncatchable as they look to repeat last season’s success.
The bookies and the pundits all thought that it would be the Warriors who would exploit home advantage and take the spoils as they were handicapped by twelve points on the coupon.
With less than a minute on the clock Matty Lees was sin-binned for a high tackle on Kaide Ellis, the visitors down to twelve men before they’d even managed to get their hands on the ball, but Saints withstood the Wigan onslaught and returned to thirteen with no damage done, on the scoreboard at least.
On fifteen minutes Jake Wardle was held up on his back, over the line, thanks to a great defensive effort from Saints
Totally against the run of play it was St Helens who started the scoring on nineteen, Jack Welsby hanging inside youngster Harry Robertson to benefit from his break and pass to go over under the sticks. Mark Percival added the conversion, the Wigan players and supporters stunned.
Wigan struck back within three minutes, Eckersley busting the Saints line and making it to the twenty before passing to Wardle to complete the move and dot down by the uprights. Harry Smith added the conversion for 6-6.
Wigan were forced into a goal line drop out on thirty-six when Abbas Miski was forced to carry a grubber dead in goal, followed by a second when Wigan knocked the ball dead to avoid the chasers but it came to nothing as James Bell coughed up possession, the sides going into the interval all-square despite a last second attempted drop goal from Harry Smith which was well short.
Wigan should have regained the lead on fifty after a Liam Marshall break and kick to the corner but the boot was too strong and the ball went dead in goal.
The fifty-seventh minute saw Saints regain the lead, Waqa Blake on hand to benefit from a Curtis Sironen offload and score in the corner. Percival added the conversion from the touchline for an extra two points, St Helens now with a 12-6 lead.
Just as they had in the first half, Wigan struck back within minutes as Adam Keighran slid over the line on the right-hand corner. Smith found the target with a brilliant touchline conversion to level the scores.
Wigan finally hit the front on sixty-eight after a dummy and ground under the tackle by Zach Eckersley. Smith pushed his conversion attempt across the face of the posts, the lead four points.
Saints threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Wigan defence in the closing minutes but were unable to make it over the whitewash for the crucial score which would have kept the season alive, so Wigan took the two points to increase their lead over their rivals and now look almost certain to top the league table at the end of the regular rounds. For Saints this was a second consecutive loss, the knives will be being sharpened at the TWS.
Wigan Warriors: Eckersley (T), Miski, Keighran (T), Wardle (T), Marshall, Farrimond, Smith (2/2 G), Havard, Thompson, Dupree, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis. Subs: Mago, Byrne, Walters, Hill. 18th Man: Douglas.
St Helens: Robertson, Ritson, Percival (2/2 G), Davies, Blake (T), Welsby (T), Lomax, Delaney, Clark, Lees (SB on 1), Sironen, Bell, Paasi. Subs: Royle, Burns, Vaughan, Stephens. 18th Man: Bennison.
Half-Time: 6-6.
Full-Time: 16-12.
Score Progression: (SB), 0-4, 0-6, 4-6, 6-6 :HT: 6-10, 6-12, 10-12, 12-12, 16-12 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: St Helens – Square – St Helens – Square - Wigan.
Referee: Liam Moore.
