Hull KR loanee and new St Helens hero Bill Leyland sends message to Wigan Warriors fans after match-winning performance

St Helens’ match-winner Bill Leyland sent a message to Wigan Warriors on behalf of Hull KR after his incredible performance in the Good Friday derby.

Leyland scored tries in the 78th and 79th minute as St Helens scored four in the final nine minutes to win 34-24 against their bitter rivals Wigan Warriors, a club that Leyland already holds a rivalry against from his parent club Hull KR.

The hooker joined the Robins ahead of the 2025 season and was part of the club’s treble-winning campaign, a season that ended with a win over Wigan at Old Trafford.

Leyland made a shushing gesture to the Wigan fans after his try, something he was asked about post-match when speaking on Sky Sports.

“I thought that was just one for the KR fans out there,” the Man of the Match said, adding: “We’ve had quite a lot of rivalry with them over the years. They’re getting a bit loud, so it’s time to silence them a bit.”

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Hull KR loanee trained just once before incredible St Helens’ debut

KR fans will have loved to hear that, especially after landing a win in their own derby earlier in the day, something that Leyland noted when speaking about how ‘surreal’ his day had been.

The loanee said: “It’s kind of surreal to be fair. Playing in such a big derby and my team (Hull KR), I think they’ve won in the game before so it’s a double win for me.”

Leyland’s loan switch to St Helens was only confirmed on Tuesday and despite playing just 23 minutes, it’s fair to say he had some impact in his first Good Friday derby.

Asked what the message had been from Paul Rowley, Leyland said: “It was just to be ready and you’ll come on whenever like if Daz needs a rest or if he’s cooked. He just said be ready.

“I’m not young, I’m 23. I just want game time. Wherever that is, I just want to be there. The boys are great. They’ve welcomed me in so well. I’ve only had one training session with them.

“It’s great to share this sort of experience with them. A load of the Wigan boys at KR, they’ve come through and told me how big of a game it is and yeah, it’s kind of special.”

Having only played in the final stanza of the game, Leyland was humble enough to put forward teammate David Klemmer as his own Man of the Match, stating: “I don’t even think I deserve this. Klem played a full 80 and he killed it,” with Paul Rowley also piling praise on the forward.

COMEBACK COMPLETE! 🤯

Three tries in 15 minutes completes a miraculous victory for St Helens 😳 pic.twitter.com/5IeelBpAeP

— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) April 3, 2026