Wigan Warriors 14-6 St Helens: Highlights, player ratings and talking points

Wigan Warriors have defeated St Helens in a top class game on a fantastic Good Friday of rugby league action.

Highlights:

Smith pulls Saints apart
A lot was made of the fact that Wigan would come into the game with just one halfback but it was that half who carved Saints open with a lovely ball to Jake Wardle who went through before finding Smith in support to score.

French try saver
After great play by the Saints to give Konrad Hurrell some space, he offloaded to Tommy Makinson to break he headed for the corner but a superb tackle from Bevan French denied him.

Farrell intervention
Another break this time from Jonny Lomax looked set to allow St Helens to hit back but Liam Farrell was able to flick the ball down as the ball came back inside to prevent a certain try.

French breaks away and Lees covers
Straight from that French picked the ball up and jinked and weaved through the Saints players and was set to break away until Matty Lees came across to stop him.

King carves in
As Wigan built pressure, a penalty gave them a big chance and a lovely pass from Bevan French created the chance for Toby King to carve through.

Lomax gives Saints hope
Often it is Jonny Lomax kicking but this time he was chasing a lovely grubber kick and he grounded it under pressure to make it 14-6.

Knowles drops huge chance
Morgan Knowles thought he had brought Saints even closer when he took a chip kick that had been batted back. He dived over but replays showed Joe Shorrocks had dislodged the ball.

Talking Points:

The Grand Final in waiting?
All last season it was asked if St Helens and Wigan would meet in the Grand Final. Today though felt on a different level to last season’s clashes with the Warriors truly on the same footing as the Saints.

Wigan out do Saints
It is often Saints who dominate possession and territory but today it was Wigan. They bossed things for most of the game especially at the start of the second half.

Wigan defence sees them through
The Warriors served up some magic moments of defence and that proved key in the win because the Saints perhaps had the better chances.

Slow rucks
It has been said a lot recently that teams are pushing slow rucks and that has been a criticism of Saints recently but it was Wigan causing the slow rucks today.

Player Ratings:

Wigan Warriors
2 Bevan French – 9
23 Abbas Miski – 7
3 Toby King – 8
4 Jake Wardle – 8
5 Liam Marshall – 8
19 Joe Shorrocks – 9
7 Harry Smith – 9
10 Liam Byrne – 7
9 Sam Powell – 7
14 Mike Cooper – 7
17 Kai Pearce-Paul – 8
12 Liam Farrell – 8
13 Morgan Smithies – 8
Substitutes
8 Brad Singleton – 7
15 Kaide Ellis – 7
16 Ethan Havard – 7
22 Brad O’Neill – 7

St Helens
1 Jack Welsby – 8
2 Tommy Makinson – 8
23 Konrad Hurrell – 7
4 Mark Percival – 7
3 Will Hopoate – 7
6 Jonny Lomax – 7
7 Lewis Dodd – 7
17 Agnatius Paasi – 7
9 James Roby – 7
10 Matty Lees – 8
11 Sione Mata’utia – 7
16 Curtis Sironen – 8
13 Morgan Knowles – 8
Substitutes
14 Joey Lussick – 7
15 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook – 7
19 James Bell – 7
30 George Delaney – 7