A Good Friday for Wigan

• Match Report as Wigan Warriors win against St Helens on Good Friday.
• Tries from Harry Smith and Toby King for the Warriors.
• FT | Wigan Warriors 14-6 St Helens.

A try either side of half time for the Warriors saw them to victory in the Good Friday Derby over St Helens.

Harry Smith opened the scoring in the 9th minute as he supported Jake Wardle who made a superb break to put Smith into daylight, converting his own score for 6-0. Smith added a penalty goal in the 30th minute to make it 8-0 at the break.

A converted effort by Toby King made it 14-0 in the second half before St Helens hit back with a score on the hour mark to reduce the deficit to 14-6 but it wasn’t enough as Wigan took the Good Friday victory.

Report

It was a thrilling start to the Derby in front of a packed out crowd as a testing high kick from St Helens was allowed to bounce before landing with Bevan French who added some fancy footwork to get Wigan close to the half way line.

The first score of the game though came in the 9th minute as Jake Wardle broke through a gap on the right flank before sending a ball inside to Harry Smith in support to race under the uprights. Smith converted his own effort to put Wigan 6-0 up.

St Helens had a few chances at the Warriors goal line but their efforts came to nothing as Wigan stood firm in defence as it remained 6-0 approaching the half hour mark.

With 10 minutes until the break, Wigan were handed a penalty as Bevan French was tackled off the ball, with two effort at the line Wigan got another penalty as Brad O’Neill wasn’t allowed to play the ball from a few meters out. Harry Smith opted for the penalty goal, which he slotted over to make it 8-0.

With 5 minutes remaining of the first forty, Makinson broke away and was left one-on-one with Bevan French who put in a fantastic tackle to deny the Saints man at the corner. Just minutes later, Welsby had a break away down the left edge but Joe Shorrocks was on hand to put the Saints full back into touch and keep Wigan at 8-0 going in at half time.

Toby King fired Wigan further into the lead 10 minutes into the second half, latching onto a pass with some good build-up play from Wigan to skip away from his defender and get the ball down in front of a jubilant South Stand. Smith added the extras and Wigan were 14-0 up with 25 minutes left to play.

St Helens got themselves on their board for the first time on the hour mark as a kick through the defensive line stood up in goal for Lomax to get the ball down, Percival added the two and it was 14-6 going into the final 20 minutes.

St Helens thought they’d got a second as Matty Lees collected a high ball to dive in at the corner, but under immense pressure from Joe Shorrocks the Saints’ man spilled the ball over the try line and it remained 14-6 going into the final 10.

Moments later Wigan were closing in the goal line again as Sione Mata’utia put in a huge hit on Havard, with the St Helens forward coming off worse and having to leave the field. The minutes ticked down in front of an electric crowd at the DW Stadium as Wigan confirmed a 14-6 win.

Gallery:

Wigan Warriors: Bevan French, Abbas Miski, Toby King, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall, Joe Shorrocks, Harry Smith, Liam Byrne, Sam Powell, Mike Cooper, Kai Pearce-Paul, Liam Farrell, Morgan Smithies.

Interchange: Brad Singleton, Kaide Ellis, Ethan Havard, Brad O’Neill.

18th Player: Iain Thornley

Tries: Smith (9′), King (51′)

Goals: Smith 3/3

St Helens: Jack Welsby, Tommy Makinson, Konrad Hurrell, Mark Percival, Will Hopoate, Johnny Lomax, Lewis Dodd, Agnatius Paasi, James Roby, Matty Lees, Sione Mata’utia, Curtis Sironen, Morgan Knowles.

Interchange: Joey Lussick, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, James Bell, George Delaney.

18th Player: Jon Bennison.

Tries: Lomax (60′)

Goals: Percival 1/1

Referee: Liam Moore

Attendance: 24,275