Warriors Academy lose to St Helens

• Match Report as Wigan Warriors Academy lose against St Helens Academy at Robin Park Arena.
• The Warriors scored three first half tries but fell short in the second.
• FT | Wigan Warriors Academy 18-46 St Helens Academy.

Wigan Warriors Academy suffered defeat at the hands of St Helens Academy on Saturday afternoon at Robin Park Arena.

It was an end-to-end first half, with both sides clawing one another back in the first 30 minutes with the score at 18-18. Saints would score two tries just before halftime to go into the second half with a 18-28 lead.

The second half would belong to St Helens, who scored another three tries without reply, with Will Roberts completing a hat-trick as the visitors ran our 18-46 winners.

Report

Joshua Cartwright opened the proceedings, using a great turn of pace to race into the space left by the St Helens line, with Farrimond adding the extras to make it 6-0 after eight minutes. St Helens would respond only two minutes later through Kiaran Nolan, who managed to wriggle the ball down whilst held on the line, with Will Roberts converting the kick from directly in front of the sticks to level the scores.

The visitors would take the lead three minutes later, with a wide pass finding Roberts in space in the corner, where he’d go over for St Helens’ second try of the game, before converting from his own try from a tight angle. The Warriors would fight back on 18 minutes, with a precise Jack Farrimond chip on the last finding Nathan Lowe in the corner for Wigan’s second, with Farrimond scoring the conversion from right on the line.

The game would continue its end-to-end action, with St Helens retaking the lead four minutes later, with Saints going working their way left from a scrum on Wigan’s 20, where Noah Stephens would get the try. Roberts made it three from three conversions to make it 12-18.

Wigan would respond on 32 minutes, with Lukas Mason laying it off to Harrison Dean who ran into space on the right to put the ball down and equal the try scores. Farrimond again converted the kick to making it three for three with eight minutes to go in the first half. Saints would soon retake the lead through Owen Dagnall, with Saints racing away on the right, working the ball centrally for Dagnall who went in under the posts. Roberts added the extras leaving the score 18-24, before Dagnall added another try on the stroke of half-time, again racing away down the right. Roberts was this time unable to convert, leaving the score 18-28 at the interval.

Roberts added his second try of the game four minutes into the second half, breaking the Wigan line to go over just right of the sticks, again converting his own try to make it 18-34. Roberts would complete his hat-trick on 56 minutes, with Stephens latching onto a grubber before laying it to the Saints’ 7 who raced clear to go over, converting his kick from central to extend the visitors’ lead to 22 points.

The visitors scored their eighth try of the game through Cole Marsh, after some quick play allowed him to weave his way between a gap in the Wigan line to score, with Roberts scoring his sixth conversion of the day.

Wigan Warriors Academy: Noah Hodkinson, Maddox Jeffery, Harrison Dean, Nathan Lowe, George O’Loughlin, Charlie Yeomans, Jack Farrimond, Joe Baldwin, Tom Ratchford, Ryan Brown, Finlay Irwin, Josh Cartwright, Taylor Kerr.

Interchange: Kalum Rathbone, Dylan Kelly-Duffy, Trent Kelly-Duffy, Lukas Mason.

18th Player: Reece Rowcroft.

Tries: Cartwright (7′), Lowe (18′), Dean (32′)

Goals: Farrimond (3/3)

St Helens Academy: Harvey Braddish, Dayon Sambou, Harry Robertson, Max McGucken, Owen Dagnall, George Whitby, Louie Roberts, Noah Stephens, Ciaran Nolan, Alfie Sinclair, Jake Davies, Jonathon Vaughan, Leon Cowen.

Interchange: Ben Will, Daniel Frost, Sam Oakes, Cole Marsh.

18th Player: Ellis Anderson.

Tries: Nolan (10′), Roberts (13′, 44′, 56′) Stephens (22′), Dagnall (32′ 35′), Marsh 67′)

Goals: Roberts (6/8)