Good Friday is always the first marker of significance for both Wigan and St Helens every season and for the first time in a long while, it is Wigan who will enjoy their Easter weekend more than their greatest rivals. Not since 2017 have the Warriors come out on the right side of the Good Friday derby but there can be no arguments from either side of this legendary rugby league rivalry that this was the correct result.
It was as full-blooded and intense as it always is. But in front of the biggest crowd to watch this fixture for 18 years at a sold-out DW Stadium, it was Wigan who had the greater success in the crucial moments. Derbies like these are often decided in pivotal moments and when they arrived, the hosts held their nerve better than the reigning champions.
“It’s a big day for the club, not just the team,” Wigan’s victorious coach, Matt Peet, said. “There was endeavour, effort and camaraderie. We’re a connected group and we’re always going to be tough to beat when we play like that.”
Wigan dominated much of the opening 50 minutes and when they led 14-0 with half an hour remaining, you felt they would have too big an advantage for the Saints to overcome.
Harry Smith broke the deadlock with a well-worked try after nine minutes before adding two goals to make it 8-0 at the break. But St Helens had chances as half-time approached to perhaps even go in ahead. In the space of five frenetic minutes, Bevan French denied Tommy Makinson a try before the Saints made a mess of a break shortly after to ensure they remained scoreless at half-time. It felt like a pivotal passage of play – and that proved to be the case.
“We left a few points out there,” Paul Wellens, the St Helens coach, said. “We didn’t nail the opportunities when we did get them and in big games if you don’t nail them, you make it difficult for yourself.”
Half-time allowed Wigan to regather their composure and they began the second half well. Ten minutes after the restart, Smith and French combined to send Toby King across, with Smith’s conversion making it 14-0.
The Saints finally made a period of pressure tell when Jonny Lomax grounded a Lewis Dodd kick but two minutes later, there was another missed opportunity as Sione Mata’utia dropped the ball in the act of scoring. Mata’utia was then carried off after a heavy collision with nine minutes remaining, though Wellens confirmed afterwards the forward was awake and responsive post-match. But in the context of the game, that moment stunted St Helens’ momentum and allowed Wigan to close the contest out without any real panic.
