This may not have been the greatest Wigan Warriors versus St Helens derby you are ever likely to see – there was a classic just a few weeks ago, in fact. But here at Magic Weekend, one of the biggest stages of the year, it was a game that told us plenty about the title aspirations these two great clubs have ahead of the run-in.
For the Warriors, the reigning Super League and world champions, this was another reminder to the rest about how they remain the red-hot favourites to retain the title at Old Trafford in October.
For a good month, Matt Peet’s side have been below the levels many have come to expect from them in recent seasons. Yet despite all of that, and the injury problems they have, Wigan are top of the table after day one of Magic Weekend and they have just shut out their great rivals for only the fourth time since 1955. Here they did not have to be brilliant, in part due to the performance of the Saints, but they did more than enough to get the job done.
“I would have taken that on the coach ride here,” Peet said with a smile. “We know they’re missing more players than we are but if we didn’t start right, they would have made us pay.”
The difference here arguably was, as Peet pointed out, a one-sided opening quarter in which Wigan forged a 12-0 lead.
The Warriors were without the starting half-back pair, Bevan French and Harry Smith, but in their absence, Adam Keighran and Jack Farrimond produced at the right moments. Keighran’s looping pass for Liam Marshall helped open the scoring before Farrimond produced a wonderful kick through the Saints defence, before regathering to touch down.
Ordinarily, that would not be enough to settle a game of this magnitude but the way St Helens are toiling at present, you always wondered if it would be decisive. “We lacked smarts at a lot of points today,” their coach, Paul Wellens, said after a defeat that leaves them looking over their shoulders, rather than up at the Warriors.
The Saints have never missed the playoffs in Super League history but they could end the weekend just two points inside them with five games remaining. They are suffering with injuries more than Wigan but the side who won four consecutive league titles from 2019 to 2022 look anything but a Grand Final side.
London Broncos’ hopes of avoiding finishing last in Super League were given a major boost after they comfortably defeated Hull FC to draw level on points with the Black and Whites at the foot of the table.
Although the side finishing bottom of the Super League this year will not be automatically relegated to the Championship due to IMG’s gradings system, the notion of London avoiding last place would be a major talking point, given how it is already widely accepted they will be removed from the top flight at the end of this season due to a low grading.
That prospect now looks entirely possible after this victory, which brings the two sides level on six points apiece. The Broncos were far superior, leading 12-4 by half-time before tries from Josh Rourke and Oli Leyland after the break gave London a deserved victory.
Meanwhile, Warrington Wolves kept pace with Super League’s top two with a deserved 24-6 victory over Leeds Rhinos to close the opening day of Magic Weekend with a result that damaged the Rhinos’ own hopes of reaching the playoffs.
The opening half was a fairly even contest, with only a Warrington penalty splitting the sides before a decisive moment two minutes before the break. With Leeds on the attack, the ball came loose and George Williams raced away to make it 8-0 at half-time.
That was perhaps harsh on the Rhinos but the Wolves were much the stronger of the two sides after half-time. Sam Burgess’ sideteam went further ahead when Matt Duffty scored just before the hour mark, before Dufty crossed again just two minutes later.
Paul Momirovski claimed a consolation for Leeds with seven minutes remaining but the final score deservedly went Warrington’s way as Dufty claimed his hat-trick.
Despite some moments of promise from the young full-back Harry Robertson, the Saints could not breach the Wigan line at any stage. The 14-0 lead the Warriors had by half-time, after a Keighran penalty opened up a three-score lead, never really felt under threat.
Even when Wigan were down to 12 men after Kaide Ellis went to the sin-bin, the Saints couldn’t take advantage. Sam Walters’ late try put an element of gloss on the scoreline; despite contesting some classic finals down the years, the odds are against these two meeting again at Old Trafford in October.
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