Match Report – Wigan 20 – 0 St Helens

Tries from Liam Marshall, Jack Farrimond and Sam Walters, plus four goals from Adam Keighran, sealed Wigan Warriors’ derby victory over St Helens at Elland Road; Watch every match of the Magic Weekend 2024 live on Vscek Action on Saturday 17th August and Sunday 18th August

Wigan Warriors returned to the top of the Betfred Super League with a hard-fought 20-0 win over badly injured St Helens in the Magic Weekend derby at Elland Road.

Liam Marshall’s 22nd try of this Super League season and a solo strike from youngster Jack Farrimond, plus three goals from Adam Keighran, gave the defending champions a 14-point lead over their great rivals at half-time.

After the break, Marshall and Zach Eckersley both saw attempts to extend Wigan’s lead denied, but Sam Walters, who started following Liam Farrell’s injury withdrawal, sealed victory against a divided Saints side.

Meanwhile, St Helens, who already had 10 players sidelined before the Magic Weekend, suffered further injuries when Curtis Sironen had to leave the field early with a calf problem and Ben Davies failed to pass assessment for a head injury.

History of the game

St Helens manager Paul Wellens was forced into a further reshuffle for this game due to the injuries that have plagued his squad, with Ben Davies and Moses Mbye forming an unusual-looking half-back partnership and back row James Bell stepping in as the starting hooker.

Wigan, who fielded a new half of Keighran and Farrimond following the injury of Bevan French and the suspension of Harry Smith, also faced some concerns before kick-off when captain Farrell was injured during the warm-up.

It was a typically solid game to start with, but it was the Warriors who broke the ice in the 16th minute with a Jake Wardle counterattack that led to a resumption of the set. Keighran then broke through the St Helens defence with a cut-out pass to Marshall who finished with a converted score.

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Adam Keighran’s roundhouse pass provided Liam Marshall with a walk-in for Wigan’s opening try against St Helens

Two minutes later, Wigan were back in the game when Ethan Havard picked up the ball followed by 18-year-old Farrimond who showed good individual ability in kicking and recovering the ball to break the wall and score the converted second try.

The Saints, who saw second-row Sironen come off in the ninth minute, were not without their chances in the first half but failed to capitalise on them and the closest they came to scoring was when 18-year-old full-back Harry Robertson was held up on the goal-line.

An offside penalty allowed Keighran to give Wigan a further lead on the stroke of half-time, while 15 minutes into the second half the video referee denied centre Eckersley a try for a forward pass in the build-up.

Ellis’s yellow card for a shoulder charge on Joe Batchelor three minutes later temporarily reduced the Warriors to 12 men, but St Helens squandered a glorious opportunity to fight back during this period when Matt Whitley fired over the line from Jai Field’s tackle in the wake of Robertson’s powerful comeback.

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Jack Farrimond showed some silky smooth skills as he kicked and collected the ball to extend Wigan’s lead against the Saints

The 10-time Super League champions held firm at the other end, however, despite being forced into three goal-line misses after half-time, while Marshall had a second try disallowed due to a forward pass from Wardle.

But they finally added to their score with about three minutes to go when Walters pounced on a shot from Abbas Miski, who had just received a cross-court kick from Keighran near the right touchline, to finish with Wigan’s third try.

A result that put the Warriors back at the top of the table, at least until the conclusion of Hull KR’s match with Catalans Dragons on Sunday.

What did they say?

Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peet:

“I would have brought it with me on the bus ride here.

“We know they are missing more players than us, but they are a proud club.

“If we hadn’t started well they would have made us pay and I think we were excellent at the beginning.

“It was definitely a step in the right direction, but the things we wanted to fix were about what we stand for as a group and as a club.”

St Helens manager Paul Wellens:

“We are really disappointed because we lost an important match.

“Opportunities have always been few and far between, and when they did arise we failed to seize them.

“I’m a little disappointed with the goals we conceded, I think we could have managed them better. What I can’t criticize is the effort of the players.

“We are going through a difficult period at the moment, but if we stick together and work hard, we will achieve victories.”

What will happen now?

Saint Helena will be back in action on Saturday 24th August when they host KR Forum (3pm), while Wigan Warriors They will play their 23rd round match the following day when they host FC Hull (3pm). Both matches are live on Vscek+.

How can I watch Magic Weekend?

Every match this weekend will be broadcast live on Vscek Action all weekend and will be available to stream NOW.

Watch every game of the 2024 Betfred Super League season, including the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair Play-Offs and Grand Finals, live on Vscek and Vscek+. Also stream the Super League, NRL and more on Vscek with NOW.