Regan Grace scored a hat-trick as St Helens turned on the style in the second half to inflict Wigan’s eighth defeat of the season in the derby.
Down by only eight at half-time, Wigan weren’t able to complete the comeback with the Saints running away to a 36-10 victory.
After sustained early pressure from St Helens, James Roby scored a trademark try from dummy half. But Wigan replied through Zak Hardaker after a move from left to right.
The game then took a turn for the worse for the Warriors: Their winger Tom Davies suffered a suspected double-leg break before Grace’s customary Good Friday try stretched Saints’ lead.
Grace’s second try came after a great break from Luke Thompson which was supported by Lachlan Coote. Despite being tackled short, Thompson was on hand at dummy half to pass to the unmarked Grace.
Down by 14, Wigan got themselves back in the game just before half-time when Oliver Gildart split Saints’ defence on the left before finding George Williams on his inside.
But Saints were quick to score in the second half through Tommy Makinson before Grace’s hat-trick try, showing awesome pace, sealed the win for Saints.
Coote added some gloss on the scoreline when he took in a high kick and rounded behind the posts. But the game was again marred late on when Jake Shorrocks was stretchered off after a challenge from Dominique Peyroux, for which the second-row forward was sin binned.
Warriors: Hardaker, Davies, Hankinson, Gildart, Burgess, Williams, Shorrocks, Flower, Leuluai, Navarrete, Isa, Smithies, Partington; Interchanges: O’Loughlin, Tautai, Bullock, Greenwood
Tries: Hardaker, Williams; Goals: Hardaker
Saints: Coote, Makinson, Naiqama, Percival, Grace, Lomax, Richardson, Walmsley, Roby, Thompson, Taia, Peyroux, Knowles; Interchanges: Paulo, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Lees, Smith
Tries: Roby, Grace 3, Makinson, Coote; Goals: Coote 6
Sin bin: Peyroux (79) – shoulder charge
Full match reports of all the Good Friday Super League games will feature in Monday’s League Express.