WIGAN WARRIORS ensured bragging rights with a hard-fought 16-12 win over St Helens.
Things couldn’t have started much worse for St Helens, with Matty Lees being given a yellow card in the first defensive set.
Both sides went set for set in the opening exchanges and remarkably it was the visitors that broke the deadlock, Jack Welsby finishing a superb break from debutant Harry Robertson. Mark Percival converted to make it 6-0 after 21 minutes.
It didn’t take long for the Warriors to hit back, though, as Harry Smith delayed a pass to Zach Eckersley who flew through the line before offloading to Jake Wardle. Smith converted to level the scores at 6-6.
The nip-and-tuck nature of the fixture continued until the break with nothing to choose between the two sides.
HALF-TIME: WIGAN WARRIORS 6-6 ST HELENS
It was exactly the same at the start of the second-half, too, with Robertson in particular impressing. And it was Saints that took the lead once more just before the hour. Curtis Sironen offloaded to Jonny Lomax who sent over Waqa Blake in the corner. Percival again converted to send Saints into a 12-6 lead.
Again, though, Wigan didn’t take long to respond and it was Adam Keighran this time that went over from a Sam Walters offload. Smith converted to make it 12-12.
And, for the first time in the game, the hosts took the lead with 12 minutes to go through Zach Eckersley. Smith this time couldn’t convert, but the Warriors held a 16-12 lead.
Wigan Warriors
Zach Eckersley – 9
Abbas Miski – 7
Adam Keighran – 7
Jake Wardle – 8
Liam Marshall – 7
Jack Farrimond – 7
Harry Smith – 8
Ethan Havard – 6
Luke Thompson – 7
Tyler Dupree – 7
Junior Nsemba – 7
Liam Farrell – 7
Kaide Ellis – 6
Substitutes
Liam Byrne – 6
Patrick Mago – 7
Harvie Hill – 6
Sam Walters – 7
Tries: Wardle (23), Keighran (62), Eckersley (68)
Goals: Smith 2/3
St Helens
Harry Robertson – 9
Tee Ritson – 6
Mark Percival – 8
Ben Davies – 6
Waqa Blake – 7
Jack Welsby – 7
Jonny Lomax – 7
George Delaney – 7
Daryl Clark – 7
Matty Lees – 4
Curtis Sironen – 8
James Bell – 8
Agnatius Paasi – 7
Substitutes
Sam Royle – 5
Jake Burns – 5
Jonny Vaughan – 5
Noah Stephens – 5
Tries: Welsby (20), Blake (58)
Goals: Percival 2/2
Sinbin: Lees (2) – high tackle
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