St Helens produced a stunning late fightback to beat their fierce rivals Wigan 34-24 in the Super League.
Four tries in the final 15 minutes saw Wigan stunned as the Saints took home the bragging rights on the Good Friday derby at a sold out BrewDog Stadium.
Bill Leyland scored the final two tries in the dying minutes, himself only signing for a short term one week loan from defending champions Hull KR earlier in the week.
Leyland had only trained once with the Saints squad prior to becoming a hero to the supporters.
His achievements are made even more impressive by the fact he was only a second half substitute, replacing the stadium announced player of the match Daryl Clark just before the hour.
Saint’s supporter Ian Humphris said: “It’s unbelievable, I’ll take any derby win, but to do it like that is just special and all the more sweeter.
“The noise in that last 10 minutes was the loudest I’ve heard that ground in a long, long time, maybe ever.
“It’s some response from the battering we got last week, and I think most supporters will be proud of the team after that.”
Wigan were without star duo Bevan French and Jake Wardle, while St Helens’ list of absentees was considerate.
Leyland joined Saints alongside teammate Jordan Dezaria earlier in the week due to the injuries of Mark Percival, Matty Lees, Jack Welsby, Jonny Lomax, Jacob Host, Nene Macdonald, Jake Burns and Alex Walmsley, which has put strain on the Saints’ squad.
There were also rumours that Jackson Hastings was going to miss out due to injury, he did play but with strapping visible on his leg, and he did not take on any conversions.
Match summary
Harry Smith got the first points on the board for Wigan, scoring a try after seven minutes in tension filled opening stages.
Saints hit back just shy of 10 minutes later, but Tristan Sailor missing the conversion left the away side with a slim lead.
Wigan parity was restored with Jack Farrimond’s try on 23 minutes, as his kick was parried back to him by Eckersley
The home side bounced back again 9 minutes before the interval, Sailor made no mistake with the conversion but this time which meant there was a two-point Wigan lead going into the interval.
Wigan dominance after the break gave Wigan a commanding 14-point lead with just over ten minutes to play.
The returning Jai Field and Zack Eckersley scored tries whilst Adam Keighran maintained his perfect record from his four conversion attempts.
A remarkable final 10 minutes began with Jackson Hastings picking up a loose ball to give the hosts hope in the 73rd minute.
Sailor converted to bring the scores to 16-24, before scoring a try himself and converting it himself to reduce the deficit to just two points.
Leyland’s final two tries in the last two minutes caused bedlam at the BrewDog Stadium, as he first scooped the ball over the line before a bouncing ball fell nicely fell for him, allowing him to run unopposed from halfway.
Victory didn’t come without some cost for the home side, Agnatius Paasi went off injured, limping off early on with a hamstring injury, before Shane Wright was forced off after a clash of heads.
Paul Rowley
Speaking to SaintsTV in his post-match press conference, Saints head coach Paul Rowley said: “We just dug in, and that’s probably been the story of our season up to now.
“It’s well documented that we’ve got 12 missing players at the minute that would be in the starting 17.
“Each time we scored a try, the volume went up, and you can’t help but be affected by that.
“The influence that our supporters had on the team was something you can’t underestimate, and I know that was the inspiration for the team before the game.”
It was Saints’ first win over Wigan since 2023 and means they have now drawn level on points with their neighbours.
The next challenge ahead of them is another home game against Catalan in the RFL Challenge Cup, before they return to league action with a visit to Hull.
Wigan meanwhile must also compete in the cup midweek, travelling to Wakefield, before they host Castleford in two weeks’ time.
Saints Team: Harry Robertson, Owen Dagnall, Deon Cross, Matt Whitley, Lewis Murphy, Tristan Sailor, Jackson Hastings, David Klemmer, Daryl Clark, Agnatius Paasi, Shane Wright, Jake Wingfield, Joe Shorrocks
Wigan Warriors Team: Jai Field, Zach Eckersley, Adam Keighran, Liam Farrell, Liam Marshall, Jack Farrimond, Harry Smith, Ethan Havard, Brad O’Neill, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Sam Walters, Kaide Ellis.
The attendance for the match was 17,980.
(Featured image by Rebecca Clayton)
