‘Felt like a final’ - St Helens boss delighted at comeback win against arch-rivals Wigan

A tasty dish fit to serve a queen, or king! Saints and Wigan Warriors found the right recipe to captivate a crowd of more than 36,000 at St James’ Park, Newcastle, as part of Magic Weekend on Saturday.

It had all the ingredients one expected from two clubs lying first and second respectively in the Betfred Super League table - flair, inventiveness and razor-sharp tackling.

Not quite as nerve-tingling as the battle of the old foes in the 2020 Grand Final at Hull when a last-gasp Jack Welsby try clinched a memorable victory for St Helens but equally as enthralling from start to finish.

Saints, it must be remembered, also went into the derby without four key players - leading try scorer Tommy Makinson, Mark Percival, long-term absentee Lewis Dodd and prop Alex Walmsley, whose wife was heavily pregnant.

Neither did they possess a regular goalkicker but still managed to eke out a 20-18 victory, demonstrating their all-round strength in depth.

Wigan had their chances of victory and to move level on points with Saints at the summit of the table but suffered irreparable damage when Brad Singleton was sent off in the 65th minute for a high shot on Curtis Sironen.

Even Wigan boss Matt Peet said he had no qualms with the referee’s decision and admitted that the champions had been the slightly better team on the day.

His opposite number, Kristian Woolf, said: " I’m really proud of our blokes’ performance. It was a high quality game of footy and felt like a final.’’

Saints dominated the first half but had little to show for their pressure, allowing the Cherry and Whites to establish a 12-2 lead early in the second half.

But Woolf insisted: "I always thought we would find a way to win. That’s what this club is all about and it’s never wise to write us off.’’

A major talking point was Singleton’s sending off but the St Helens’ boss was a little cautious when asked about his views on the issue.

He said: "It definitely warranted a card, but I’ll need to have another look at it to decide whether it deserved a red, or yellow card."

Saints’ team: Will Hopoate, Jonathan Bennison, Konrad Hurrell, Sione Mata’utia, Regan Grace, Jack Welsby, Jonny Lomax, Agnatius Passi, James Roby, Matty Lees, Joe Batchelor, Curtis Sironen, Morgan Knowles. Subs: Joey Lussick, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Jack Wingfield, Dan Norman.

Tries: Batchelor (52 mins), Welsby (59), Grace (74), Lomax (79), Penalties: Bennison (2/2).

Wigan Warriors: Jai Field, Bevan French, Willie Isa, Jake Bibby, Liam Marshall, Cade Cust, Harry Smith, Brad Singleton, Sam Powell, Liam Byrne, Liam Farrell, John Bateman, Joe Shorrocks.

Subs: Morgan Smithies, Patrick Mago, Oliver Partington, Ethan Havard.

Tries: French (31,71), Bateman (43). Conversions: Smith (3/3). Red card: Singleton (65).

Half-time: Wigan 6 Saints 2. Full-time: Saints 20 Wigan 18. Attendance : 36,821.