Super League: Wigan Warriors 38-16 St Helens – Wigan claim third derby win in a row

During Rowley’s tenure, Saints won the first derby of the season to seal a memorable comeback victory at Easter, but a hammering in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup and a narrow defeat at the Magic Weekend earlier this month meant Wigan came into this latest meeting with some momentum on their rivals.

Yet it was St Helens who went ahead inside the opening five minutes as Welsby weaved his way through, thriving after Harry Smith failed to stop his run when he lost his footing in the build-up.

That lead didn’t last long and Wigan hit back with flowing passes as they eventually dispatched the French to score easily.

If Wigan’s moves were good, Douglas’s score was better and came through some quick movement from a scrum, but before they could score Wigan worked the ball wide to Eckersley who touched in the corner to square things up once more.

The hosts weren’t done there and the Frenchman fired a superb kick into the corner for Eckersley to collect and ground in sensational fashion for his 30th try of the season.

Saints’ Harry Robertson controversially blocked a try despite the score being awarded by on-field referee Liam Moore but, on review, video referee Jack Smith ruled it out – television replays showed the ball had not been grounded.

After the break, Wigan maintained a steady pressure and were rewarded when Partington crashed over the line and things went from bad to worse for the Saints as Jackson Hastings was sin-binned for pulling on the Frenchman against his former club, denying him a possible try.

Partington added a second in the interval and Keighran beat Murphy to the punch as he successfully – and easily – chased down a kick for another Wigan try, but Murphy atoned with nine minutes remaining when he dived in the corner.

Wigan: field; Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Havard, O’Neill, Thompson, Partington, Ellis, Kerr.

exchange: Walters, Mago, Hodkinson, O’Connor.

St Helens: Welsby; Murphy, Sailor, Davies, Douglas; Robertson, Hastings; Host, Burns, Suluka-Fifita, Cartwright, Wright, Shorrocks.

exchange: Delaney, Sinclair, Humphreys, Evans.

Referee: Liam Moore.