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Matt Peat says he stands by his comments that St Helens have “lost their identity” ahead of the meeting of the two derby rivals live on Sky Sports on Sunday’s Magic Weekend.
Peat made the comments after his side’s 32-0 win over Saints in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup which they followed up with a comprehensive win over Hull KR.
St Helens marked the second meeting between the sides this season after a stunning Good Friday comeback, with Hull KR loanee Bill Leyland scoring twice in the last minute to secure a dramatic win.
It was that Good Friday victory that sparked comments from Pitt, particularly St Helens using Leyland and Jordan Dezaria on a week’s loan from the Robins and wild celebrations.
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Magic Weekend, July 4th and 5th. Live on Sky Sports.
Now, as they prepare for the trilogy showdown at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, the atmosphere surrounding an already fierce grudge match has been intensified by Pitt’s comments.
Although he is aware that they were said out of emotion, Pete “stands by” what he said and looks ahead to another Derby battle.
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On loan from Hull KR, Bill Leyland scored twice in the final minute to complete a remarkable St Helens comeback, scoring from close range before racing clear after a Wigan error to seal the first derby win.
“I said what I said in context, in that moment, there was some emotion and yes, I own those comments,” Pitt said. Sky Sports.
“But the focus is now too much on waiting and they won’t count for much, it won’t count for anything this weekend.
“It’s now about preparing our players and trying to give the best performance we can.”
St Helens head coach Paul Rowley had a simple answer when asked if the comments had played any part in their preparations for the Saints: “Not really”.
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Bill Leyland reflects on a surreal derby performance after scoring twice and admits he only had one training session with St Helens on loan from Hull KR.
He later added: “For me, there was nothing to draw a line under. I never reacted, so it’s the same again.
“Lee Briers never did last week. It was a media firestorm.
“There’s nothing there.”
Wigan are struggling with four new injuries
Pitt also confirmed his side will be without Bevan French, Liam Farrell, Luke Thompson and Noah Hodgkinson when his side take on their old foes.
Youngster Hodgkinson suffered a fractured skull, Farrell suffered a shoulder injury, French suffered a hamstring problem and Thompson suffered ligament damage in his foot.
Pitt said: “We’ve lost Luke Thompson. He’s done his leg ligaments, so he’ll be out for about six weeks.
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After being out for 12 weeks with a torn hamstring, Bevan French returned as he helped Wigan beat Hull KR to win the Challenge Cup.
“Pharrell came in with a stinger, but he’s had a few now, so he’ll be out for four weeks, and then he’ll be reassessed, so he’ll have at least four weeks.
“Noah Hodgkinson has fractured his skull, so maybe it’s not that extreme in terms of time frame, he’s going to have a bit of an operation there, so he’ll have three or four weeks.
“Bevan French has a hamstring strain, so it’s a grade two. It’s a different hamstring than last time, but it’ll probably be four weeks, so there’s a bit of news there.”
Despite the complications, Peet says he is relishing the chance to see Wigan’s youth shine once more.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Pete said. “Every time I’ve seen our reserves, I’ve been impressed. They played against Leeds last weekend, two good teams, so a reserve game like this gives you confidence that the players are ready.
“There will be lads picked on form from that game and they will run from the way they have performed in the past given the opportunity.”
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Everton defender James Tarkowski joined St Helens star and Toffees fan Jackson Hastings at the Brewdog Stadium to take part in a range of challenges ahead of Super League’s magic weekend.
Saints have also had a number of injuries to the likes of Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival, Noah Stephens, Dion Cross, George Whitby, Lewis Murphy and Matty Lees.
For Rowley, the weekend represents another opportunity to use the “next man up” mentality they’ve employed throughout the season.
“We have a lot of injured players in the squad so we want to keep them all fit, obviously, but as every coach always says, it’s the next man up mentality,” he said.
“I think for the whole season, our players have been great in that they’ve been resilient. We’ve looked for new superstars, Jake Davis is one of them, and we’ll continue to do that and we’ll just continue to perform.
“When everyone wears the Saints badge, we find ways to do things and we work hard to improve week in week out, so it’s another big test for us.”
Super League 2026 – Upcoming Key Dates
- Magic Weekend: July 4-5 July
- Rival Round Reverse: July 23-July 26
- Playoff Elimination: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
- Grand Final: 3 October
Sky Sports Every game in the Super League this season will be shown live, with two matches in each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast Sky Sports+
