 Defence was typically uncompromising in the derby |
St Helens: (10) 19
Tries: Cayless, Meli, Pryce
Goals: Wellens, Long 2
Drops: Long
Wigan: (6) 12
Tries: Richards, Goulding
Goals: Richards, O'Loughlin
Super League leaders St Helens made it eight wins in a row against local rivals Wigan on Friday night. Tries from Jason Cayless and Francis Meli gave the champions an early 10-0 lead, but Pat Richards' controversial try saw Wigan trim the gap.
In the second half Leon Pryce went over for the third try for the hosts.
Darrell Goulding's try saw Wigan cut the gap to six points, but Sean Long's drop-goal settled any nerves as Saints went two points clear at the top.
The match started badly for the visitors as they saw prop forward Stuart Fielden knocked unconscious trying to tackle Saints powerhouse Nick Fozzard after just three minutes.
Fielden recovered sufficiently to walk off under his own steam but his team were soon behind, Cayless latching onto Keiron Cunningham's flat pass to cross under the posts.
Cunningham was later put on report for an alleged swinging arm on Wigan full-back Richards in a three-man tackle.
Paul Wellens kicked the goal but could not add the extras from wide out when St Helens went over for their second try.
James Roby made good ground and Cunningham's fine pass sent Meli, fresh from signing a new deal which will keep him at Saints until 2010, over in the corner.
 | 606: DEBATE |
When Wigan then lost Fielden's replacement Paul Prescott to a suspected broken ankle the visitors looked on the ropes, but they managed to battle their way back into the game.
They went close to scoring several times before hitting back right on the stroke of half-time.
Richards appeared to have knocked the ball forwards in the process of dabbing down Trent Barrett's kick but the television match official gave the try and the winger added the goal to make it 10-6 at half-time.
After the break Wigan captain Sean O'Loughlin coughed up possession and Pryce dummied the defence before striding over from 20 metres, with the returning Long adding the extras, to put Saints back into a 10-point lead.
Long landed a goal to edge them further ahead but the hosts then switched off in defence and Goulding latched onto a speculative kick from Barrett to score.
O'Loughlin's conversion meant the visitors were within a converted try but Long, back after injury, popped over a drop-goal to secure the points.
St Helens boss Daniel Anderson:
"Wigan were very courageous but I thought we were the better side. I asked them to get the two points and I didn't care how." Anderson on Keiron Cunningham, who has been put on report:
"I thought he caught him on his shoulder. He (Richards) came back on to the field at the back end. "It was an aggressive game but there didn't seem to be anything malicious in the whole game."
Wigan boss Brian Noble:
"I'm really proud of my players. It's a much over-used sentence but I am. "We didn't give ourselves the best start and lost a couple of front-rowers but we clawed our way back into the game and for long periods I thought we were the best team.
"We made it a derby, which the other two games weren't. That was as intense as it gets."
St Helens: Wellens, Gardner, Gidley, Talau, Meli, Pryce, Roby, Fozzard, Cunningham, Cayless, Bennett, Clough, Hargreaves. Replacements: Long, Graham, Fa'asavalu, Flannery.
Wigan: Richards, Calderwood, Bailey, Vaealiki, Colbon, Barrett, Leuluai, Fielden, Higham, Paleaaesina, Hock, Fletcher, O'Loughlin. Replacements: Prescott, Hansen, Goulding, Mcllorum.
Referee: A Klein (London)
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