Warriors wreck leaving party
Wigan claimed their first win at Knowsley Road since 2003 in the final derby clash with St Helens at the famous old ground.
Last Updated: 02/04/10 5:47pm
Wigan claimed their first win at Knowsley Road since 2003 in the final derby clash with St Helens at the famous old ground.
Saints had won nine straight games on home turf against their fierce local rivals, but it was the Warriors who had the last word before St Helens' move to a new stadium.
Wigan just about deserved the win that keeps them two points clear at the top of the Super League table, although they had to withstand a typically brave St Helens fightback and some fierce second half pressure.
The visitors stunned the majority of a sell-out crowd by racing into a 14-0 half-time lead courtesy of tries from Darrell Goulding and Iafeta Paleaaesina and three goals from Pat Richards.
Australian winger Richards took advantage of an early infringement to edge Wigan ahead with a penalty and the Warriors proceeded to dominate possession in the first half, helped by a number of errors from an uncharacteristically hesitant Saints side.
Chances
Wigan also took their chances when they arrived.
It took 29 minutes for either try-line to be breached, Goulding finishing a well-worked move after Wigan won a rare scrum against the head in midfield, and Richards added the extras.
It was then the turn of substitute Paleaaesina to do what he does best, powering over and finishing from two metres out with three St Helens defenders unable to keep the giant forward at bay.
Wigan stretched their lead at the start of the second half, again with a Richards penalty, but the next 30 minutes belonged almost wholly to the hosts.
After Amos Roberts was sin-binned for interference underneath his own posts, James Roby was held up just short of the line.
But Saints were not to be denied and on the next play Kyle Eastmond fired a perfectly-weighted high kick into the right corner and Ade Gardner collected it unopposed to score. Eastmond then added the extras from the touchline and the deficit was cut to 10 points.
Wigan continued to be regularly penalised for slowing down the play-the-ball and after yet more pressure, Saints got their second try on 55 minutes.
Tony Puletua was held up over the line but moments later was on hand to take Keiron Cunningham's short pass and crash over for his first try of the season.
But this time Eastmond missed a far easier conversion to keep the lead at six.
Superb
The rest of the half was almost all Saints, but a combination of errors and superb Wigan defence kept them at bay.
Francis Meli did cross in the corner but his try was ruled out for a forward pass and after Roberts blocked Jon Wilkin following his England teammate's chip over the top, Pryce wasted the subsequent penalty by knocking on.
Wigan needed to escape from their own half and they finally did when Sam Tomkins weaved his way up the middle seven minutes from time and forced Pryce into conceding a penalty.
Richards kicked his fifth goal from as many attempts and with the lead back to two scores, Saints had to concede defeat in a game they had desperately - perhaps too desperately - wanted to win.
