5 Talking Points From Wigan 6 Saints 14

Missing Parts

In the build-up to this one much was made of the fact that Wigan were going in without several of their key men. A worried looking Shaun Wane had glumly admitted that all of Sean O'Loughlin, George Williams, Oliver Gildart and Liam Farrell would miss the second derby of the season while Joe Burgess, Dom Manfredi and Ryan Sutton were also ruled out. It seemed like the Wiganers didn't rate their chances and were getting their excuses in early.

Yet once the Saints 17 was announced it became clear that Justin Holbrook had problems of his own. Zeb Taia had been written off for at least a couple of weeks after injuring his thumb in the previous week's win at Hull FC, but as this observer took his place in a riotous North Stand at a DW Stadium filled with Saints travelling support there were a couple more unpleasant surprises to digest. Ben Barba did not feature and, who knows, may now never play in a Saints-Wigan derby on that side of the lump, while Mark Percival was another deemed not quite fit enough to take his place. It led to a recall for Ryan Morgan, omitted at Hull, and the continuation at centre of Tommy Makinson with Adam Swift keeping his place. Swift had scored four tries in his previous two appearances and must certainly have been pushing Morgan or Regan Grace for a start but it was the absence of Percival which ultimately solved Holbrook's dilemma.

Without Barba Jonny Lomax flitted back over to fullback from stand off and again did so effortlessly as Saints again showed that when their squad depth is tested they can come up with the goods.

Ashworth And Lees Step Up

With Taia out the pack needed shuffling as much as the back line. Morgan Knowles was promoted from his usual bench spot to start in Taia's second row slot which allowed both Matty Lees and Jack Ashworth to occupy a place on the bench. Ashworth has seemed like an almost mythical figure in recent years. A heaving mound of potential always seeming to be on his way to regular first team action without ever seeming to arrive. Ashworth had not seen Super League action since 2016 so to be reintroduced at this venue against this opposition was some kind of ask.

He responded with a stint that included 12 tackles and an impressive 8.4 metres per carry with a couple off tidy offloads. Lees too weighed in with 17 tackles and 7.83 metres per carry. He doesn't have the offload game that Ashworth, a one-time centre, can boast but Lees brings other attributes. One of the abiding memories of a tough encounter in which defences mostly held sway was Lees' bone-shaking hit on Talima Tautai. In tandem with Luke Douglas Lees knocked the stuffing out of the former Wakefield front rower. If there are any doubters about whether Lees can cut it at this level Tautai won't be among them. Luke Thompson has shown what can be achieved by young forwards at Saints under the tutelage of Holbrook. In danger of stagnating under Keiron Cunningham Thompson has been transformed into one of the league's best props in 2018, even managing to shrink the hole left by the injured Alex Walmsey. Where could Lees and Ashworth be in a similar amount of time from now if they apply themselves under a coach who seems to improve every player he works with?

What Might Have Been....

One player who won't get the benefit of Holbrook's mastery is Joe Greenwood. The back rower chose to leave Saints just before Holbrook's arrival having not managed to find a regular place in Cunningham's side. The lure of the NRL and the Gold Coast seemed infinitely more attractive than a career on the fringes at Saints and for a while Greenwood's choice seemed a sound one. He made 22 appearances in his first season with the Titans but became frozen out when Garth Brennan replaced Neil Henry as head coach. Now, much to our distaste Greenwood finds himself back on our shores trying to establish himself in another ever-changing environment at Wigan.

The absence of Taia denied us a direct comparison between Greenwood and the man who quickly replaced him at Saints in a much criticised deal last March. Yet Taia has proved to be one of the most successful signings of the Cunningham tenure. Meanwhile Greenwood seemed to float on the edges of his first derby on the dark side, churning out a respectable 78 metres on 12 carries and putting in 17 tackles without ever quite threatening to punish his old club for letting him get away. Greenwood may yet develop into one of the stars of Super League but you get the feeling he would get there a lot faster with the help and guidance of Holbrook than he promises to at Wigan. Another, as yet unidentified coach is about to take on the task of developing Greenwood and another period of transition seems on the cards for the talented ex-Saint.

Knowles States His Case

Morgan Knowles has long been touted as one of the biggest emerging talents in Super League. A future Saints captain, perhaps. Certainly a very likely successor to Jon Wilkin in the loose forward role as the former skipper gets ready to go full-time in the world of punditry and podcasts. Knowles has had to settle for a role largely off the bench so far under Holbrook as the coach continues to lean on Wilkin's experience and versatility, but with the absence of Taia Knowles was not about to waste an opportunity to start.

The Welsh international not only piled on 41 tackles in the game, more than any Saint bar ageless Westworld host James Roby, he also wriggled over for what proved to be the decisive score of the game early in the second half. That was one of two clean breaks and 72 metres for Knowles who, though maybe not a natural second row in the Taia mould, showed that he can be a huge contributor anywhere along that back three. It's all a far cry from how his season began, with the ignominy of that red card in Perpignan for a dangerous throw which saw him forced to sit out four games. Knowles spoke at a club forum in the days after that about learning from it and improving. He wasn't looking for sympathy or, as most fans did, to blame an official. And learn he has if this measured, assured and match-winning performance is anything to go by. Another tick in the box for Holbrook.

Saints And The Super 8s

We won't go over old ground about club chairmen bickering over the format of Super League. The Super 8s are here for now at least and amusingly they will not feature the defending Super League champions Leeds Rhinos after results went against Kevin Sinfield's side at the weekend. Those results also meant that Saints secured qualification for the top four and the semi-finals with one game still to play before the Super 8s get under way for what could be the final time.

What this says about the validity of the system is debateable but coming into the 8s in first place we can now have a guess at which teams Saints will face and where as they bid to secure the League Leaders Shield before playoff time. Holbrook's side will be at home to the team's finishing 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th while visiting the team's placed 4th, 7th and 8th. At the moment that would mean home games against Wigan, Warrington, Hull FC and Wakefield with trips to Castleford, Catalans and Huddersfield. Warrington and Castleford will switch positions if Saints beat Warrington on Thursday and Castleford see off woeful Widnes on Friday, while any of Trinity, Catalans or Huddersfield could still finish 6th, 7th or 8th. The Dragons have the toughest fixture in the final week of the regular season at Wigan, who need the points themselves to stop either Warrington or the Tigers sneaking into second. For their part the Dragons may prioritise the Challenge Cup semi final with Saints which is sandwiched in between the final regular season round and the first Super 8s fixture. Trinity and the Giants face each other and will secure 6th with a win and a Dragons loss.

But with so many permutations still possible it is arguable whether there is any real difference between finishing 2nd, 3rd or 4th or even 6th, 7th or 8th at this stage. This isn't like England's World Cup group in Russia from which Gareth Southgate's side could clearly see a smoother path to the semi finals. It's complicated, which might be one of the reasons why change is again being considered. From a Saints point of view it should be business as usual. Get the few wins required to claim the League Leaders Shield and then use any games that remain sensibly to give us the best possible preparation for the semi-finals. That maybe doesn't whet the appetite much for August rugby league but few will care if Holbrook delivers a title in his first full season in charge.