St Helens v Wigan Warriors - Preview

There seems to be a concerted effort to keep it quiet but there is silverware up for grabs when Saints take on Wigan Warriors this Friday night (August 31, kick-off 7.45pm).

Just a week on from the handing out of the first trophy of the season (sorry Wire fans, not your year again) Saints have the chance to wrap up the League Leaders Shield against their nearest but far from dearest as the Super 8s resume. Saints have led the competition almost from the off, and although we all know that it is the side that can win two knockout games tacked on to the end of the season who will emerge with the biggest prize, the League Leaders Shield is still something which should be if not celebrated wildly then at least acknowledged.

There’s a fine line of course. Popping champagne corks and spinning Queen records at this stage is likely to get you laughed out of town as it did Castleford last season. Yet it would be criminal to let the achievement of being the most consistent side throughout the regular season and the Super 8s go unnoticed. It’s a tricky balance to strike, which is perhaps why it hasn’t been mentioned an awful lot by Saints or even the fans. Or perhaps we and those at the club just aren't that confident about beating Wigan so we're keeping it all under wraps only to unleash it once the final whistle blows. Negative? Me?

Even without a much-maligned minor prize on the line a Saints-Wigan derby would be significant. There are some who would argue that the Super 8s format renders the big games stale and repetitious, but for others any time the paths of St Helens and Wigan cross the stakes are high and the tension even higher. Saints have beaten Wigan twice already this season, giving Shaun Wane’s side the double motivation of avoiding a season white-wash and of denying Justin Holbrook’s side the chance to pick up the aforementioned silverware. For another week at least. Saints march towards topping the table seems inevitable but Wigan will not want to be the side that is beaten to seal the deal. This one matters.

With that importance in mind it is handy then that Saints have both Ryan Morgan and Luke Thompson returning to the squad. Morgan has been missing for several weeks following some persistent problems with concussions but Holbrook confirmed that the Australian centre has been given the all-clear by the medical staff. Perhaps as a precaution Matty Costello keeps his place in the squad despite Morgan’s return. Meanwhile Thompson returns from a one-match ban which he incurred for ‘other contrary behaviour’ after his exuberant try celebration led to the ball making contact with the leg of an in-goal judge in the loss to Huddersfield three weeks ago.

With confirmation that Alex Walmsley is out for the rest of the season this week the onus is very much on Thompson to lead the prop group from here on in, although Jack Ashworth and Matty Lees impressed in recent weeks. All three are included in the 19-man squad along with Luke Douglas and Kyle Amor while Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook will no doubt spend time in that middle area also. All of which is tied together by the incomparable James Roby. Smiths Aaron and Matty, drafted in as possible relief options for Roby for the win at Wakefield last time out, miss out on this occasion so look for Theo Fages to fill in for Roby as and when required. Jon Wilkin is preparing for what might possibly be his last derby, almost certainly his last on home soil while Dom Peyroux’s broken arm means that the second row pairing is likely to again be Zeb Taia and Morgan Knowles.

This might be the week that we find out exactly what has been bothering Ben Barba. The debate raged among fans as to the cause of his dip in form with some suggesting his desire to play in the red vee had waned amid interest from the NRL. Others including Holbrook insist that rib and leg injuries have been hampering the star man. With a fortnight’s rest Barba will hopefully return to something like the form which saw him light up the league in the first few months of the season. He has yet to demonstrate his bewildering skills to a live Wigan audience (assuming such a thing exists) and like Wilkin could be playing his last derby as rumours of a move back to Australia persist.

The bad news on Adam Swift is that he needs surgery on a shoulder injury so expect Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace to continue on the wings outside of Morgan or Costello and Mark Percival in the centres. Jonny Lomax is probably not going to be the answer at fullback if the question is ‘who plays there next year should Barba leave?’ given Holbrook’s admission of interest in North Queensland Cowboys’ Lachlan Coote, but Lomax is nevertheless one of Saints more consistent performers in 2018 at stand-off alongside the emerging talent of Danny Richardson at halfback.

Someone else facing the possibility of his last derby is Wigan coach Shaun Wane. He will move to Scottish rugby union at the end of the season to be replaced first by Adrian Lam and then by Shaun Edwards as the Warriors continue their commitment to employment for ex-players. No doubt there will still be a job for John Bateman somewhere in the club should someone with a bit of nous decide that he might not be worth a marquee wage after six years of being clubbed around the head by Dylan Napa in the NRL. Aswell as derby spoils and stopping Saints celebrations Wane will have second place and a home semi-final on his mind. A win in this one could go a long way to helping Wigan ensure that the DW Stadium hosts play-off rugby come October.

To that end Wane has selected a strong squad which includes the oft-crocked, curly-haired wonder that is Sean O’Loughlin. He will skipper a side which is still missing Joe Burgess, Dom Manfredi and Liam Farrell but which on the other hand will no doubt be all the better for the absence of chief pudding Talima Tautai. Liam Marshall was unfortunately lost for the season in Wigan’s win at cup-kings Catalans last time out (again Wire fans I must apologise).

Sam Tomkins has had some hugely witty things to say about the importance or otherwise of the League Leaders Shield, getting his excuses in early should he have to suffer the trauma of watching Saints celebrating post-game. He’s another Warrington fan who might be about to find out that his season will get worse before it gets better. Along with his regrettably considerable ability Wigan have threat in the backs in the shape of Tom Davies and Oliver Gildart as well as the pacey Morgan Escare. Gildart missed the defeat by Saints at the DW Stadium in July and will be one of the keys to a different outcome this time around. George Williams has finally got around to explaining to everyone that he didn’t really mean that he would rather play in the NRL next year, he meant the year after, and he will likely start in the halves alongside Sam Powell with Thomas Leuluai given the honour of being outplayed by Roby. If only they still had Mickey McIlorum who has been transformed into Cameron Smith overnight by the fawning, pro-Catalans press (sorry Wire, d’oh!).

In the pack O’Loughlin and Bateman are formidable but it will also be interesting to see how Joe Greenwood performs on his first return to Saints since joining the Warriors via Gold Coast Titans. Willie Isa, Ben Flower, Tony Clubb and others will also be on hand to bring their own special brand of shithousery to proceedings. It wouldn’t be a derby without them and their ale-house tactics. When does Adrian Lam start?

If you want a prediction I’m not going to back against Saints at home to Wigan even if their form in recent weeks is rather more convincing than that of the red vee. The win over Wakefield restored a bit of lost confidence for Saints and with local bragging rights and the League Leaders Shield to play for Saints should just have about enough motivation to get over the line.

Squads;


St Helens;


1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Ryan Morgan, 4. Mark Percival, 6. Theo Fages, 9. James Roby, 10. Kyle Amor, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 14. Luke Douglas, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Luke Thompson, 18. Danny Richardson, 19. Regan Grace, 20. Matty Lees, 21. Jack Ashworth, 23. Ben Barba, 30. Matty Costello.


Wigan Warriors;

1. Sam Tomkins, 2. Tom Davies, 3. Dan Sarginson, 4. Oliver Gildart, 6. George Williams, 7. Sam Powell, 8. Tony Clubb, 9. Thomas Leuluai, 10. Ben Flower, 13. Sean O’Loughlin, 14. John Bateman, 15. Ryan Sutton, 19. Willie Isa, 20. Morgan Escare, 25. Romain Navarrete, 30. Gabriel Hamlin, 35. Oliver Partington, 36. Samuel Kibula, 40. Joe Greenwood.



Referee: Chris Kendall