It’s not often that both Saints and Wigan come into a derby on the back of a defeat but that is exactly where we find ourselves as the two prepare to clash at the DW Stadium on Friday night (August 20, kick-off 7.45pm).
Losing isn’t a particularly unfamiliar experience for Wigan in 2021. Last week’s 26-14 loss at Hull KR was their seventh in 19 outings this term. At one point during this Covid-ravaged campaign Adrian Lam’s side reeled off an impressive five defeats on the bounce. It was the kind of run that would have led to the rolling of heads in their pomp of my youth, but which now raises little more than a shrug and still doesn’t deter journalists from predicting another title is on its way over the lump. At least Lam has the decency to be be miserable about things, speaking again this week about last season’s Grand Final which Saints won through Jack Welsby’s improbable try at the death. Lam says the memory of it will never go away, which is good to know.
Meanwhile Saints suffered only their third defeat of the season when they went down 20-10 to Castleford Tigers last time out. The hubris in the preview on these pages feels like it is at least partly responsible so I will endeavour to do better here. Defeat to Daryl Powell’s underwhelming Tigers outfit was not something I’d seriously considered. That’s because until that point Kristian Woolf’s side had been flattening everything in its path with its relentless mix of tedious grinding and strangling defence. Something went awry with the formula against the Tigers, though even then Saints could have escaped with a win had Lachlan Coote’s late pass to Kevin Naiqama found its target rather than the grateful arms of Greg Eden. Overall, it was not the sort of defeat that makes you rethink everything you’ve seen so far this term. For now we can put it down as a mere blip.
In his attempt to ensure that is stays in The Blip Files Woolf has made a couple of changes to his 21-man squad. Tommy Makinson was red carded against Castleford and though his ban has been reduced to two matches from three on appeal he will be unavailable until Saints face Warrington on August 30. Balancing that loss somewhat is the news that Morgan Knowles is included after he missed the Tigers loss, and that Regan Grace should be fit again after a slight shoulder problem forced him out last week. That could mean Jack Welsby switching wings to cover Makinson while Knowles’ return should help shore up a defence that has been virtually impregnable all year but showed slight signs of vulnerability against Cas.
Jake Wingfield also returns from injury - replacing Ben Davies - but will do well to feature in what is now a fairly crowded back row area. James Bentley made his first team return last week albeit in a slightly frazzled, brain-mushed manner, while Joe Batchelor, Sione Mata’utia and Joel Thompson can all make a case for a start along with Knowles.
The big news off the field this week is that James Roby has agreed a new one-year deal. He and Alex Walmsley are the mainstays of a front row which is no longer particularly scary elsewhere. Matty Lees, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Agnatius Paasi and Kyle Amor will share playing time but none of them appear currently capable of preventing Saints level from dropping when Walmsley leaves the field. The same could be said of Aaron Smith when Roby takes his rests, despite the fact that the legendary hooker is no longer the force of old. Roby is an all-time great, but there is a reason why Woolf has been making eyes at Joey Lussick in the last couple of weeks. Lussick must have impressed Woolf to attract such interest without having to be Tongan, and if Smith is not to the coach’s liking then the need is clear.
Grace for Makinson will hopefully be the only change in the backs where Coote pulls the strings along with Jonny Lomax and the exciting if slightly underused Lewis Dodd. Naiqama and Mark Percival will join Grace and Welsby in aspiring to one day get a pass outside their own 20m zone and after tackle three. You’ve got to dream big.
The most recent absentee for Wigan is Sam Powell. The hooker sustained a head knock in the early stages of the defeat to Rovers and subsequently failed his HIA. He joins Bevan French and Thomas Leuluai on the sidelines but John Bateman is expected to feature. Zak Hardaker and Jai Field returned from injury recently and Oliver Partington is also restored to Lam’s selection after missing out at Rovers. What I’m saying is that you should not let anybody con you with any Wigan injury crisis narrative if Lam’s side ends up having it’s backside handed to it. If - not when - you’ll note. Easy on the hubris this week.
In the likes of Hardaker, Bateman, Oliver Gildart, Jackson Hastings and Liam Farrell Wigan have plenty of threat if the Saints defence is not at its best. They’ll also still be their usual unlovable, overly physical selves as long as the likes of Willie Isa and Morgan Smithies are around. This game is probably going to be a fairly ugly one. Let’s be honest, the first 79 minutes of last season’s Grand Final remain an unwatchable five-drive-a-thon masquerading as a titanic defensive struggle. Even Lam only remembers one moment of it. Expect more of the same I’m afraid. It is simply the chosen method of both coaches. Woolf just happens to be slightly better at it and with indisputably better tools at his disposal.
For that reason it is no surprise to note that I’m tipping Saints, though with a healthy dollop of caution following last week’s unwelcome surprise. Saints by 18.
Squads;
Wigan Warriors;
3. Zak Hardaker 4. Oliver Gildart 5. Liam Marshall 6. Jai Field 10. Joe Bullock 11. Willie Isa 12. Liam Farrell 13. John Bateman 14. Oliver Partington 15. Morgan Smithies 17. Tony Clubb 19. Liam Byrne 20. Harry Smith 21. Ethan Havard 22. Jake Bibby 23. Mitch Clark 25. Joe Shorrocks 27. Kai Pearce-Paul 28. Sam Halsall 31. Jackson Hastings 33. Amir Bourouh
St Helens;
1. Lachlan Coote, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5, Regan Grace, 6, Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Joel Thompson, 12, James Bentley, 13, Morgan Knowles, 14. Sione Mata’utia, 15. LMS, 16. Kyle Amor, 17, Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jack Welsby, 19, Aaron Smith, 20, Joe Batchelor, 21. Lewis Dodd, 22, Josh Simm, 23, Jake Wingfield.
Referee: Chris Kendall
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