St Helens 21-18 Wigan: Rivals serve up another Easter epic
By PA
Last Updated: 01/04/18 7:19pm
Australia coach Mal Meninga watched his old club St Helens end their Good Friday hoodoo in dramatic fashion with a 21-18 victory over Wigan.
Meninga, still revered from his one-season stint with the club 33 years ago, shouted "Go Saints" when introduced to the capacity crowd of 17,980 before kick-off at the Totally Wicked Stadium and Saints duly responded in an epic
tussle.
Trailing 12-2 after being outplayed in the first-half, Wigan hit the front for the first time on 65 minutes and were on course for a ninth successive Good Friday victory.
However, scrum-half Danny Richardson brought Saints level with a penalty and Wales' winger Regan Grace snatched victory with a try five minutes from the end that keeps his side top of the table.
Wigan, without an ill Sam Tomkins, needed a win by 14 points to take them top and his replacement, Morgan Escare, who himself climbed off his sick bed to play, gave his side an early lead with a penalty.
Escare then went close to scoring the opening try after a scything run and left winger, Joe Burgess also twice threatened the line before St Helens drew first blood on 17 minutes with a glorious try from Australian full-back Ben Barba - his
ninth of the season.
Loose forward Jon Wilkin, making his 400th appearance for the club, combined sweetly with prop Luke Thompson to get Barba in the clear just inside his own half and the Australian easily rounded Escare.
Richardson added the conversion and Saints increased their lead five minutes before the interval when second rower Zeb Taia took a short pass from impressive captain James Roby, to crash over for their second try.
Trailing by 10 points at the break, Wigan made the brighter start to the second-half and got back to within four points when second-rower Joel Tomkins took George Williams' inside pass to touch down for a try that Escare converted.
The visitors had a let-off when Grace failed to finish a promising move after initially creating the position with a break from deep inside his own half.
As play swung from end to end, Tomkins was held up over the line and Burgess was put under high pressure after moving to full-back when Escare went off for a head injury assessment.
The Warriors survived and launched an onslaught of their own in the final quarter, which paid off on 65 minutes when second-rower Willie Isa scooped up a loose ball and stretched out of the tackle of Richardson for his side's second
try.
That levelled the scores and Williams put his side in front for the first time with the conversion.
In a dramatic finale, a Richardson penalty locked up the scores once more and Wigan half-back Sam Powell was wide with a drop-goal attempt before a break by Ryan Morgan created the position for Jonny Lomax to get Grace over for the
winning try.
Richardson made it four goals from as many attempts and also put over a drop-goal for good measure, rendering Tomkins' second try in the final minute little more than consolation.
