Super League: Mike Rush, Shaun Wane look forward to St Helens v Wigan

Mike Rush and Shaun Wane are sure there will be no repeat of the Grand Final flashpoints when St Helens and Wigan meet again on Sunday.

The pre-season match at Langtree Park might fall short of the 'friendly' tag, but Rush and Wane are keen that both sides respect one another with the spotlight firmly on them, in the wake of the Ben Flower incident at Old Trafford.

Flower was sent off a couple of minutes into the game's showpiece match for twice punching Lance Hohaia, who is due to return to action in Sunday's match, after being named in new coach Keiron Cunningham's 21-man Saints squad.

The Wigan player is serving a six-month ban for his indiscretions but Wane and Rush, speaking at a Manchester coffee house part-owned by new Saints captain Jon Wilkin, are keen to play down past trouble-spots and feel the clubs are a lot closer than people might think.

Healthy rivalry

Saints CEO Rush told Sky Sports News HQ: “We’re neighbours, aren’t we? At the end of the day you should get on with your neighbours.

“There is healthy rivalry but there is also respect and we share knowledge about the game, about structures, so I think that is healthy and good for the sport."

Wane added: “I’ve known Mike for many, many years as a junior coach so we go back a long way. I have a lot of respect for him, and many people there at St Helens, like Derek Traynor, real good rugby league men.

“St Helens means a lot to them, like Wigan Warriors means a lot to me, but we do have that healthy friendship and respect for each other."

The Flower incident put the game in a bad light but Rush and Wane feel both clubs behaved well in the aftermath - helping one another out - and they expect that to continue on Sunday and beyond.

Honourable sport

Rush joked about the moments after the final whistle as he said: "Shaun put me in a headlock and told me if I didn’t tow the line…no, there's never any animosity between the staff or the club.

“I thought both clubs conducted themselves fantastic after the event. We offered support to Ben and to the Wigan club. I think that again shows the character of our sport, that rugby league is a great sport and a tough sport, but it’s an honourable sport.

“We don’t sing the praises of our game enough. I’m not sure if there are any other sports that have the friendship rugby league has amongst the game and players.

"Maybe we don’t get the positives enough in the media, and maybe it’s easier to look at the dark side of things, but there isn’t an issue and a lack of respect. There’s an immense amount of respect and friendship between the clubs.”

And Wane said: “I back up what Mike says that we handled ourselves really well, and so did St Helens. There was a mistake made, we’ve tried to move on and deal with it the best we could.

“At the end of the day we have the best sport in the world and this shows why. You’ve got two really big Super League clubs working together and helping each other through a difficult period.

“We’ve come through that, we’re looking forward to Sunday’s game and we hope It’s a good spectacle for everybody.