When you hear the words “Good Friday Derby” being whispered on both sides of Billinge Hill, expect conversations about the glory days, almighty comebacks, or just how good things are going out the window to immediately ensue.
The image of the brawl between Andy Farrell and Paul Sculthorpe will be reused over and over again. Your dad or grandad will tell you where they used to watch Sam Tomkins, Keiron Cunningham, Paul Newlove and other old Derby Day heroes.
From 3 April 2026 onwards, St Helens fans will be retelling the story of how the week-long loanee became the legend of Good Friday.
In the early 2000s, the Saints earned the nickname “The Entertainers” because they never trailed by 20 points.
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Bill Leyland, on loan from Hull KR, scored twice in the dying minutes to complete St Helens’ remarkable comeback. He first fired home from close range, then cleared away a Wigan mistake to seal the derby victory.
There are countless videos of Sean Long’s drop goal that brought them from the brink of defeat to secure victory, giving them the tagline “Never Give Up on the Saints.”
Of course, not every moment worthy of that tagline happened at the Good Friday Derby. Everyone remembers “Wide to the West.” Everyone remembers “Left to Right.”
But if you can make one moment circled on your calendar shine bigger than the others, that moment automatically rises to the top of the pile.
When news broke that week that Bill Leyland and Jordan Desaria had signed for St Helens on a one-week loan thanks to the injury crisis, it was met with skepticism and optimism, some shocked that Saints were going down the loan route, others understanding the situation they were in.
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Bill Leyland has reflected on his unreal performance in Derby, where he scored two goals, and admitted he has only trained once with St Helens since his loan from Hull KR.
In a 24-minute cameo in the most brutal grudge match, Leyland went from KR candidate to Saints hero.
Wigan thought the game was over with eight minutes left as they led 24-10. Surely a 14 point lead was enough?
Spoiler alert: That wasn’t the case.
Leyland’s moment came after Tristan Saylor and Jackson Hastings scored to make the score 24-22.
St Helens took the lead for the first time in the match in the 77th minute. And when he picked up a short kick-off and ran in his second goal, cries of joy could be heard across St Helens.
Bill Leyland has his moment in the spotlight at St Helens
If you grew up in St Helens or Wigan and have had the privilege of playing for your hometown, there’s no greater moment than being the hero in a Good Friday derby against your arch-rivals.
You will be admired in your town, your status will be at its peak and you will never have to pay for a pint again.
Leyland will now get a taste of what it’s like to be a Saints homegrown player, even if he only remembers one practice session and 24 minutes with the Saints.
“It’s surreal to play such a big derby. My team (Hull KR) won the last game, so it’s a second win in a row for me. I’m happy to bring this game home for all the fans. It’s pretty surreal,” Leyland told Sky Sports.
“I was told to be ready. I don’t even think I deserve this (award). David Kremer played the full 80 minutes and did a great job getting the win.
“All I wanted was game time, wherever it was. The players welcomed me here. I’ve only had one training session. It’s special to share this experience with them.”
The 23-year-old hooker has returned to East Hull, emotions have calmed down and both teams will now turn their attention to next week’s Challenge Cup clash.
But once the story was told and the glorious history of the Good Friday Derby was told, Leyland added his name to the list of rugby league’s bygone legends.
Sam Tompkins of Sky Sports Rugby League said: “What a great story for Bill Leyland. This is one of Saints’ greatest comebacks. He’s not even at the club. He’s a Hull KR player! There will be posters of him all over this stadium.”
“It’s going to be a trivia question. Who was the player who won the Good Friday Derby with two tries and had a stand named after him? Bill Leyland Stand, you heard it here first,” added John Wilkin.
There’s an old adage that sports can be so wild that even the most talented screenwriters can find storylines so outlandish that they can’t be believed.
They sat around a table with producers and directors and writers and runners and argued about how they needed to create something that could actually happen.
“A player on loan for a week will never be a hero in the Good Friday derby,” they would cry.
And they would be wrong. Because Leyland was like that.
2026 Super League – Important dates and highlights
Rivals Round: 3rd April – 5th April Super League in Paris: Saturday 6th June: Catalans Dragons vs. Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports) Magic Weekend: 4th July – 5th July Rivals Round Turnaround: 23rd July – 26th July Elimination Playoffs: 19th September – 20th September Playoff Semi-Finals: September 26-September 27 Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will continue to broadcast every Super League match live this season. Exclusively live, including two matches from each round, the remaining five matches will be shown weekly on Sky Sports+.
