St Helens scored four tries in the final 15 minutes to complete a complete comeback and win 34-24 against Wigan Warriors in the Good Friday Derby at the Brewdog Stadium.
Saints lacked double-digit first-team appearances due to injury and suspension, but that week they brought in Bill Leyland and Jordan Desaria from Hull KR on week-long loans to strengthen their squad.
They say things went awry in the Betfred Super League derby game, and that’s what happened. Indeed, it reminded me of when a depleted Wigan side beat St Helens in 2003.
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Bill Leyland, on loan from Hull KR, scored twice in the dying minutes to complete St Helens’ remarkable comeback. First he fired home from close range, then cleared away a Wigan mistake to seal the derby victory.
Remarkably, Leyland, who was on loan at St Helens for a few days, proved to be a hero as Saints lived up to their tagline of ‘never give up on the Saints’, scoring twice in the closing stages to cap off a classic Saints win.
Wigan received a big boost from the return of Jai Field for the first time since recovering from appendicitis, but were unable to pick up their first Good Friday win on Saints’ turf in 10 years.
In front of a sold-out crowd at the BrewDog Stadium, Wigan Warriors narrowly led 12-10 at half-time thanks to tries from Harry Smith and Jack Farrimond, with Adam Keeglan scoring both.
St Helens fought back through Matt Whitley and Darryl Clarke, with Tristan Saylor scoring the second goal.
Wigan thought they had won with Field and Zach Eckersley scoring, but with less than a quarter remaining Jackson Hastings, Tristan Sailor and Leyland were reversed, leaving the Saints faithful in chaos.
Leyland helps St Helens perform Good Friday miracle
As always, it was a brutal start to the game between Saints and Wigan, with both teams giving their all in every tackle.
When Agnatius Passi left the field with a hamstring injury, St Helens fans were immediately met with a sight they didn’t want to see.
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Harry Smith scores Wigan Warriors’ first goal with a stunning try
It took just seven minutes for Wigan to easily get on the scoreboard. After Lewis Murphy was flagged for misplaying the ball, Smith was briefly danced around by Shane Wright and Sailor before Keiglan converted to give the visitors an early 6-0 lead.
Despite falling behind early on, St Helens fought back in the 15th minute and after a repeat set, Sailor sent in a flick pass and Whitley scored his first try of the season, making the score 6-4. Sailor could not add conversion.
After four minutes, Kaide Ellis thought it was all over, but some great defending from Jake Wingfield forced him over the line with his fourth tackle.
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Jack Farrimond scores with a smart knockdown and crosses in unscathed to extend Wigan’s lead.
But it didn’t take long for the extra points to come, as Farrimond chipped in, Zach Eckersley went high and hit the ball back to halfback, and Keiglan sent in a clutch conversion from the edge of the touchline for a 12-4 lead after 23 minutes.
St Helens continued to attack and got their revenge in the 30th minute when Clarke won a penalty halfway and used his strength from close range to ride over a tackle. This time Saylor scored, making the score 12-10 at halftime.
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Daryl Clarke performs well to lead St Helens back against Wigan
The second half started with the same ferocity as the first, but the first 10 minutes were tense as Saints and Wigan made some unfortunate mistakes and Sam Walters came so close but was denied by another of Wingfield’s excellent try savers.
The Warriors thought they had put an end to that worry for their fans in the 54th minute when Smith unleashed a smart grubber at the end, diving deftly for Fields to mark his return to the side.
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Jay Field scored on his return after Harry Smith’s perfectly weighted grubber went through him and extended Wigan’s lead.
It was a great team try and the Warriors thought it capped a glorious derby for them. Patrick Mago’s tackle on Brad O’Neill took away the pass and Hooker found Ollie Partington, who ran off to find winger Eckersley. He used his pace to slide in a corner and Keiglan again placed the boot perfectly to put Wigan 24-10 ahead with just over 10 minutes left.
But, as is often the case in these derbies, the game wasn’t over yet.
Murphy broke wide in the 72nd minute and Saints skipper Hastings was in the right place at the right time to pick up the loose ball and slot it across goal. Saylor scored to make the score 24-16.
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Zac Eckersley completes dominant move for Wigan after a series of offloads and quick hands
After that, the comeback reached new heights. All eyes were on Leyland who had their moment of interest after Saylor himself went over and converted to make the score 24-22.
In the 77th minute, he scored with a pick-and-go from close range. Sailor converted to make the score 28-24.
Just when we thought we had already won, we found further glory when Wigan went for a short kick-off, the ball bounced gently off the hooker at the interchange, and with the St Helens din at its peak, Wigan were able to run away and score.
The win marks St Helens’ first win over Wigan since 2023.
“I’ve only trained with the Saints once!”
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Bill Leyland reflects on his unreal derby performance where he scored two goals and admits he has only trained once with St Helens since being loaned from Hull KR
Player of the Year on Sky Sports – Bill Leyland –
“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.”
“I was told to be ready. I don’t even think I deserve this (award). Kremer played the full 80 minutes and got 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.”
‘Never underestimate the Saints’ |Wigan were not strong enough in the long run.’
St Helens head coach Paul Lawrie told Sky Sports:
“That was very special. We were exposed to adversity before and during the game.
“The group’s beliefs and character have never been in question. We wanted to bounce back from a tough week last week and we did it in the best way possible.
“Bill Leyland is good with the ball and he’s elusive. We thought he could be a tonic to start the game. He’s an Admiral-like young man and a lot of credit to him.”
Wigan head coach Matt Peat told Sky Sports:
“I admit it was a hard-fought game, passionate and ended in an exciting way, but we have to reflect on what we did.
“We have to be better than that, but the Saints deserved the win by keeping the ball moving with their backs against the wall.
“We didn’t consistently build up the game enough. Our attack was good, but we gave away too many penalties. We couldn’t consistently build up the game.”
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 26th – September 27th Grand Final: October 3rd, 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+.
