5 takeaways as Wigan edge Saints thriller at Magic Weekend with derby debate settled

Wigan Warriors claimed the bragging rights on derby day at Magic Weekend, beating rivals St Helens 16-14 in an absolute thriller at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Live from the press box on Merseyside, here are our five key takeaways…

This is THE derby

Every time we get a rivals round in Super League, it’s always the same old debate. But it’s always the same outcome for us, Wigan-Saints is THE derby, and this weekend has done little to persuade us otherwise.

Give credit where its due, Saturday afternoon’s Hull derby was a great spectacle and undoubtedly the best game of day one at Magic Weekend.

But it just didn’t have the same ferocious feel as Wigan-Saints did, and Sunday evening’s closing spectacle had just about everything in it, just as was the case on Good Friday.

We await ‘Rivals Round Renewed’ at the end of the month when the same debate will no doubt be had again.

A seminal moment in Wigan’s season

Whenever a team has a successful season in any sport, there are always absolutely pivotal moments along the way in the campaign that are fondly remembered.

There’s no saying for certain this Wigan side will go on to win the Grand Final this term, but if they do, this will undoubtedly go down as a huge moment in the year.

A win over their biggest rivals on the back of all the ‘identity’-based hype around the game, and achieved at one of Super League’s biggest events of the season without a whole host of injured stars including Bevan French.

The Warriors won’t get too carried away, but this really does feel like a big win. It’s taken them up to second spot on the ladder, too!

Major injury worries

It was hard to keep up with the amount of injuries throughout the 80 minutes on Merseyside, but there are a few standouts.

Wigan saw young winger Nathan Lowe stretchered off after passing out twice pitchside due to his blood pressure soaring through the roof every time he was stood up. That is believed to be a ruptured hamstring.

Junior Nsemba was also forced off in the second half along with Saints hooker Daryl Clark. Those two both looked in some discomfort.

Saints’ George Delaney failed his HIA, while Ethan Havard was required to go off for two HIAs. If that happens, a player can legally not return to the field in the second instance, but we await to see whether he passed the latter concussion assessment.

Jack Welsby’s woes

Last weekend, we were pleased to be able to write about Welsby playing with a smile on his face again and performing well as Saints beat Bradford.

But this was yet another tough day at the office for the Wigan-born Saints ace, who was sin-binned twice and didn’t deliver a positive showing, albeit he deserves kudos for his late try.

Something’s amiss, we just can’t put our finger on it.

A long day ahead for the Match Review Panel

Given the ferocity with which the derby was played and the tackles which flew in, we feel like this will be a long review for the disciplinary panel tomorrow.

We dread to think how many niggling small charges will be heading the way of both squads, and there may well be a couple that cop big penalty points, too.