The staggering numbers behind Bill Leyland’s Man of the Match cameo v Wigan Warriors
Bill Leyland celebrates his try for St Helens.
St Helens loanee Bill Leyland has notched himself into club folklore, following a Man of the Match display in their win over Wigan Warriors in the Good Friday derby.
Leyland, who joined the Saints on a one-week loan from Hull KR earlier this week, grabbed a decisive brace in the final exchanges to round off a superb comeback from the hosts, who were trailing 24-10 with just seven minutes left on the clock.
“It’s surreal,” the Kent-native told Sky Sports. “To play in such a big derby, and I’m glad to bring it home for all of these fans. It’s pretty surreal.
“It’s pretty magical. The boys (at St Helens) are great and have welcomed me in so well. I’ve only had one training session with them, and to share this type of experience with them – loads of the boys at KR who came through at Wigan told me how big of a game it is – is special.”
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“I think Bill Leyland’s a good runner of the ball, he’s elusive, and both teams had been on the ropes, so someone like him would be just the tonic for us and open up the game,” St Helens boss Paul Rowley said of his loanee’s performance.
“He’s a really admirable young man, and the instructions were just ‘as and when’, but he got on and did the rest.
“Massive credit to him, we kept it simple, and he ran and got over the try-line.”
Analysis: The stats behind Bill Leyland’s performance v Wigan
His try-scoring antics will certainly dominate the rugby league headlines for the next 24 hours, but his all-round performance was fully deserving of the Man of the Match gong.
Despite playing just 22 minutes in the win, Leyland ended the game with a very healthy 79 metres from five carries, with four of those coming directly from the ruck. Around that, he also made five tackle busts.
His average gain of 15 metres per carry was also the highest of any player on the pitch, with only fellow hookers Brad O’Neill (12) and Daryl Clark (10) coming near his tally.
He also chipped in well on the other side of the ball, too, making 12 tackles with three of those coming from marker. Leyland was also one of just seven St Helens players to tackle at a 100% success rate across his shift, and of only three to do so while also making over 10 tackles.
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