Saints vs Warriors is closest to Origin tie
PAUL Wellens believes St Helens and Wigan Warriors match-ups are the closest thing UK rugby league has to State of Origin.
The Saints were 12-4 victors over Wigan on Good Friday following another fierce clash at a sold-out Totally Wicked Stadium, with Wellens highlighting the “chaos” of the fixture.
In an intense battle, Bevan French scored an outstanding try just before the hour mark after Mark Percival had put the Saints 2-0 up at halftime through a penalty goal. However, Liam Byrne received a red card for a shoulder to Percival’s head several minutes later, with Tommy Makinson and Konrad Hurrell sealing victory with late tries.
Ending Wigan’s 15 game winning run, which has seen them crowned Super League and World Club champions, Wellens, who lost both Percival and
Joe Batchelor to HIA’S, said: “There’s a ferocity to these games – a chaos at times – and emotions are riding high given the importance of it for both teams. Sometimes it comes down to the finest margins.
“It took until the back end of the game to score those tries, which was really pleasing on our part.
“It was a hotly fought contest, and Wigan were outstanding as well. It’s probably the closest thing you get to a State of Origin over here when these two play each other.
“And I think that comes because the two clubs are so very similar in terms of the way they invest heavily in the youth; there’s a real passion amongst both towns for their team; there’s an expectation around success; and the highest standards are set and have to be met. That makes for what you see out there most times when these teams compete against each other.”
Sending St Helens back to the top of the Super League table, the derby success was Saints’ sixth victory from their opening seven games, with the pride in Wellens, who played his entire playing career with Saints, there to see.
“There is myself, and there are a number from St Helens who understand what the fixture means,” he explained. “There are a few other blokes who are starting to learn and understand what it means, which is okay as well. But there’s near 15,000 in the stadium, minus a couple of thousand behind the other set of sticks, who have gone home ecstatic because their team has won a derby.
“The town of St Helens has around 180,000 people in it. And there will have been people all over the borough glued to the TV screens watching that game, cheering the boys on.
“And I said to the playing group that, as someone who understands coming from the town, you cannot underestimate the impact that your team winning a game like that has on the town and the wider community.”