Round 22
Wigan Warriors 12 l. St Helens 46

2008 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Saints crush 12-man Wigan
Sun July 20, 2008
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Form team St Helens cruised to a 15th straight win and a crushing hat-trick of engage Super League derby triumphs against 12-man Wigan Warriors with a 46-12 victory at the JJB Stadium.

The Warriors were forced to play all but the first five minutes a man short after hooker Michael McIlorum was sent off by referee Ashley Klein for a high tackle on Great Britain winger Ade Gardner and Saints made them pay with an eight-try romp.

Scrum-half Sean Long scored one of the tries and kicked six goals from seven attempts on his 300th appearance for free-scoring Saints, who have piled up 214 points in their last four matches and run in 149 in three games against Wigan this year.

Poor McIlorum was forced to watch the latest embarrassment from the stand after being shown the fastest red card of the season.

It had been an ignominious opening by the youngster, whose knock-on in the first set of tackles had gifted Saints possession from which they scored the game's first try.

Wigan could not have envisaged a worst start as they set out to atone for two heavy defeats by their arch rivals already this year at Knowsley Road and the Millennium Stadium.

They went into the game without skipper Sean O'Loughlin and prolific scorer Pat Richards, whose illness left them without a recognised goalkicker, and they were quickly on the back foot after conceding two tries in the first 12 minutes.

Long, who began his professional career at Wigan 12 years ago, was given a guard of honour by his St Helens team-mates as he entered the field to mark his landmark occasion and he was quickly into the action.

It was his pass that sent second rower Lee Gilmour crashing over for Saints' first try after just two minutes and he added the conversion.

When hooker Keiron Cunningham burst through through the attempted tackles of Trent Barrett and Richard Mathers 10 minutes later to grab a second try, Wigan looked to be heading for another hiding.

Both Saints wingers ought to have added to the try haul but Gardner's effort was disallowed for a forward pass and Francis Meli dropped Leon Pryce's pass with a clear run to the line.

The misses began to look costly when Wigan scrum-half Thomas Leuluai took a return pass from Gareth Hock to cross for a 21st-minute try and Cameron Phelps kicked his first goal in England.

But substitute hooker James Roby took over from where Cunningham left off by forcing his way over for a close-range try on 29 minutes and Long kicked his third goal.

And Saints added a fourth try on the stroke of half-time when Long and Pryce combined to get the ball out to an unmarked Matt Gidley, who unselfishly sent Gardner in for his 25th try of the season.

Wigan coach Brian Noble belatedly sent on replacement hooker Micky Higham before half-time, relieving Leuluai of his extra duties, but the former St Helens man was partly responsible for conceding the next try six minutes into the second half.

His pass meant for Stuart Fielden was misdirected and Saints second rower Jon Wilkin was quick to react, dribbling the ball towards the line before picking up and scoring in one movement.

Wigan were again all at sea five minutes later when substitute Chris Flannery's kick exposed a huge hole in the home defence, enabling Gidley to follow up and score a soft try.

Further evidence that it was not Wigan's day came when winger Liam Colbon and Leuluai both had tries disallowed by video referee Ben Thaler.

Wigan fans among the 19,958 crowd began heading for the exits on 57 minutes when a superb offload from Pryce sent his half-back partner Long over for the visitors' seventh try and the scorer added the conversion before taking a deserved breather.

Sweet passing along the line then created an overlap from which Gardner scored his second try, his 23rd in Super League this year, and Gidley added the touchline goal.

Wigan were a badly-beaten team but they had the consolation of finishing the scoring when Higham grabbed a late try and Phelps kicked a second goal.

Report Source: www.superleague.co.uk

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