Saints outclassed by revitalised Wigan

 Wigan finally live up to their potential in Elland Road triumph over lacklustre St Helens  

 

I can't be the only one who keeps forgetting that this year's final is at Tottenham's ground
[Image credit: Visit London]

St Helens’ campaign for the double (or treble, if we consider the League Leaders’ Shield a separate prize) came to an abrupt end at Elland Road thanks to a revitalised Wigan Warriors.

In one of those strange sporting coincidences, it happened on the same day the near neighbours Liverpool FC suffered a potentially mortal blow to their quadruple hopes, with Challenge Cup final hosts Tottenham Hotspur holding the Reds to a 1-1 draw at Anfield.

All the credit should go to Wigan, who – especially in the first half, outclassed Saints in terms of strength, skill, discipline in possession, and sheer desire.

Liam Marshall’s opening score came off the back of some slick handling, and required a superb finish at the corner. Marshall was later on hand to seal the victory with his second try 11 minutes from time.

Liam Farrell demonstrated wonderful vision for Wigan’s third just before the half-hour mark – at which point most observers were wondering when Saints were going to turn up.

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Wigan were deserved winners, there’s no doubt of that. But this was perhaps St Helens’ worst performance of the season so far, despite the fixture being perhaps the biggest game of the season so far.

Marshall’s opening score might have demonstrated impressive acrobatics, but it came off the back of an unforced knock-on by Josh Simm. Farrell’s try required great vision, but Kristian Woolf will not be happy at the space permitted to the second-rower by St Helens’ defence.

Cade Cust’s 19th-minute try came off the back of a calamitous passage of play near the Wigan line, which can only be described using the compound adjective un-Saints-like, a loose pass from Jonny Lomax bundled back away from the touchline only for the Warriors to regain possession and create the attacking position.

Three tries in ten second-half-minutes gave St Helens an 18-14 advantage – but though well taken, none of them quite demonstrated the incisive attacking skill we’ve come to associate with this Saints side (compare, for example, Eboni Partington’s match-winning effort for Saints women, set up smartly by Amy Hardcastle).

And Liam Marshall’s second was also gifted by yet another handling error – a further cruelly punished aimless pass from Lomax.

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Wigan will now play Huddersfield in the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (unfortunately family responsibilities kept me from watching the Giants’ 25-4 win over Hull KR) – and we’ll get some insight into what may unfold in north London when the two sides meet in Super League on Thursday night.

A lot of commentary around the semi-finals was all about the numbers of empty seats on display, and as far back as the quarter finals rugby league fans have been fretting about the cup final attendance at Spurs.

Poor attendances are a genuine concern – they are a barometer that indicates the less-than-robust health of the game, and a poor advert for any non-rugby league fans watching on TV – but the way that it has become a rugby league obsession sadly shows a sport very much ill-at-ease with itself.

On a mission to rediscover the joy of rugby league, I’ll be doing my best to sidestep that discussion – important though it is – and focus on what happens on the pitch.