It was a second capacity crowd of the day as third placed Wigan Warriors face their massive Rivals and fifth placed St Helens in one of the games of the round with local bragging rights up for grabs and for the neutral it was a chance to gauge which of these two sides was the forerunner for a Grand Final place.

Wigan were without the injured Jai Field in a major blow but were still slight favourites with the bookies having been given a two point handicap on the coupon. Saints hadn´t really hit their straps since their World Club Challenge win, but it would be typical of Saints to hit top form in the derby match.

A packed stadium of over twenty-four thousand, and national television audience settled down for what could be a classic encounter.

Wigan made the early running and on nine minutes Harry Smith passed and then supported a Jake Wardle break through the line to take the pass on the inside and go in under the sticks for the opening try. Smith added the conversion himself for a 6-0 lead.

Saints had their chances, but impressive Wigan defence kept them at bay and on the half hour Smith added another two points to the Wigan total after a Saint ball steal twenty out from their own line.

Brilliant Wigan defence on thirty-two prevented an excellent Saints try as Konrad Hurrell released Tommy Makinson for a sprint down the wing before Liam Marshall somehow pushed the Saints winger into touch just short of the corner flag. Wigan took an 8-0 lead into the interval, but with Saints looking stronger as the half wore on.

Eleven minutes after the restart the Warriors extended their lead after a Sione Mata´utia late hit on Joe Shorrocks gifted them six tackles inside the Saints thirty. Fast hands saw the ball out to Toby King as he dropped his shoulder and came inside to score by the right upright. Smith added the conversion for 14-0. Never write off the Saints, but now it was looking like an uphill battle.

It had taken a pointless hour, but with the clock showing sixty minutes Jonny Lomax chased a Lewis Dodd grubber and caught and grounded in one action to finally register some points. Mark Percival added the conversion, and the arrears were back to eight points.

Saints went close on sixty-eight, a brilliant tackle from Shorrocks denying Morgan Knowles in the left corner. It got worse for Saints on seventy-one when, after a long stoppage in play, Mata´utia was helped from the field after appearing to get knocked out inside his own twenty.

Panic football set in for Saints and while they had opportunity to get over the whitewash again the Wigan defence were sensational in keeping them out.

This was a grind of a game for both sides and it was the Warriors who ground the hardest and inflicted a third defeat of the season on last years Champions. Wigan are up to second in the table, edging above Catalans Dragons on points difference, and were well worth the win if only for an extraordinary defensive effort. Saints still not the finished article but we are only a quarter of a way through the season.

Wigan Warriors: French, Miski, King (T), Wardle, Marshall, Shorrocks, Smith (T, 3G), Byrne, Powell, Cooper, Pearce-Paul, Farrell, Smithies. Subs: Havard, Ellis, Singleton, O´Neill. 18th Man: Thornley.

St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Hurrell, Percival (G), Hopoate, Lomax (T), Dodd, Paasi, Roby, Lees, Mataútia, Sironen, Knowles.  Subs: Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Bell, Delaney. 18th Man: Bennison.

Half-Time: 8-0.

Full-Time: 14-6.

Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 8-0 : HT : 12-0, 14-0, 14-4, 14-6 : FT.

Lead Exchanges: Wigan.

Referee: Liam Moore.

Attendance: 24,275.