{"id":558277,"date":"2026-07-25T01:47:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T01:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/558277\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T01:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T01:47:13","slug":"rampant-wigan-sweep-to-derby-win-as-st-helens-rowley-sacking-fails-to-spark-change-rugby-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/558277\/","title":{"rendered":"Rampant Wigan sweep to derby win as St Helens\u2019 Rowley sacking fails to spark change | Rugby league"},"content":{"rendered":"

There may only be eight miles between rugby league\u2019s two greatest rivals but in sporting terms, Wigan Warriors<\/a> and St Helens are simply worlds apart right now.<\/p>\n

The most tumultuous of weeks for the Saints ended in the way many it expected to: with a straightforward derby defeat. There was no shortage of effort, but there are bigger problems at a club that expects greatness \u2013 which is why Paul Rowley was relieved of his duties as Saints coach after nine months in charge on the eve of this game.<\/p>\n

The timing was perhaps a surprise; the decision, not so much. It simply didn\u2019t work out, with the Saints regressing under Rowley to such an extent that he became their shortest-serving coach in 50 years. His successor has a huge job on his hands; not just to make the playoffs this year, but to oversee a rebuild beyond.<\/p>\n

The very fact there was some talk of St Helens<\/a> keeping this respectable representing a successful outcome for a club world champions just three years ago should be humiliating for all associated with their downfall. Yes, they are struggling with injuries, but their lowly league position underlines the size of the task Rowley\u2019s successor has ahead.<\/p>\n

But that talk is for another day. Here, this was Wigan\u2019s night \u2013 and there is perhaps no player that emphasises the gulf between these two legendary clubs quite like the man who stole the show here: the Warriors\u2019 talismanic half-back, Bevan French.<\/p>\n

Back from a hamstring injury, French scored one try and created another four and added further weight to the argument he is Super League\u2019s greatest-ever overseas player. It was in the balance at the break, with Saints\u2019 players providing a response to Rowley\u2019s sacking to trail by six at half-time.<\/p>\n

Wigan\u2019s Adam Keighran celebrates a try against St Helens. Photograph: Olly Hassell\/SWpix.com\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Tries for Jacob Douglas and Jack Welsby put them ahead on two separate occasions either side of French\u2019s try. The Australian then produced two superb assists for Zach Eckersley to put Wigan in front; they didn\u2019t go behind again as they ran riot after the break, with the Saints\u2019 young bench unable to keep up amid three more injuries to add to their mounting list.<\/p>\n

But tellingly, even after an ultimately comfortable win, Wigan\u2019s coach demanded more. \u201cThere\u2019s elements we can do better,\u201d Matt Peet said. \u201cIt shows how far we\u2019ve come as a group though that we could still get the win.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was closely contested in the first half. The second was a mismatch. French teed up Oli Partington to score four minutes after the restart, before the half-back decided to let someone else make mischief for a brief moment, as Harry Smith\u2019s kick sent Partington over for a second as the contest rapidly moved away from the Saints.<\/p>\n

Adam Keighran then claimed a kick from \u2013 who else \u2013 French before Wigan\u2019s maestro was withdrawn to a standing ovation with 15 minutes left. Lewis Murphy scored a late consolation for the Saints but realistically, there is only one of these sides heading to Old Trafford for the Grand Final in October: and it is not the Saints.<\/p>\n

Their interim coach, Eamon O\u2019Carroll, was right to praise the effort his side displayed post-match. England full-back Welsby\u2019s performance offered some hope too. But the problems at this club run much deeper, and Rowley\u2019s replacement will have watched this contest from wherever in the world he is currently based and seen a club with a transitional period ahead of them.<\/p>\n

In contrast, Wigan look equipped to go the distance again this year under Peet. They are a beacon of consistency while the winds of change will blow through the Saints at hurricane-strength force in the coming months. Two great clubs, with two very different autumns ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There may only be eight miles between rugby league\u2019s two greatest rivals but in sporting terms, Wigan Warriors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558278,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":["post-558277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}