Wigan 58 Saints 4

SCORELINES, they say, can sometimes be misleading.

This was certainly the case in this final Boxing Day derby clash at frosty Central Park on Tuesday.

Not, I hasten to add, from a figurative standpoint, but from the visitors' angle in dubbing them 'St Helens first team' when the line-up possibly infringed the Trades Description Act in effectively being the Alliance side.

Only Steve Prescott could be described as a first-team regular in a squad containing seven debutants, most of them teenagers, with the total revamping of the team necessary due to an incredible 15 players being injured, allied to the suspension of skipper Bobbie Goulding.

Saints say they have medical evidence to support the 'walking wounded' roll-call, and no doubt that is the case, but the overall view among the armada of their fans at Central Park was that it was stretching credulity to the limit to accept than no other senior squad member could have played against Wigan of all teams!

Comment was rife that Saints had gone for broke in gambling everything on a Regal Trophy semi-final win against Warrington on Saturday. But, given that the club had a hectic programme of late and the misfortune to have record signing Paul Newlove injured, it was nonetheless a sad end to a time-honoured fixture which will be the subject of an inquiry

Now, having climbed down from my soapbox, let me immediately pay tribute to the magnificent squad led by the inspirational Phil Veivers who did St Helens proud with a display lacking nothing in effort, commitment, pride and passion.

For fully 40 minutes super Saints belied the 'men against boys' tag in restricting the mighty Wigan scoring machine to just three tries - one of doubtful variety - before sheer size, strength, speed and skill told its inevitable tale as the Riversiders scored another 38 points. Kiwi Henry Paul set the scoreboard in motion with a penalty goal after six minutes, but a Saints side tackling like men possessed kept Wigan at bay until, after Va'aiga Tuigamala had broken on the left, Shaun Edwards and Neil Cowie sent Jason Robinson over on the right for Paul to land the touchline conversion.

Outstanding full-back Gary Connolly then set up the first for four tries for Scott Quinnell, and the Welsh forward was quickly over the Saints' line again - after Martin Offiah had obstructed Danny Arnold - with Paul landing both goals to give Wigan a 20-0 lead on the half-hour.

And so it remained until the interval, with Saints enjoying their best attacking spell as wingers Prescott and Mike Riley went close, while a heart-stopping overhauling and touchline tackle of Offiah by Arnold was another moment to savour for Saints' fans.

It was no more than the battling Knowsley Road squad deserved when Phil Waring's slick pass allowed Simon Booth to score Saints' only try soon after the break, but Wigan then took control with further touchdowns from Simon Haughton (2), Mick Cassidy (2), Quinnell (2), and Rob Smythe, with Martin Hall kicking five goals.

Cowie received his marching orders following an altercation with Andy Haigh in the 70th minute, but this was the only show of pique in a game which was otherwise contested in sporting manner.

Boxing Day clashes such as these may be now be consigned to history, but the immortal memory for many on Tuesday was the rapturous ovation accorded to Phil Veivers and his braves at 4.30pm on Tuesday by the the loyal Saints' supporters _ how well the lads deserved it.

Wigan: Connolly; Robinson, Tuigamala, Radlinski, Offiah; Paul, Edwards; Cowie, Hall, O'Connor, Quinnell, Cassidy, Haughton. Substitutes: Smythe for Paul, Johnson for O'Connor (41), Dermott for Haughton (60), Craig for Connolly (73).

Saints: Arnold; Riley, Haigh, O'Loughlin, Prescott; Waring, Veivers; Leathem, G. Cunningham, Devine, Anderson, Morley, Booth. Substitutes Matheson for Anderson (30), Sheil for Morley (42), Walker for Matheson (50), Arkwright not used.

Referee: S. Cummings. Attendance: 19,526.

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