Wigan Crush St Helens 38-16 in Super League Derby
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- Wigan Warriors demolished St Helens 38-16 in Friday's Super League derby, crossing six times through French, Eckersley (2), Partington (2) and Keighran after Welsby had given the visitors a fifth-minute lead.
- St Helens were playing their first match since head coach Paul Rowley stepped down with immediate effect ahead of the fixture, per the source's pre-match notes.
- Jack Welsby, who scored Saints' early try, told Sky Sports the players' performances "let Rowley down" and admitted: "if we'd have won as many games as Wigan had, he wouldn't be getting sacked."
- Interim coach Eamon O'Carroll said he was "proud" of his squad's effort and called on Welsby to take ownership of the club, telling him: "This is your club Jack, it's time for you to take over."
- Wigan coach Matt Peet conceded there were "elements of our performance that weren't acceptable," even as his side moved to within two points of table-topping Leeds.
- A St Helens try from Robertson was chalked off before the break, compounding a second-half collapse in which Wigan added four unanswered scores after the teams went in level at the interval.
- St Helens are now chasing a return to the play-off spots, with O'Carroll targeting York next as his side begins life under interim leadership.
- Sky Sports broadcast the fixture live, with commentary from Michael Cantillon.
Why it matters: Wigan's six-try rout tightens the Super League title race to two points behind Leeds, while St Helens now begin a coaching reset under interim boss Eamon O'Carroll — a squad already wounded by multiple injuries and openly acknowledging that poor player performances, not the coach, were the root cause of Rowley's exit.
