Wigan claim comfortable Magic Weekend victory over injury-ravaged St Helens

Wigan Warriors have kept their Super League title defence on track with win over St Helens

Wigan Warriors ease to victory in Magic Weekend at Elland Road (Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

First-half tries from Liam Marshall and Jack Farrimond helped get Wigan’s Betfred Super League defence back on track with a comfortable 20-0 win over injury-ravaged St Helens at Elland Road.

Sam Walters’ late effort plus eight points from the boot of Adam Keighran capped a significantly better trip to the city for Matt Peet’s men, who had continued a worrying run of form when they slumped to a heavy defeat at Leeds seven days ago.

In truth Wigan barely had to find top gear in order to ease past a Saints side whose catalogue of injury issues was made worse by the early departure of Curtis Sironen from the front row, with boss Paul Wellens now down to the bare bones for the end-of-season run-in.

Saints, having chiselled out a couple of wins to ease the pressure on the back of five straight losses, continued with 18-year-old Harry Robertson at full-back, while Ben Davies replaced the injured Lewis Dodd and joined Moses Mbiyi in the halves.

The Magic Weekend took place at Elland Road (Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

Having also endured injury issues, Wigan’s spine was equally unrecognisable, with Keighran drafted in - and particularly impressing - at scrum-half in place of Harry Smith, sidelined for three games following his sending-off last week.

It was Wigan who began better in such unfamiliar surroundings, stretching the Saints line in the seventh minute before a rushed offload by Junior Nsemba allowed Wellens’ men to regroup and clear the danger.

Wellens was forced into another reshuffle after 10 minutes when Sironen limped off and Wigan tightened their grip on the game, Jake Wardle teeing up their opening score when he burst through on the quarter-hour only to be felled by the slightest contact from Waqa Blake.

Moments later, Keighran delivered a delightful looped pass to the left which sent Marshall streaking over to break the deadlock and Keighran added the simplest of extras.

Four minutes later Wigan had doubled their advantage when Farrimond burst through to collect his own kick on the last and evade some desperate Saints defending to touch down.

There were lots of fans in attendance for the matches in Leeds (Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

If Saints were looking shabby and unfocused it was not the kind of criticism that could be levelled at Robertson, who, having excelled on his debut at Wigan last month, was outstanding again and twice wriggled within inches of the Wigan line.

Abbas Miski could have done better from another Keighran kick but Wigan will have been well satisfied with a 14-point half-time advantage courtesy of a third kick from Keighran on the hooter.

Wigan continued in the ascendency in a low-key second period, and Zach Eckersley would have all but put the game to bed had his opportunist 55th-minute effort not been denied by the video referees for the slightest of knock-ons.

A yellow card for Kaide Ellis for head contact gave Saints a glimmer, but they blew their best chance when Matt Whitley broke clear only to drop the ball with the try-line at his mercy, and Walters duly put the gloss on an easy Wigan win.