DESPITE last Friday’s first loss of the Super League season Saints will travel to the DW Stadium on Good Friday in good spirits despite still missing some key players.
It is Keiron Cunningham first Good Friday at the helm – and Saints fans, who will be travelling in large numbers will be hoping for a win to end their rotten Easter run dating back five seasons.
There are always plenty of talking points, match ups and reasons to make this game such a special one on the rugby league calendar.
1. Although the teams faced off in a pre-match friendly at the start of the year, this is the first competitive match between the sides since last year’s remarkable Grand Final. Saints famously won that game 14-6 with tries from Sia Soliola and Tommy Makinson giving them the edge over a Wigan side that had prop Ben Flower red-carded in the opening minutes.
2. Saints are due a win having lost their past five Good Friday games – included among them were the last one at Knowsley Road and the first one at Langtree Park. They lost last year's 33-14 with John Bateman playing well for the Warriors.
3. The last time Saints defeated Wigan on Good Friday coaches Keiron Cunningham and Sean Long were in the line up, seeing off the Warriors 19-12 on April 9, 2009. Jon Wilkin, Paul Wellens and James Roby are the only players remaining from that day.
4. If he plays it will be veteran Paul Wellens 15th Easter fixture – all on Good Friday apart from 2002’s Easter Monday win. His first Good Friday came in 1999, and he has only missed two since – in 2010 through injury and 2012 when he was suspended.
5. Town pride runs through both coaches – with both teams headed by two passionate hometown bosses in Keiron Cunningham and Shaun Wane. Although caretaker coach Mike Rush locked horns with Wigan during his time in charge in 2012, this is the first time both clubs have been bossed by permanent home town bosses since Alex Murphy and Colin Clarke’s teams faced each other in 1986.
6. The biggest rugby league crowd of the season will be at DW Stadium on Friday with a sell-out crowd on the cards. The noise will raise the roof – hopefully it will be the Saints fans cheering like they were after Joe Greenwood’s winner in 2013.
7. There will be plenty of duels across the park – Australia-bound Joe Burgess versus Saints’ Tommy Makinson will be an eye-catching one.
8. It is Jon Wilkin's first Good Friday as club captain. Both he and Sean O'Loughlin will be key men in the outcome of the game.
9. The forward exchanges will be particularly ferocious as usual. Expect some blood and thunder from Saints heavyweight Mose Masoe and Samoan compatriot Taulima Tautai in the Wigan ranks.
10. It will be a battle of contrasting styles at number nine. Hopefully hooker James Roby will have recovered from the concussion that forced him off the pitch against Hull KR in time to face up to the combative Michael McIlorum.
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