The biggest match in Rugby League - The Good Friday Derby between St.Helens and Wigan Warriors - is at The Brick Community Stadium (18th April), with kick-off scheduled for 3pm.
TICKET & ENTRY INFORMATION
Over 5,300 Saints supporters sold out the away end of The Brick Community Stadium weeks in advance of match day, with the fixture also a complete sell out!
Saints supporters have been allocated reserved seating tickets in the North Stand of The Brick Community Stadium, so please make your way to that area of the stadium to enter.
Tickets for this match are print-at-home only, with supporters receiving an email with their tickets. You can then present your print-at-home ticket at the turnstiles of The Brick Community Stadium to gain entry.
Fans are advised to print off tickets in advance, or alternatively if you do not have a printer you can save the PDF to your mobile and show the QR code at the turnstiles.
Please note these tickets cannot be added to a digital wallet.
SQUAD NEWS
Mark Percival, Daryl Clark and Ben Davies are back Coach Wellens’ selection after missing our last week’s win over Wakefield.
James Bell and Harry Robertson are unavailable after suffering injuries in the victory over Trinity.
Click or tap on the image below to read more about our Round 8 squad news.
Coach of the Warriors Matt Peet makes one change to the squad that got an away day win over Hull KR last time out.
Loose forward Taylor Kerr replaces fellow young middle Harvey Makin who has headed over to Salford Red Devils on loan.
Wigan Warriors 21-man squad vs St.Helens
1. Jai Field, 2. Abbas Miski, 4. Jake Wardle, 5. Liam Marshall, 6. Bevan French, 7. Harry Smith, 9. Brad O’Neill, 11. Junior Nsemba, 12. Liam Farrell, 13. Kaide Ellis, 15. Patrick Mago, 16. Liam Byrne, 17. Kruise Leeming, 19. Tyler Dupree, 20. Harvie Hill, 21. Sam Walters, 22. Zach Eckersley, 23. Tom Forber, 34. Jack Farrimond, 26. Jacob Douglas, 29. Taylor Kerr.
💬 COACH PREVIEW
Being from the town, Paul knows the significance of this game beyond just the two competition points up for grabs, and knows that it’s a huge occasion for everyone connected to both clubs.
With a sold out away end awaiting us on Friday as 5,000 Saints fans pack into The Brick Community Stadium, Paul has just asked that you bring the noise, as the 17 players out there will be giving their best for you., and he knows you will do exactly that.
Saints TV subscribers can watch Wello’s full Coach Preview!
🔷🔻 IN THE AWAY KIT
The Saints will be wearing our Away Kit on Good Friday!
Just like our Home Kit in 2025, the Saints’ iconic crest has been transformed into a futuristic holographic badge and placed in the centre of our shirts for the first time in 16 years.
Our SAINTS wordmark features in the design of the navy and red kit, on the elasticated sleeves, within the Red Vee on the chest, in the gradient pattern in the lower section of the shirt, and in the side panels of the shorts too.
Get yours online by visiting saintssuperstore.com!
🏉 THE REST OF RIVALS ROUND (ROUND 8)
Thursday
Wakefield Trinity vs Castleford Tigers – 8pm
Friday
Hull FC vs Hull KR – 12:30pm
Leeds Rhinos vs Huddersfield Giants – 5:30pm
Saturday
Leigh Leopards vs Warrington Wolves – 1:30pm
Castleford Tigers vs Salford Red Devils – 6pm
Take a look at how the Betfred Super League table looks ahead of Round 8 by clicking here.
💪 BIG AL TALKS AHEAD OF THE BIG GAME
The Saints’ star prop knows that The Derby needs no introduction, and a game everyone gets excited for, and he is no different.
Alex openly speaks about improvements being made on last year, and as we carry on through this period of transition, he knows we will be competing for silverware on the other side.
Finally he had a request of the travelling Saints faithful: “bring the noise, as you always do.”
Watch the full player preview with Walmsley on Saints TV!
THE RECORD AGAINST THE WARRIORS
Super League summary
St Helens and Wigan have met 105 times across all competitions in the Super League (Summer) era, and in the competition itself Saints have the lead in the head-to-head scores.
The Red V have won 48 Super League matches, including victories in the 2000, 2004 and 2020 Grand Finals, plus play-off wins in 2000, 2002, 2009, 2011 and 2019. The Cherry & Whites have got the victory 42 times in the league, and the honours have been shared in a draw just four times.
Our highest scoring Super League game against Wigan came at the Millennium Stadium for Magic Weekend back in 2008, where we put the Warriors to the sword in a 57-16 victory.
Our widest ever margin of victory over Wigan in Super League was a 42-0 win in 2020 in a behind closed doors game at Salford’s AJ Bell Stadium during the Covid pandemic.
Last ten meetings – First Team
Wigan 20, St Helens 0 (SLR22, 17/8/24) (at Elland Road, Leeds)
Wigan 16, St Helens 12 (SLR17, 12/7/24)
St Helens 12, Wigan 4 (SLR6, 29/3/24)
St Helens 34, Wigan 16 (SLR15, 9/6/23)
Wigan 14, St Helens 6 (SLR8, 7/4/23)
Wigan 30, St Helens 10 (SLR25, 26/8/22)
St Helens 20, Wigan 18 (SLR18, 9/7/22) (at St James’ Park, Newcastle)
St Helens 18, Wigan 20 (CCSF, 7/5/22) (at Elland Road, Leeds)
St Helens 22, Wigan 4 (SLR8, 15/4/22)
Wigan 2, St Helens 26 (SLR20, 20/8/21)
🗣️ WHO WILL BE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Chris Kendall will be the Referee for Good Friday’s fixture, and he will be supported by Touch Judges Mark Craven and Cameron Worsley, as well as Video Referee Liam Rush at Rugby League’s remote refereeing base.
📲 FOLLOW THE GAME WITH SAINTS
Fans not in attendance will be updated in full with the Saints’ Live Match Centre – your hub to find out the team news, follow live game updates, see behind the scenes photos, and click to read all the key stories of the fixture.
St.Helens’ social media accounts will keep supporters up to date of every key moment, so ensure you are following us!
X/Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Highlights and the full match replay will be available for Saints TV subscribers too.
📺 TUNE IN TO WATCH LIVE
For the second time in three weeks the Saints will be live on the BBC, with their coverage commencing at 2:25pm.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch it live on Sky Sports Action, as can SuperLeague+ subscribers.
⏭️ UP NEXT AT HOME: CATALANS
🔍 A LOOK AT WIGAN…
Last season was a marquee year for the Warriors, winning all four trophies available in one season and for the first time in their history winning back-to-back Betfred Super League Grand Finals. Deservedly so, they also won the Team of the Year at the BBC Sports Personality Awards.
On the back of winning the last two titles, and the period of success they have experienced in the last couple of years, it would be fair to say many people back Wigan as the team to beat in 2025.
There has been no incoming players into their talented squad for this season, with just three departures. So Peet will be looking to maintain the same level of expectation with his successful squad.
Former Man of Steel Bevan French is their star player, but with Jai Field, Jake Wardle and Liam Marshall in their ranks, they have plenty of pace. Forward men such as former Saint Luke Thompson (although he won’t feature in this game), Junior Nsemba, Patrick Mago, Ethan Havard and Kaide Ellis are powerful middles giving plenty of grunt too.
2025 so far has been a mixed start to the season for the reigning Champions.
In Round One in what was an enthralling opener to the new Betfred Super League season, Leigh earned a famous 0-1 victory over Warriors, their first in Wigan since 1983, setting off their season with an uncharacteristic loss.
Reacting in a strong fashion, Wigan went away to Hull FC and put in a polished and strong performance to beat the Black & Whites, however they would have some revenge but more on that later.
One of the biggest talking points of the season saw the Warriors head to Las Vegas to take on Warrington Wolves on a global stage for our sport. Peet’s men put the Wire initially to the sword, running out to a 42-0 lead but Sam Burgess’ Warrington managed to claw a couple of late scores back to improve the scoreline which finished 48-24.
Returning to the UK, Wigan had back-t0-back home games, with the Giants losing out to a clinical performance. Then came the Fourth Round of the Challenge Cup, against Hull FC and the Airlie Birds created the shock of the competition by besting Wigan at their home ground 26-22, turning around a 16-point deficit to knock out the holders of the trophy. Following their Cup exit, the Warriors then went away to Leeds and lost a narrow game 12-10, but returned to form with a comfortable 54-0 win over financially struggling Salford Red Devils.
Last time out after a week off due to their earlier exit from the Cup, Wigan went away to Hull KR and earned a hard-fought victory over Hull KR ahead of our meeting with them this Easter.
Good Friday last year was one of the very best games of the year, it always is, with the Saints coming away victorious. Paul Wellens men will be fighting to do it again, only this time over Billinge Hill and at our neighbour’s house.
Three to watch
- Bevan French – a former Man of Steel who can change the momentum of a game with one line break, a scorer in last year’s Good Friday too off a short kick he chased himself
- Harry Smith – vital to the Warriors, Smith’s kicking can take his side out of danger and create dangerous plays at the other end of the field too
- Junior Nsemba – Super League’s Young Player of the Year, the back-rower is a sizeable unit who can cause destruction
💬 MURPH TALKS COMEBACK & LOOKING FORWARD
Coming up against his former club for the first time, and taking on some of his former teammates, Lewis talks about how when the whistle blew to start the game all previous relationships went out of his mind, as he focused on performing in the Red V.
Excited for the upcoming big game against Wigan on Good Friday, Lewis talks about how since he signed with the Saints this match has been talked about. These big games, now and at the end of the year, are the ones he wants to be playing in.
