Friday 15 September 2000
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| 19:00-21:30 |
| Super League: St Helens Vs Wigan - Live |
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Eddie Hemmings and Mike Stephenson host live action from a major clash in the Tetley's Bitter Super League as St Helens face Wigan at Knowsley Road.
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| 00:00-02:00 |
| Super League: St Helens Vs Wigan |
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Highlights of the latest Tetley's Bitter Super League match as St Helens and Wigan Warriors battle for supremacy at the top of the table with the season nearing its conclusion. With Eddie Hemmings and Mike Stephenson.
Saturday 16 September 2000
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| 10:00-12:00 |
| Super League: St Helens Vs Wigan |
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Highlights of the latest Tetley's Bitter Super League match as St Helens and Wigan Warriors battle for supremacy at the top of the table with the season nearing its conclusion. With Eddie Hemmings and Mike Stephenson.
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St
Helens v Wigan: Friday
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Jason Robinson
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Champions
St Helens have a good record against Wigan this season, but the form book
will count for nothing during Friday night's crunch clash at Knowsley Road.
Whoever wins will finish top of the Super League table and face the easiest
route to the Grand final. The stakes could not be higher.
Saints will be
the ultimate test of the Warriors' mettle after a season in which Frank Endacott,
the New Zealand coach, has given them back pride and self-belief after a barren
season last year. But St Helens have already completed a league double over
Wigan, winning by two points at the JJB Stadium and by 24 at Knowsley Road,
so Endacott and his players cannot take anything for granted. If anyone can
stop them from taking the title it's the holders.
Wigan, though,
are the form team going into the final round of Super League 5, and if their
wingers Jason Robinson and David Hodgson play as well as they did last weekend,
then St Helens will be stretched. The pair grabbed hat-tricks as the Warriors
roared back to the top of Super League with a 54-4 demolition of injury-hit
Hull. Endacott's team were in sparkling form as they made it nine wins in a
row and warmed up in style for this top-spot decider. Captain Andy Farrell was
the architect of an impressive performance from the Warriors, creating all but
two of his side's 10 tries and kicking seven goals.
You feel that,
on the strength of their form during the past month, Wigan are too good to miss
out on next month's Grand Final at Old Trafford. Win or lose at Knowsley Road,
they should be expected to line-up in Manchester against either St Helens or
Bradford Bulls - no disrespect intended to the other two play-off contenders,
Leeds and Castleford.
Saints, who dominated
Super League 4 with their formidable brand of powerfully quick attacking and
uncompromising defending, are, however, strong favourites to join Wigan in the
final, and the majority of Rugby League fans, neutral or otherwise, suspect
that this is merely a dress rehearsal for next month's showdown at Old Trafford.
They could be right.
Sportlist
prediction: St Helens 28-22 Wigan
Previous
meetings:
JULY 9 2000:
Wigan 28 St Helens 30
Tetley's Bitter Super League V at the JJB Stadium;
APRIL 21
2000:St Helens 38 Wigan 14
Tetley's Bitter Super League V at Knowsley Road.
Try
scorers:
Sean Long and Tommy Martyn (St Helens) 20;
Kris Radlinski (Wigan) 17
Goal
scorers:
Sean Long (St Helens) 136;
Andrew Farrell (Wigan) 144
Points
scorers:
Sean Long (St Helens) 352;
Andrew Farrell (Wigan) 319
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