Wigan beats St Helens 38-16 in derby after coach Rowley’s sudden departure
7 verified3 unconfirmed2 contested
Wigan Warriors defeated St Helens 38-16 in a Betfred Super League derby on Friday, a day after St Helens head coach Paul Rowley left the club after less than a year in charge. St Helens, under interim coach Eamon O’Carroll, took an early lead through tries from Jack Welsby and Jacob Douglas, but Wigan responded with tries from Bevan French, Zach Eckersley (two), Oliver Partington (two), and Adam Keighran. Lewis Murphy scored a late try for the visitors. Wigan moved level on points with Super League leaders Leeds Rhinos but dropped to third due to Wakefield’s win. St Helens, now outside the play-off positions, have lost seven of their past 11 games in all competitions. Rowley’s departure after nine months and 23 games is the shortest coaching stint in St Helens history and the shortest in English rugby league in over 50 years. Player of the match Bevan French, returning from injury, created two tries for Eckersley and scored one himself.
What’s verified
Final score: Wigan Warriors 38-16 St Helens.
Wigan tries: Bevan French, Zach Eckersley (2), Oliver Partington (2), Adam Keighran. St Helens tries: Jack Welsby, Jacob Douglas, Lewis Murphy.
Paul Rowley left St Helens as head coach on Thursday, July 23, 2026, with immediate effect after less than a year in charge.
Eamon O’Carroll took over as interim head coach for St Helens.
St Helens are now outside the Super League play-off positions after the loss.
St Helens have lost seven of their past 11 games in all competitions.
Wigan moved to 30 points, level with Leeds Rhinos, but sit third on points difference.
Where accounts differ
Regarding a disallowed St Helens try by Harry Robertson in the first half: One account states that television replays did not conclusively show the ball had not been grounded. Another account states that replays proved remarkable defence from Jake Wardle had halted the grounding.
No further conflicting reports identified across sources.
Not yet confirmed
The exact number of points Wigan achieved from the win (some sources say they moved level on points with Leeds, one states they moved to 30 points).
Whether Jackson Hastings was sin-binned for a pull back on French (mentioned in one source only).
Specific attendance figures for the match (one source reports only 1,700 fans in a stand that holds 5,500, while another notes a general drop in attendance from previous seasons).
Key figures
Bevan French (Wigan Warriors player of the match)
Zach Eckersley (Wigan Warriors try-scorer)
Oliver Partington (Wigan Warriors try-scorer)
Adam Keighran (Wigan Warriors try-scorer and goal-kicker)
Jack Welsby (St Helens try-scorer and player)
Jacob Douglas (St Helens try-scorer)
Lewis Murphy (St Helens try-scorer)
Paul Rowley (former St Helens head coach)
Eamon O’Carroll (interim St Helens head coach)
Matt Peet (Wigan Warriors head coach)
Jack Smith (video referee)
Jon Wilkin (Sky Sports pundit, former St Helens player)
Sam Tomkins (Sky Sports pundit)
Sources: BBC News, Sky Sports
