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The highly anticipated Rivals Round is upon us as local sides face off against each other in Super League across the Easter Weekend.
At the D.W. Stadium, Wigan Warriors will take on World Champions St Helens in a widely respected affair which has already seen 23,000 tickets sold in Wigan’s highest attendance of the year so far.
Whilst Saints are born Champions in recent years, they haven’t had it all their own way in these fixtures, especially last year as in what proved to be a successful first year under Matt Peet, Wigan ran out winners twice against the Saints in three attempts.
One man who knows all about this tie is Liam Marshall who historically has loved a try against the arch-rivals and despite earlier reports, he and Liam Farrell are both named in the 21-man squad for Friday’s afternoon kick off.
The Warriors are however without Willie Isa due to suspension whilst also missing Cade Cust and Jai Field which is the big blow to the cherry and whites who will be without last season’s Man of Steel runner up for 8-10 weeks.
As for St Helens who like Wigan, are on a three-match winning run, make two changes to the side who beat Wakefield 38-0 as Sione Mata’utia and Jake Wingfield are included in the initial 21-man squad.
They will however be without Alex Walmsley who picked up a hamstring injury and will be out for around four weeks according to head coach Paul Wellens.
Prior to Saints’ big win over Wakefield, they’d got past Hull FC and narrowly beat Huddersfield Giants off the back of a shock loss against Leigh Leopards.
But with the Champions getting back to their best, they’ll take some stopping in front of a sold out away following.
Matt Peet’s men are on a decent run too after wins against Leigh, Salford and Huddersfield which have all seen a lot of character shown as injuries have hit hard in certain areas over the early parts of the season.
But the case is the same with both clubs. Both sides haven’t started the season in startling form, and a result from a game like this which is full of fire, passion and anticipation is one which can really galvanize their respective season as the pair look to chase down Warrington Wolves who currently lead the pack.
21-man squads:
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Matt Peet has confirmed his squad for Good Friday's Derby clash against @Saints1890 at the DW Stadium!
? Read more ? https://t.co/qoD8AWQvb0#WWRL #TheresNothingLikeTheDerby pic.twitter.com/LmbrXMx5fE
— Wigan Warriors ?⚪️ (@WiganWarriorsRL) April 5, 2023
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Paul Wellens has named his squad for The Derby against @WiganWarriorsRL on Good Friday! #RivalsRound
Read all about it ?#COYS | #HistoryInTheMaking
— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) April 5, 2023
The Good Friday fixture is available to watch on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event with a traditional 3pm kick off.
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