Super League Grand Final 2014: St Helens vs. Wigan Warriors Score and Recap
Oct 11, 2014
St Helens took revenge on bitter rivals for the Super League Grand Final loss in 2010, winning the 2014 edition 14-6 in a thrilling finale. Spectacle and controversy was almost guaranteed as soon as it became clear Saints and Warriors would meet at Old Trafford, and that's exactly what the fans received.
The Grand Final saw a dramatic start, as Wigan prop Ben Flower saw a red card after just two minutes, via BBC Sport:
Flower came close to opening the score before coughing up the ball, and in frustration, started throwing punches at Lance Hohaia. A massive brawl predictably broke out, and referee Phil Bentham didn't hesitate sending off the instigator.
Hohaia was helped off the pitch, clearly struggling from the vicious attack, but St. Helens surged forward, with momentum clearly on their side. Wigan struck first, however, Matty Smith kicking a penalty to put his team up 2-0.
Saints' man-advantage hardly showed, as Wigan's tight defence hardly gave them any space to work with early. Instead, it was Warriors threatening with a handful of solid kicks provided some danger, but St. Helens dealt with them well.
A Mark Percival penalty tied things up after 29 minutes, but it was clear that with the loss of Hohaia, Saints were struggling for creativity. Wigan continued to defy the odds, as Warriors looked the better team right until half-time.
They were rewarded for their efforts in the very last minute, Joe Burgess barging over the line for the first try of the match. Smith missed the conversion from a difficult angle, and the score remained 6-2 at the break.
Former football star Robbie Savage was more than impressed with Warriors' resiliency:
The same pattern continued early in the second half. Wigan played with far more energy despite being down to 12 men, while St Helens had no answers up the middle and couldn't get the ball to their wide-open wingers.
Saints kept pounding the ball down the middle, and 10 minutes into the second half, they were finally rewarded. Sia Soliola smashed into the defence and kept his legs moving, and after a short video review, it became clear the managed to touch the ball down just inside the line. Percival's conversion gave St Helens their first lead, 8-6.
To their credit, Warriors refused to give in to the relentless pressure. Smith had a chance to tie things up with 20 minutes left to play after another strong attack down the right wing, but his penalty missed the mark.
The miss would prove to be costly, as Tom Makinson pounced on a high kick to score Saints' second try of the match, and after a successful conversion, the match appeared to be over. The team's official Twitter feed was obviously ecstatic:
Another brawl broke out with less than five minutes left to play, and the frustration was clear among the Wigan players. Warriors no longer had the energy to trouble their rivals, and Saints comfortably held on for their sixth Super League title.
Hooker James Roby received the Man of the Match award for his performance.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Mark Flanagan said the win was "a dream come true:"
It was a fast start and we had to compose ourselves, make sure we did not retaliate and keep our heads.
It is a dream come true, playing on an occasion like this and to get the win in a magnificent match like this against Wigan is amazing.
The Daily Mirror's Jim Boardman didn't mind Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook's bad language on live TV:
Departing head coach Nathan Brown will return to Australia with a Super League title under his belt, but a lot of credit has to go to the Wigan players, who battled bravely down a player for 78 minutes. Many will wonder whether the favourites could have won it had it not been for Flower's moment of madness, but Saints will hardly care, as they'll go into the night celebrating the 2014 title.
