Spirited Warriors fall short against rivals St Helens in Women's Super League semi-finals
Wigan’s wait for their second Women’s Super League Grand Final appearance goes on as a spirited Warriors outfit fell short 18-4 to an experienced St Helens in the semi-finals at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Only two points separated the sides at the break, with former England captain Emily Rudge opening the scoring for the hosts on 14 minutes - before Wigan instantly hit back with a try-of-the-year contender as 17-year-old Jenna Foubister supported a break from right-edge partners Anna Davies and Georgia Wilson, with the half-back still having work to do herself to cross the whitewash.
But Matty Smith’s team, now aiming for a historic treble after lifting this year’s Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield, dominated the second 40 with a brace from winger Emily Burke, and a four-pointer from centre Rachael Woosey.
Saints will face defending champions York Valkyrie in the Women’s Super League Grand Final on Sunday, October 6.
Wigan haven’t reached the final stage since winning the title in 2018, under former head coach Amanda Wilkinson – now in charge of Barrow Raider Ladies.
“I’m proud, we’ve got a lot of young girls in our squad and this is probably their first experience of something so big,” said England international Wilson, who returned to Wigan earlier in May after playing in Australia.
“Saints stepped up in the second half and unfortunately we didn’t. Our completion was great in the first half, but we made a few errors in the second and let them in.
“We’ve got a lot of good girls now and competition in our squad. Having that only makes us better and moving on, we want to keep building.”