Wigan Warriors: Three talking points from the defeat to St Helens at the Totally Wicked Stadium

Jack Welsby and Tommy Makinson both went over for braces in the victory for Paul Wellens’ side.

Meanwhile, tries from Jai Field, Bevan French and Abbas Miski were nothing more than consolations for the Warriors.

Here are some of the talking points from the game:

More woe for Wigan

Wigan’s poor run of form continued at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

It’s been a really disappointing few weeks from Matty Peet’s side, with four defeats in their last five Super League games.

The squad are clearly lacking confidence at the moment, and a derby defeat to St Helens will only add to their woes.

Errors continue to be costly, as they just invite pressure onto a shaky looking defence.

Injuries have played their part, and Saints had a lot more firepower on the bench, but still it’s not an excuse for another underwhelming display.

There’s still plenty of rugby to play, and with the way the competition is shaping up, the play-offs are never going to be too far out of Wigan’s reach.

Nonetheless it’s still critical that they are able to stop the rot soon.

As mentioned in previous weeks, these are not the type of performances we’ve been used to since Peet took over.

Rare moments of magic not enough

For the majority of the first half, Wigan were just about able to keep themselves in the contest, despite being second-best.

A few moments of magic enabled them to get on the scoresheet.

Harry Smith’s chip through for Field’s try was superb, with the pair linking up really well in that moment.

While there was a bit of fortune involved in French’s try, the stand-off still needed to be alert and aware of the situation.

Everyone is well aware of the players who can create a spark for the Warriors, but the problem is providing them with that platform.

Wigan just couldn’t compete from the end of the first half onwards.

They were unable to mount enough pressure onto the Saints line, and as the half went on their frustrations grew.

They ran out of ideas against a firm defence, and tried too hard to find an opening.

The flair players will always find a moment to shine, but the Warriors are truly lacking firepower at the moment.

Injuries are the main cause, but a few players also need to step up.

Line-up changes

Peet made a number of alterations to his line-up for the game at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Iain Thornley and Brad O’Neill both came in for Toby King and Sam Powell.

Meanwhile, French moved into the halves and Field started at fullback.

Despite being short of bodies in the pack, the Warriors seem to be well stocked in other area, but the problem at the moment is finding a way to effectively use them.

French and Field both probably play their best rugby at fullback, while there are also other options to consider in the halves alongside Smith.

It’ll be interesting to see where they will all slot in going forward.