A brief history of The Derby

[josie andrews]

AS WE GEAR UP TO THE BIGGEST DERBY IN RUGBY LEAGUE THIS GOOD FRIDAY, CLUB HISTORIAN KEITH SUTCH GIVES US ALL THE FACTS AND STATS FROM THE ARCHIVES OF ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED FIXTURES IN RUGBY LEAGUE.

As always, we start at the very beginning. The first every Derby match played between Wigan and St Helens dates back 128 years to November 1895, where the two sides played out a 0-0 stalemate in front of a crowd of 3,000 spectators at St Helens’ Knowsley Road. In more recent years, since the formation of Super League in 1996, the two clubs have met on 364 occasions (in all competitions), Wigan have won 206, St.Helens 140, with 18 Draws between the pair.

Since 1897, 83 players have made their debut for the Cherry and Whites against St Helens – the last player to debut against our rivals was Kai Pearce-Paul back in 2020!

Sean O’Loughlin currently stands and remains as the player with the most appearances for Wigan in a Derby (51), while Andy Farrell boasts the record for the most points in a game v St Helens (45 points, 26th May 1997 – Wigan 65-12 St Helens), as well as most goals scored in the same fixture (10 goals and one drop goal). Farrell sits top of the charts for overall points scored against Saints (340), as well as goals (148 goals plus four drop goals).

The standing record for most tries in a Derby match is held by Green Vigo who registered seven tries in a Lancashire Cup game in August 1976, and to this day is yet to be beaten – though the overall try scorer for the Club from Derby matches sits with Jim Leytham (28) who represented the Club in the early 1900s and has a huge six hat-tricks against the same opposition.

The 2025 Good Friday Derby at The Brick Community Stadium is now SOLD OUT as we look forward to welcoming a bumper crowd. Make the most of the atmosphere before kick-off over at our Robin Park Arena Fan Village with bars open, live entertainment as well as our Academy Derby which kicks-off at 12pm.

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2025/04/ ... e-derby-4/

[DaiJones]

I think that should read "25 points" by Andy Farrell in 1997!!

[morley pie eater]

Not sure that we've played 364 games since 1996!!! It works out at around 12 games a year.

As they say in Private Eye: " Shurely shome mistake!"

[josie andrews]

Not sure that we've played 364 games since 1996!!! It works out at around 12 games a year.

As they say in Private Eye: " Shurely shome mistake!"

Get in touch with the club’s historian if these facts are wrong & put him right

[ancientnloyal]

Always annoying when clubs don’t recognise pre-1895

We played saints 21 times before 1895, winning 13, losing 3, drawing 5

First game was Nov 23, 1881 a drab draw.

Although the rugby club that existed before Wigan warriors (1879) did play teams from St Helens from 1874.

[josie andrews]

Always annoying when clubs don’t recognise pre-1895

We played saints 21 times before 1895, winning 13, losing 3, drawing 5

First game was Nov 23, 1881 a drab draw.

Although the rugby club that existed before Wigan warriors (1879) did play teams from St Helens from 1874.

You should be doing his job Marc

[archiekeith]

Originated from Lord Derby : a precursor to the Horse Race and adopted by other sports eg Soccer games such as Man U v Man city et. all.....

[ancientnloyal]

St Helens’ best winning streak on Good Friday came between 1963-68 with 6 victories in a row

Wigans best Good Friday streak stands at 13 victories against St Helens between 1910-1926

Weirdly, Wigan failed to beat St Helens on Good Friday between 1988-94, winning finally in 1995

Jim Sullivan played in Good Friday matches against St. Helens between 1922-40

Other teams Wigan have faced on Good Friday:

1903 - Broughton Rangers (L)
1904 - Leigh (W)
1905 - Leigh (W)
1913 - Widnes (L)
1918 - St Helens Recs (W)
1919 - St Helens Recs (W)
1923 - St Helens Recs (L)
1981 - Swinton (L)

Friday will be the rd Good Friday Derby between Wigan and St Helens since 1895.

Wigan - 61 wins
St Helens - 37 wins
Drawn - 4 (1974, 1993, 2001, 2004)

Tom Brayshay became the first man to score a hat trick for Wigan against St Helens on 22 March, 1890.

Jim Slevin became the second to complete a hat trick moments later in the same match!

Slevin has scored a total of 12 tries against St Helens

[morley pie eater]

Not sure that we've played 364 games since 1996!!! It works out at around 12 games a year.

As they say in Private Eye: " Shurely shome mistake!"

Get in touch with the club’s historian if these facts are wrong & put him right

I don't think the facts are wrong, Josie, it may be that there's been some cutting and pasting that went wrong.
The 364 games is over a hundred plus years, so averages at between 2.5 and 3 games a year. But the write-up reads as though we played Saints 374 times since 1996!!!!

[morley pie eater]

Originated from Lord Derby : a precursor to the Horse Race and adopted by other sports eg Soccer games such as Man U v Man city et. all.....

Yes, this was confirmed by the current Earl as reported in the Guardian a few years ago. Yet many claims are still made about the original Derby, and there is only one.

Iirc, the Earl, whose "Earldom" is based at Knowsley and covers both Wigan and St Helens, said that he'd been going through some papers of his ancestors who started The Derby horse race. He said "The family only gave their name to 2 sporting fixtures: The Derby, and the Wigan v St Helens fixture".

I found the article - see link below:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/ ... and-final-