I think you are right.
Not sure when Wigan v Saints became the Derby but was around the time when Jim Sullivan left as Wigan coach to go to Saints. Prior to that Saints were second tier.
Personally in the last few years Wigan v Wire for atmosphere has been the game of the season.
The other year when you brought around 5 or 6 thousand to the jjb the atmosphere was brilliant.

I think you are right.
Not sure when Wigan v Saints became the Derby but was around the time when Jim Sullivan left as Wigan coach to go to Saints. Prior to that Saints were second tier.
Personally in the last few years Wigan v Wire for atmosphere has been the game of the season.
The other year when you brought around 5 or 6 thousand to the jjb the atmosphere was brilliant.

For many years Saints were second to Saints Recs in the town. When Recs folded a lot of their fans to supporting Wigan rather than Saints. Leigh were also big Wigan rivals back in the day, Wire were always a way behind in the rivalry status for Wigan.

Yes, it depends how far back you go and seems to change as the fortunes of clubs change. Back in the fifties (yes I'm afraid I do remember back that far) I always felt it was Wire vs. Wigan but Saints were also good at that time. There was the Bevan, Boston, Vollenhoven debate. Widnes were nothing, but decades later they were more sucessful than we were. Long term memory seems to be OK. At my age the short term memory is supposed to be going; pity it isn't working for the game last night.

I'm talking about way back. Saints won pretty much nowt for the first 80 years of their existence. Then from the 1950s onwards they started winning major trophies, became a big club and never looked back. But before then they weren't an important club in RL.