First time we have had Silverwood for a Pie game for ages and what a difference. Game flowed, little messing around at the play the ball, if there was Penalty given. Consequently the Pie played their part in a great game. Their right edge was the difference, we were a bit unlucky in a couple of areas with charge downs and 50/50 calls going against us in the last 20 but overall they probably just deserved it. I hope Bentham and Thaler were watching and realising if you keep teams apart and penalise them if they slow the ruck down the game is a joy to watch.

The size of our players isn't an issue...The tackle selection, execution and communication is.

We do lack speed though.

That was something I noticed as well. It was a refreshing change from the usual tactics of slowing the game to a snails pace.. and proved also that Wigan are capable of playing rugby. If they keep that up, they may get some of their respect with opposition fans back.

I can only assume that Silverwood clearly set his stall out before the game started, as there was no flurry of penalties needed to get his point over.

Puzzlingly, even with the strict 10m and quicker play the balls Mr. Clark failed to shine once again.

What a pile of crap! We easily matched your so-called 'superior' pack on Good Friday, even without our two best packmen, smashed Catalans big forwards last week and comprehensively outplayed the Warrington Forwards yesterday. If that is 'constantly performing poorly all season' then long may it continue.

Sure we started the season slow without the likes of Mossop, Flower and O'loughlin and Tomkins playing at centre but as we've increasingly started to get close to our first choice pack, so our performances have picked up accordingly. How come, if we're 'undersized and underpowered', your much vaunted pack singularly failed to get on top of ours on Good Friday? Wasn't the fact that we were still without our 2 best and the fact that it was played on a glue pot of a pitch meant to suit your guys? The fact is, when our first choice front row was on we bullied your pack and the only time you managed any dominance whatsoever was when an injured Tautai and Larne Patrick came on the field. Walmsley and Roby aside you looked bang average.

Don't listen to this muppet. You've probably already noticed he's of the 'everything Saints good, everything Wigan bad' school of posting. Not one good word for Wigan off last night's game. Nothing. What a joke of a poster he is!

You looked much improved from what I saw last night. Hill will come good. He's too good a player not to and, if it's any consolation, our players from the 4 nations have taken time to get back up to speed. Farrell was a shadow of his former self up until recent matches and Sarginson is still way out of form as you saw for yourselves last night. That's before we even get on to O'Loughlin! I'm guessing Hill will be suffering the same hangover. He was excellent last season and in the 4 nations, as was Sarginson, and both have proven themselves on the biggest of stages. Class is permanent, as the saying goes..

Sims, too, looks good. I know he's probably not what you were all hoping in some respects but, if other players could regain some form, then he could be a very useful addition to your pack. I agree you're probably missing another big front rower. The loss of Morley and Carvell without proper replacement might be a bridge too far (no pun intended! lol) and that might ultimately where your season falls short. Only time will tell.

Anyway, great game last night. Both sides contributed to an entertaining encounter. Good luck for the rest of the season.

Your pack was on top for the first 10-15 mins. Once Clubb and Flower came on they changed that.

What we (in the East Stand) couldn't understand was Smith's selection of a left side of Ormsby, King, Patton and Currie. All young guys, very talented but also very inexperienced at defending collectively. Wigan's right side ran riot and could have scored three more tries than they did.
Smith knows Wigan's right side, the men, their size, pace, power and skill. We were expecting Smith to swop things around with Westwood and Myler going to help Ormsby and King with Patton and Currie going right alongside Monaghan and Bridge. Smith has to be asked about that.
Unless of course that was down to Agar, which would expain everything!

Wigan's pack got on top and the halves and backs ran things. The game wasn't really won until around 10 from full time. It was a great game to watch with terrific tries from both sides.

The game benefitted from an improved pitch too. Against Brisbane it was a glue pot. The Saints game it had improved a little but not that you could play open and attractive rugby. The pitch last night was a lot firmer and that showed with the pace of the game, great handling and fast tries from both teams.

Wire don't half miss Michael Monaghan, a real hooker whose excellent distribution and decision making was a big part of your attack. Forget the Roby's, Higham's, McIlorums, Clarke's etc. Monaghan was in a different class.

Give over. You scraped home with a lucky bounce and a kick-through, at home, against a side with no halves. Your pack tackled well enough (although I'd expect nothing less given that it was practically a must-win game) but your props were garbage. What were (Honest) Tony Clubb's stats again? I think they were better than the previous week's THREE CARRIES for TWENTY ODD YARDS - but he'd struggle to achieve less if he'd fallen over holding the ball above his head!

Your much vaunted backs were completely snuffed out and had we the kind of fortune you'd been granted with the first kick we could easily have experienced the comic delight of winning without so much as a playmaker in sight.

If anything you were even WORSE than in the Grand Final. At least there you made the odd break through the backs. At the JJB you offered nothing.

It's unfortunate that we lost. But I expected it given our current predicament. Come the end of the season it'll be business as usual.

i could understand the initial selection after the wakefield game... But to not change it when we were getting absolutely destroyed is utterly baffling... i was convinced we would have changed it for the second half.. but no, the coaching staff did the equivalent of a child putting their fingers in their ears and going "la la la la la".

Then today Smith comes out and says 'Patton got taught a lesson last night by Gelling and Tomkins'

Nice one Tony... he sure did.

7 wins takes us to 24 points, 23 points was circled around as the minimum needed to make the 8.

However that looks a little high now as everyone is beating everyone and its a level playing field from 3rd to 11th really.

So would you say it's touch and go we make the 8

Personally I do and Top 4 total non starter

It depends.. I'd say after Leeds next week, a decent run isn't out of the question.

We'd have got most of the tough away games out of the way after next week too and as long as we can beat the teams we ought to be beating (no offence to them) we should make top 6.

After the split, assuming we make the 8, a push for that 4th spot isn't out of the question and then from there it's 80 mins away from OT.

It's a long old slog and highly improbable, but it could happen.

Personally, I'd settle for and want a decent cup run.

Mugwump also bangs on about saints' defensive effort against wigan conveniently forgetting the conditions it was played in. I remember getting giddy about wire only losing against auckland by 8 in the ill fated world series...until teletext revealed it was played mid monsoon. Dry conditions saw saints dry bummed by leeds

i wouldn't pay any attention to him... none of us do.

dont feed the admin troll

Yes - very very tight. A couple of wins sees us right up there. A couple of losses sees us struggling to make the 8.
It really is that close.

Let's see how we do against Leeds.

In all honesty I think we'll struggle to make the four but be in the 8.

We miss M.Monas more than any other player of recent years including Briers.

He should have been TS's number 2 in my view but maybe that's the plan in a couple of years. I really rate him for his rugby intelligence. He's not got the X factor of Briers but then again I think Lee is a bit of a one off and could do things that others could only dream of, however a good coach is not necessarily a player with the X factor. He's one who knows th style of play he wants and can communicate that to the players.
Even though I dislike Wane intensely, he's clear about how he wants his team to play.