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1999 SLGF
2001 WCC
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COACH : Ian Millward (2000-03-17 : 2005-06-17 ) |
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MATCH VIDEO |
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MATCH REPORT |
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MATCH REPORT : By Frank Malley, PA Sport Chris Joynt turned captain fantastic as St Helens retained their Tetley's Bitter Super League crown with a thrilling 29-16 Grand Final triumph over Wigan Warriors at Old Trafford. Two inspirational tries from Joynt, one in each half, broke the hearts of Wigan. And at the end when Joynt lifted the Grand Final trophy to the night sky in an emotional and spectacular finale, no skipper could have deserved his acclaim as man of the match more. Joynt, a veteran of eight years at Knowsley Road, was simply superb, marshalling his men in a topsy-turvy end-to-end match which saw Wigan's Jason Robinson end his rugby league career on a losing note. Robinson, 26, joins rugby union side Sale on Tuesday and if he plays another 10 years in rugby's other code it is unlikely he will match the ferocity and fervour of this encounter. What a pity none of the pampered millionaires who usually park their Ferraris in the Old Trafford car park were here to witness it. Because quite simply this was as Grand as sport gets. Abrasive and bruising, punishing and pulsating. But in the end, despite a Wigan brave fightback, five-try Saints were worthy winners. Indeed, they won because they possessed more game-breakers, more players blessed with individual brilliance - skipper Joynt, man of steel Sean Long, players' player of the year Tommy Martyn, the irrepressible Paul Sculthorpe. Saints had men of magic all over the field; Wigan too often had to rely too heavily on the mercurial Andy Farrell and Robinson. It was, of course, always going to be tough, pitching together the only two previous winners of the Grand Final, the winner and runner-up in this year's championship and, perhaps more significantly, the two fiercest rivals in the world of rugby league. It also saw Wigan coach Frank Endacott spring a selection surprise by switching Robinson to full-back for his last match, Kris Radlinski moving to centre after Gary Connolly was ruled out through injury. "We Will Rock You", boy band Five sang minutes before kick-off. And Sean Hoppe proceeded to rock Wigan as early as the seventh minute, squirming through an attempted Brett Dallas tackle for the first touchdown. If anything it had come against the early run of play, Wigan having set off as if determined to avenge their 54-16 defeat by Saints a fortnight ago. But Saints' lead lasted just seven minutes before Wigan skipper Andy Farrell took a short reverse pass from Tony Smith and surged towards the line. He burst through one d |
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