As you all know Saints are due to play the vermin at our new stadium in an historic good Friday fixture.

However Wigan Athletic have a home match themselves on the Easter Monday versus Man Utd.

As a result the tenants at the DW cant play there on monday, and its rumoured have asked the RFL to change the Saints v Wigan fixture to Easter Monday so that Wigan can play a home match on Good Friday.

This to me is a disgrace. If Wigan cannot fulfill their home fixtures then they should be forced to play away on the bank holiday or alternatively play a home match on the Tuesday night, subject to being allowed to by their landlords.

Moving the fixture from Good Friday to Easter Monday risks Saints losing a significant amount of revenue, as the monday fixtures are rarely as well attended as those held on the Friday.

It was our turn to host it anyway so it's irrelevant.

This sounds like a bit of poo stirring by Rogues.

wigans problem not ours, let them play their game on tuesday and lose the revenue

Pathetic rumours. Shut up.

Did you ask Wigan Athletic and the FA if you could post that on here?

Wigan, Easter Monday? They can p1ss off.

With Widnes back in the big time i want our traditional derby with them on that day reserrected.

Agree Wire v Widnes good friday.

Easter monday Widnes v Saints.


similarly Saints v Wigan good friday

Wigan v Warrington .. when the footy lets them play.

So if it was moved, do you really think the first Wigan v Saints game in the Langtree/Standish stadium would not sell out?

That's not the point. This would be the first Good Friday derby due to be played in our new stadium. If these rumours are true then I hope our chairman stands firm this time. This should be ours to capitalise on, not Wigan's. I'm getting sick and tired of reading about teams who move around to facilitate Wigan. Bog off Wigan.

It's been done before (2002) and for the same reason. We'll all know next week. There is nothing in the RL law book that says the game has to be played Good Friday.

Wasn't it played on a Maunday Thursday once?

To be fair....

Last year when we originally thought we'd only need widnes for the first six games we asked the RFL to move ALL our early games to away games. It's a bit two faced to now point to other teams in difficuly just because we are now all pious in our posh new stadium.

You've got to realise though that the competition doesn't revolve around Wigan and their landlords. If Wigan can't comply with the Easter fixtures how they are meant to be, they should be forced to play away twice over Easter, rather than benefit from the extra income having the derby at home that weekend would create.

Wigan can comply though Saddo. Over Easter, each team plays once at home and once away, which Wigan can accomodate.

Convention dictates that Saints play Wigan on Good Friday, but nothing more.

Thats for the derby no one really gives two flying ones about down in the Airport.

Wigan and Saints played on Maunday Thursday in 2009.

Wigan v Wire Good Friday
Widnes v Saints Good Friday

Saints v Wigan Easter Monday
Wire v Widnes Easter Monday

Sorted.

Shunting fixtures around to accommadate football is an embarrassment for the self-styled 'world's biggest RL club'.

Not that we have to worry about moving games when we play in a stadium which is 100% OURS and EXCLUSIVE for Rugby League.

Suits me - play Wigan 3 days after they've played Wire.

Funny that the pies have to swap fixtures for football again, especially the one fixture they shouldn't ever dream of swapping. And yet they claim not to play second fiddle to their landlords the Latics . . . . . .

Isn't is sad how the Wigan fans just bend over and take it though, pretending not to care about the Good Friday fixture history of their club and suggesting that playing on Easter Monday or Maunday Thursday is no different. For shame.

I don't suppose we could just ask for a home game on the Tuesday, then play an away game the following sunday then?



FWIW, I'd much rather play you guys away on Good Friday, the atmosphere is unparalleled.

What a sad man the author is. 9 years after spouting his evil bile about Pongia and Gregory he's still at it. What a wasted life.

I quite like this point? Why not play the derby on Easter Monday against a tired W***n side.

Because Saints will want the biggest income. The biggest income comes from Good Friday. THe tradition is to alternate. It's our turn this time and we should get the income not bloody Wigan.

I hope Saints don't go all soft but hold out for a big pay day since Wigan had theirs last season. They can sod off.

Saints can't tell the fixture planners to sod off. The game will sell out be it on Good Friday or Easter Monday.

No, but they can tell Wigan to and if the original fixture list had the GF derby at Saints then Saints can insist upon the fixture going ahead as planned. As confirmed by Saints recently, clubs are sent provisional fixture lists for discussion but ultimately the decision lies with the RFL. If the provisional list puts Wigan at Saints then Saints should formally object to any change proposed by Wigan. Wigan can have their home fixture on the Tuesday evening instead. It isn't our fault that you opted to sell your soul in the 90s and our income shouldn't suffer as a result.

Easter Monday derbies don't sell out btw and Saints might want to resurrect the Widnes Easter Monday derby.

But if Wigan told the RFL that the DW stadium was unavailable(and theywill have as the football fixtures were already in place) on Bank Holiday Monday (just as it was in 2002) then Saints will be told when to play the fixture.

Of course Wigan may play on the Tuesday. Either way there's no drama.

Let's see what next weeks lists bring before you start whingeing.