Bill Leyland writes his name into St Helens folklore: How a one-week loan and two tries gave Hull KR hooker hero status on Good Friday

If you hear the words 'Good Friday derby' whispered on either side of Billinge Hill, expect an immediate conversation about the glory days, an almighty comeback, or how form goes out of the window.

The images of Andy Farrell and Paul Sculthorpe's scuffle will be repurposed over and over, your dad or grandad can tell you where he was watching Sam Tomkins, Keiron Cunningham, Paul Newlove, or many other derby day heroes from years gone by.

From April 3 2026 onwards, St Helens fans will pass down the story of how a one-week loan turned into Good Friday legend.

Back in the early 2000s, Saints earned the nickname of 'The Entertainers' as a team who could be 20 points down but never out of a game.

There are countless videos of Sean Long's drop goals that secured them victory from the jaws of defeat, that allowed them to have the tag line 'Never Write Off the Saints'.

Of course, not every moment that lives up to that tag line has occurred in a Good Friday derby. Everyone remembers 'Wide to West'. Everyone remembers 'Left to Wright'.

But if they can pull off one of those moments on the one day circled in the calendar as bigger than the rest, it automatically goes to the top of the pile.

When news broke in the week that Bill Leyland and Jordan Dezaria had signed for St Helens on one-week loans thanks to their injury crisis, it was met with scepticism and optimism, some shocked that Saints had gone down the loan route, others understanding of the situation they were in.

With a 24-minute cameo in the most brutal of grudge matches, Leyland went from KR hopeful to Saints hero.

Wigan thought they had the game wrapped up with just eight minutes remaining as they had pulled 24-10 ahead. A 14-point lead was surely enough?

Spoiler alert: It wasn't.

After Tristan Sailor and Jackson Hastings went over for converted efforts that brought the score to 24-22, Leyland's moment arrived.

For the first time in the match, St Helens went ahead as he barged over on the 77th minute. Then, the screams of joy were heard all over St Helens as he picked up the short kick-off and raced away for his second.

If you grow up in St Helens or Wigan and have the privilege of going on to represent your hometown, there would be no moment sweeter than being the hero in a Good Friday derby against the old enemy.

You would be lauded by your town, your status would have peaked, you would never have to pay for a pint again.

Leyland will get a taste of what it is to be a Saints local now even if he has only had one training session and 24 minutes to remember with the side.