Saints ready to put bite on Wigan

Wigan play St Helens for the fifth time this season tonight with a place in next Saturday's Super League grand final at stake, but Jamie Ainscough, their Australian wing, is still suffering the effects of the last- but-one derby in July.

Then a high tackle on Martin Gleeson left one of the Saints centre's teeth embedded in Ainscough's arm. Remarkably he continued playing, and even scored a try in Wigan's win in the next derby in September. But the following Saturday at Bradford his arm took another heavy knock, raising the prospect of amputation.

That nightmare possibility was finally discounted this week, although Ainscough must still wait another month before discovering whether the infection left by Gleeson's tooth will force him to have a bone graft. Either way he should be fit to start next season with Wigan, although he now faces more competition for his place.

Even with two other first-choice outside backs, Brett Dallas and Paul Johnson, ruled out by injury for the last three months of the season, Wigan have discovered a couple of high-quality replacements from their youth set-up.

Martin Aspinwall and Shaun Briscoe were unknowns before Ainscough's fateful tackle but over the past 10 weeks they have hardly missed a match. Briscoe, 19, initially filled in at full-back for Kris Radlinski, and has since turned out on the wing. The 20-year-old Aspinwall, meanwhile, has established an effective right-wing combination with Gary Connolly. He switches to his preferred position of centre tonight, David Hodgson having sustained a dislocated shoulder in last Friday's play-off thrashing of Leeds. However, Julian O'Neill and Terry Newton, who missed the Leeds game with a knee injury and a dislocated elbow, will play.

Logically a Saints team at full strength, other than missing their enigmatic stand-off Tommy Martyn, should prove much too strong. But Wigan are confident having won the past three derbies.