Warrington Wolves v Saints - Challenge Cup Quarter Final Preview

The stakes raise considerably this weekend as Saints travel to Warrington Wolves in the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup on Sunday afternoon (April 6, kick-off 2.30pm).

There are only two recognised major trophies for Super League clubs to play for in a season.  I will spare you the rant about how the League Leaders Shield should be a third.  Given that, the knockout nature of rugby league’s grand old competition takes the tension up a notch or 10 from the weekly Super League rounds. 

We are currently foaming at the mouth after a first win over Catalans Dragons in France since April 2022.  A win which is likely to have zero influence over our prospects of winning the Grand Final.  What will the mood be like if we are bounced out of the cup by a long-standing and local rival?   

That’s mostly Head Coach Paul Wellens’ problem. In his bid to avoid having to worry about it he has made just one change from the squad which was selected ahead of the trip to Perpignan.  Curtis Sironen missed that journey as he was expecting the birth of a child, but is included in the 21-man party for this one.  He replaces Harry Robertson - who despite the false hope offered by Sky commentator Stuart Pyke – misses out due to concussion protocols. 

Robertson – who has been shining brightly at centre for Saints this year – was forced out of the win over the Dragons in the opening minutes and subsequently failed a head injury assessment.

With only one change to the 21 we should probably not expect too many changes to the starting line-up or even the match day 17.  Wellens will no doubt stick by the vast majority of those who earned the win over in France, irrespective of the fact that his team’s performance was riddled with flaws.

Expect Sironen to come in to the second row.  With Robertson out there is a vacancy there anyway as Matt Whitley will likely be required to fill in at centre as he had done in Perpignan.  Joe Batchelor will no doubt operate on the opposite edge with Morgan Knowles at loose forward.  Both of those two will be playing their trade elsewhere next season and so are embarking on a final opportunity to win the Challenge Cup with Saints. 

Knowles may be facing a last opportunity to win it again with anyone after he agreed to join the Dolphins in the NRL from the start of 2026.  The NRL haven’t yet taken over the running of the allegedly ailing Super League, so the chances of an Australian club winning the famous old trophy at Wembley are still something akin to that second Grand Slam title for Emma Raducanu. After this year Knowles' best chance of winning the Challenge Cup again will be if he joins the current trend of players heading to Australia and then heading back home rather abruptly in the manner of the famous Abe Simpson gif.

The front row of the pack came in for some fierce criticism on these pages following the Catalans win.  Alas we have absolutely no influence over Wellens’ thinking so alongside the still immense Alex Walmsley will be Matty Lees, with George Delaney and Jake Wingfield set for places on the bench.  Delaney as not been a consistent performer but has shown glimpses of his potential during his 56 first team appearances.  Wingfield has played only one fewer and would probably have more were it not for injuries.  Yet he hasn’t shown me that he has anything like the same potential.  Frankly, I’m not sure he’s up to it.  Meanwhile Noah Stephens awaits a first opportunity since the 20-10 home defeat by Hull KR on March 7.

The pack should be completed by hooker Daryl Clark.  The former Wire man was demoted to the bench after injuring his hip in the 14-12 defeat to the Wolves a fortnight ago.  Yet the pedestrian, ponderous performance of Moses Mbye from the start against Steve McNamara’s side should see the two swap places again. 

If Robertson is replaced by Whitley the rest of the back division is likely to remain unchanged.  George Whitby is in the 21 and there are plenty of fans who believe that now is the time for him to replace the fading, sometimes frazzled Jonny Lomax in the halves.  Yet my feeling is that as long as Wellens is the one making the decisions it will not happen. 

Lomax is the team captain and – since the retirements of James Roby and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook – its most experienced campaigner.  He has made 357 appearances for the club across a 16-year career.  And despite the problems with the last of those a week ago he still ended the night as the hero.  A pair of late Lomax drop goals saw Saints sneak past the French side by a single point as Sam Tomkins’ missed conversion of the second of his brace of tries arguably cost his side the game.  In a game of this magnitude where it is win or go home the skipper plays ahead of any budding youngster.  Especially when his mate and former playing colleague is the one who is making that call.

Tristan Sailor will play alongside Lomax in the creative department which struggles to create.  Perhaps Saints best creative force is fullback Jack Welsby.  In the absence of injured wingers Kyle Feldt and Lewis Murphy Wellens is likely to stick with Jon Bennison on the right wing while offering a third first team start to Dayon Sambou.  Whitley’s centre partner – all things being equal – should be Mark Percival, a veteran of 250 Saints games himself.

Stephens is among those who will hope for a bench spot but it would be a surprise if Wellens veered away from last week’s incumbents Wingfield and Delaney, probably Mbye rather than Clark and offloading beacon of hope and inconsistency Agnatius Paasi.  Since the announcement of his impending move to Hull FC James Bell appears trapped in the eternal Hell of 18^th man responsibilities, doomed not to see action unless more than one Saint gets their swede bashed in.  More chance of Greg/Gary checking out of the White Lotus. 

Warrington’s squad selection includes some of those who missed last week’s 16-14 win over Leeds Rhinos.  Matty Ashton’s long range effort sealed the win at Saints a fortnight ago and his may get another opportunity to add to the nine tries in 13 games he has racked up against Saints.  If he scores in this one it will be for the sixth game in a row against the red vee.  I can’t be the only Saints fan hoping he isn’t quite ready.  As well as Ashton Head Coach Sam Burgess has selected both Toby King and Rodrick Tai in his 21-man squad.

Matt Dufty is another with the kind of pace that Saints are crying out for and he should start at fullback.  That’s something of a double edged sword though as – to put it mildly – there are better defensive fullbacks out there.  Josh Thewlis has been relieved of the goal-kicking duties since the arrival of Marc Sneyd from Salford Red Devils but is still a major threat on the right wing. 

In the halves the combination of Sneyd and George Williams was instrumental in getting Wire over the line against Saints on the former’s debut and has the potential to be among the best in the league.  Being brutally honest you would probably take it over the pairing of the speedy, free-scoring if slightly headless Sailor and the physically and mentally battered Lomax. 

There is quality in the front row too where former NRL star Paul Vaughan is the talisman alongside Zane Musgrove.  Danny Walker spent a number of years as understudy to Clark at 9 but since the latter joined Saints Walker has shown that he is now ahead of his former mentor.  Ben Currie and Lachlan Fitzgibbon are the likely second row partnership while Luke Yates – who missed the recent clash between these two – is now fit and could challenge James Harrison for the starting loose forward role.  One of those two should feature on a bench that could also include prop Adam Holroyd, ex-Wigan plodder Sam Powell and either Joe Philbin or Max Wood. 

Saints failed to beat Warrington in four attempts in 2024 and were knocked out of both Challenge Cup and Grand Final contention by Burgess’ men.  Saints' losing streak against the Cheshire side now stretches to five matches after this season’s narrow reverse.  Saints’ last win over Wire was a 16-8 success in September 2023.  If you are travelling to the Halliwell Jones Stadium for this one you might be doing so in hope rather than expectation.  Yet the last two defeats against Wire have come by a combined total of only three points. The margins are fine which makes that hope more than justified.  It will probably be tight even if Warrington go in as favourites. 

The last cup meeting between the two wasn’t close as Warrington hammered Saints 31-8 on their own patch at the last eight stage almost exactly a year ago.  It was also the quarter-final which saw Warrington knock Saints out 20-18 in 2020.  The pair met in the final in 2019 with Wire again coming out on top 18-4 at Wembley in a game in which Clark was a try scorer for the primrose and blue. 

Saints haven’t beaten Warrington in the Challenge Cup for 17 years when two tries from Willie Talau and further scores from Ade Gardner, Francis Meli, Lee Gilmour, Chris Flannery and Paul Clough sealed a 40-34 win.  The only man involved in that one who will play a significant if very different role for Saints on Sunday is Wellens. 

If you are looking for a good omen to add to your hope consider that Saints went on to lift the trophy that year as they defeated Hull FC 28-16 at a national stadium that had only been reopened a year previously.  The win over FC secured the second of three Challenge Cup wins in a row under Daniel Anderson. 

Will we still be involved in this  year's competition when your alarm wakes you up for work on Monday?  It’s toss of a coin stuff and while I remain hopeful, I wouldn’t say I’m expectant. 

Squads;

Warrington Wolves;

1.      Matt Dufty 2. Josh Thewlis 3. Toby King 4 Rodrick Tai 5. Matty Ashton 6. George Williams 8. James Harrison 9. Danny Walker 10. Paul Vaughan 11.  Ben Currie 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Luke Yates 14. Sam Powell 15. Joe Philbin 16. Zane Musgrove 17. Jordan Crowther 21. Adam Holroyd 24. Max Wood 28. Jake Thewlis 33. Aaron Lindop 35. Marc Sneyd

Saints;

1. Jack Welsby, , 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Tristan Sailor, 7. Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. Daryl Clark, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Curtis Sironen, 12. Joe Batchelor, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Moses Mbye, 15. James Bell, 16. Matt Whitley, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jake Wingfield, 19. George Delaney, 21. Noah Stephens, 22. Ben Davies, 27. George Whitby, 29. Dayon Sambou.

Catalans Dragons 13 Saints 14 - Review

It was another close one but this time with a more favourable result. After being edged out at home by two points by Warrington a week ago Saints sneaked home by a point against the Catalans Dragons in Perpignan on Saturday night (March 29).  It was Saints’ first win in France since April 2022.  It leaves Paul Wellens’ side fourth in the Super League table after six rounds, overtaken on points difference by Wigan and trailing early pacesetters Hull KR by four points as the competition gets set to take a break for the quarter finals of the Challenge Cup. More on which later.

Wellens was without the ever reliable Curtis Sironen who was awaiting an imminent new addition to his family. His place in the second row was taken by Matt Whitley. The only other minor tweak to the lineup saw Moses Mbye move up from the bench to start at hooker with regular starter Daryl Clark among the interchanges. Clark had suffered a hip injury against his former club last weekend.

The Dragons have started the season in underwhelming fashion, now sitting ninth in the table with just two wins from their first six outings. Head Coach Steve McNamara will therefore have been relieved to welcome back two former Saints into his 17 after they had missed last week’s 26-4 win over the Castleford Tigers. Tommy Makinson faced his former club for the first time since ending his 14-year stay with Saints while Theo Fages also returned. Fouad Yaha and young halfback Guillermo Auspuro-Bichet made way. Curtis Sironen missed out on the chance to go up against his brother Bayley as the latter came in for Benjamin Garcia. Paul Seguier and Franck Maria replaced Jordan Dezaria and Romain Navarrete on the bench. 

Not being an away traveller these days and therefore relying on TV I missed the first five minutes of this one. It had been scheduled for one of the main recordable Sky Sports channels earlier in the week but at the last minute they decided to hide it behind the red button on Sky Sports+. You can’t record that so I had to try and make it home from taking my mum out for a mother’s day meal. The Sandpiper if you want to know and doing it on Saturday instead of Sunday was entirely my sister’s idea. S’alright, she won’t be reading.

I made it back just as the players were preparing to walk out on to the field. But nature called. No matter, I thought. Just pause it. The lesson from that is that the few minutes it takes to have a tinkle is enough to send a paused Sky Sports+ into meltdown. I returned to a black screen and had to come out of red button mode and then go back in. By the time I did that and the heap of shit had stopped buffering I had missed over four minutes of game time. 

By which time Saints centre and newest potential superstar Harry Robertson had left proceedings. Having watched it back (but only on Saints TV because I couldn’t find a downloadable version of Sky’s coverage on my system) I now know what happened. But I spent the first 30 minutes of the live viewing experience in a state of confusion as commentator Stuart Pyke continually referred to Whitley as Whitby. I’d seen the Saints lineup on Twitter when I was at the pub and so I knew that George Whitby was not in the match day 17. Nor was he 18th man because of course that honour currently belongs almost exclusively to James Bell. Just what the fuck was going on? It was only later when I saw a close up of Whitley that the penny dropped.

Pyke then informed us that although Robertson had failed his HIA and would not return to the field there may be hope that he would still feature in next week’s Challenge Cup visit to Warrington. His logic was that there were eight days between this match on Saturday and the Wire game this coming Sunday. It might have been a fever dream but I’m almost certain that they increased the mandatory period of inactivity following failed HIAs to 11 days a couple of seasons ago. I’d love to be wrong but I think we are going to be facing Sam Burgess’ side with either Whitley or Ben Davies at centre. Though there is a bloke called Konrad Hurrell still on the payroll.

Not long after I’d finished battling with Sky+ Saints took the lead. There were only five minutes on the clock when Jack Welsby shrugged off a weak attempted tackle by Reimis Smith to break down the right. The Saints fullback then found Tristan Sailor in support on his inside and he did the rest. Mark Percival’s conversion made it 6-0. 

Three minutes later Sailor was in again. Again it was Welsby doing the damage, this time popping up on the left and cruising down the field. He was everywhere at this point. He could perhaps have put Percival away when the cover arrived but took the tackle instead. On the next play Jonny Lomax took advantage of a scattered defensive line, finding Alex Walmsley who handed on to Sailor to go over under the posts. It was the former Brisbane Bronco’s sixth try of his debut Super League season and his eighth in all competitions. He is Saints’ top scorer in Super League and only Wigan’s Jai Field and Hull KR’s Mikey Lewis have more. Percival’s second goal of the night made it 12-0. Saints were going along at better than a point a minute at that stage. Which makes it all the more disappointing that they never created a chance worthy of the name for the rest of the first half. 

The home side got back into the game on 14 minutes. Some writers might refer to 36 year-old Sam Tomkins as evergreen. This one can’t bring himself to say anything that nice about him and regrets to report that it was the former Wigan man who crossed for the try which got his side off the mark. He ended up scoring all but one of his side’s 13 points. The first four came after one time Canberra Raiders and Canterbury Bulldogs man Nick Cotric broke down the left. The Dragons kept it alive with some neat offloads before Makinson arrowed in from the right and placed an accurate chip into the in-goal which Tomkins was able to gather and ground in one movement. He added the extras himself to reduce the arrears to 12-6.

Cotric almost created another score 10 minutes later, this time for ex-Sydney Rooster Luke Keary. Cotric flicked the ball back to Reimis Smith on the left touchline before the ex-Canterbury and Melbourne Storm centre handed on to Keary to cross. Yet after referee Jack Smith called for a review with an on-field decision of no try it became evident from the replays that Cotric had stepped on the touchline before managing to release the ball.

I am not going to break the habit of a lifetime by suddenly becoming a ref blamer. It’s a desperate defence mechanism for those not prepared to accept the inadequacies of their own team. But how the actual fuck did Wigan educated grub Ollie Partington avoid a yellow card for a late hit on Lomax just a minute after Keary’s no try? There are some who don’t want to see yellow cards for late hits unless they contain the kind of excessive violence that Gangs Of London would balk at. But if you have watched the game over the last couple of seasons you will have to have come to accept that late hits are usually seriously frowned upon. Even if there isn’t much force. 

During that period I have seen tackles nowhere near as late as Partington’s earn the perpetrator a spell in the bin. Yet video referee Liam Rush decided that no further action beyond the penalty already awarded was necessary. But having obviously seen it surely Jack Smith could have autonomously shown yellow. Have we now reached the point were on-field officials can’t show cards without reference to the man in the booth? 

With 10 minutes left until the break Saints had a golden opportunity to push their precarious lead out to two scores. Since I’ve already explained that they created precisely zero try scoring chances in the final 32 minutes of the half you will have ascertained that I’m talking about a goal-kicking opportunity. The Dragons were caught offside 15 metres from their own posts. But instead of taking the shot at goal Saints chose to run it. Colour me bamboozled. Ok, so it was a very windy night. Tomkins had already had trouble teeing up his attempt at goal following his earlier try and you could see the posts swaying in the gale. But still it looked an easy two for Percival.

It was a bonkers decision for which Lomax as skipper has to take responsibility. To make matters worse it was the veteran half who made the error in the ensuing set which ensured that the lead remained at just a converted try. Lomax has to make better decisions with the ball too. Why does he step inside so much instead of keeping the ball moving wide? It’s as if he still thinks he has the pace of Cody Walker when in fact he has the pace of geriatric Annie Walker who used to run the Rovers Return in Corrie when I was a nipper. 

The natives are getting restless with Lomax as his powers wane. He will be 36 by the time his current deal ends at the conclusion of the 2026 season. There are plenty that want change now, while still acknowledging his status as a club legend and one of the greats of the Super League era. Yet despite the flaws that are now creeping into his game he would end this night as the hero. 

And how we needed him to be. Seven minutes from halftime Tomkins dragged his side closer. Though as it turned out, not as close as he could and should have dragged them. He bagged his second try as he crashed through the tackle of Welsby to just about ground the ball. Jack Smith believed he had scored but sent it up for review just to be sure. Tomkins was duly awarded the 165th try of his Super League career. That puts him 14th on the all time list, three behind the late Rob Burrow, former Wigan and Hull KR winger David Hodgson and the still active Tom Briscoe. You wouldn’t bet against Tomkins ending the year in the top 10. He’s just five behind Luke Dorn and eight adrift of ex-Saints and Bradford great Leon Pryce.

Nor would you expect Tomkins to do what he did immediately after his try. He had touched down not very far to the left of the posts and should have brought the scores level at 12-12 as a matter of routine, windy or not. Yet somehow he managed to miss. This proved to be the key moment in the game if you look solely at the margin of Saints’win. Of course if he kicks it then perhaps everything else in the game changes thereafter. Sliding doors and all that. But on the face of it at least Tomkins’ uncharacteristic miss has helped paper over some fairly sizeable cracks in Saints’ performance.

Though first half try scoring chances dried up early for Wellens’ men they almost went in barely a minute after the restart. Dayon Sambou made a promising, try-scoring debut against Warrington last week and thought he had his second in as many games when he took Sailor’s pass and went in at the left corner. Yet the score was reviewed at the request of Jack Smith whose view was that it was no try due to an offside. Rush concurred that Sailor was in front of Lomax when the captain hoisted the bomb which bounced fortuitously into Sailor’s arms. It may not have counted but it was more encouraging.

Pyke had barely had to call the name of Jon Bennison in the first half but the Saints man finally got involved shortly after Sambou’s fruitless effort. Following a rare foray down the right touchline into Dragons territory Bennison tried to throw the ball back inside as he was forced into touch. His lack of involvement is highlighted by his 11 carries for just 69 metres. Those 11 carries are right at his average across his 5 Super League appearances in 2025 for a total of 55. By comparison wingers Tom Davies, Liam Marshall, Lewis Martin, Adam Swift and Riley Lumb all have over 100.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that Saints haven’t gone to Bennison all that often. He’s just not a winger. With Robertson out that right edge becomes even less potent with Whitley filling in at centre. When Robertson is there it is often largely unnecessary to pass to Bennison. When Kyle Feldt was available the loss of Makinson didn’t seem insurmountable. Since then it’s been felt - no pun intended after those in the last two editions of this feature.

Tomkins did manage to tie the scores going into the last quarter. He notched a penalty goal after the teams had differing fortunes with captain’s challenges. First Catalans earned a reprieve when the original call of a ball steal by Fages on Percival was overturned. Saints fared rather less well when Sambou was deemed to have knocked on from Elliott Whitehead’s kick. That set up the position from where Saints’ defence were caught offside on their own 10 metre line. Tomkins wasn’t going to miss again. 

With Curtis Sironen out the family still very nearly made a telling contribution to proceedings. Bayley thought he had his first try of the season when he latched on to Reimis Smith’s smart kick on the Dragons’ left edge. Yet despite an on-field call of a try Smith’s namesake Jack wasn’t completely convinced and sent it up to Rush for a second look. The ball had come out of Tevita Pangai Junior’s possession awkwardly and perilously close to the ground as he was tackled. 

After what seemed like an infinite amount of replays, made worse by the TV director’s failure to understand what needed checking and inability to listen to basic requests from Rush, the latter decided that Pangai Junior’s ball carrying arm had hit the ground before he was able to release the ball. It wasn’t relevant in the end but it also looked like Keary might have knocked on when he picked it up before handing it on to Reimis Smith. Anyway, is it too much to ask for rugby league TV directors to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the game?

As we headed towards the final stages Saints had their own near miss. It didn’t require video scrutiny - mercifully for anyone who had a flight to Liverpool to catch before Wednesday - but Welsby would certainly have crossed had Walmsley not run straight at a Dragons defender, bowling him over like The Jesus knocks down pins in The Big Lebowski. 

After a night which could most generously be described as mixed it was time for Lomax to shine. A set restart enabled Saints to force a goal-line dropout. In the next set Clark - who by now was on for a somewhat ponderous Mbye - found Lomax who coolly slotted it over to put Saints back in front at 13-12.

Not that the lead lasted very long. Makinson - who had already created Tomkins’ first try - threatened to come back to haunt us when his short restart was batted back to Tomkins by Reimis Smith. By the end of the set it was Keary and not Tomkins who potted the one-pointer. Six minutes remained before the spectre of golden point extra time would come into view but we were already into a drop goal contest. 

Which Saints eventually won. They looked to have blown their chance when a wayward offload gifted Catalans possession deep in their own territory. But Saints’ next set was appropriately conservative given the situation and the way they had played for the previous 78 minutes. Again Clark found Lomax 20 metres out and again he was calm under the pressure. Without doubt his drop goaling (is that a legitimate rugby league term?) was the best part of his game on the night.

Like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction Steve McNamara’s side still wouldn’t die. Incredibly, they were offered one more chance when a Matty Lees error was swiftly followed by a penalty as Agnatius Paasi caught Tomkins around the neck area. The wind persuaded Catalans that they should tap it rather than kick for territory. Although Reimis Smith briefly threatened to make a potentially decisive break it was Tomkins who was finally forced to hit and hope into the night sky. Could there be one more miracle from the ageing star?

No. The wind ensured it went virtually nowhere as it blew into the arms of Fages. He was brought to ground to end a game that was always tense, exciting and dramatic but not of the quality that some say they witnessed. Among them was Sky summariser Terry O’Connor but it’s his job to big up the game and so he’s never actually seen anything but a classic. 

So why do I say it was poor quality? Saints’ attack was horrendous for large parts. They are massively over reliant on Walmsley. Although it was Lees who led the way here with 131 metres - 10 more than Walmsley - it is the big Yorkshireman who sits fifth in the league for metres made with 913. Lees has a comparatively piffling 486. Which given his efforts in this one means he only managed 355 metres across his previous four appearances. That’s an average of only just over 88 metres per game. By contrast Walmsley averages over 152 metres per game. Too often, when Walmsley is not on the field there is nobody to get us down the other end unless Welsby, Percival or Robertson can make a break. The situation is exacerbated by a truly woeful kicking game. 

In his post game interview Wellens identified his side’s failure to stop the offloads from Pangai Junior and Julien Bousquet. Between them the Dragons props managed seven. Between Walmsley and Lees they managed er….one. Overall Saints were outdone in this department by 16 to eight. They just never had the field position for the green shoots of expansive rugby that have sometimes been visible since the arrival of Lee Briers to make an appearance.

And so it is on to Warrington and that Challenge Cup last eight tie next week. Getting Curtis Sironen back will be a big help but a probable right edge of Whitley and Bennison raises concerns both offensively and defensively. A lot may depend on whether the likes of Matty Ashton, Toby King and Rodrick Tai - all of whom missed the Wolves’ 16-14 win over Leeds Rhinos last time out - can make it back into the lineup. Saints can compete with Warrington as they showed last week but it is an awful long time since they beat a top five team. 

Sunday (April 6) would be a great time to do it.

Catalans Dragons: Tomkins, Makinson, Laguerre, Smith, Cotric, Keary, Fages, Pangai Junior, Da Costa, Bousquet, Sironen, Whitehead, Partington. Interchanges: Romano, Satai, Seguier, Maria

Saints: Welsby, Bennison, Robertson, Percival, Sambou, Sailor, Lomax, Walmsley, Mbye, Lees, Whitley, Batchelor, Knowles. Interchanges: Wingfield, Paasi, Delaney, Clark.

Saints 12 Warrington Wolves 14 - Review

Saints suffered a second consecutive league defeat when they were edged out 14-12 at home to Warrington on Friday night (March 21). 

After winning their opening three games in Super League Saints have lost their last two on their own patch having also been seen off 20-10 by Hull KR on March 7. It leaves Paul Wellens’ side fifth in the table after five rounds and needing an upturn in results as soon as possible.

Wellens made two changes to the starting lineup which had beaten Leeds Rhinos 22-14 in the Challenge Cup the previous week. Kyle Feldt had successful surgery on a hand injury this week but still faces up to three months out. His place was taken by debutant Dayon Sambou while concussion ruled out Joe Batchelor. Matt Whitley stepped up from the bench. 

Moses Mbye was on the bench for his first involvement with the first team of 2025 alongside Jake Wingfield, Agnatius Paasi and George Delaney.

Warrington had their own debutant as Head Coach Sam Burgess made wholesale changes to the side which had narrowly overcome Cheshire rivals Widnes Vikings to reach the last eight of the cup. Marc Sneyd made his first appearance since joining from fiscally challenged Salford Red Devils and began what looks a tasty halfback partnership with George Williams. Meanwhile Matt Dufty, Toby King, Matty Ashton and Lachlan Fitzgibbon all returned. 

In the 1980s Notts County were managed by a man named Jimmy Sirrel across two spells. If you were a collector of Panini stickers (and what self respecting child of the 80s wasn’t?) you may remember that he was in his sixties but looked around 87. But that’s not why I mention him here. I do so because he is perhaps most remembered for saying that ‘the best team always wins, the rest is just gossip’. I was reminded of this by the many online claims that Saints were the best team and deserved to win.

There is some justification to those claims. The gossip here is that Saints had more than enough possession, territory and try scoring opportunities to have won this game. Jimmy might not have considered them the better side if he were still with us (he passed in 2008 aged 86) but many observers would disagree and did so, sometimes in capital letters. Saints gained a total of 1272 metres to the visitors’ 1017. Centres Mark Percival and Harry Robertson made 337 metres between them. Yet it was the missed opportunities which cost Saints so dearly.

Do you remember a Jon Bennison try against this same opposition in April 2023? Playing on the left wing during that 28-6 win, he broke down the touchline before selling an outrageous dummy to Dufty and going over untouched. The Wire fullback was allegedly charged to get back into the stadium. History almost repeated itself in this one when a flowing move involving Jonny Lomax, Tristan Sailor and Robertson set Bennison clear, this time down the right wing. Confronted again by Dufty and with Sailor supporting on his inside, Bennison chose to attempt the pass rather than throw the dummy. Dufty committed himself in just the same way as he had two years ago but guessed right and was able to bat the ball down. 

That it was a thrilling passage of play might not help appease some fans but it should be noted that the movement only materialised as a result of Saints opting to run the ball on the last tackle from their own 30 metre line. All of which must surely serve as evidence that there is a different approach to attack since Lee Briers came in to assist Wellens. All of which flies in the face of claims on social media - sometimes in capital letters - that nothing has changed and we are still playing a Wellens-adapted version of Woolfball. Only without the results.

Though he ran all over Warrington all night Percival was at the root of two of Saints’ most glaring butchery of their chances. It would arrive later, but Sambou missed out on a debut try when Percival could only find the sideline with what looked a simple pass for a wide open walk in for the winger. Saints won second prize when play was called back for a penalty for a late tackle by Zane Musgrove on Lomax. Percival was able to slot over the goal to get his side on the board first at 2-0. But it should have been four and possibly six. 

Most Saints fans rate Percival among the best centres in Super League. If that were judged on speed, work rate and bravery he would be right up there. But his passing game leaves a little to be desired for me to consider him among the truly elite. This column observed previously that he and Regan Grace often played like they had never met. So often they would fail to link up as Percival’s execution or sometimes his outright reluctance to let go of the ball proved to be their undoing. He last played for England in 2018 which must say something. I’d be staggered if he is among Shaun Wane’s selections for the first rugby league Ashes series since 2003 which has just been announced for this autumn.

There was a definite contrast of styles between the two sides. Unusually for Saints in the Wellens era they were much more expansive than their guests who - through the kicking game of Sneyd - were willing to play the percentages and await their opportunities. On studying the TV broadcast of the game I nearly fell off my sofa when late in the first half the Sky Sports commentator opined that Saints hadn’t looked like scoring. I wouldn’t want to have been watching the game that he had been during that first half. As well as Bennison’s chance and Percival’s passing blunder the centre would have crossed for a try himself had Lomax been able to better direct his attempted offload from virtually on the Warrington line. All of those near misses arrived within the first half hour.

Lomax has been the subject of much scrutiny in the wake of this and other performances this year. There is a growing consensus that sentimentality is all that is keeping him in the side and that George Whitby should be given another opportunity. The riposte to that might be that many of the calls for a change come from those whose experience of watching Whitby is limited at best. We should also remember that after similar certainty around the brilliance of Lewis Dodd he managed one promising season, suffered a terrible injury before running off to the NRL where he is currently operating only in their version of the stiffs. Be careful what you wish for. 

Yet there is no doubt that Lomax is slowing down and losing some effectiveness. He makes more poor decisions and dies with the ball to scupper attacks more often. At 34 years of age and with an injury record that would make Robocop wince he should never have been offered a three-year deal. But they did. And if you want to know it my view is that as long as his friend and former teammate Wellens is at the helm we won’t see Whitby or anyone else replace the skipper. But a new deal at the end of his current one would be demented. The equivalent of backing Nigel Wood’s return to the RFL when you were instrumental in his ousting.

By the time of the last of those spurned chances Saints were behind on the scoreboard as Warrington were clinical with a half chance on 20 minutes. Facing the north sideline Sneyd was nevertheless able to place the most perfectly weighted grubber into the Saints in-goal area. Williams had read it - perhaps that combination is developing faster than I think - and managed to reach it first to touch down for his first try of the Super League campaign. If that’s the standard of service he can rely on there’s a fair chance he’ll score many more. Saints could have done little to stop it but Wellens might remind them this week that the field position was only set up by the concession of a needless penalty for interference at the play-the-ball on Warrington’s 30 metre line. Sneyd is a prolific goal-kicker as well as a formidable kicker in general play and was never going to miss the conversion. Burgess’ men led 6-2. 

Both sides had suffered a key injury late in the first half too. Saints lost Daryl Clark after half an hour with a hip injury while Josh Thewlis also left the action with a similar problem. Mbye came in for Clark though in truth both were outplayed by the outstanding Danny Walker. Rodrick Tai moved from centre into Thewlis’ wing position with Ben Currie filling in at centre. I confess that I mention this only so I can work in a cheap gag about Wire’s right edge of Tai-Currie sounding like item number 12 on the menu at your local takeaway. What? It’s an improvement on Feldt tip from a couple of weeks ago.

Saints went in to the sheds six points behind after Sneyd added a penalty from in front of the sticks. Wellens’ men continue to struggle with discipline. It’s not the number of penalties they concede. Six teams have given up as many or more than their 23 this season. It’s often the timing or the position on the field that seems to make them more significant. On this occasion they were offside from a scrum after Sambou’s only handling error of the night. 

Three minutes into the second half referee Chris Kendall called for a needless review. Joe Philbin found himself in possession late in the tackle count but within spitting distance of the Saints line. He’s probably not the man that Burgess would like to have performing the grubber kicking duties - that’s what he signed Sneyd for - but it was a surprisingly decent effort by the prop. Yet it seemed fairly obvious that he had not caught up with his effort in order to ground it before it went dead. Replays proved it pretty quickly. 

A minute after Lomax had achieved that rarest of feats, a successful captain’s challenge, Saints were back level. Morgan Knowles was playing his 200th Super League game and marked it with his third try of what will be his final campaign in the red vee. His 33rd in 233 appearances in all competitions for the club. It was a no frills effort as he took Mbye’s pass 10 metres out and crashed through several would be tacklers to dot it down under the posts. Percival added the goal and it was suddenly 8-8.

Not for long. Ashton has often been the scourge of Saints. He has scored nine tries in 13 appearances against them but it feels like more. Probably because he has crossed in his last five. The one prior to this was in the one-point victory over Saints in last season’s playoffs which put our season out of its misery. The run began with one in the resounding 31-8 Challenge Cup quarter-final larruping of Saints last April. He’ll face them again at the same stage of that competition in less than a fortnight. Who isn’t looking forward to that?

And so with a measure of inevitability he got us again here. Jack Welsby - who had been effective in the first half but cut a slightly frustrated figure after the break - threw what Australians refer to as an absolute bludger of a pass out towards Robertson and Bennison on Saints’ right edge. It was so inaccurate that it was actually about three metres forward. Yet Kendall’s whistle remained unblown as the ball hit the turf and took a primrose and blue bounce back towards the Saints try line and into the arms of chief tormentor Ashton.

He had 80 metres still to travel but it never seemed to be in that much doubt. Sailor made a valiant effort to chase back and seemed to be slightly gaining on the Warrington flyer before running out of steam. He resorted to a desperate attempt to dive at Ashton’s feet for the ankle tap but narrowly missed. The gate was then metaphorically shut as Ashton went in unopposed for his 104th try for Warrington since joining from Swinton in 2020. With the freedom of the stadium to finish the try the conversion was a gimme for Sneyd who pushed his new side out to a 14-8 advantage.

When Saints hit back there were still over 20 minutes to play. Sambou’s deserved moment in the spotlight arrived when Lomax, Welsby and Percival combined. This time the centre’s pass was good enough for Sambou who dived in acrobatically at the south west corner of the ground. He ended the game one metre short of 100 but this was by far his most telling contribution. There were a couple of defensive lapses late on when Tai found it rather too easy to skip around him but it was a most impressive debut. And a much needed success given the current injuries to Feldt and Lewis Murphy. 

But what of Sambou’s future? It was reported in February that he and Jonny Vaughan had agreed to join Wigan from the start of 2026. Vaughan has since disappeared from the first team scene quicker than his annoying namesake vanished from your television screens, yet Wellens saw fit to select Sambou. Crucially the original report stated that the deal for the pair had not been fully agreed and would not be until season’s end. Does Sambou’s inclusion suggest there has been a change of heart? He certainly seemed to enjoy the adulation of the faithful as he regained his feet following his somersaulting score. He was pumped, in modern parlance. 

Or was he just selected out of necessity? In his post game interview Wellens explained that he is keen to be able to replace unavailable players with those who play in the same position. Like for like. If you like. Which is fine, but it doesn’t explain why he keeps selecting Bennison on the wing while actual wide men Tee Ritson and Owen Dagnall are not required. I know…I wouldn’t pick Ritson either but if you want a winger for a winger then he is at least that. 

Percival was unable to convert Sambou’s try from the sideline. In truth it was a bit of a shank and not remotely close. All of which has led to criticism among the fan base of his goal-kicking endeavours. He succeeded with just over 73% of his attempts in 2024 and has landed 68.5% so far this term.  Nobody has kicked more than his 24 goals through the first five rounds. Yet it may be that the margin of the defeat - the equivalent of just that one errant conversion - has highlighted whatever deficiencies he may have. 

For comparison Sneyd nailed 88% for Salford in 2024 and led all goalscorers with 97. He has begun this year hitting 80% albeit from a small sample size of only five attempts as appearances for the Red Devils were sparse before his move to Wire. But it should perhaps be remembered that he’s a specialist and alongside Rhys Martin probably the best in the competition. Percival has been a reluctant volunteer since Lewis Dodd’s achilles went three years ago. 

Despite having more than a quarter of the game to find another score the closest Saints came was when Percival made a 45 metre break six minutes from time but was again hamstrung by his indecision. He had a few options in support but couldn’t find any of them and the move fizzled out as Warrington’s defence funnelled back. 

Despite my earlier criticism of him a tip of the hat still goes to Percival for leading all players in this one with 214 metres. Saints’ other centurions were Welsby with 127, Robertson with 122 and - inevitably - Alex Walmsley with 120. Knowles topped Saints’ tackle count with 42 ahead of Whitley with 39 and Sailor with 30. The former Brisbane man is averaging close to 24 tackles per game since joining the club as opposition coaches continue to target him. He’s holding up well, missing only 15 in Super League so far which isn’t even enough for a place in the competition’s top 20 wet paper towel offenders. Top Of The Pops there is Castleford Tigers’ Liam Horne with 29. 

In something of a smash and grab win Warrington had only two men over 100 metres with ball in hand. Dufty and Ashton are the real pace in the side and it should shock nobody that they were the players concerned with 149 and 145 respectively. James Harrison was their top tackler with 37 while Currie made 34. 

Round 6 brings a trip to Perpignan to face Catalans Dragons on Saturday night (March 29). With only two wins from their first five outings in 2025 - and one of those coming against Castleford - the Dragons have looked as poor as they have been in some time. Even their 11-0 win over Leeds was a turgid performance in one of the worst games in Super League that it has been my displeasure to witness. There has been speculation about the future of Super League’s longest serving coach Steve McNamara. The return of Sky pundit, Wire fan and former Wigan hate figure Sam Tomkins makes them better but I’ll be especially disappointed if Saints don’t make it four wins out of six come Saturday night. 

Saints: Welsby, Sambou, Robertson, Percival, Bennison, Lomax, Sailor, Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Whitley, Knowles. Interchanges: Wingfield, Paasi, Mbye, Delaney

Warrington: Dufty, Thewlis, Tai, King, Ashton, Williams, Sneyd, Musgrove, Walker, Vaughan, Currie, Fitzgibbon, Harrison. Interchanges: Powell, Philbin, Holroyd, Wood

Referee: Chris Kendall