Barba should have left the game earlier
With five Saints having travelled back from Denver this week, four of whom took part in a high intensity test match at altitude, there were always going to be selection dilemmas for coach Justin Holbrook. Yet the inclusion of Ben Barba was not among them as far as we knew before kick-off. The Aussie star had enjoyed a week off and a trip to Tenerife in the build up to this one and seemed ready to unleash his brilliance on yet another hapless victim in the shape of Chris Chester's men.
Yet something wasn't right with Barba. There didn't seem a problem for much of the first half. With the half time hooter not far away Barba shrugged off a couple of Trinity tacklers and seared through the line into open space. It was all over. We'd seen it so many times in 2018. Barba gets into open space and nobody catches him. It's why he's the league's leading try-scorer and a more certain Man Of Steel than Henry Cavill. Perhaps Barba has been at the Kryptonite because instead of the usual predictable but joyous outcome he slowed right down and allowed the Wakefield cover to catch him. He then did a passable Regan Grace impersonation, looking around him for support, passing the responsibility on to others.
If that was odd things got weirder in the second half. Down 20-6 at the break Wakefield ran all over Saints in the first 20 minutes of the second half. They ran in four tries to take an astonishing 26-20 lead going into the final quarter. Barba was culpable on a number of occasions. Easily out jumped for a high ball by Jacob Miller. Fumbling a bog standard kick for territory and then inexplicably jumping out of the defensive line on his own goal-line to allow Mason Caton-Brown to scoot past Zeb Taia to score.
He'd arguably left it too late but before the hour mark Holbrook had seen enough and withdrew Barba, moving Jonny Lomax to fullback and introducing Theo Fages from the bench to play at stand off. Holbrook alluded to an injury in his post match interview and revealed that in hindsight he felt it would have been better to make the change at that point. It's understandable that he did not. Barba is a difference maker and there's always the hope that he can shake off a knock during a game and get back to his best. He trusted Barba who was insistent on staying in the game. Even when Barba left the field he did so grumpily, though I don't believe his show of emotion is a particularly worrying thing. Great players want to play and Barba's reaction just demonstrated that. Inwardly he will have known he was having one. That would have been troubling him as much as the fact that he was being taken out of the firing line. It was a key decision from Holbrook and one which he got right. Eventually. Fears that it will affect Barba's relationship with the club or commitment to the cause seem premature.
Saints lucky on a couple of key refereeing decisions
It doesn't matter what happens in a game the referee will always get slaughtered by a section of the fans, especially on social media. Even more so when the referee's name is James Child about whom most of the rugby league watching public, not just Saints fans, have made up their minds. Yet if Child was guilty of making one or two mistakes he made them as much for Saints benefit as to their detriment.
Consult your rule books now as we examine whether or not Child should have awarded a penalty try early in the game when Barba clearly used his feet to prise the ball from the grasp of James Batchelor as the Wakefield man set about grounding the ball. A penalty was given but not a penalty try. This leads me to believe that the penalty try was not an option. That the offence is not one punishable in that way regardless of whether the impeded player was certain to score. But if not, why not? Barba prevented a certain try but did so illegally. It's not comparable to plain old ball stealing in the act of scoring. If we start giving penalty tries for that then how is a defender meant to prevent a try in that situation? But use of the feet is potentially dangerous and should be afforded a stricter deterrent.
Penalty try or not it was surprising that a yellow card was not issued to Barba for what surely, if the penalty try is off the table, is at least a professional foul. Child acknowledged the offence by giving the penalty but decided to let Barba off the hook. But yeah, he's got anti-Saints agenda just like everyone else who ever picked up a whistle.
If Child was lenient there he was just plain wrong to award Taia's try which effectively sealed the win late on. Saints came back superbly from that Wakefield second half onslaught and probably deserved the win. But they got a leg up when Child took the out of character not to have Taia's try reviewed by video referee Ben Thaler. Who also hates us. Doesn't he? The replay clearly showed that Taia's ball-carrying arm had hit the ground before he made a second movement to ground the ball but Thaler was not invited to get involved and the try stood. To be fair to Child he could not have seen Taia's arm making contact with the ground and was correct in his assertion that the ball had been grounded. But in a world where not just Child but all Super League refs review everything, a policy which will soon enter and ruin football once VAR hits the Premier League, it is staggering that Child did not request Thaler's help. Saints dodged a bullet there. Just don't expect that fact to be acknowledged in the Facebook group.
Richardson try was the right call
Whatever you think of video reviews and VAR, and both have ne spontaneously combusting at times, they got it right for Danny Richardson's first half try. The young Saints half didn't have his best night, particularly with the boot. He botched two kickable conversions, sent a kick-off out on the full, planted another one so deep it would have gone dead on two pitches and skied one attacking kick straight up in the air. If it had been Jon Wilkin making that effort it would have had some fans googling coffee references and yawning on about punditry and the absence of a good telling off behind the posts. Richardson will go largely unchallenged for it but he's young and so that's what you get. If he kicks like that when he's 30 he'll be getting the Wilkin treatment. By then social media might well have developed so that angry fans who have never seen a game outside of their living rooms can digitally send an electric shock to a player making a mistake. Their anger must be sated.
I digress. Despite Richardson's shaky performance he was alert enough to pick up a loose ball and score after Makinson had batted Barba's high kick down via his own head. Terry O'Connor decided it was a knock-on because the ball had gone forwards off Makinson before it hit his head and went backwards. Yet surely it is only a knock-on if the ball goes forward and hits an opponent or the ground? Had Makinson knocked the ball forward and then batted it back with his hand nobody, not even O'Connor in the gantry with his mid-80s Norweb Ellery Hanley shirt on, would have been suggesting a knock-on. Why should the head be any different? Thaler knew that it wasn't and duly awarded the try, arguably saving Richardson's night in the process.
I have no problem with the Ryan Morgan pass
Saints didn't start this game all that convincingly but they did manage to get their noses in front when Grace took Mark Percival's pass following a slick move from a scrum to score the first of a double which put the Welshman in double figures for the season. Yet the advantage didn't last long. Perhaps we should have known we were in for a bit of a Disney ride when Saints gifted Wakefield a route back into the game. Taking Percival's pass Ryan Morgan saw an overlap with Dominique Peyroux and Tommy Makinson on his outside. The trouble was that Morgan was just metres from his own line and so when his attempt to quickly shift the ball on to Peyroux was batted up by Tom Johnstone it spelled trouble. All the Wakefield winger had to do was catch the ball and fall over the line. Apparent suicide from Morgan.
Morgan will get pilloried for it. Even more so if Saints had lost. Just as he did for blocking Michael Shenton's run at Castleford in last year's semi final which took the game into extra time and that still haunting Luke Gale drop goal. Morgan is a favoured target for the discontent among the fan base which isn't always fair and isn't in this case. His pass to Peyroux was not ill conceived, just poorly executed. I want to support a team that isn't afraid to play with that kind of ambition and confidence. We can't on the one hand complain about the tedium of one-out, knees-and-elbows tedium of the kind served up during the previous regime and then on the other scream the proverbial blue murder when an attempt at flair and creativity goes like an Ant McPartland Sunday drive.
The overlap was there and Morgan knew that and tried to exploit it. Why wouldn't you if the opportunity arises, even so close to your own line. You don't get anywhere without risk. Ian Millward had that philosophy and he didn't do too badly at Saints.
To convert or not to convert?
Taia's dubious try had us all exhaling with relief as it put Saints eight points up with only a few minutes remaining. Yet even then, like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction Wakefield wouldn't lay down and die. They went over in the corner through Reece Lyne to reduce the arrears to 34-30 with just over a minute remaining. The odds were still stacked against Chester's men completing what would have been a miraculous win but to aid their slim hopes they elected to forego the opportunity to convert Lyne's try.
Was this the right call? Time was very much against them but it might just have been possible to convert the try and get the game restarted. They might then have had the final set of six but with one key difference. Assuming a conversion would have been successful they would then only have needed a penalty in a kickable position to force a draw. Passing up the conversion was a win or bust call that should probably be applauded. Wigan found out earlier in the season how quickly time flies when they neglected to attempt a late try which had brought them within three on Good Friday. Still the clock beat them as it may well have beaten Wakefield but I just feel there may be an element of what if they had given themselves another option to rescue the game in Chester's mind this morning.
Saints v Wakefield Trinity - Preview
Super League returns this week as Saints host Wakefield Trinity in a Round 19 meeting on Friday (June 29, kick-off 7.45pm).
Justin Holbrook's side had last week off as the international game had it's one-week summer. England travelled to Denver where they beat New Zealand 36-18, a game in which four Saints played a part. Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival, James Roby and Tommy Makinson all featured for Wayne Bennett's side while Luke Thompson also made the trip. Thompson was unfortunate to miss out on selection for the match day 17 particularly given that he was selected ahead of late call-up Scott Taylor of Hull FC. Yet the young Saints prop has already been vocal about his desire to continue his impressive 2018 club form and force his way into the national side for the autumn series against the Kiwis in Leeds, Hull and Liverpool.
Holbrook has included all five in his 19-man squad for this one and has stated that all are fit to play despite their Atlantic-hopping exploits. There seems no reason to believe that Holbrook will make too many changes then, and indeed the 19 men on duty here are the same 19 who travelled to Headingley and came away with a 23-22 win a fortnight ago. That will mean Makinson and Percival taking their usual places in the three-quarters with Ben Barba at fullback, Ryan Morgan at centre and Regan Grace on the left wing.
Of all those who played for England Lomax was the one most at risk of missing out this week after picking up a couple of knocks. Matty Smith is again included in case Lomax does not make it and Theo Fages is required to come off the bench and start alongside Danny Richardson in the halves. Yet that is very much a backup plan with Lomax likely to keep his place at stand off.
In the forwards Kyle Amor is still not ready, and though there was encouraging news about Alex Walmsley returning to training recently the England man is ruled out for a couple more months. That means Jack Ashworth is included again and he will compete with Matty Lees for a place in the pack alongside Thompson, Luke Douglas and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux form Saints second row and Jon Wilkin locks the scrum, ably supported by Morgan Knowles. Roby should start at hooker but we may see more of Fages or Smith in that role given the skipper's recent exersions.
Wakefield come in off the back of a 44-22 success over bottom club and all around basket case Widnes Vikings. Chris Chester's men sit sixth at present which is closer to a playoff spot than the defending champion Rhinos find themselves before Round 19 gets under way on Thursday (June 28). Yet Wakefield have arguably under-performed this year so far, not finding the consistency which chatacterised their 2017 campaign in which they finished fifth within a single point of a semi-final berth. A win here would be a statement that Wakefield are in the hunt, and is not beyond the realms given Saints have players backing up from test football and the fact that the Yorkshire side beat Saints east of the Pennines back in March. Only Wakefield and the Rhinos have come out on the right side of the scoreline against Saints so far in 2018.
Chester is still without fullback Scott Grix as well as forwards Justin Horo and Craig Huby, while veteran Danny Kirmond also went down in last week's win over Widnes. Yet there is still plenty of threat in there with Tom Johnstone, Reece Lyne, Bill Tupou and Jacob Miller in the backs and Pauli Pauli, David Fifita, Tyler Randell, Tinirau Arona and Matty Ashurst up front. They won't be short of motivation either, with a win vital in keeping them in touch with the other top four challengers.
Despite the air miles and Wakefield's need I still expect Saints to come out on top. That defeat at Wakefield will be on their minds even if neither Holbrook or the players would say so publicly. But more than that another win just turns the screw a little bit tighter on those who retain an interest in winning the League Leaders Shield as the Super 8s creep into view for what we are led to believe will be the final time. It could be close and nervy at times but I'm taking Saints to win by a couple of scores.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Ryan Morgan 4. Mark Percival 6. Theo Fages 7. Matty Smith 9. James Roby 11. Zeb Taia 12. Jon Wilkin 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 14. Luke Douglas 15. Morgan Knowles 16. Luke Thompson 17. Dominique Peyroux 18. Danny Richardson 19. Regan Grace 20. Matty Lees 21. Jack Ashworth 23. Ben Barba
Wakefield Trinity;
2. Tom Johnstone 3. Bill Tupou 4. Reece Lyne 5. Ben Jones-Bishop 6. Jacob Miller 7. Liam Finn 8. David Fifita 9. Kyle Wood 10. Anthony England 11. Matty Ashurst 13. Tyler Randell 15. Pauli Pauli 16. Tinirau Arona 19. James Bachelor 20. Keegan Hirst 21. Max Jowitt 23. Chris Annakin 24. Mason Caton-Brown 25. Ryan Hampshire
Referee: James Child
Justin Holbrook's side had last week off as the international game had it's one-week summer. England travelled to Denver where they beat New Zealand 36-18, a game in which four Saints played a part. Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival, James Roby and Tommy Makinson all featured for Wayne Bennett's side while Luke Thompson also made the trip. Thompson was unfortunate to miss out on selection for the match day 17 particularly given that he was selected ahead of late call-up Scott Taylor of Hull FC. Yet the young Saints prop has already been vocal about his desire to continue his impressive 2018 club form and force his way into the national side for the autumn series against the Kiwis in Leeds, Hull and Liverpool.
Holbrook has included all five in his 19-man squad for this one and has stated that all are fit to play despite their Atlantic-hopping exploits. There seems no reason to believe that Holbrook will make too many changes then, and indeed the 19 men on duty here are the same 19 who travelled to Headingley and came away with a 23-22 win a fortnight ago. That will mean Makinson and Percival taking their usual places in the three-quarters with Ben Barba at fullback, Ryan Morgan at centre and Regan Grace on the left wing.
Of all those who played for England Lomax was the one most at risk of missing out this week after picking up a couple of knocks. Matty Smith is again included in case Lomax does not make it and Theo Fages is required to come off the bench and start alongside Danny Richardson in the halves. Yet that is very much a backup plan with Lomax likely to keep his place at stand off.
In the forwards Kyle Amor is still not ready, and though there was encouraging news about Alex Walmsley returning to training recently the England man is ruled out for a couple more months. That means Jack Ashworth is included again and he will compete with Matty Lees for a place in the pack alongside Thompson, Luke Douglas and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux form Saints second row and Jon Wilkin locks the scrum, ably supported by Morgan Knowles. Roby should start at hooker but we may see more of Fages or Smith in that role given the skipper's recent exersions.
Wakefield come in off the back of a 44-22 success over bottom club and all around basket case Widnes Vikings. Chris Chester's men sit sixth at present which is closer to a playoff spot than the defending champion Rhinos find themselves before Round 19 gets under way on Thursday (June 28). Yet Wakefield have arguably under-performed this year so far, not finding the consistency which chatacterised their 2017 campaign in which they finished fifth within a single point of a semi-final berth. A win here would be a statement that Wakefield are in the hunt, and is not beyond the realms given Saints have players backing up from test football and the fact that the Yorkshire side beat Saints east of the Pennines back in March. Only Wakefield and the Rhinos have come out on the right side of the scoreline against Saints so far in 2018.
Chester is still without fullback Scott Grix as well as forwards Justin Horo and Craig Huby, while veteran Danny Kirmond also went down in last week's win over Widnes. Yet there is still plenty of threat in there with Tom Johnstone, Reece Lyne, Bill Tupou and Jacob Miller in the backs and Pauli Pauli, David Fifita, Tyler Randell, Tinirau Arona and Matty Ashurst up front. They won't be short of motivation either, with a win vital in keeping them in touch with the other top four challengers.
Despite the air miles and Wakefield's need I still expect Saints to come out on top. That defeat at Wakefield will be on their minds even if neither Holbrook or the players would say so publicly. But more than that another win just turns the screw a little bit tighter on those who retain an interest in winning the League Leaders Shield as the Super 8s creep into view for what we are led to believe will be the final time. It could be close and nervy at times but I'm taking Saints to win by a couple of scores.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Ryan Morgan 4. Mark Percival 6. Theo Fages 7. Matty Smith 9. James Roby 11. Zeb Taia 12. Jon Wilkin 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 14. Luke Douglas 15. Morgan Knowles 16. Luke Thompson 17. Dominique Peyroux 18. Danny Richardson 19. Regan Grace 20. Matty Lees 21. Jack Ashworth 23. Ben Barba
Wakefield Trinity;
2. Tom Johnstone 3. Bill Tupou 4. Reece Lyne 5. Ben Jones-Bishop 6. Jacob Miller 7. Liam Finn 8. David Fifita 9. Kyle Wood 10. Anthony England 11. Matty Ashurst 13. Tyler Randell 15. Pauli Pauli 16. Tinirau Arona 19. James Bachelor 20. Keegan Hirst 21. Max Jowitt 23. Chris Annakin 24. Mason Caton-Brown 25. Ryan Hampshire
Referee: James Child
Saints v Hull KR - Preview
Cup business out of the way until August Saints return to Super League action when they host Hull KR in a Round 17 match-up on Friday night (June 8, kick-off 8.00pm).
Seven games out from the start of the Super 8s Saints lead the race for the League Leaders Shield and will be looking to cement that position against the struggling Robins. Tim Sheens side are just one place off the bottom of the table with just four wins from their first 16 outings. They were beaten 42-14 by Castleford Tigers in a re-arranged game played last weekend when other sides were plotting their route to Wembley. Yet they still sit only three points off the top eight and will not yet have given up hope of securing their Super League status without the need for anything as vulgar as an away trip to London Broncos.
Saints coach Justin Holbrook has made just the one change to the 19-man squad from that which faced Hull FC on Sunday (June 3). Matty Lees comes back into the reckoning while Adam Swift misses out. That suggests there is now no doubt about the fitness of Tommy Makinson but the omission of Swift is perhaps a little surprising given that Jonny Lomax took several knocks in the win over the black and whites. Should Lomax not make it the most likely scenario is that Theo Fages will come in at stand-off to play alongside halfback Danny Richardson with Matty Smith filling the bench spot normally occupied by Fages.
Other than that don’t expect too many changes. Ben Barba committed the heinous crime of having an ordinary game against Hull FC but remains the standout player in the country, while Makinson will have Ryan Morgan inside him at centre with Mark Percival and Regan Grace on the left edge of the three-quarter line. Both were outstanding in the first half against the black and whites and their ability to exploit Hull's lack of numbers while Danny Houghton and Danny Washbrook kicked their heels on the naughty step probably proved the difference in the end.
Lees will hope to be one of four props in the 17 but faces a tough task to dislodge one of Luke Thompson, Kyle Amor, Luke Douglas or Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. There is a chance that Holbrook will take the opportunity to rest one of these four but his policy around selection so far since his May 2017 arrival has not really been one of rotation. McCarthy-Scarsbrook can cover a number of positions and so is unlikely to be left out, so perhaps Douglas or Amor are the most vulnerable to a change. James Roby keeps on keeping on at hooker with Dom Peyroux and Zeb Taia now among the most dynamic second row pairings around. Jon Wilkin locks the scrum but will likely share time again with Morgan Knowles.
Before the loss to Castleford Rovers surprised everyone by beating Wigan at KCOM Craven Park. It was a rare highlight for the Robins in what has been a difficult first year back in the big time but does at least keep them in which a chance of securing a top eight spot. Sheens is without veteran leader Danny McGuire again, while the backs will also be missing Andrew Heffernan through injury and Thomas Minns after his well documented dalliances. Former Saint Adam Quinlan is included and should start at fullback. Goal-kicking winger Ryan Shaw has been one of the standouts for Rovers this year and in Junior Vaivai Rovers have a player with real quality who looks a threat every time he receives the ball. Chris Atkin has been in and out of the starting line-up recently but was a real find early in the season and will again be crucial to Rovers hopes. Elliot Wallis is another whose recent emergence at Super League level has been one of the most positive aspects of Rovers season so far. Liam Salter is a smart operator too, and Maurice Blair offers versatility and no little quality.
There’s more ex-Saintage in the pack with five-minute cameo merchant Mose Masoe alongside Tommy Lee, a man who was once thought to be overawed at Leigh so should be positively bricking it at the prospect of a head-to-head battle with Roby. Experience comes in the form of Nick Scruton, Ben Kavanagh, Chris Clarkson and Danny Tickle but it is difficult to suggest that any of these names should strike fear into Saints hearts, particularly on their own patch.
The teams met in Humberside, East Yorkshire if you prefer, when Saints silenced talk of bogeys and other such unscientific jiggery-pokery with a 30-6 win. You can expect the margin of victory to be something similar here. The only stumbling block appears to be whether or not Saints can raise their game after an average performance against Hull FC for a game against a Rovers side they will rightly be expected to beat with something to spare. If Saints turn it on the score could blow out, but it is more likely that we will see a home victory by something in the region of 20-24 points.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Ryan Morgan, 4. Mark Percival, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Matty Smith, 9. James Roby, 10. Kyle Amor, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 14. Luke Douglas, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Luke Thompson, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18. Danny Richardson, 19. Regan Grace, 20. Matty Lees, 23. Ben Barba.
Hull KR;
1. Adam Quinlan, 2. Junior Vaivai, 5. Ryan Shaw, 8. Nick Scruton, 10. Mose Masoe, 11. Maurice Blair, 12. James Greenwood, 13. Ben Kavanagh, 15. James Donaldson, 17. Chris Clarkson, 19. Tommy Lee, 20. Matty Marsh, 22. Liam Salter, 23. Joshua Johnson, 24. Chris Atkin, 29. Jordan Walne, 30. Joe Cator, 34. Danny Tickle, 37. Elliot Wallis
Referee: Gareth Hewer
Seven games out from the start of the Super 8s Saints lead the race for the League Leaders Shield and will be looking to cement that position against the struggling Robins. Tim Sheens side are just one place off the bottom of the table with just four wins from their first 16 outings. They were beaten 42-14 by Castleford Tigers in a re-arranged game played last weekend when other sides were plotting their route to Wembley. Yet they still sit only three points off the top eight and will not yet have given up hope of securing their Super League status without the need for anything as vulgar as an away trip to London Broncos.
Saints coach Justin Holbrook has made just the one change to the 19-man squad from that which faced Hull FC on Sunday (June 3). Matty Lees comes back into the reckoning while Adam Swift misses out. That suggests there is now no doubt about the fitness of Tommy Makinson but the omission of Swift is perhaps a little surprising given that Jonny Lomax took several knocks in the win over the black and whites. Should Lomax not make it the most likely scenario is that Theo Fages will come in at stand-off to play alongside halfback Danny Richardson with Matty Smith filling the bench spot normally occupied by Fages.
Other than that don’t expect too many changes. Ben Barba committed the heinous crime of having an ordinary game against Hull FC but remains the standout player in the country, while Makinson will have Ryan Morgan inside him at centre with Mark Percival and Regan Grace on the left edge of the three-quarter line. Both were outstanding in the first half against the black and whites and their ability to exploit Hull's lack of numbers while Danny Houghton and Danny Washbrook kicked their heels on the naughty step probably proved the difference in the end.
Lees will hope to be one of four props in the 17 but faces a tough task to dislodge one of Luke Thompson, Kyle Amor, Luke Douglas or Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. There is a chance that Holbrook will take the opportunity to rest one of these four but his policy around selection so far since his May 2017 arrival has not really been one of rotation. McCarthy-Scarsbrook can cover a number of positions and so is unlikely to be left out, so perhaps Douglas or Amor are the most vulnerable to a change. James Roby keeps on keeping on at hooker with Dom Peyroux and Zeb Taia now among the most dynamic second row pairings around. Jon Wilkin locks the scrum but will likely share time again with Morgan Knowles.
Before the loss to Castleford Rovers surprised everyone by beating Wigan at KCOM Craven Park. It was a rare highlight for the Robins in what has been a difficult first year back in the big time but does at least keep them in which a chance of securing a top eight spot. Sheens is without veteran leader Danny McGuire again, while the backs will also be missing Andrew Heffernan through injury and Thomas Minns after his well documented dalliances. Former Saint Adam Quinlan is included and should start at fullback. Goal-kicking winger Ryan Shaw has been one of the standouts for Rovers this year and in Junior Vaivai Rovers have a player with real quality who looks a threat every time he receives the ball. Chris Atkin has been in and out of the starting line-up recently but was a real find early in the season and will again be crucial to Rovers hopes. Elliot Wallis is another whose recent emergence at Super League level has been one of the most positive aspects of Rovers season so far. Liam Salter is a smart operator too, and Maurice Blair offers versatility and no little quality.
There’s more ex-Saintage in the pack with five-minute cameo merchant Mose Masoe alongside Tommy Lee, a man who was once thought to be overawed at Leigh so should be positively bricking it at the prospect of a head-to-head battle with Roby. Experience comes in the form of Nick Scruton, Ben Kavanagh, Chris Clarkson and Danny Tickle but it is difficult to suggest that any of these names should strike fear into Saints hearts, particularly on their own patch.
The teams met in Humberside, East Yorkshire if you prefer, when Saints silenced talk of bogeys and other such unscientific jiggery-pokery with a 30-6 win. You can expect the margin of victory to be something similar here. The only stumbling block appears to be whether or not Saints can raise their game after an average performance against Hull FC for a game against a Rovers side they will rightly be expected to beat with something to spare. If Saints turn it on the score could blow out, but it is more likely that we will see a home victory by something in the region of 20-24 points.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Ryan Morgan, 4. Mark Percival, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Matty Smith, 9. James Roby, 10. Kyle Amor, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 14. Luke Douglas, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Luke Thompson, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18. Danny Richardson, 19. Regan Grace, 20. Matty Lees, 23. Ben Barba.
Hull KR;
1. Adam Quinlan, 2. Junior Vaivai, 5. Ryan Shaw, 8. Nick Scruton, 10. Mose Masoe, 11. Maurice Blair, 12. James Greenwood, 13. Ben Kavanagh, 15. James Donaldson, 17. Chris Clarkson, 19. Tommy Lee, 20. Matty Marsh, 22. Liam Salter, 23. Joshua Johnson, 24. Chris Atkin, 29. Jordan Walne, 30. Joe Cator, 34. Danny Tickle, 37. Elliot Wallis
Referee: Gareth Hewer
This Week In RL - May 29-June 4 2018
It’s a slow start to the week in RL as we wind down from the Bank Holiday but by Wednesday it’s business as usual with the news that someone else is leaving Wigan. While the pie fans wait to be put out of their misery over John Bateman’s future they first of all need to digest the fact that Ryan Sutton will become the latest Englishman to join Canberra Raiders.
The 22-year-old goes to the Australian capital on a two-year deal from 2019 and follows in the footsteps of England stars Elliott Whitehead, Josh Hodgson and….er…..Jordan Turner in joining up with the Green Machine;
“Being a young lad from Wigan it was a tough decision to make to leave my hometown club but I’ve always wanted to try my hand in the NRL and this was a great opportunity for me.” Explained Sutton, who needn’t worry too much given Wigan’s willingness to take back players who leave but find that they can’t get smack barms elsewhere.
Perhaps the biggest news of the week arrives on Thursday when it is announced that Denis Betts and Widnes Vikings have parted company. The former Wigan and Great Britain forward has been in charge of the Vikings for eight years without ever once threatening to return the club to the glory days of their illustrious past;
“Whilst it is regrettable to lose someone of his experience and commitment, we believe that it is now the right time for a change in leadership.” Barfed Widnes Chief Executive James Rule, without a trace of irony. Former Leeds winger Francis Cummins takes over as interim coach with the side rooted to the bottom of the Super League table with just three wins from 15 games.
Later on Thursday the RFL finally come up with some sort of strategy for boosting attendances in the Challenge Cup, announcing that the semi-final ties will be played as a double header at Bolton Wanderers Macron Stadium on Sunday August 5;
“We believe that this unique event will offer another opportunity for the sport to showcase itself to a wider audience of event goers and casual sports fans.” Blathered RFL interim Chief Executive Ralph Rimmer;
“Rugby League prides itself on being innovative and trying new concepts.” He adds, remembering the sports other recent gems such as Club Call, franchising, eight-team play-off systems and allowing James Child to check the video for a possible obstruction.
Catalans Dragons will be the first team competing in the big show at Bolton as they see off Huddersfield Giants in the first quarter-final on Thursday. The game is one of the most turgid anyone can remember since any number of clashes between the bottom 14 teams in football’s Premier League, but the cow-bell soundtrack just about keeps most viewers awake as Steve McNamara’s side run out 20-6 winners.
Thursday transfer news sees Castleford Tigers address the fullback problem they have had since Zak Hardaker’s drug test last October by signing Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e from Halifax until the end of the season;
“Q understands that this is a six month deal but sees it as a huge opportunity to test himself at Super League level and contribute to the Tigers 2018 campaign” says Tigers Director Of Rugby and Sky’s only sane analyst Jon Wells. Neither M, 007 nor Miss Moneypenny were available for comment.
.png/revision/latest?cb=20121101235519)
Friday night sees Leeds Rhinos join Catalans in the last four of the Challenge Cup with a 52-22 win over Leigh Centurions at Featherstone. The match was switched from Headingley to allow England’s cricketers to go about the business of redeeming themselves for their abysmal performance in the first test against Pakistan. Leigh start well and score first, but are written off when Peter Mata’utia body-slams Matt Parcell to the ground and is shown the yellow card by referee Chris Kendall;
“Peter has been fantastic for us all season and he hasn’t got a nasty bone in him.” Reckons Centurions boss Keiron Purtill, who also sees former Saint Matty Dawson-Jones dismissed late on for saying something not very nice at all to the referee;
All sorts of fun at Wigan’s expense on Saturday as they crash out of the Challenge Cup at Warrington. Not only are Shaun Wane’s side beaten, but they fail to register a single point and go down 23-0 to Steve Price’s Wolves outfit;
“We got beaten in every facet of rugby league. That’s not like a Wigan team I coach and I’m really disappointed, especially with the importance of the game. They wanted it more, they were by far the better team. We weren’t at the races.” Says Wane.
Turns out there might have been a reason for Wigan minds to be elsewhere as it is revealed on Saturday night via the dubious medium of Twitter that Joel and Sam Tomkins have been Albert Kelly-ing all over their home town. A video hits social media showing Joel offering female staff at a Wigan bar the benefit of his wisdom while also failing demonstrably to keep his hands to himself.
By Sunday Joel is facing a four-week suspension from the club, a £10,000 fine and the promise of some very serious chatter about his future at the club. Sam is fined £5,000 for what appears to amount to standing around and looking embarrassed and not doing very much, which if that were the criteria would have seen him fined every Friday night since about 2013.
On the field Saints complete the semi-final line-up with an excruciating 25-22 home win over Hull FC which you can read more on here.
My rather skewed week ends on Monday’s for this column, so this week culminates with Manu Vatuvei being released from Salford Red Devils just in time before anyone notices that he was ever there;
“Unfortunately, the injury Manu sustained in pre-season meant that he would be out for the full season.” Explains Red Devils Director Of Rugby Ian Blease;
“We had hoped that Manu would have played a significant part in our 2018 campaign however we now feel that it is best for both parties for Manu to return home.” He adds, after the former New Zealand international having mustered just the eight appearances since arriving last July thanks to an Achilles tendon injury before the start of their 2018 opener.
The 22-year-old goes to the Australian capital on a two-year deal from 2019 and follows in the footsteps of England stars Elliott Whitehead, Josh Hodgson and….er…..Jordan Turner in joining up with the Green Machine;
“Being a young lad from Wigan it was a tough decision to make to leave my hometown club but I’ve always wanted to try my hand in the NRL and this was a great opportunity for me.” Explained Sutton, who needn’t worry too much given Wigan’s willingness to take back players who leave but find that they can’t get smack barms elsewhere.
Perhaps the biggest news of the week arrives on Thursday when it is announced that Denis Betts and Widnes Vikings have parted company. The former Wigan and Great Britain forward has been in charge of the Vikings for eight years without ever once threatening to return the club to the glory days of their illustrious past;
“Whilst it is regrettable to lose someone of his experience and commitment, we believe that it is now the right time for a change in leadership.” Barfed Widnes Chief Executive James Rule, without a trace of irony. Former Leeds winger Francis Cummins takes over as interim coach with the side rooted to the bottom of the Super League table with just three wins from 15 games.
Later on Thursday the RFL finally come up with some sort of strategy for boosting attendances in the Challenge Cup, announcing that the semi-final ties will be played as a double header at Bolton Wanderers Macron Stadium on Sunday August 5;
“We believe that this unique event will offer another opportunity for the sport to showcase itself to a wider audience of event goers and casual sports fans.” Blathered RFL interim Chief Executive Ralph Rimmer;
“Rugby League prides itself on being innovative and trying new concepts.” He adds, remembering the sports other recent gems such as Club Call, franchising, eight-team play-off systems and allowing James Child to check the video for a possible obstruction.
Catalans Dragons will be the first team competing in the big show at Bolton as they see off Huddersfield Giants in the first quarter-final on Thursday. The game is one of the most turgid anyone can remember since any number of clashes between the bottom 14 teams in football’s Premier League, but the cow-bell soundtrack just about keeps most viewers awake as Steve McNamara’s side run out 20-6 winners.
Thursday transfer news sees Castleford Tigers address the fullback problem they have had since Zak Hardaker’s drug test last October by signing Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e from Halifax until the end of the season;
“Q understands that this is a six month deal but sees it as a huge opportunity to test himself at Super League level and contribute to the Tigers 2018 campaign” says Tigers Director Of Rugby and Sky’s only sane analyst Jon Wells. Neither M, 007 nor Miss Moneypenny were available for comment.
Friday night sees Leeds Rhinos join Catalans in the last four of the Challenge Cup with a 52-22 win over Leigh Centurions at Featherstone. The match was switched from Headingley to allow England’s cricketers to go about the business of redeeming themselves for their abysmal performance in the first test against Pakistan. Leigh start well and score first, but are written off when Peter Mata’utia body-slams Matt Parcell to the ground and is shown the yellow card by referee Chris Kendall;
“Peter has been fantastic for us all season and he hasn’t got a nasty bone in him.” Reckons Centurions boss Keiron Purtill, who also sees former Saint Matty Dawson-Jones dismissed late on for saying something not very nice at all to the referee;
All sorts of fun at Wigan’s expense on Saturday as they crash out of the Challenge Cup at Warrington. Not only are Shaun Wane’s side beaten, but they fail to register a single point and go down 23-0 to Steve Price’s Wolves outfit;
“We got beaten in every facet of rugby league. That’s not like a Wigan team I coach and I’m really disappointed, especially with the importance of the game. They wanted it more, they were by far the better team. We weren’t at the races.” Says Wane.
Turns out there might have been a reason for Wigan minds to be elsewhere as it is revealed on Saturday night via the dubious medium of Twitter that Joel and Sam Tomkins have been Albert Kelly-ing all over their home town. A video hits social media showing Joel offering female staff at a Wigan bar the benefit of his wisdom while also failing demonstrably to keep his hands to himself.
By Sunday Joel is facing a four-week suspension from the club, a £10,000 fine and the promise of some very serious chatter about his future at the club. Sam is fined £5,000 for what appears to amount to standing around and looking embarrassed and not doing very much, which if that were the criteria would have seen him fined every Friday night since about 2013.
On the field Saints complete the semi-final line-up with an excruciating 25-22 home win over Hull FC which you can read more on here.
My rather skewed week ends on Monday’s for this column, so this week culminates with Manu Vatuvei being released from Salford Red Devils just in time before anyone notices that he was ever there;
“Unfortunately, the injury Manu sustained in pre-season meant that he would be out for the full season.” Explains Red Devils Director Of Rugby Ian Blease;
“We had hoped that Manu would have played a significant part in our 2018 campaign however we now feel that it is best for both parties for Manu to return home.” He adds, after the former New Zealand international having mustered just the eight appearances since arriving last July thanks to an Achilles tendon injury before the start of their 2018 opener.
5 Talking Points From Saints 25 Hull FC 22
Hull’s Discipline Beats Them
You need 13 men for a rugby league team. Occasionally, you can win with less. In my mind’s eye I can immediately recall one such glorious occasion in 1997 when a Bobbie Goulding-less Saints clubbed Wigan in a Challenge Cup fourth round tie at Knowsley Road on the way to a second consecutive Wembley triumph. Goulding had been swiftly removed from the action for a spectacular assault on the head of Neil Cowie. Had the Facebook groups been around then they would probably have declared it a penalty and nothing more because the game is going soft and there’s no spectacle if we can’t kill each other and why do we have a referee anyway? But in reality Goulding’s leap and swinging arm was reckless and violent, which is probably exactly why it appealed to my 21-year-old self. He had to go.
And so too did the three Hull FC players who departed this one, albeit temporarily, at various stages. At one point FC tried to better their own Gold Standard of indiscipline, their nine-man exploits at Featherstone Rovers in the last round. Yet the black and whites never quite managed to go down to fewer than 11. While both Danny Houghton and Danny Washbrook were off the field Saints scored two tries, which maths geniuses everywhere will need no help in concluding might well have been the difference in this narrow victory for Justin Holbrook’s side.
Decisions Were Right, But Do The Punishments Fit?
All of the decisions from referee Ben Thaler were correct. How Houghton has escaped further punishment from the disciplinary panel for his headlock/crusher combo on Danny Richardson defies belief. Houghton was like that annoying friend you had at school who thought it was ‘affectionate’ to greet you with an exuberant grapple around your neck. You'd smile and play along while secretly wishing there could be no consequences for removing his eyeballs with your compass. For an encore, Houghton swung Richardson around by the head. The Hull man's weight and that of one or two of his team-mates who had come to assist in the tackle fell down on top of the Saints halfback’s shoulders and neck as he went to ground. A sin-binning was deemed sufficient. In the context of the one-match ban handed out to Kyle Amor for dangerous contact on Oliver Holmes at Castleford things seem a little fuzzy on what does and does not constitute dangerous contact. This is what the match review panel had to say about Houghton’s tackle;
“As opponent goes to ground player maintains grip around neck/head area. Other defenders then join the tackle and apply weight to the tackle.”
So we are clear then. It is ok to grip around the neck or head area. Well not ok. You might get sin-binned but you won’t be facing a ban. This lot don’t take any shit, do they?
Moments later Washbrook decided to engage in what is known colloquially (on these pages at least) as shithousing. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook was attempting to get up and play the ball when Washbrook needlessly stuck his knee into the head of the former London Bronco. The MRP’s verdict was that it was a ‘petulant act with low level of force’ which is true, but again the message is clearly that it’s something that our game is prepared to tolerate.
Later Masi Matongo charged into the back of Jonny Lomax several days after the Saints stand-off had passed the ball but again sin-binning sufficient according to the MRP. Their commitment to protecting the players knows no bounds as they cave to the demands of those who want to ‘Bring Back The Biff’.
Well this Biff ain’t having it.
Catalans Is The Best Draw, But Not A Gimme
The cheer from the fans still inside the ground could be heard from the cereal aisle at Tesco when Saints were paired with Catalans Dragons in the semi-final draw. The last four ties will be held at Bolton Wanderers Macron Stadium after the RFL decided that the newly-built Rectum Of Wigan was too big a venue for your average semi-final crowd. With Warrington and Leeds the other remaining sides heading to Bolton for the final four double-header on August 5 the French side are, despite a recent revival, looking like the weakest team left in the competition. Leeds are pushing them hard for that honour right now, and in fact Steve McNamara's side defeated that of his old Bradford team-mate Brian McDermott with some ease when the team's met in the league in Perpignan last week. Yet the semi-final date is almost nine weeks away. By then injuries should have healed and we will be coming to the time of year when someone taps the Leeds players on the shoulder and reminds them that the playoffs will be starting soon.
The reasons to avoid Warrington are obvious. Their 23-0 pasting of Wigan was a joy, provided to us almost from the moment when in the third minute referee Robert Hicks told pie skipper Sean O'Loughlin to cut out the nonsense. With no plan-B, poor old crisis club Wigan, in disarray as star players and coaches depart while others drag the club's name through the mud, had little answer to a highly efficient display from Steve Price's side. Even Tyrone Roberts wasn't terrible.
But having said all that the tie with the Dragons is not the gimme that those cheers from within the bowels of the stadium might indicate. The Dragons have rallied from their woeful start to the campaign and their victory over Huddersfield in the quarter-final was their fourth win in their last five in all competitions since being whacked 41-0 by Castleford in mid-April. This is a Saints team that can be unplayable on it's day but which has lost to Wakefield this season already as well as at home to that hitherto underwhelming Leeds Rhinos side. Don't book your Wembley tickets just yet.
Is Sunday A Better Day For Rugby?
I must confess I wasn't at the game on Sunday. Everything I've rattled on about so far has been gleaned from re-watching the game late on Sunday afternoon after I was suddenly laid low by stomach cramps and the kind of diarrhoea that it would take Shaun Wane a month to verbalise. I watched the game as live, without knowing the result and without even succumbing to the temptation to mute Jonathan Davies or fast-forward Robbie Hunter-Paul's on-field intrusions which are becoming ever more needless and cringe worthy. This once great star of our game now resembles an uninvited guest in it, like a stage-botherer at Eurovision.
I mention all of this because I was particularly looking forward to being at a Sunday game. A glorious, sunny day, time for a few beverages and some food while taking in the varied treats on offer at the Westfield Street 'Westfest' Music Festival. It all seemed ideal. Of course you won't get bands doing ropey covers of Stereophonics songs in Bar Java every week but isn't it worth experimenting with a few Sunday games in the summer months? There'll be no World Cup to go up against in 2019 so the desire to avoid clashing with football which appeared to drive the original switch to Friday nights won't apply.
I have got used to going on Friday nights and there will be those for whom Sundays now represent other things and won't welcome another change. But there's no denying that everything feels rushed on Fridays. You get home from work, throw your tea down quicker than Tony Clubb devouring his pie and pea-wet, and then it's almost time for kick-off. Kick-offs that get earlier and earlier as the game is extended by video replays and the new craze sweeping rugby league, simulation. If the game is going to be that slow let's just make a day of it.
Finishing With A Moan
This season has been a mostly positive one so far. We're top of the league and one game from Wembley. There have been no terrible tactics to analyse, not too many losses to lament, and hopes are still high on three fronts trophy-wise. Christ, even LMS has been playing like Shane Webcke. Yet today Saints announced their ticketing arrangements for that semi-final double header. Once again, in 2018, I am unable to purchase tickets from the club and have instead been directed to the RFL. This will likely mean that I will not be placed among the rest of the Saints support, as if my wheelchair makes me some kind of outsider, not really part of the travelling army. I'm Donnie in The Big Lebowski, there but really not there. Tolerated but not welcomed. Shut the fuck up, Donnie.
The communication from the club has got better. In 2015 I was unaware of this policy and was turned away from Langtree Park as I tried to buy tickets for our semi-final with Leeds at Warrington. But just because you tell someone they have a shit sandwich it does not improve the quality of the shit sandwich. I am plainly being denied one of the benefits of my season ticket, what the club likes to pretentiously refer to as my membership. I want to be in that number and I can't be, despite the fact that 20% of Saints average attendance read this whiney old column. Saints will perhaps with some justification point the finger at the RFL but Saints, along with all of the other clubs, appear to be doing the sum total of bugger all to challenge the rules around accessible seating at neutral grounds.
I tweeted about this earlier today and was royally ignored. Nobody wants to criticise the club and this paragraph would have been no doubt deemed unsuitable on certain other Saints-based sites I have written for. So forgive me for abusing the power given to me by my decision to write for myself. The fact is that this exclusivity is just not right and somebody has to be at least seen to be shouting about it.
You need 13 men for a rugby league team. Occasionally, you can win with less. In my mind’s eye I can immediately recall one such glorious occasion in 1997 when a Bobbie Goulding-less Saints clubbed Wigan in a Challenge Cup fourth round tie at Knowsley Road on the way to a second consecutive Wembley triumph. Goulding had been swiftly removed from the action for a spectacular assault on the head of Neil Cowie. Had the Facebook groups been around then they would probably have declared it a penalty and nothing more because the game is going soft and there’s no spectacle if we can’t kill each other and why do we have a referee anyway? But in reality Goulding’s leap and swinging arm was reckless and violent, which is probably exactly why it appealed to my 21-year-old self. He had to go.
And so too did the three Hull FC players who departed this one, albeit temporarily, at various stages. At one point FC tried to better their own Gold Standard of indiscipline, their nine-man exploits at Featherstone Rovers in the last round. Yet the black and whites never quite managed to go down to fewer than 11. While both Danny Houghton and Danny Washbrook were off the field Saints scored two tries, which maths geniuses everywhere will need no help in concluding might well have been the difference in this narrow victory for Justin Holbrook’s side.
Decisions Were Right, But Do The Punishments Fit?
All of the decisions from referee Ben Thaler were correct. How Houghton has escaped further punishment from the disciplinary panel for his headlock/crusher combo on Danny Richardson defies belief. Houghton was like that annoying friend you had at school who thought it was ‘affectionate’ to greet you with an exuberant grapple around your neck. You'd smile and play along while secretly wishing there could be no consequences for removing his eyeballs with your compass. For an encore, Houghton swung Richardson around by the head. The Hull man's weight and that of one or two of his team-mates who had come to assist in the tackle fell down on top of the Saints halfback’s shoulders and neck as he went to ground. A sin-binning was deemed sufficient. In the context of the one-match ban handed out to Kyle Amor for dangerous contact on Oliver Holmes at Castleford things seem a little fuzzy on what does and does not constitute dangerous contact. This is what the match review panel had to say about Houghton’s tackle;
“As opponent goes to ground player maintains grip around neck/head area. Other defenders then join the tackle and apply weight to the tackle.”
So we are clear then. It is ok to grip around the neck or head area. Well not ok. You might get sin-binned but you won’t be facing a ban. This lot don’t take any shit, do they?
Moments later Washbrook decided to engage in what is known colloquially (on these pages at least) as shithousing. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook was attempting to get up and play the ball when Washbrook needlessly stuck his knee into the head of the former London Bronco. The MRP’s verdict was that it was a ‘petulant act with low level of force’ which is true, but again the message is clearly that it’s something that our game is prepared to tolerate.
Later Masi Matongo charged into the back of Jonny Lomax several days after the Saints stand-off had passed the ball but again sin-binning sufficient according to the MRP. Their commitment to protecting the players knows no bounds as they cave to the demands of those who want to ‘Bring Back The Biff’.
Well this Biff ain’t having it.
Catalans Is The Best Draw, But Not A Gimme
The cheer from the fans still inside the ground could be heard from the cereal aisle at Tesco when Saints were paired with Catalans Dragons in the semi-final draw. The last four ties will be held at Bolton Wanderers Macron Stadium after the RFL decided that the newly-built Rectum Of Wigan was too big a venue for your average semi-final crowd. With Warrington and Leeds the other remaining sides heading to Bolton for the final four double-header on August 5 the French side are, despite a recent revival, looking like the weakest team left in the competition. Leeds are pushing them hard for that honour right now, and in fact Steve McNamara's side defeated that of his old Bradford team-mate Brian McDermott with some ease when the team's met in the league in Perpignan last week. Yet the semi-final date is almost nine weeks away. By then injuries should have healed and we will be coming to the time of year when someone taps the Leeds players on the shoulder and reminds them that the playoffs will be starting soon.
The reasons to avoid Warrington are obvious. Their 23-0 pasting of Wigan was a joy, provided to us almost from the moment when in the third minute referee Robert Hicks told pie skipper Sean O'Loughlin to cut out the nonsense. With no plan-B, poor old crisis club Wigan, in disarray as star players and coaches depart while others drag the club's name through the mud, had little answer to a highly efficient display from Steve Price's side. Even Tyrone Roberts wasn't terrible.
But having said all that the tie with the Dragons is not the gimme that those cheers from within the bowels of the stadium might indicate. The Dragons have rallied from their woeful start to the campaign and their victory over Huddersfield in the quarter-final was their fourth win in their last five in all competitions since being whacked 41-0 by Castleford in mid-April. This is a Saints team that can be unplayable on it's day but which has lost to Wakefield this season already as well as at home to that hitherto underwhelming Leeds Rhinos side. Don't book your Wembley tickets just yet.
Is Sunday A Better Day For Rugby?
I must confess I wasn't at the game on Sunday. Everything I've rattled on about so far has been gleaned from re-watching the game late on Sunday afternoon after I was suddenly laid low by stomach cramps and the kind of diarrhoea that it would take Shaun Wane a month to verbalise. I watched the game as live, without knowing the result and without even succumbing to the temptation to mute Jonathan Davies or fast-forward Robbie Hunter-Paul's on-field intrusions which are becoming ever more needless and cringe worthy. This once great star of our game now resembles an uninvited guest in it, like a stage-botherer at Eurovision.
I mention all of this because I was particularly looking forward to being at a Sunday game. A glorious, sunny day, time for a few beverages and some food while taking in the varied treats on offer at the Westfield Street 'Westfest' Music Festival. It all seemed ideal. Of course you won't get bands doing ropey covers of Stereophonics songs in Bar Java every week but isn't it worth experimenting with a few Sunday games in the summer months? There'll be no World Cup to go up against in 2019 so the desire to avoid clashing with football which appeared to drive the original switch to Friday nights won't apply.
I have got used to going on Friday nights and there will be those for whom Sundays now represent other things and won't welcome another change. But there's no denying that everything feels rushed on Fridays. You get home from work, throw your tea down quicker than Tony Clubb devouring his pie and pea-wet, and then it's almost time for kick-off. Kick-offs that get earlier and earlier as the game is extended by video replays and the new craze sweeping rugby league, simulation. If the game is going to be that slow let's just make a day of it.
Finishing With A Moan
This season has been a mostly positive one so far. We're top of the league and one game from Wembley. There have been no terrible tactics to analyse, not too many losses to lament, and hopes are still high on three fronts trophy-wise. Christ, even LMS has been playing like Shane Webcke. Yet today Saints announced their ticketing arrangements for that semi-final double header. Once again, in 2018, I am unable to purchase tickets from the club and have instead been directed to the RFL. This will likely mean that I will not be placed among the rest of the Saints support, as if my wheelchair makes me some kind of outsider, not really part of the travelling army. I'm Donnie in The Big Lebowski, there but really not there. Tolerated but not welcomed. Shut the fuck up, Donnie.
The communication from the club has got better. In 2015 I was unaware of this policy and was turned away from Langtree Park as I tried to buy tickets for our semi-final with Leeds at Warrington. But just because you tell someone they have a shit sandwich it does not improve the quality of the shit sandwich. I am plainly being denied one of the benefits of my season ticket, what the club likes to pretentiously refer to as my membership. I want to be in that number and I can't be, despite the fact that 20% of Saints average attendance read this whiney old column. Saints will perhaps with some justification point the finger at the RFL but Saints, along with all of the other clubs, appear to be doing the sum total of bugger all to challenge the rules around accessible seating at neutral grounds.
I tweeted about this earlier today and was royally ignored. Nobody wants to criticise the club and this paragraph would have been no doubt deemed unsuitable on certain other Saints-based sites I have written for. So forgive me for abusing the power given to me by my decision to write for myself. The fact is that this exclusivity is just not right and somebody has to be at least seen to be shouting about it.
Saints v Hull FC - Preview
A decade-long quest to return to Wembley shifts back into focus this weekend as Saints host Hull FC in a Ladbrokes Challenge Cup Quarter-Final tie on Sunday (June 3, kick-off 3.30pm).
It seems strange to contemplate that a club as big and with as rich a history as Saints have not been back to the Challenge Cup dance since Shannon Matthews was hidden at her uncle’s house, dishevelled mumbling toff Boris Johnson became London Mayor and some bloke named Orford won the Dally M awarded to the NRL’s best player. Yet this year there is a real feeling, with Saints standing insolently atop the BetFred Super League, that this could be the year that the red vee finally end their 10 years of Wembley hurt.
The prize for reaching the semi-finals is perhaps that bit bigger this time around, with the RFL announcing on Thursday that the last four ties will be played as a double-header at Bolton Wanderers Macron Stadium. Amid the groans from Leeds and Huddersfield (who need not have concerned themselves as it turned out) most fans agreed that this was a great way to try and boost the attendances for the cup semi-finals, which had been slightly underwhelming in recent years as a certain broadcaster ramped up its campaign to convince us that only Super League exists. With the clubs still demanding extra money from season ticket holders for these matches the public were starting to come around to that way of thinking. The double header idea may or may not help, but the RFL had to try something and should be applauded for taking what looks like positive action.
Back to the business in hand and Saints coach Justin Holbrook names an unchanged squad from that which travelled to Castleford and won 40-18 against the Tigers last week. One-man assault on the division Ben Barba has been passed fit after much breath-holding following his early exit from the win at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle, while Tommy Makinson is also included after missing out on the final 17 last week with an arm injury. His inclusion in place of Adam Swift looks just about the only likely change to the 17, with Matty Smith looking likeliest to miss out alongside Swift amid rumours of a switch to rudderless, coachless, pointless Widnes for the former Wigan, Salford, Crusaders and er....Widnes scrum half.
Makinson’s inclusion would see him partner Ryan Morgan on the right edge for Saints, with Mark Percival and Regan Grace on the opposite flank. Jonny Lomax was imperious at Castleford and is about as nailed on to start at stand-off as any player could be. Danny Richardson will continue at scrum half with one eye on an opening developing in the England senior squad for the test match against New Zealand in three weeks time. The Tigers’ Luke Gale and Hull’s Marc Sneyd remain injured, and cover is required should either of George Williams or Gareth Widdop go lame.
Saints pack is dominated by Luke Thompson, whose efforts each week make it look like there isn’t an Alex Walmlsey-sized hole in the front row. Kyle Amor returned to the side to great effect last week and will feature again, with Luke Douglas and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook completing the prop corps around the brilliant, superlative-proof James Roby at hooker. Dom Peyroux and Zeb Taia wreak a mixture of havoc and slapstick in the second row ahead of the recently head-banded, coffee-shifting former skipper Jon Wilkin. No doubt he will again be pilloried if he dares talk to his friends from the BBC again post-match, win or lose.
Saints bench will be completed by Theo Fages, who scored two tries in the win at Castleford and is fast becoming one of the most valuable utility players in world rugby, and Wilkin’s heir apparent Morgan Knowles for whom it is surely just a matter of when and not if he takes over the starting loose forward role from the gong-collecting veteran.
FC come into this one with a slightly stronger squad than expected, or that most of you reading this will really be comfortable with. Albert Kelly is the name that leaps off the squad list and gubs you around the chops. The former Hull KR man has spent the last few weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury but could return sooner than expected to boost the black and whites hopes. Bureta Fairamo returns from suspension while Carlos Tuimavave and England prop Scott Taylor are also included in coach Lee Radford’s 19-man selection after missing last week’s 30-12 defeat to Warrington. Josh Griffin and Fetuli Talanoa are still missing along with Sneyd, Jordan Abdull and Josh Bowden but this will be a far more experienced side than the one which built up a 12-0 lead against the Wolves before falling in a big, dirty second half heap.
Holbrook isn’t the type of bloke to rattle on about the past or notions of revenge, but it is worth remembering that nine of the 19 he has chosen for duty in this one were involved in the chastening 47-18 larruping that Saints received from the Airlie Birds the last time these two met in the Challenge Cup in St Helens in 2016. It was a humiliating day for the home side with many calling for the removal of then coach Keiron Cunningham which they ended up waiting a further 11 months for before the arrival of Holbrook. Hull went on to reach Wembley in 2016, winning their for the first time in their history before repeating the trick in 2017 to complete back-to-back successes. FC have not lost a Challenge Cup tie since they went down 24-6 to Leeds Rhinos at the Quarter Final stage in June 2015.
The odds are that, despite the prospect of a welcome return for several of their star men, Hull will not win this one. Saints have been flying of late, putting Castleford to the sword with a display of flowing rugby which reduced Daryl Powell’s bleating about referees to the mumblings of a confused man who doesn’t quite know the solution to his problems. A kind of orange and black Boris Johnson, if you will. Meanwhile Hull have been stumbling along since long before their injury list became unmanageable and face a real fight to get into the Super League’s final four ahead of the likes of the Tigers and Rhinos. Will they switch their focus to that and be slightly off in this one, or will they still consider the cup to be their best hope of silverware in 2018 and let the prospect of a third straight Wembley triumph inspire them?
While I haven’t booked my tickets for Bolton just yet, I’m taking Saints to win this one by around 14.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Ryan Morgan, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Adam Swift, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Matty Smith, 9. James Roby, 10. Kyle Amor, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 14. Luke Douglas, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Luke Thompson, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18. Danny Richardson, 19. Regan Grace, 23. Ben Barba
Hull FC;
1. Jamie Shaul, 2. Bureta Faraimo, 3. Carlos Tuimavave, 6. Albert Kelly 8. Scott Taylor, 9. Danny Houghton, 11. Dean Hadley, 12. Mark Minichiello, 14. Jake Connor, 15. Chris Green, 17. Danny Washbrook, 20. Brad Fash, 21. Sika Manu, 23. Mickey Paea, 24. Jack Logan, 28. Hakim Miloudi, 29. Masimbaashe Matongo, 30. Cameron Scott, 33. Joe Westerman.
Referee: Ben Thaler
It seems strange to contemplate that a club as big and with as rich a history as Saints have not been back to the Challenge Cup dance since Shannon Matthews was hidden at her uncle’s house, dishevelled mumbling toff Boris Johnson became London Mayor and some bloke named Orford won the Dally M awarded to the NRL’s best player. Yet this year there is a real feeling, with Saints standing insolently atop the BetFred Super League, that this could be the year that the red vee finally end their 10 years of Wembley hurt.
The prize for reaching the semi-finals is perhaps that bit bigger this time around, with the RFL announcing on Thursday that the last four ties will be played as a double-header at Bolton Wanderers Macron Stadium. Amid the groans from Leeds and Huddersfield (who need not have concerned themselves as it turned out) most fans agreed that this was a great way to try and boost the attendances for the cup semi-finals, which had been slightly underwhelming in recent years as a certain broadcaster ramped up its campaign to convince us that only Super League exists. With the clubs still demanding extra money from season ticket holders for these matches the public were starting to come around to that way of thinking. The double header idea may or may not help, but the RFL had to try something and should be applauded for taking what looks like positive action.
Back to the business in hand and Saints coach Justin Holbrook names an unchanged squad from that which travelled to Castleford and won 40-18 against the Tigers last week. One-man assault on the division Ben Barba has been passed fit after much breath-holding following his early exit from the win at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle, while Tommy Makinson is also included after missing out on the final 17 last week with an arm injury. His inclusion in place of Adam Swift looks just about the only likely change to the 17, with Matty Smith looking likeliest to miss out alongside Swift amid rumours of a switch to rudderless, coachless, pointless Widnes for the former Wigan, Salford, Crusaders and er....Widnes scrum half.
Makinson’s inclusion would see him partner Ryan Morgan on the right edge for Saints, with Mark Percival and Regan Grace on the opposite flank. Jonny Lomax was imperious at Castleford and is about as nailed on to start at stand-off as any player could be. Danny Richardson will continue at scrum half with one eye on an opening developing in the England senior squad for the test match against New Zealand in three weeks time. The Tigers’ Luke Gale and Hull’s Marc Sneyd remain injured, and cover is required should either of George Williams or Gareth Widdop go lame.
Saints pack is dominated by Luke Thompson, whose efforts each week make it look like there isn’t an Alex Walmlsey-sized hole in the front row. Kyle Amor returned to the side to great effect last week and will feature again, with Luke Douglas and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook completing the prop corps around the brilliant, superlative-proof James Roby at hooker. Dom Peyroux and Zeb Taia wreak a mixture of havoc and slapstick in the second row ahead of the recently head-banded, coffee-shifting former skipper Jon Wilkin. No doubt he will again be pilloried if he dares talk to his friends from the BBC again post-match, win or lose.
Saints bench will be completed by Theo Fages, who scored two tries in the win at Castleford and is fast becoming one of the most valuable utility players in world rugby, and Wilkin’s heir apparent Morgan Knowles for whom it is surely just a matter of when and not if he takes over the starting loose forward role from the gong-collecting veteran.
FC come into this one with a slightly stronger squad than expected, or that most of you reading this will really be comfortable with. Albert Kelly is the name that leaps off the squad list and gubs you around the chops. The former Hull KR man has spent the last few weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury but could return sooner than expected to boost the black and whites hopes. Bureta Fairamo returns from suspension while Carlos Tuimavave and England prop Scott Taylor are also included in coach Lee Radford’s 19-man selection after missing last week’s 30-12 defeat to Warrington. Josh Griffin and Fetuli Talanoa are still missing along with Sneyd, Jordan Abdull and Josh Bowden but this will be a far more experienced side than the one which built up a 12-0 lead against the Wolves before falling in a big, dirty second half heap.
Holbrook isn’t the type of bloke to rattle on about the past or notions of revenge, but it is worth remembering that nine of the 19 he has chosen for duty in this one were involved in the chastening 47-18 larruping that Saints received from the Airlie Birds the last time these two met in the Challenge Cup in St Helens in 2016. It was a humiliating day for the home side with many calling for the removal of then coach Keiron Cunningham which they ended up waiting a further 11 months for before the arrival of Holbrook. Hull went on to reach Wembley in 2016, winning their for the first time in their history before repeating the trick in 2017 to complete back-to-back successes. FC have not lost a Challenge Cup tie since they went down 24-6 to Leeds Rhinos at the Quarter Final stage in June 2015.
The odds are that, despite the prospect of a welcome return for several of their star men, Hull will not win this one. Saints have been flying of late, putting Castleford to the sword with a display of flowing rugby which reduced Daryl Powell’s bleating about referees to the mumblings of a confused man who doesn’t quite know the solution to his problems. A kind of orange and black Boris Johnson, if you will. Meanwhile Hull have been stumbling along since long before their injury list became unmanageable and face a real fight to get into the Super League’s final four ahead of the likes of the Tigers and Rhinos. Will they switch their focus to that and be slightly off in this one, or will they still consider the cup to be their best hope of silverware in 2018 and let the prospect of a third straight Wembley triumph inspire them?
While I haven’t booked my tickets for Bolton just yet, I’m taking Saints to win this one by around 14.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Ryan Morgan, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Adam Swift, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Matty Smith, 9. James Roby, 10. Kyle Amor, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 14. Luke Douglas, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Luke Thompson, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18. Danny Richardson, 19. Regan Grace, 23. Ben Barba
Hull FC;
1. Jamie Shaul, 2. Bureta Faraimo, 3. Carlos Tuimavave, 6. Albert Kelly 8. Scott Taylor, 9. Danny Houghton, 11. Dean Hadley, 12. Mark Minichiello, 14. Jake Connor, 15. Chris Green, 17. Danny Washbrook, 20. Brad Fash, 21. Sika Manu, 23. Mickey Paea, 24. Jack Logan, 28. Hakim Miloudi, 29. Masimbaashe Matongo, 30. Cameron Scott, 33. Joe Westerman.
Referee: Ben Thaler
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)