Salford Red Devils v Saints - Preview

It’s far too early to be looking at league tables, right? Not if you want to shamelessly over-egg the importance of Saints visit to Salford it isn’t. The two meet on Thursday night (February 28, kick-off 7.45pm) in a BetFred Super League Round Four clash at the AJ Bell Stadium with the home side sitting pretty in fourth, just one place behind your Saints in third in the embryonic Super League table.

Salford’s lofty position is about as likely to last as the Independent Group, and is at least in part down to the fact that they have played a game more than most other sides. Yet three wins out of four represents a more than decent start for Ian Watson’s side. Many, including this foolish keyboard masher, predicted a relegation struggle for a Red Devils side which struggles to attract fans and to keep star players.



Saints coach Justin Holbrook has made two changes to his 19-man squad this week. One is enforced, Kevin Naiqama having failed a concussion test after exiting the win over Leeds Rhinos in just the second minute last week. He is out for a mandatory seven days and so does not make this one. Also out is Danny Richardson, likely to feature again for Leigh Centurions after being left out of Holbrook’s initial 19 for the first time this season. The pair are replaced by Matty Costello and Jack Ashworth, neither of whom have featured in the Saints first team so far this term.

Costello has already been earmarked by Holbrook to start at centre in place of Naiqama. A groin injury to Adam Swift has taken the option of moving Tommy Makinson inside to centre and bringing Swift in on the wing off the table. There were calls for James Bentley to replace Naiqama after he impressed in the position for the Centurions in their narrow defeat to Toronto Wolfpack at the weekend. Yet if we are ever going to find out if Costello is going to cut it as a centre at Saints then now is surely the time to throw him in and see if he sinks or swims. He has let nobody down without totally convincing in his previous first team appearances and needs to start making the most of his opportunities.

The rest of the three-quarter-line picks itself with Makinson and Regan Grace on the wings and Mark Percival partnering Costello in the centres ahead of fullback Lachlan Coote. Richardson’s non-selection is a show of faith in Theo Fages who has performed adequately in the role since surprisingly snatching it from the 2018 Dream Team half at the start of the season. Yet even the Frenchman hasn’t convinced with ball in hand, and it is perhaps his greater defensive solidity which really gives him the edge over Richardson at present. Jonny Lomax had an up and down night against the Rhinos, always busy but perhaps lacking his usual ruthlessness. He will start at stand-off alongside Fages as the two continue to try to develop their partnership.

Saints front row is world class. Alex Walmsley took over the Leeds game just after half-time, plonking down two tries in less than five minutes to turn the game on its head. Alongside him Luke Thompson showed that he is not just a battering ram as he dummied and shimmied his way over for a crucial try also. In between those two James Roby earned another couple of Steve Prescott Man Of Steel points for his performance against Leeds, and yet you’d say it was only an average display by his incomparable standards. Holbrook’s only dilemma with this trio is how many of them should be on the field at the same time. Saints have looked a little more suspect when one of Walmsley or Thompson leaves the field and with Fages now settled in the seven role and Aaron Smith injured there is not currently a realistic contender for the role of spelling Roby at hooker.

Louie-McCarthy-Scarsbrook will be glad to get out of the centres having probably spent the last few nights dreaming of Konrad Hurrell hurtling towards him. The Londoner will instead compete for a place in the prop rotation with Walmsley, Thompson, Kyle Amor, Matty Lees and Ashworth. There is no place for Luke Douglas, despite calls from fans for the Scotland international to be included. Douglas has been outstanding for Leigh in his month-long loan spell and on dual registration, but it should be remembered that he is playing against a lower level of competition there. If there is to be a change in the pack it is likely to be Amor that misses out, that despite an encouraging performance against Leeds which was unceremoniously cut short by Holbrook only 17 minutes after having introduced the Cumbrian to the action.

The back row could include Bentley, but more likely we will see the much criticised Zeb Taia partnering Dominique Peyroux with Morgan Knowles at 13. Criticism of Taia is absurd given that he made 150 metres against Leeds and is consistently Saints most dangerous forward in attack. His languid style convinces some fans that he isn’t trying but we can’t all be McCarthy-Scarsbrook. I know which one of those two I would rather have playing for my life. Particularly if it involved tackling Konrad Hurrell. Peyroux has looked off the pace at times so far this season and could yet be replaced by Joseph Paulo who has impressed in defence without really contributing a running game comparable to that of Peyroux. Knowles is becoming a model of consistency, often outdoing even Roby in the tackling department. If he could learn to pass the ball to someone other than the next man in the line then all the talk of him in the same breath as Sean O’Loughlin might one day become a bit more sensible.

Salford come into this one on the back of a thrilling comeback win at Hull KR. Down 22-8 at one point the AJ Bell Stadium oufit scored 16 unanswered points to complete a 24-22 win. It means that their only loss so far this season is the disappointing 46-14 hammering they took at home to Leeds Rhinos last weekend when Saints were forced to put their feet up and rest as the World Club Challenge took centre stage. A win in this one against the as yet unbeaten Saints would be a real statement that this Salford side can mix it with the very best. Frankly, it’s unlikely.



The Salford line-up is full of talent but it is the consistency that they have lacked in the past that has kept them from competing and which threatens to again this year. Niall Evalds has been superb at fullback thus far while in Ken Sio they have captured an exciting and experienced player who can fit in anywhere along the three-quarter line. Junior S’au is a bulldozer of a centre with NRL experience but the real heart of the Salford side is in midfield where the brilliant Jackson Hastings plots and probes from halfback alongside the bruising but explosive Robert Lui. Yet there is a mistake in the latter, something which no doubt Saints will look to capitalise on by putting him under significant pressure whenever he receives the ball.

Up front former Saints man Josh Jones has been in great form in the second row while in George Griffin, Joey Lussick, Lee Mossop, Logan Tomkins and Tyrone McCarthy there is plenty of Super League experience to draw on. Mark Flanagan is another former Saint who is as hard working and reliable player as there has been in recent seasons even if he is not exactly spectacular with ball in hand. Greg Burke and Gil Dudson have bounced around Super League in recent years and are perhaps less formidable. They will need to step up if the Red Devils are to compete with a fearsome Saints pack which, even if one or two of its stars suffers an off day, always has someone else coming at you at 1000 miles per hour. Super League games are often won in the forwards, a fact which should make Saints a strong favourite even away from home. In addition, Salford have not put together a consistent 80 minutes in their last two matches which will be a worry for Watson. He will know full well that his side will need to be operating at full tilt for the entirety of the game if they are going to have any chance of causing a shock and knocking off the Saints. Barring any disasters, I’m going for Saints by a comfortable enough 12-14 points.

Squads;

Salford Red Devils;

NiallEvalds, Kris Welham, Junior Sa'u, Bibby, Robert Lui, Gil Dudson, Josh Jones, George Griffin, Mark Flanagan, Joey Lussick, Greg Burke, Tyrone McCarthy, Ben Nakubuwai, Logan Tomkins, Daniel Murray, Derrell Olpherts, Ken Sio, Jansen Turgut, Jackson Hastings.

St Helens;

1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 19. Matty Lees, 20. Jack Ashworth, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote, 24. Matty Costello.

Referee: Ben Thaler

5 Talking Points From Saints 27 Leeds Rhinos 22

Saints Caught Short At Centre



The problems started early in this squeaky-bum 27-22 win over Leeds Rhinos. Less than 90 seconds had gone by when new recruit Kevin Naiqama was struck by some friendly fire from Luke Thompson while assisting the England prop in the tackle. Naiqama was down with play held up for several minutes before he was escorted from the field never to return. Swelling around the Fijian’s eye suggested perhaps some vision problems but he also failed a concussion test.

A lack of vision was not just a problem for Naiqama. Saints coach Justin Holbrook had clearly reckoned without the possibility of an injury to one of his starting centres when he allowed first Ryan Morgan to go on loan to London Broncos and then Matty Costello to be selected by Leigh Centurions this week on dual registration. Even the most ardent supporters of Louie McCarthy- Scarsbrook must have felt their hearts sink when the former Bronco was the man spotted warming up to replace Naiqama. Echoes of Salford away a couple of years ago when Keiron Cunningham was rightly pummelled In this column for foisting McCarthy-Scarsbrook upon our three-quarter line. Now here was Holbrook committing the same sin. It was either that or move Dominique Peyroux to the centres from the second row. Advocates of this idea have clearly forgotten how Peyroux struggled in the role when he first joined Saints. Holbrook was stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place but in letting both Morgan and Costello play elsewhere had made his own bed.

A Half Of Two Halves

The enforced change didn’t seem to affect Saints early on as they raced into a 10-0 lead with tries from Theo Fages and Jonny Lomax. There was a touch of fortune about both. Fages could easily have been penalised for a double movement after he’d picked up a loose ball deep in Leeds territory and slid over. The video evidence seemed to show that Fages had not grounded the ball initially and only did so after a second movement with the arm. Crucially, referee Robert Hicks had sent the call up as a try leaving it arguable that there was insufficient evidence to change that decision. Soon after, Mark Percival’s desperate attempt to make up for his failure to find Lomax for what would have been a walk in was batted towards his own in-goal by a Leeds defender and the ball fell kindly for Lomax to touch down. That score was set up by a defence-splitting 50-metre break from Regan Grace and when Lomax had another try chalked off by the video referee Saints looked like they might post a big score.

That’s when the tide started to turn. Leeds dominated the second quarter of the match. Konrad Hurrell became unplayable against the beleaguered McCarthy-Scarsbrook and the rest of Saints right edge defence. Kallum Watkins had already got Leeds back into the game when Grace had gone for a walk out of the defensive line but it was Hurrell who put Saints in a half-time hole. The ex-Gold Coast man scored one try, made another for the scourge of Saints Ash Handley and was involved in two more which were disallowed for forward passes. Dazed and confused, Saints then allowed Mikolaj Oledzki to escape four men close to the line to give Leeds what looked a comfortable 22-10 advantage at the break.



Walmsley Casts A Spell And Answers The Bell



What can you do in four minutes and 24 seconds? Keeping your answers to that question clean you can add single-handedly turning around a rugby league game to your list. Alex Walmsley’s last contribution to the first half was a wild pass which flew into touch from around 30 metres away from the sideline. Like a lot of Saints handling in the first 40 minutes it was sloppy, careless, desperate and what cricketers describe as distinctly ‘village’.

Walmsley emerged from the dressing room with a determination to do something about it. In not much more time than it takes for your average video referee decision to be made the big prop crashed over for two tries to haul Saints back into contention. Before the 50-minute mark a 22-10 deficit had been cut to 22-20. Walmsley’s second try was particularly memorable, snatching a James Roby pass which looked bound for Morgan Knowles out of the air in routine fashion before crashing and spinning through several Leeds defenders to touch down. Four minutes and 24 seconds was all that had passed between the moment Walmsley touched down for his first try and the moment he plonked down his second. It was one of the more bewildering spells since David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear some time during the Cold War. It was also a remarkable effort from Walmsley, a man who spent 10 months out of action after fracturing a bone in his neck last March. Former NBA coach and now revered broadcaster Hubie Brown once spoke of Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas ‘answering the bell’. That is taking over a game when your team needs it most, as if answering some sort of alarm bell in your head telling you that it’s time to act. Here was Walmsley, just a few months on from questioning his entire career, answering the bell emphatically and decisively.



The Calls That Went Our Way



Despite Walmsley’s heroics Saints could only add one more try in the second half. Luke Thompson produced a fair impression of Tommy Martyn when he capped a fine 133-metre performance (Walmsley racked up 115) with dummies to both Roby and Lachlan Coote before ghosting through the Leeds line to score. Yet Saints were still living on their nerves throughout a tense second half and were reliant on a couple of key decisions going their way to cement the win.

From my position at the back of the North a Stand it looked very much like Tui Lolohea had snatched victory for Leeds as he crashed over by the posts. However Hicks was less convinced and sent the decision up for review as ‘no try’. He had seen what I and probably many others hadn’t, namely Percival’s magnificent effort in keeping the Rhinos new stand-off recruit from grounding the ball. The Saints man somehow managed to get every conceivable body part under Lolohea as he attempted to force the ball down. Still replays seemed to suggest that some part of the ball had to have touched the ground. Percival can only cover so much of the turf. Yet since Hicks’ original decision had been ‘no try’ the lack of any conclusive video evidence meant that the call could not be overturned.

If that call was the right one according to the video review process there was less to support Hicks’ failure to restart the tackle count when Leeds were pressing near the Saints line soon after. The ball was offloaded out of a tackle and clearly played at by Knowles. It was a touch that went unseen by Hicks as Leeds saw what turned out to be their last real chance to attack the Saints line slip away. With 54 tackles, 14 of them at marker perhaps the young Welshman had earned his slice of luck. Leeds can feel aggrieved but you have to credit a Saints defence which had been tormented in the first 40 minutes but which held the Rhinos scoreless after half-time. Even McCarthy-Scarsbrook fared better after the break as Hurrell seemed to run out of gas. Part of that was undoubtedly down to Saints controlling the ball better in the second half and so forcing David Furner’s men to use more energy in defence.



Kicking Concerns



There was much talk about Saints kicking game going into and during this one. With Danny Richardson still out of favour Percival struggled with the goal-kicking responsibilities, while in general play Fages still doesn’t offer the variety and quality that a top side needs. But then neither did Richardson. Percival made two and missed two with the boot while Coote missed his only attempt.

The argument that Saints would have won more more comfortably had this percentage been higher is overly simplistic. Leeds missed a goal of their own so if every goal-kicker in this game operates at 100% in terms of success rate the game ends 33-24 to Saints. Slightly more convincing but not exactly a walkover. In addition, most fans’ idea of a solution to the problem is to have Richardson in the team ahead of Fages. But if you do that then everything in the game is different. You’ve all seen Sliding Doors. Does Richardson go over for the albeit dubious try that Fages scored in the early minutes? Does he make the 27 tackles that Fages made? Does he miss more or less than the two that the French captain botched? The smart money suggests more. Richardson is out of the team due to his pre-season injury but also due to his poor last tackle decisions and his suspect defence. You can’t keep a player in the side only because he’s good at kicking goals. That’s why Jamie Foster didn’t play as many games for Saints as his early performances suggested he might. So many other aspects of a game can change when you use one player versus another that it can never be boiled down to just whether or not he would have kicked a few goals. This isn’t the NFL where kickers do not get involved in any other facet of the game. There’s nowhere to hide in rugby league.

Lastly today another player who might make a different decision on his kicking game if he had his time again is Roby. The England hooker dropped his first goal for Saints in the last minute. A first in over 400 appearances of a remarkable career. Yet as he admitted himself afterwards the decision to take the one-pointer was probably not the right call. It offered Leeds an opportunity to get the ball back from a short kick-off. A firm grubber behind the Leeds line might have been a better option. Make them go 90 metres to score to get back into it rather than a potential 40 from a short kick-off. Thankfully Leeds didn’t get the ball back from the restart and Saints hung on. And with two try-assists, 114 metres gained and 47 tackles made the skipper can be rightly proud of his efforts once more. Perhaps he’s entitled to a brief moment of self-indulgence. He continues to drag his team-mates along with him to new heights. Yet the perfectionist in him means we probably won’t see the second drop-goal of his career if he’s ever faced with the same situation again.

Saints v Leeds Rhinos - Preview

Don’t you just hate rude interruptions? There we were, enjoying the start of the Super League season after four months of having the same circular argument about Brexit when along came that overblown pre-season friendly the World Club Challenge to force us all to put our collective ball away. We were forced to sit and wait while Wigan and Sydney Roosters fought over a title that even Jose Mourinho wouldn’t describe as major. Unless of course he happened to be the coach of the winning side in which case he would say it was absolutely major before reminding you that he had won it more times than the entire cast of Avenue Q put together.



Enough of the piffling friendlies, and on to more serious matters as Saints welcome Leeds Rhinos to their World Cup-hosting home this Friday night (February 22, kick-off 7.45pm). It’s a BetFred Super League Round 3 clash, so it is best not to think about the fact that Leeds went to Salford in Round 10 last week. That Saints Blog You Quite Like is no mathematician in any case.

What it can tell you is that Leeds, having started their 2019 campaign with defeats at both Warrington and Wigan, finally got a win on the board against Ian Watson’s Red Devils side last time out. And a convincing one at that. The Rhinos ran out 46-14 winners over the Salford side which had conned many pundits including this one into thinking they had a chance against David Furner’s men after early season wins over both Huddersfield Giants and London Broncos. The win will be a huge confidence boost to the Rhinos who had been palpably failing to gel in those visits to Warrington and Wigan. Not helping them is the fact that due to ongoing work at Headingley they have been forced to play their first four league games away from home, and it doesn’t get any easier for them with a trip to last season’s League Leaders Shield winners this week.

Justin Holbrook indicated early in the week that he would probably select the same squad that was on duty for the visit to Wakefield way back on February 10 when Saints last took the field. And the Australian coach is true to his word. Danny Richardson may have joined Matty Costello, Jack Ashworth and Aaron Smith on dual registration at Leigh last week along with the on-loan Luke Douglas but the young half is still in contention for a first appearance of 2019 for now. More likely though is that Theo Fages will continue in the role that he has made more than a decent fist of in Saints first two outings which could leave Richardson heading towards Leigh Sports Village once more. He won’t even get to play against former Saints skipper Jon Wilkin who is suspended for Toronto Wolfpack’s visit. Still with his fellow dual registration recruits as well as Douglas around there will be plenty of familiar faces around Richardson should he get the call from coach John Duffy. Or is it Holbrook who picks Leigh’s team? Oh I don’t know. It is confusing.

So if not Richardson then who apart from Fages will be in Saints colours this weekend? Lachlan Coote has received a lot of criticism from the knee-jerkers for failing to be Ben Barba, but his early showings in the red vee have been mostly assured with no little amount of creativity. With Barba gone and Jonny Lomax settled into the stand-off role Coote doesn’t have a realistic challenger for the fullback jersey. He’ll start behind a three-quarter line of Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival and Regan Grace. Adam Swift has not yet been sent to Leigh which is odd given that the dual registration agreement is there to try to get game time for players on the fringe who might be needed at a moment’s notice. Maybe it’s Swift’s turn this week.

Ahead of Lomax and Fages the front row will be led by the most terrifying prop duo in Super League in Luke Thompson and Alex Walmsley, with the incomparable James Roby unchallenged and in all probability therefore unrested at hooker. Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux are a solid enough second row partnership to see new signing Joe Batchelor sent back to York City Knights from whence he came only a few months ago and also to keep as good a talent as James Bentley out of the picture for now although the former Bradford Bulls man remains in the 19. Morgan Knowles has got the nod in the opening two games at loose forward and should do so again ahead of Joseph Paulo. On the bench look for Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, fresh from his game-winning four-pointer at Wakefield, Kyle Amor and Matty Lees to add impact along with Paulo.

Leeds have now settled their fullback argument, if they ever had one, with much fancied prospect Jack Walker in the role ahead of a soon to be on-loan or sold Ash Golding. Walker was slightly shaky at Warrington and Wigan but produced a dominant display to grab a hat-trick at Salford. His time is coming. The Rhinos three-quarter line no longer has Ryan Hall or Joel Moon as it did in its 2015 pomp but it still poses a real threat with the likes of Tom Briscoe and Ash Handley who has scored two hat-tricks against Saints in recent meetings, as well as interestingly-barneted battering ram Konrad Hurrell after his arrival from Gold Coast Titans. If Furner can find a way to use Hurrell in wider areas rather than as an auxiliary second rower the Rhinos could cause Saints edge defence some problems. Yet the real diamond in that group is Kallum Watkins, back from a lengthy injury lay-off and just starting to show signs of the form which made him the best centre in Super League and a certain starter for England.

Directing operations in midfield will be Marmite’s Richard Myler and another new signing in the shape of stand-off Tui Lolohea. The latter has not convinced yet since coming in from Wests Tigers. He's looked more like a front rower than a six or even a 13 at times, but if he can form a coherent link with Myler then good things may lie ahead for the 2017 champions. Their pack is full of experience and talent, with 2015 Man Of Steel nominee and serial off-loader Adam Cuthbertson joined by the likes of Matt Parcell, Brad Singleton, Stevie Ward and Brett Ferres. Trent Merrin has been brought in from Penrith Panthers to add further depth and quality. Brad Dwyer has been good enough to start ahead of Parcell in recent weeks while Nathaniel Peteru, Mikolaj Oledzki, Liam Sutcliffe, Harry Newman and the ominously named Cameron Smith will also hope to see action. Perhaps Ward is the key in that department for Leeds. He's a fantastic talent who has been injury prone but could be one of the best 13s in the game in years to come.



There have been some classic encounters between Saints and Leeds, not least of which is this gem which I just happened to write about from 2016. The last time Leeds visited Saints they left with the two competition points as an underwhelming home outfit went down to a 28-20 defeat in mid-March of 2018. Your writer spent that night in hospital with a leg infection and so was not in attendance so perhaps you have your scapegoat right there. Every effort will be made to attend this week. Three months later Saints avenged that loss at Headingley, squeaking home by the odd point in 45 thanks to a Richardson drop-goal. They may have to find another hero if the game is that close again this time around. That was the last meeting between the two sides as Leeds’ 2018 campaign nosedived and they found themselves in what turned out to be the last incarnation of the Middle 8 Qualifiers.

We can expect better from Leeds this season but a solitary victory over a schizophrenic Salford outfit is not enough to convince me that they can go to a solid-looking St.Helens side and emerge with a win. Saints by 12.

Squads;

St Helens;

1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Danny Richardson, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 19. Matty Lees, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Leeds Rhinos;

1. Jack Walker, 2. Tom Briscoe, 3. Kallum Watkins (c), 4. Konrad Hurrell, 5. Ash Handley, 6. Tui Lolohea, 7. Richie Myler, 8. Adam Cuthbertson, 9. Matt Parcell, 10. Brad Singleton, 11. Trent Merrin, 13. Stevie Ward, 14. Brad Dwyer, 15. Liam Sutcliffe, 16. Brett Ferres, 18. Nathaniel Peteru, 19. Mikolaj Oledzki, 22. Cameron Smith, 29. Harry Newman

Referee: Robert Hicks

Golden Tries - Jonny Lomax v Leeds 2016

After what seems like an eternity Saints get back into competitive action this weekend when they host Leeds Rhinos. We all love a bit of nostalgia so I thought it might be nice to look back on a classic Saints v Leeds encounter from 2016 and in particular, a quite glorious try by Jonny Lomax. It was one of two the Saints stand-off scored on the night as he capped his comeback game following yet another long term injury with a match-winning performance against the then defending champions.

Saints started the season with Keiron Cunningham in his second season in charge. Leeds had knocked Saints out of the race to Old Trafford in 2015 at the semi-final stage. There was a score to settle, and not just for that defeat but perhaps for the four Grand Final losses handed out to Saints by Leeds between 2007 and 2011. It would turn out to be a small measure of revenge in another season which ended in defeat at the last four stage. At least this time it was Warrington, rather than Leeds, who brought about Saints downfall. If you put me in a room with Ben Thaler for an afternoon he would still fail to convince me that Warrington scored a single fair try that night. But it was different, and variety is the spice of life after all.

Saints had opened their season in 2016 with four wins from their first five league games, but it was Leeds who ended that run with a 30-18 win at Headingley in mid March. Saints then suffered the indignity of a Good Friday home loss to Wigan, going down 24-12. From four wins out of five in the league it was now three defeats from seven. Inconsistency plagued Saints thereafter, with a 20-12 success at Widnes followed by a one-point defeat at home to Hull FC thanks to Marc Sneyd’s drop-goal. Saints then went to Warrington and earned a 25-22 win in a pulsating contest but the joy was not to last, Catalans Dragons sweeping into town and leaving with a 30-12 win in mid April.

By the time the Rhinos arrived at Langtree Park on April 22 Saints had 6 wins from 11 league matches, the very definition of inconsistency. Questions were starting to be asked about Cunningham’s leadership but most of all about his tactical acumen. A conservative, one-out style of rugby that the legendary hooker lovingly referred to weekly as ‘The Grind’ was driving fans to distraction. It was one thing to be inconsistent, but to be so in a style that had fans murmuring about how it was just like watching union was something different. Saints fans had been brought up on a high-risk style of entertaining rugby which they demanded win or lose. The pressure was on Cunningham to deliver entertainment in addition to a win that would keep his side among the challengers for a top four play-off spot.

Lucky for him then that he had Lomax returning from injury. Having debuted in 2009 Lomax had been out of the side since a 20-16 win at Wakefield Trinity on March 6 2015. More than a year had passed then since he last wore the red vee thanks to a recurrence of the knee troubles that plagued the early years of his career. Ordinarily a fullback at the time, Lomax slotted into the centres for this one alongside Mark Percival with Jack Owens and a pre-Jones Matty Dawson on the wings. Jordan Turner had been shifted around from his centre position in what was turn out to be his final season at Saints but was out injured in any case. Dominique Peyroux was yet to develop into the fans favourite that Cunningham told you he would be but was also an injury absentee. Those who spend furious hours bashing their keyboard with gripes about the current team under Justin Holbrook might also like to reflect that as well as Owens and Dawson Cunningham selected Shannon McDonnell at fullback, Lama Tasi at prop and celebrity Millwall fan Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook in the second row. Greg Richards and Atelea Vea waited on the bench for an opportunity to provide their own unique brand of havoc. It’s less than three years ago, but these were different times.



It took just four minutes for Lomax to make his mark. James Roby made a trademark dart from dummy half and as he was about to be tackled he twisted to look for support. He found it in Lomax, who took Roby’s offload and cruised through the gap as if he and knee injuries were absolute strangers. Heading towards the south east corner of the ground he found Ashton Golding had the angle to cut him off. No problem, Lomax simply jinked inside the Leeds man as well as the then reigning Man Of Steel Zak Hardaker and trotted in unopposed by the side of the post. In that moment the atmosphere was probably the best it had been since the move to Langtree Park in 2012, even taking into account the League Leaders Shield and Grand Final double of 2014. A local lad making his return from a lengthy spell on the side-lines was just the spark the fans needed to raise the roof. Had there been one. For that joyful moment all misty-eyed talk of the Knowsley Road atmosphere was forgotten and Langtree Park became a cauldron of excitement.

Just two minutes later Saints added to their lead when Luke Walsh cut the Rhinos defence to bits on the left edge before handing on to some bloke called Greenwood for Saints second try. Nobody knows what happened to Greenwood. It is believed he fell down a dark hole and was never spoken of again. But on that night he was all potential and no shortage of skill on Saints’ left edge. His try had given Saint a 10-0 lead against a Rhinos side whose confidence was already brittle following a start to the season which had seen them manage just three league wins from 11 outings. It was to be a long year for the defending champions, who finished outside the top eight by the end and had to suffer the indignity of playing for their Super League survival in the now defunct 'Middle Eight' qualifiers.

Yet there wasn't too much wrong with Leeds' morale on this night. They answered Saints early scores when Rob Burrow made one of 1746 breaks he made against Saints in his career. The move was finished off by Golding who got on the end of Liam Sutcliffe’s crossfield kick after a good offload from Jamie Jones-Buchanan. Golding was involved again in the try which levelled the scores at 10-10, weaving his way out of tackles on the right before the ball was shifted to the left where Burrow had an easy run-in. Saints inconsistencies were becoming a problem again, a 10-point lead obliterated in just over 20 minutes of a frantic first half. Leeds were in front seven minutes from half-time when Jimmy Keinhorst, last seen breaking black and white hearts with a try four seconds from the end of the Hull derby in early February, strolled in after more good work from Sutcliffe.

Saints needed a boost before half-time, and they found it thanks to Lomax once again. Kyle Amor had been held up 10 metres short of the line and when the ball was subsequently switched from Roby to Walsh there was Lomax to gather in the latter’s exquisite kick to the in-goal area. Saints were back level at 16-16 at half-time and it had largely been down to Lomax’s individual brilliance and opportunism.

A different kind of brilliance and opportunism was on show for Saints next try. Amor careered into Harkaker as the England fullback tried to bring the ball away from his own-goal line. Uncharacteristically Hardaker spilled the ball back towards his own in-goal area and it was Amor who reacted first to claim the four-pointer. No doubt Hardaker would not have let it go had it been a pint of Guinness. Nevertheless Saints now led 20-16 with six minutes gone by in the second half. Again Leeds responded, Ash Handley going 60 metres unopposed for what would have been the try of most other matches had we not witnessed Lomax’s early contribution. McDonnell and Owens were left in Handley’s wake but it was Amor who had missed the original tackle on him in the defensive line. From the sublime to the ridiculous. Down by two points at 22-20 Saints struck again as that Greenwood fellow claimed his second try following Roby’s incisive inside ball 12 minutes into a second half that was turning out to be every bit as incident-packed as the first. Five minutes later it was Theo Fages’ turn to take a Roby pass all the way to what NFL fans call ‘the house’, the Frenchman ghosting inside the Leeds cover in the manner of an actual stand-off. This was most unlike Cunningham’s side but everybody seemed to be having a good time of it.



Yet Leeds would not go away despite their now 10-point deficit at 32-22 as Anthony Mullally crashed through some very ordinary tackles close to the Saints line. That brought Leeds back to within four points at 32-28 with 14 minutes on the clock. Fages showed his class once more just three minutes later, first forcing Mitch Garbutt to lose the ball in a thunderous challenge before holding off a couple of Leeds defenders to go over by the posts for the second of his brace. It was a move that also included some powerful running by Atelea Vea down the Saints right-hand channel. Saints were now keeping the ball alive in the traditional style and it was paying dividends with the score now 38-28 with just 10 minutes left. Leeds had the last word when Keinhorst claimed his second but Saints hung on for a memorable 38-34 win.

In many ways the match was a microcosm of the seasons of the teams taking part. One minute they were brilliant, the next woeful as they meandered along. This loss to Saints was the first of a run of seven consecutive defeats in all competitions for Leeds, who would not taste victory again until an 8-0 squeak past Salford Red Devils. They finished the season with three straight wins, seeing off both Hull clubs and Wigan during that run, but it wasn't enough to secure them a place in the Super 8s. Instead they took on the likes of Featherstone, Batley and London Broncos throughout August, a huge embarrassment for a club that has won everything in sight just 12 months earlier.

Saints too struggled to find any momentum before their somewhat unjust semi-final debacle at Warrington. They scraped into the playoffs in fourth place. They won at Castleford a week after this Leeds classic, but were humiliatingly dumped out of the Challenge Cup at home to Hull FC. The black and whites, on their way to the first of back-to-back cup wins, demolished Saints 47-16 on their own patch in what has to go down as one of the lowest moments of the Cunningham tenure. That was the second of four defeats on the bounce for Saints as they had already been thrashed 48-20 by Huddersfield Giants at the Magic Weekend in Newcastle. That match was memorable for Cunningham's decision to start Calvin Wellington in the centres and then hastily remove him after he made an unfortunate handling error that led to a Giants try. Wellington was not seen in the first team again.

Defeats to Hull FC (again), Warrington and Catalans Dragons followed for Saints before they somehow sparked back into life with five wins in a row. Hull KR, Wakefield, Widnes, Huddersfield and most pleasingly Wigan were all dismissed over the last five weeks of the season. They had momentum going into the playoffs but were halted by Warrington in that controversial semi-final. Perhaps it was a blessing. A team as inconsistent as Saints were in 2016 would have been at serious risk of a hammering by a Wigan side that was, as many of the top sides do, just beginning to find its form on its way to a fourth Grand Final win.

Cunningham lasted barely another year following on from the win over Leeds. Statue or not, he was sacked in April 2017 following a dismal home draw with Huddersfield that had seen Saints take a 14-0 half-time lead only to see it evaporate after the break under a hail of Danny Brough bombs, grubbers and goal-kicks. Meanwhile Lomax has gone from strength to strength under the guidance of Holbrook, developing into one of the premier stand-offs in Super League when many had written of his ability to play in the halves early in his career. The acquisition of Ben Barba forced Lomax back into the six role but since the departure of truck-driving anti-hero Barba the England man has kept the role and excelled in the early part of 2019 in which he is enjoying a well deserved testimonial. So much so that Lachlan Coote has been recruited to replace Barba, which should mean that we will be treated to more of Lomax's performances at stand-off in years to come providing he can stay fit.

Should he do so he might just look back on this night in April 2016 as the moment his career turned around.

The Theo-Danny Conundrum

Can you feel the love tonight? If Danny Richardson has been reading social media this week he may be doubting the extent of the affection in which he is held by Saints fans. Amid rumours of a loan spell at Leigh Centurions for the young half the fan base is immovably split. The debate on whether you are Team Theo or Team Danny is like Brexit without the economic meltdown, rise of the far right or Tommy fucking Robinson.

Everyone seems to have an opinion which they are not shy about sharing. So with nothing to do this Valentine’s Day but wade through the pile of mail which will no doubt prevent me from getting back into my house this evening, I’m joining the debate.

The first point to make is that we are not quite sure whether Richardson will go on loan, or whether that was ever part of the plan for him. Mike Critchley of the St Helens Star wrote a piece yesterday (Wednesday) suggesting that Richardson would only be available to Leigh on dual registration. However, Lasttackle.com countered today with their view that a month-long stay at Leigh Sports Village was still very much on the cards. Either way it seems likely that Richardson will turn out in Leigh colours at some point soon, possibly in their home game with Featherstone Rovers this weekend.

That’s because Theo Fages is now the man in possession of the first team shirt. Richardson played almost an entire season at halfback for Saints in 2018 as they romped to the League Leaders Shield before falling flat on their collective face in the Super League semi-final against Warrington. While that was happening, Fages couldn’t even make the bench as a relief option at hooker for the Duracell-sponsored James Roby. The Frenchman seemed frozen out and it did not appear beyond the realms that he would start 2019 somewhere other than at Saints. Yet by the time of the season opener against Wigan Fages was in the starting line-up at halfback and Richardson, who coach Justin Holbrook told us had been suffering from a groin injury in pre-season, was nowhere to be seen. It’s quite a turnaround in fortunes for the pair.

We can argue until Wigan get off zero points in the Super League table about the rights and wrongs of replacing Richardson with Fages. It is what it is. In Justin We Trust. The argument for dropping Fages is dealt a further blow when you consider that Saints have opened with two wins out of two. They followed their 22-12 victory over Adrian Lam’s side with a 24-18 win at Wakefield last weekend. Fages was instrumental in both wins, to the point where the main criticism of excluding Richardson from the fans appears to be that Mark Percival missed a couple of goals. But you can no more include Richardson for his goal-kicking than you can drop him for his defensive frailties.

He’s not really in the team for either. It’s not the NFL where you can have 53 players in your squad and each one can have a very specialised role. Nor is it the halfbacks job to do the bulk of the defensive work. Arguably it requires more defensive solidity than Richardson currently provides, but equally nobody cried too loud if Sean Long missed a tackle or six during his pomp, not when he was tearing a strip off opposition defences at the other end. Despite comparisons to Long Richardson has not convinced at the nuts and bolts of the role, creating space, attacking the line, putting team-mates through holes and kicking intelligently in a tactical sense.

Not that Fages is anywhere near Planet Long in those areas either. The key thing might just be the Richardson injury that Holbrook has alluded to. There is a reasonable argument that suggests that if Richardson is fit enough to play for Leigh then he is fit enough to play for Saints, but if the opportunity is there to get some games to improve his match fitness without jeopardising the prospects of the first team then why not take it? Far from the interpretation that turning out for Leigh could signal the end of Richardson’s days in the red vee it could actually be an indication that Holbrook wants him ready for first team action sooner rather than later.

That’s why dual registration, as ludicrous a concept as it is, would be a significantly more sensible option than any loan deal. A loan deal has to be for a minimum of one month (28 days) and if agreed it means that the loaned player cannot play for his parent club until that 28-day period has expired regardless of whether he is turning out for the loaning club. That represents too big a risk. If Fages were to get injured then the halfback slot would have to be covered by one of Jonny Lomax or Lachlan Coote, neither of whom scream seven at you unless you're thinking in terms of the way Len Goodman does it. Beyond those two we would be entering the realms of letting a so far underwhelming Joseph Paulo play in the halves. Nothing in this world smells more like Jon Wilkin under Keiron Cunningham than that. Spare us, Justin.

There would be no need for loans or dual registration if the Super League clubs could bash their heads together and come up with a viable reserves competition. At the last count only Leeds Rhinos were against that idea. That is has not materialised is perhaps an insight into the amount of power held by Gary Hetherington and the Leeds club within the corridors of power in rugby league. All the other sides in favour of a reserve competition should have started one and just left Leeds out if they didn’t want to play ball. Or better still, the RFL could have done what it is there for and governed. If one club out of 12 won’t fall in line then tell them they either do so or face the consequences. But the RFL don’t tend to want to impose that kind of authority. Even the increasingly vocal Super League body under new head honcho Robert Elstone aren’t pushing too much for a reserve competition at the moment, so we are where we are with some regret.

The situation doesn't particularly help the Championship either. How healthy is it for the future of our game that a club like Leigh - a Super League club themselves less than two years ago and one of many fancied to be in contention for promotion to the top flight this year - need to rely on Saints to make their squad competitive? What does it say about the integrity of the Championship and the concepts of promotion and relegation if Leigh rock up to an important regular season or even playoff game with a boatload of Super League stars in their ranks? Dual registration may offer playing time and opportunities to Super League players who aren’t quite making the grade at their own clubs for one reason or another, but as it does so it denies others an opportunity to gain Championship experience which could aid their development into stars of the future.

Saints are not in action this week thanks to the double whammy of some absurd Challenge Cup rules and a minor squabble going on at the DW Stadium on Sunday night (February 17). Their next game is at home to the reserves-fearing Leeds Rhinos. Of the happy couple Fages looks a certain starter in that one while it’s a wait and see on whether Richardson can play himself back into the affections of Holbrook by impressing for the Centurions.

If he does go to Leigh I’m sincerely hoping it is just for a fling and not a long-lasting, meaningful relationship. Happy Card Manufacturer's Paradise Valentine's Day

Why Should I Support Wigan?

Saints aren’t playing this weekend. None of last year’s Super League top eight are except for Wigan, who take on Sydney Roosters in the World Club Challenge. There are 101 reasons why this is a bad thing but the main thrust of the problem is that those top eight Super League sides enter the Challenge Cup at least one round too late. By the end of the 2020s Super League’s top two will no doubt get a bye to the semi-finals. But this is another story altogether, which I may or may not write at some point in the future. There will be plenty of time for it since Saints don’t play again competitively until February 22.

The planned meeting with the Roosters this Friday doesn’t count. It’s a practice match which Saints are quite happy to announce with some fanfare in the local press but not so happy to let you, the fan, in to see. Not that you’ll be missing much. Apparently they are only going to play at 70%. Who knows how you do that? Good luck telling Matty Lees, Morgan Knowles and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook to knock 30% off their effort level.

For now I’m going to focus on the World Club Challenge itself. There is some debate among our number on social media about whether or not our friends from the Pie Dome winning would be A Good Thing. I know, but there is. I’m not going to be supporting them. I wouldn’t support them if they were playing against a select XIII made up of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and nine of the most dangerous inmates from a bad Sky One documentary about Death Row. But I get that not everyone who supports Saints hates Wigan with quite the same level of vigour. Commitment I call it. It’s a virtue, but I understand that others may see it differently. I am sure that there was an age several eons ago when it was quite normal to roll up to watch Saints one week and then head down to Tesco Central Park the next. But that was before The Dark Times. Before Wigan became the only professional club in the country and their fans started to learn the words to Simply The Best.

My problem is not that it is Wigan. Well, not only that. My problem is the argument that if Adrian Lam’s side win it will be somehow ‘good’ for the Super League and the game in the northern hemisphere. Why will it? To my dismay I have witnessed Wigan winning several World Club Challenges both here and in Australia and never have any of them changed the Australasian attitude to Super League or the international game. We’ve seen Saints, Leeds, Bradford and heck, even Widnes win the thing before now, but none of those could change antipodean minds either. Wigan could rack up 60 points against the Roosters on Sunday and the Australian view will still be that this is nothing more than a pre-season friendly and who cares anyway? Until we can beat the Australians to either a World Cup or during an Ashes series that will remain the Australian stance. Without those accolades we will remain inferior in their minds and no amount of World Club Challenge wins, sponsored by Dacia, BetFred or some pea manufacturer from Sheffield will change that.

Adding to the meh-ery of the event this year is that it is just possible that Latrell Mitchell, one of the Roosters and indeed the world’s better players, will not be gracing the World Club Challenge with his presence. Instead he could be turning out for the Indigenous All-Stars as they take on the New Zealand Maori side in Melbourne on Friday (February 15). That choice is one to which he is fully entitled and with which I have no particular beef but it is nevertheless a damning indictment on where the World Club Challenge stands in the minds of the best Australian players.

So there is no real reason to support Wigan this year. No tangible benefit to Super League or the world game as a whole. Perhaps if there were I could put my hostility towards them aside for 80 minutes and cheer them on. If it meant that the World Club Challenge could thrive and that one day a week without a Saints match would make some sort of logical sense. I might sacrifice it for the cause. Right now I feel like I am missing out this week. It seems like the Super League season has been brought to a crashing halt for no good reason other than so that the Aussies can sneer at us whatever the result on Sunday night at the DW. Or worse still, so that people who openly support Ben Flower can spend the next 12 months gloating at everyone while dusting off their Tina Turner wigs for another tuneless rendition.

No doubt, the pros of a Wigan win do not outweigh the cons. I’m slightly edgy that they will get it too. These are the sorts of games they win. When it really matters to them and they can see a golden age of gloating on the horizon. They are also the sorts of games that NRL teams lose, still a few weeks away from any competitive action at home and on the back of a flight almost as draining as Wigan’s tactics. I hope the Roosters can do it but you know what? Like them, I don’t really give too much of a shit.

Wakefield Trinity v St Helens - Preview

At a fans forum on Tuesday night (February 5) host Alan Rooney joked with panel members and Saints new boys Joseph Paulo and Kevin Naiqama that having been part of a derby victory on their Super League debuts it did not matter if they failed win another game all season. He jested, of course. We all know that having beaten Adrian Lam’s Wigan side last time out the expectation on Saints is even higher as they prepare to visit the Mobile Rocket Stadium to face Wakefield Trinity in a BetFred Super League Round 2 clash on Sunday (February 10, kick-off 3.00pm).

You wouldn’t expect too many changes to a Saints side which is exceptionally pleased with itself after slaying the old enemy with something to spare last week. And you don’t get many. Justin Holbrook has made just the one alteration to the 19 who were on duty last week, with Jack Ashworth dropping out in favour of James Bentley. Ashworth was a surprise omission from the 17 against Wigan allowing Kyle Amor another opportunity to prolong his Saints career. Yet the 23-year-old Rochdale-born prop responded by starring for Leigh Centurions on dual registration in their 24-16 win over Toulouse on Sunday (February 3). He will get another chance to aid the Centurions effort for 2019 and keep his own match fitness when they visit Halifax at the same time that Saints face Wakefield on Sunday.

That will leave Bentley, who starred in the limited opportunities he was given by Holbrook in the first team towards the end of 2018, to fight to get into the match day 17. That will be no small task given the level of performance in Round 1. Amor surely deserves another chance and with Alex Walmsley, Luke Thompson, James Roby, Zeb Taia, Dominique Peyroux, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees, Morgan Knowles and Paulo all having strong cases for inclusion it is difficult to see where Bentley might squeeze in to the pack options. That is unless Holbrook takes an early opportunity to rest players, remembering that a lack of rotation was one of the most oft quoted reasons for Saints failure to progress beyond the semi-finals in 2018 having won the league at a canter.

Lachlan Coote made all talk of a return to Saints for troubled Ben Barba obsolete with an assured performance against the cherry and whites and should again be the last line of defence behind a three-quarter line featuring Tommy Makinson, Naiqama, Mark Percival and Regan Grace. The young Welshman looked fallible under the high ball in the season opener and could be targeted by wily rent-a-gob Danny Brough, newly acquired by Trinity from Huddersfield Giants in the offseason. Brough was sin-binned for opening his considerable trap late on in Wakefield’s opening weekend defeat by London Broncos but is still in possession of one of the finest kicking games in the competition if his discipline holds.

The newly appointed Steve Prescott Man Of Steel panel did not acknowledge it but Theo Fages was among the best players on show in the derby. He romped the WA12 Radio Rugby League Show poll for man of the match but was not among the three players given points towards the main individual gong for the season by the experts. Roby will likely get points every week but it was more surprising to see Thompson recognised ahead of Fages in what was one of the quieter performances from the prop by his own magnificent standards. Thompson has been linked with a move to the NRL in the past week, but the lack of any quotes indicating that he will go suggests that it was mischief making to stop us all getting carried away with the news that Roby, Makinson and Jonny Lomax have all signed new contracts with the club in the last fortnight. Too much of a good thing, and all of that. Lomax will partner Fages in the halves in all likelihood but Danny Richardson is named and could yet be restored to the line-up after a troubled pre-season. That would be harsh on Fages but far from the first time that he has been the victim of selection chicanery from Holbrook.

Wakefield come into this one knowing that things can only get better after they were humbled by the Broncos last week. Coach Chris Chester suggested that the 42-24 defeat was the worst performance he has been involved with during his time as boss of the Trinity outfit. In response he has made the sum total of zero tactical changes, with both alterations to his 19-man party forced upon him by injury. James Batchelor, brother of Saints forward Joe who has just re-joined York City Knights on loan for a month, misses out as well as hooker Tyler Randell. In come experienced campaigners Craig Huby and Danny Kirmond in their place. Randell's absence significantly weakens Wakefield in a key area and no doubt improves the chances of Roby having a major influence.

Ryan Hampshire should start at fullback with the pace of Ben Jones-Bishop and Tom Johnstone on the wings outside centre pairing Reece Lyne and the excellent Bill Tupou. Jacob Miller seems likeliest to partner Brough in the halves while former Saints Matty Ashurst should feature in the second row. Tinirau Arona, Craig Kopczak, Anthony England and David Fifita feature in a formidable and sizeable pack while Kyle Wood could be handed the difficult task of replacing Randell. George King has moved east from Warrington to offer his versatility also. Even without the injured pair and the also absent Pauli Pauli Chester is not short of quality options in his side. He will know that he must get at least a positive performance out of his side following the London defeat even if beating Saints looks a tall order.

History suggests it’s not an impossible job, however. Wakefield beat Saints 24-20 at the Mobile Rocket in April of last year and ran Saints close at the equally stupidly named stadium occupied by Saints in June, coming back from 20-6 down at half-time to eventually go down 34-30. Saints last visit to Wakefield was a less taxing affair as Holbrook’s men ran out 36-16 winners in August, scoring seven tries to three among which was a brace for Makinson. Both of these sides can rack up points in a hurry and it might just be that if Saints can conjure a repeat of their strong defensive display from a week ago that they will have enough to start the season two wins from two.

Squads;

Wakefield Trinity;

Tinirau Arona, Joe Arundel, Matty Ashurst, Danny Brough, Jordan Crowther, Anthony England, David Fifita, Ryan Hampshire, Justin Horo, Craig Huby, Tom Johnstone, Ben Jones-Bishop, George King, Danny Kirmond, Craig Kopczak, Reece Lyne, Jacob Miller, Bill Tupou, Kyle Wood

St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Danny Richardson, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 19. Matty Lees, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.

Referee: Robert Hicks

5 Talking Points From Saints 22 Wigan Warriors 12

The Fages-Richardson Debate

Many observers, including this one, were surprised when Saints coach Justin Holbrook announced in the days leading up to the start of the season that Theo Fages would be likely to get the nod at halfback ahead of Danny Richardson. The latter saw off competition from Matty Smith throughout last season and seemed to have made the position his own as Saints stormed the League Leaders Shield before running out of steam in the playoffs. Few were putting the semi-final defeat on Richardson's shoulders. He's young, he will learn from it and we will all be better off for it in the long run seemed to be the popular view.

By contrast Fages spent the business end of 2018 out in the cold. Almost as cold as it was at the game on Thursday night. Alright, not quite that cold. But his role as a back-up hooker to James Roby was dispensed with completely by Holbrook as the games got bigger last year which was arguably one of the key reasons why Saints didn't quite have enough when it really mattered. A pre-season groin injury has apparently been troubling Richardson and with Smith now in the south of France Fages was given the opportunity to stake a claim. A home win over our bitterest rivals, coupled with a stunning defensive display might suggest that the argument is now leaning heavily in Fages favour and that Richardson will do well to displace the Frenchman when he regains full fitness.

Yet closer inspection shows that not only did Fages miss six of his 24 attempted tackles, he also failed to convince with ball in hand. Too many wrong decisions still blight Fages’ game. He's a busy, industrious player as his defensive stats show. Not too many halfbacks attempt 24 tackles in a game. Luke Walsh would have been happy with that figure by the end of June. But Fages' ability to choose the right pass particularly close to the opponents line when the opportunity to score presents itself leaves a lot to be desired. The same is true of Richardson, who last season often turned himself inside out and tied himself in knots looking for an option on the last play without consistently coming up with a good one. Perhaps the truth is that both Saints halfbacks are still learning the position and neither can truly command a game of this magnitude at this stage of their careers. Saints play at Wakefield in a week’s time and if Richardson is fit it will be fascinating to see if Holbrook persists with Fages in the role. Only when Richardson is fully fit will we have any real clues as to whether the decision to opt for Fages is a sign of things to come or a sticking plaster.

Amor Appears To Have A Future At Saints

Another player defiantly clinging on to a spot in the line-up is Kyle Amor. All winter there have been suggestions that the former Leeds and Wakefield man would be on his way out of Saints, with Salford and London rumoured to have been offered a chance to sign him. To his credit Amor decided to stay and fight for his place, a task which did not look easy with Alex Walmsley back in the mould alongside England star Luke Thompson. That frightening pair is backed up by the emerging talents of Matty Lees and Jack Ashworth, and with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook also able to operate in the middle things looked bleak for Amor. Yet Luke Douglas' loan move to Leigh Centurions took many by surprise and opened a door for Amor who was surprisingly named in the match day 17 for the derby.

His stat line is not amazing. Just five carries for 34 metres at a rate of 6.80 metres a carry. That is not going to have Wayne Bennett knocking on the door to enquire whether Amor might like to represent England instead of Ireland. But it wasn't a great night for individual metre-making in any case. Only Walmsley and Zeb Taia topped the 100-metre mark among Saints' pack men. The mere fact that Amor managed to fight through the off-season adversity to earn a place in the squad is a sign that his time at Saints might not be done just yet. Amor made 21 tackles, missing only two, playing his part in what was a huge defensive effort from Saints in the second half especially. Wigan had got back into the game at 12-12 just before half-time but they would not trouble the scorers again after the oranges. If Amor can bring that kind of defensive effort and stability to the party every week then he might well be able to delay the establishment of Lees and Jack Ashworth as regulars in the side. Which would represent a significant turnaround since Amor’s removal from the scene looked inevitable towards the end of 2018.

The New Boys

While familiar names were offered new beginnings Holbrook also introduced Saints three new signings for their Super League debuts. Kevin Naiqama didn’t take long to have an impact, opening his try-scoring account for Saints inside the first three minutes. The former Wests Tigers man looked a threat throughout, finally offering balance to the Saints attack. It has been somewhat left-sided in recent years as Saints have struggled to find a right-sided centre to match the strike power of Mark Percival on the other flank. They may have found one in Naiqama who, though well policed after his early score, certainly gave the Wigan defenders on that edge plenty to think about.

Many wondered whether fullback Lachlan Coote could really replace Ben Barba. The early signs are that he can, if not quite in the same way. Coote won’t go on too many 90-metre tears through the opposition defence but he has a fine passing game and what looks a pretty high rugby league IQ. Defensively he looks extremely confident and assured, sweeping up a lot of the danger with some excellent positional play. Where Barba’s speed and athleticism could help him defensively Coote looks to do much of the hard work in his head, anticipating what’s going to happen in enough time to get his body there to do something about it. The one blemish was the interception he threw which led to Liam Marshall’s try just before half-time. Yet this is Saints, a club where the taking of risks is celebrated and encouraged. We’d probably rather have that than a player who continually sticks the ball up his jumper so we can stay in The Grind. Coote’s pass was a fraction away from finding Naiqama in space and if it had then either the Fijian or Tommy Makinson outside of him would have strolled in and given Saints a double-digit lead at the break. That’s the gamble, as they used to say on Bullseye. There’s much more to come from Coote.

Perhaps the only slight disappointment among the trio was Joseph Paulo. The former Cronulla man came off the bench into the back row but was not as ubiquitous as Morgan Knowles who started the game. While the Welsh international racked up 39 tackles and carried the ball eight times Paulo had a more modest 25 tackles and only five carries. What is impressive about the former USA and Samoa man is that he didn’t miss any tackles. Paulo is seen as a direct replacement for Jon Wilkin so that defensive solidity is a vital part of the job description. Hopefully on warmer evenings than this we will see more of Paulo as a ball-playing forward too.

Shot-Clock...What Have We Learned?

Thursday night's game saw the first use of the new regulations brought in to Super League for 2019, chief among which is the introduction of a so-called 'shot-clock' at scrums and drop-outs. This has been in operation in the NRL for some time now and is aimed at preventing the tiresome time-wasting that goes on in these dead ball situations. For the last few years in particular Super League has been a place where any hint of a dead ball has been an instant cue for some opportunist player, feeling the pace a little after being under a bit of defensive pressure, to hit the deck and encourage some kind of treatment from the physio before the game restarts.

The ‘shot clock’ tag is a bit of a misnomer. In basketball teams have 24 seconds to get a shot off at their opponents basket otherwise they lose possession. There is no time limit on completing a possession in rugby league. It’s more like the ‘play clock’ used in the NFL whereby an offensive team has a set amount of time to restart the game at set plays or else face a penalty. The consensus is that rugby league’s version did help speed the game up. Both halves clocked in at under 45 minutes of real time whereas in the recent past it was not uncommon for halves in televised games to run on way past the 50-minute mark. Yet we should remember that there was only one occasion during the entire 80 minutes when the video referee was brought into play. This is an extraordinarily low mark compared with most games in recent seasons where you could expect five or six incidents to be reviewed. If, alongside the introduction of the ‘shot-clock’ referees are being encouraged to use technology less then we’ll be making some headway. If this game was the exception from what will continue to be the norm then don’t expect to get home early too often from the game if it is on TV.

No Way Back To Saints For Barba

Fans of schadenfreude will have smirked at the news that while Saints were busy winning this derby opener their former star Barba was blowing yet another chance at the NRL. Barba seemed to give the impression that he couldn’t get away from St Helens fast enough once North Queensland Cowboys showed their interest in him, yet before a ball has been kicked in the NRL in 2019 he has been sacked by the Cowboys following an incident at a Townsville casino. With the incident having been reported to the NRL’s integrity unit and legal proceedings possibly to follow it would seem that the only way for Barba to further his rugby league career might be a return to Super League.

Of course a prosecution could take that off the table but even in the best case scenario for Barba, a scenario in which he is cleared of the heinous acts he is alleged to have committed, he should not be bailed out again by Saints. Barba had no thought of playing for Saints until his drugs ban and very likely no thought of returning once he left. If he’s considering it now it’s far too late. Saints should not be here to rescue the careers of wayward stars who have talked the talk but demonstrably failed to walk the walk in terms of loyalty. Let’s remember that Barba didn’t even see fit to see out his contract at Saints despite the fact that he constantly wittered on about how happy and settled he was in England. I would stop short of rewriting history as some have, claiming that he stopped trying in July and was not a deserved winner of the Steve Prescott Man Of Steel Award. That title is based on what you do on the field. It isn’t the NFL’s Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award which takes into account off-field behaviour and community work. From that point of view Barba was the only choice in 2018. We can’t take that away from him just as we can’t take Zak Hardaker’s 2015 title away from him on account of his subsequent behaviour. But we can and should move on from Barba. Coote has been brought in as a replacement and looks a safer pair of hands in every respect. Let’s get behind him now and leave the memories of Barba in the past.