Saints Survive Scare Despite Changes
This wasn’t expected to be all that close. A Saints side which had won by 30 points away at Castleford a week earlier were heavily fancied to win at home to a Rovers side coming in off the back of a 42-8 thumping by Huddersfield Giants. For most it was not a question of if Saints would beat Tim Sheens’ side but by how many. Calculators at the ready.
Yet problems in the build-up for Saints levelled the playing field a little. Mark Percival was ill the day before the game while both Zeb Taia and Alex Walmsley were omitted so that they could be at the births of their children this weekend. To add to that James Roby’s slight niggle recurred so his place went to Aaron Smith. Nobody would accuse TSBYQL of being cynical but you can’t help but wonder how it is that Roby’s slight niggles are only ever an issue when we play at home to the weaker sides in Super League.
Jack Welsby started at centre in place of Percival while Taia’s place in the second row went to James Bentley. With Smith at hooker Walmsley’s prop berth went to Matty Lees with Kyle Amor coming into the 17 on the bench. Yet it wasn’t long before that plan went out of the nearest window like Jacob Rees-Mogg’s integrity as Theo Fages left the game early with a hip problem. That saw Welsby moved into the halves alongside Jonny Lomax and Bentley switched to centre to fill the gap left by Welsby.
Saints’ right edge defence suffered in the absence of Fages to the extent that a 16-0 advantage became an 18-16 deficit by half time. Much of the second half was a battle and it had looked at one point like this one could follow the previous evening’s scrap between Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers into Golden Point extra time. That was before tries from Smith and Regan Grace finally settled the issue in favour of a relieved Saints outfit.
How Did The New Boys Do?
With so many changes to the line-up and some inexperienced players thrown in it’s instructive to take a look at how they performed. Welsby had perhaps the most difficult task, first slotting in at centre for Percival before being forced into the halves after Fages’ exit. The youngster seemed to fair better in the former than the latter, even crossing for an early try thanks to some neat passing from both Fages and Lomax. He put in a tireless defensive display with 30 tackles but there were times when he was in the halves when you got the sense he’d rather not be. Just the one attacking kick is evidence that Welsby isn’t ready for too much creative responsibility at this level. Yet his error count was low as he kept it simple. A shrewd move given that Saints have Lomax and Lachlan Coote to do the can opening.
Bentley had a tougher time at centre. His three errors are telling, but the decision making which led to Regan Grace’s first half gaffe also seemed flawed. It looked for all the world like Bentley could have strolled in for a try but instead he chose to pass to the Welshman who, seeming not to expect the ball, butchered the easiest four points he could wish for. Grace should have caught the ball and grounded it in all honesty, but perhaps he should never have been offered the opportunity. Defensively Bentley fared ok, 21 tackles with just one miss, but he seems to lack the pace of a genuine centre at this point. Let’s hope he gets a better opportunity at second row sooner rather than later.
Lees is no newcomer having played some part in most of Saints’ games this term, so what of Smith? His try was crucial, displaying a Roby-esque ability to spot an opportunity as he darted diagonally between two defenders close to the line. That was one of only five runs from dummy half and with only 56 metres made he’s a long way from having the attacking influence on a game that Roby has. Yet Smith’s tally of 40 tackles is better than any other Saint on the night. There’s nothing wrong with his work ethic.
A Chance For Danny?
One time Super League Dream Team halfback Danny Richardson didn’t play for Leigh this weekend. The Centurions took on Sheffield Eagles in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup but Saints boss Justin Holbrook wisely decided not to release any players for dual registration to avoid having them cup tied. However, it might not be long before Richardson is back in action for Saints.
He’s been left out of the side all season so far but will surely be the man to call on should Fages’ hip injury keep him out of the trip to face Catalans Dragons on Saturday (April 6). Having been first choice throughout 2018 Richardson is the obvious option to come in at halfback. A round peg for a round hole. There should be no need to be shuffling others into unfamiliar positions even if there is a sense that Lomax, Coote and Tommy Makinson could conceivably play almost anywhere. Richardson has done what has been asked of him, namely put in his best efforts for Leigh. That has resulted in some positive reviews from regular fans of the Championship side.
Having gained all the experience he needs in 2018 he should have no problems stepping into any void left by the Frenchman’s injury concerns. If things pan out for the Widnes product we could be sitting here in a month’s time asking if there is any way back into the first team for Fages. Things change quickly in rugby league.
A Big April
Saints have got out of the month of March with their unbeaten record still in tact. Holbrook’s side now have eight wins out of eight to start the 2019 season and lead the table by two points from Warrington. Steve Price’s side are one of the teams Saints face in what looks like being a very testing month of April.
First the red vee travel to Perpignan to face a Catalans Dragons side that has beaten Warrington and Leeds but also been humiliated by Salford at home this year as well as at Wigan this weekend. The league leaders also end the month with a home clash with Steve McNamara’s side. In between those two French tests are the visit of Warrington, a Good Friday trip to an improving Warriors side and a home game with current whipping boys Hull FC that comes just three days after the derby as part of the traditional Easter double header.
That little lot takes us out to the end of Round 12 by when the race for the playoff places and the League Leaders Shield should really be taking shape. Coming out unscathed in terms of figures in the loss column is the dream scenario and is certainly not something that is beyond Saints. They have looked a class above the rest of the competition when at full strength this year so far and they showed against Rovers that they are still pretty tough to beat even when shorn of some of their stars. The key for Saints is to be in this form in September and October and if that involves a dip and a loss or two between now and then we’d probably take it.
Magic Shirt - Great Initiative, terrible shirt. What else is new?
With no small amount of pomp and ceremony Saints launched their latest Magic Weekend jersey. As with previous versions the shirt is part of an initiative to promote autism awareness. All of which is a great cause and a credit to the club. They deserve all the plaudits that will come their way. What they shouldn’t expect is for every fan to fork out upwards of £50 for what is after all a fairly ugly garment.
Fans have queued up on social media to express their admiration for the new design which as ever incorporates the jigsaw piece symbolism that is synonymous with the charity. The trouble is that when you do that you immediately make the shirt look nothing like what we recognise as a Saints jersey. To combat that they’ve won brownie points among the fans for managing to include the classic Saints ‘stick man’ in the design. No doubt it will sell well which is great for the cause but the problem is that it’s too expensive to buy if you’re not sold on the design. It’s not like paying a couple of quid for a McFly record for Comic Relief.
Still while other clubs use the Magic Weekend as a lame excuse to turn out in Spider-Man pyjamas Saints should be commended on trying to ensure that some good comes out of looking bad.
St Helens v Hull KR - Preview
Table-topping, Tiger-trampling Saints put their unbeaten record on the line when they host Hull KR in a BetFred Super League Round 8 match-up on Friday night (March 29, kick-off 7.45pm).
Justin Holbrook’s side faced their stiffest test yet last week, on paper at least, when they travelled to the Mend-A-Hose Jungle to face Castleford Tigers. It turned out to be a somewhat gentler test than expected, with Saints running out 42-12 winners following a dominant performance which had Cas boss Daryl Powell invading the pitch to grumble at his players.
Now it is the turn of another experienced coach in Tim Sheens to try to find the winning formula against Saints. Hopes on Humberside will not be high following their 42-8 drubbing by Huddersfield Giants last time out. Rovers have won just three of their first eight matches this term, shattering some of the optimism sparked by that last gasp victory over Hull FC in the opening round. They now look more likely to have a relegation battle on their hands than they do to trouble the top five places which offer playoff spots. A trip to a red hot Saints is not really what they need right now.
Things are going frighteningly, unnervingly smoothly for Holbrook’s men. So much so that the coach is able to name yet another unchanged 19-man squad for this one. That means no place for Danny Richardson who continues to get his game time on dual registration at Leigh Centurions, though neither he nor any of the other Saints squad members who have starred for John Duffy’s side will be available for their Challenge Cup tie at Sheffield Eagles this weekend. As much as Saints’ fringe players need game time it makes absolutely no sense to allow them to be cup tied and so ineligible to play for Saints when they enter the competition in the later rounds. Saints may have continuity of selection at the moment but as many have observed it is a long old season. Expect Richardson to be required at some point along with the likes of Luke Douglas and James Bentley.
For now though Theo Fages keeps Richardson on the side-lines as he occupies the halfback berth alongside Jonny Lomax at stand-off. Behind them the increasingly brilliant Lachlan Coote is at fullback with Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace on the wings outside of centres Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama. Coote was laughably ignored by the Man Of Steel Panel despite his excellent performance at Castleford but then they saw fit to award two points to Tigers fullback Peter Mata’utia. Goodness only knows what they are smoking but since it’s about the team it’s likely that Coote isn’t too concerned with personal accolades.
Saints pack was a big key in last week’s victory and again Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Luke Thompson should make up what is the premier front row in world rugby at the moment. Behind them are Zeb Taia and the in-form Dominique Peyroux, with Morgan Knowles locking the scrum. The once maligned Peyroux has scored four tries in his last three appearances for Saints and has been generally outstanding on the right hand edge. That is testament to both his own efforts and those of Holbrook who has moulded a player who most fans had written off a couple of years ago into one of the best second rowers in Super League on current form.
Saints bench is likely to be occupied by front rowers Jack Ashworth, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Matty Lees with back rower Joseph Paulo coming in to spell Knowles at times. Trying to change that are veteran beard-wearer and former Wakefield man Kyle Amor who has caught the eye in the limited opportunities he has had this term, and young hooker Aaron Smith. The latter has played just once this season as Roby missed the win over London three weeks ago. He is likely to have to wait a little bit longer for another opportunity such is the staggering durability of Saints’ star man at nine.
Rovers have mixed news on the injury front. Veteran meat pie collector Danny McGuire has not been ruled out completely but does not make the initial 19 because of a groin problem. He could earn a late recall if he can prove his fitness otherwise Chris Atkin and Josh Drinkwater could continue their halfback partnership. On the plus side three-quarter Ben Crooks returns along with former Leeds prop Mitch Garbutt and Coote’s former North Queensland Cowboys team-mate Kane Linnett. Front-rower Robbie Mulhern earned a call-up to the senior England squad this week but he won’t be celebrating it with an appearance at Saints as he’s still ruled out with a back injury.
Sheens can still call on plenty of experience in the shape of Craig Hall, Jimmy Keinhorst, Shaun Lunt and Weller Hauraki as well as former Saints Mose Masoe and Tommy Lee and ex-Wigan lady-killer Joel Tomkins. Yet it is probably not unkind to suggest that these are players who are not quite at the peak of their powers at present. Sheens is one of the most respected and revered coaches in the world game but is struggling to get a tune out of a squad that is made up of those mentioned who may not reach their high point again, and others like Ryan Shaw and George Lawler who still have improvement in them. For want of a better phrase it is a group that lacks finished articles. There is nobody in it who is an absolute superstar at the top of his game. The mix is just not right at the moment and things could get worse before they get better for the Robins.
The last time these two met was in early June of last year when Saints ran out comfortable 26-4 winners. Eighteen of those points were scored by men who will not be wearing the red vee this week, while only five members of Rovers’ 17 that night are likely to be on duty this time around. Rovers last win in St Helens was all the way back in 2013 when Travis Burns and Greg Eden were among the scorers in the Hull side’s 24-12 success. Saints have won five in a row against Rovers in Super League, their last defeat coming at what was then called the KC Lightstream Stadium when they went down 16-12 in March 2015.
It’s very difficult to see anything other than a Saints win in this one. Rovers are in a fair amount of disarray after the pounding they took from the Giants while Saints have been strangling teams defensively. If Castleford could only muster one legal try in 80 minutes last week and four other sides have gone entire halves of rugby without troubling the scorers against the league leaders the chances of Hull KR scoring enough points to be competitive appear slim. Look for Saints to win with something to spare but perhaps without really hitting the levels of intensity of a week ago. Saints by 24.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 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, 21. Aaron Smith, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Hull KR;
Craig Hall, Ben Crooks, Jimmy Keinhorst, Ryan Shaw, Shaun Lunt, Mose Masoe, Joel Tomkins, Weller Hauraki, Mitch Garbutt, Tommy Lee, Chris Atkin, Junior Vaivai, Danny Addy, George Lawler, Kane Linnett, Josh Drinkwater, Will Oakes, Adam Rooks, Harry Bardle.
Referee: Tom Grant
Justin Holbrook’s side faced their stiffest test yet last week, on paper at least, when they travelled to the Mend-A-Hose Jungle to face Castleford Tigers. It turned out to be a somewhat gentler test than expected, with Saints running out 42-12 winners following a dominant performance which had Cas boss Daryl Powell invading the pitch to grumble at his players.
Now it is the turn of another experienced coach in Tim Sheens to try to find the winning formula against Saints. Hopes on Humberside will not be high following their 42-8 drubbing by Huddersfield Giants last time out. Rovers have won just three of their first eight matches this term, shattering some of the optimism sparked by that last gasp victory over Hull FC in the opening round. They now look more likely to have a relegation battle on their hands than they do to trouble the top five places which offer playoff spots. A trip to a red hot Saints is not really what they need right now.
Things are going frighteningly, unnervingly smoothly for Holbrook’s men. So much so that the coach is able to name yet another unchanged 19-man squad for this one. That means no place for Danny Richardson who continues to get his game time on dual registration at Leigh Centurions, though neither he nor any of the other Saints squad members who have starred for John Duffy’s side will be available for their Challenge Cup tie at Sheffield Eagles this weekend. As much as Saints’ fringe players need game time it makes absolutely no sense to allow them to be cup tied and so ineligible to play for Saints when they enter the competition in the later rounds. Saints may have continuity of selection at the moment but as many have observed it is a long old season. Expect Richardson to be required at some point along with the likes of Luke Douglas and James Bentley.
For now though Theo Fages keeps Richardson on the side-lines as he occupies the halfback berth alongside Jonny Lomax at stand-off. Behind them the increasingly brilliant Lachlan Coote is at fullback with Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace on the wings outside of centres Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama. Coote was laughably ignored by the Man Of Steel Panel despite his excellent performance at Castleford but then they saw fit to award two points to Tigers fullback Peter Mata’utia. Goodness only knows what they are smoking but since it’s about the team it’s likely that Coote isn’t too concerned with personal accolades.
Saints pack was a big key in last week’s victory and again Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Luke Thompson should make up what is the premier front row in world rugby at the moment. Behind them are Zeb Taia and the in-form Dominique Peyroux, with Morgan Knowles locking the scrum. The once maligned Peyroux has scored four tries in his last three appearances for Saints and has been generally outstanding on the right hand edge. That is testament to both his own efforts and those of Holbrook who has moulded a player who most fans had written off a couple of years ago into one of the best second rowers in Super League on current form.
Saints bench is likely to be occupied by front rowers Jack Ashworth, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Matty Lees with back rower Joseph Paulo coming in to spell Knowles at times. Trying to change that are veteran beard-wearer and former Wakefield man Kyle Amor who has caught the eye in the limited opportunities he has had this term, and young hooker Aaron Smith. The latter has played just once this season as Roby missed the win over London three weeks ago. He is likely to have to wait a little bit longer for another opportunity such is the staggering durability of Saints’ star man at nine.
Rovers have mixed news on the injury front. Veteran meat pie collector Danny McGuire has not been ruled out completely but does not make the initial 19 because of a groin problem. He could earn a late recall if he can prove his fitness otherwise Chris Atkin and Josh Drinkwater could continue their halfback partnership. On the plus side three-quarter Ben Crooks returns along with former Leeds prop Mitch Garbutt and Coote’s former North Queensland Cowboys team-mate Kane Linnett. Front-rower Robbie Mulhern earned a call-up to the senior England squad this week but he won’t be celebrating it with an appearance at Saints as he’s still ruled out with a back injury.
Sheens can still call on plenty of experience in the shape of Craig Hall, Jimmy Keinhorst, Shaun Lunt and Weller Hauraki as well as former Saints Mose Masoe and Tommy Lee and ex-Wigan lady-killer Joel Tomkins. Yet it is probably not unkind to suggest that these are players who are not quite at the peak of their powers at present. Sheens is one of the most respected and revered coaches in the world game but is struggling to get a tune out of a squad that is made up of those mentioned who may not reach their high point again, and others like Ryan Shaw and George Lawler who still have improvement in them. For want of a better phrase it is a group that lacks finished articles. There is nobody in it who is an absolute superstar at the top of his game. The mix is just not right at the moment and things could get worse before they get better for the Robins.
The last time these two met was in early June of last year when Saints ran out comfortable 26-4 winners. Eighteen of those points were scored by men who will not be wearing the red vee this week, while only five members of Rovers’ 17 that night are likely to be on duty this time around. Rovers last win in St Helens was all the way back in 2013 when Travis Burns and Greg Eden were among the scorers in the Hull side’s 24-12 success. Saints have won five in a row against Rovers in Super League, their last defeat coming at what was then called the KC Lightstream Stadium when they went down 16-12 in March 2015.
It’s very difficult to see anything other than a Saints win in this one. Rovers are in a fair amount of disarray after the pounding they took from the Giants while Saints have been strangling teams defensively. If Castleford could only muster one legal try in 80 minutes last week and four other sides have gone entire halves of rugby without troubling the scorers against the league leaders the chances of Hull KR scoring enough points to be competitive appear slim. Look for Saints to win with something to spare but perhaps without really hitting the levels of intensity of a week ago. Saints by 24.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 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, 21. Aaron Smith, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Hull KR;
Craig Hall, Ben Crooks, Jimmy Keinhorst, Ryan Shaw, Shaun Lunt, Mose Masoe, Joel Tomkins, Weller Hauraki, Mitch Garbutt, Tommy Lee, Chris Atkin, Junior Vaivai, Danny Addy, George Lawler, Kane Linnett, Josh Drinkwater, Will Oakes, Adam Rooks, Harry Bardle.
Referee: Tom Grant
Saints Embarrassment Of Riches Rout Rovers - 2006
Three. That’s the magic number. Yes it is. It’s the magic number. Somewhere in this hip-hop soul community was born three Mase, Dove and me. And that’s the magic number.
So said De La Soul in their 1990 hip-hop monstrosity ‘3 is a magic number’. It’s an abysmal ear-worm of a ditty which you will now no doubt blame me for failing to get out of your head for the next three days, but the Long Island-based antidote to soul music had a point. Three is a significant number. Especially in rugby league, and especially for Saints in 2006. They don’t make intros like this anywhere else you know. This shit isn’t just thrown together.
Saints picked up all three major trophies on offer 13 years ago. That’s the League Leaders Shield, Challenge Cup and Super League Grand Final for the uninitiated. They lost just four times in 35 outings under shades-sporting Kiwi coach Daniel Anderson, who would later spend three years out of the game for his role in the Paramatta Eels salary cap jiggery-pokery. But back in 2006 it was all champagne and sunshine for Anderson at Saints, who were even named BBC Sports Team Of The Year at the annual Sports Personality bash. That is some achievement given that rugby league coverage at the event is usually restricted to one line from Clare Balding about Wigan.
On their way to winning the Challenge Cup, then sponsored by Powergen, Saints faced this week’s opponents Hull KR in the semi-final. Justin Morgan’s side were in the middle of a title winning season of their own as they were promoted from the then National League to take their place in Super League from the start of 2007. But on that day the gulf in class between Saints and their lower league opponents was enormous. The red vee produced an utterly dominant display, handing the Robins’ proverbials to them in front of a national television audience and around 13,000 fans in attendance at what was then called the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield. Saints ran in nine tries and racked up a half century of points without reply. This game might not have been as well contested as say….Lorraine Kelly’s tax bill, but it is one to remember for Saints fans nonetheless.
Despite their own good form Rovers might have known there was little down for them just by having a quick glance at Saints’ results coming into the meeting. Rovers lost only twice that year in the league, to Leigh and Whitehaven, but Anderson’s side started the season with 13 straight victories at the higher level. Twelve of those came in the Super League while the other was a 56-6 mauling of Doncaster in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup. Included in that run was a particularly satisfying 48-10 destruction of Wigan at Knowsley Road which saw Saints run in another eight tries. They didn’t lose until a 19-16 reverse to Huddersfield Giants at the Galpharm in early May. It would not prove to be a bogey ground.
Nevertheless Rovers had proved that they could mix it with Super League opposition when they dumped Warrington out of the Challenge Cup in the quarter-final. Morgan’s side won 40-36 at Craven Park with Byron Ford grabbing a hat-trick in Rovers’ eight-try performance. A Warrington side which featured Stuart Reardon, Margin Gleeson, Henry Fa’afili, Brent Grose, Richie Barnett and Chris Leikvoll were shovelling humble pie down their collective throats in quantities that would make even Jacob Rees-Mogg chunder ever so slightly. It would not be their year in the Challenge Cup for another three years, by which time none of those players were involved for the Wire.
That last eight victory made the rugby league world sit up and take notice of Rovers, who to that point had not faced Super League opposition during their cup run. They had taken on York City Knights, Hunslet Hawks and Featherstone Rovers on their way to that last eight tie with Warrington. That the road to Twickenham (Wembley was still in its rebuilding phase post 1999) did not end against Paul Cullen’s side had raised hopes that Rovers could be competitive in the semi-final. But Saints were not any old Super League opposition in 2006. If there had been a league above Super League then Anderson’s side would have been in it all by themselves.
Saints made a fast start to the last four tie. Just two minutes were on the clock when Keiron Cunningham took an offload from ex-Bradford Bull and human bowling-ball Paul Anderson and cut through the Rovers defence with ridiculous ease before handing on to Sean Long to do the rest. The Saints half hardly seems to be sprinting as he eases away from what cover Rovers could muster. It was a clear sign that these two sides were on vastly different levels even at that early stage of the game.
Francis Meli was next to thrust himself into the action. Six minutes in he met Rovers’ loose forward Tommy Gallagher with a shoulder that looked suspiciously head high. No doubt in these more enlightened times of player welfare the big winger might have been presented with a coloured card by referee Karl Kirkpatrick, but he was not even penalised on the day. Meli was a divisive character during his time at Saints. Error prone, he nevertheless managed 145 tries in 223 appearances for Saints between 2006 and 2013. This being his first year as a Saint perhaps he was a little too eager to make an impression at his new club when he hurtled into the unsuspecting Gallagher. Some fans couldn’t take to him and would blame him for everything from knock-ons and penalties to the political situation in Ukraine but if Meli played today he’d probably be a marquee player in the current Saints side. Bad players didn’t hold down regular slots in Anderson’s class of 2006.
Fourteen minutes in Saints stretched their lead. They had already gone close when Anderson just failed to ground the ball from Long’s kick but when the scrum half placed another pin-point grubber towards the Rovers posts Jon Wilkin made no mistake. The accuracy of Long’s kick is unerring as it lobs towards the goalpost and sits up perfectly for Wilkin to touch down. It’s one of the finest examples you’ll see of how Long developed from the pure runner who signed for the club from Widnes in 1997 into perhaps the most complete halfback that Super League has ever seen. It was almost unfair to have him at seven, Cunningham at nine, Leon Pryce at six, Jamie Lyon in the centres and a young James Graham in the back row. The salary cap has worked in terms of making Super League more competitive but it has robbed us of witnessing sides as good as this vintage. We may never see its like again.
Wilkin made it a double on 20 minutes, taking Jason Cayless’ offload to ease over for Saints third try of the afternoon. Daniel Powter sang about having a bad day in 2006 and Rovers were starting to understand what the Canadian crooner was talking about. Only a quarter of the game had passed and Morgan’s side were more or less out of the running for a place in the final. It was just a question of how many Saints would score. Vinnie Anderson was next to cross and, much like Meli, he was the beneficiary of the less fussy officiating of the time. Taking Cunningham’s pass he seemed to run around the back of Maurie Fa’asavalu who had been introduced from the bench. Rovers defenders of 2019 would no doubt have thrown their arms up in the air in outraged protest and had this one chalked off following the 32nd review. But just as these were less enlightened times in terms of health and safety they were light years ahead in terms of how to use video technology. It’s one of several areas of the game in which we seem to have regressed.
There’s also a collector’s item in these highlights. A mistake from Lyon. The former Parramatta and Manly man had two peerless years at Saints but here we see him finding the touchline with his pass instead of his wing man Ade Gardner. The look on Lyon’s face following the mistake is an amusing mixture of horror and disbelief. It was the kind of pass that he made routinely during his stint with Saints and it should have seen Gardner go under the posts untouched for what would have been Saints, fifth try of the first half hour.
Saints would have to settle for a 24-0 half-time lead then but Lyon was soon among the try-scorers. Even when he was slightly off colour you couldn’t keep the Australian centre out of the game, and so it proved when he took Long’s pass out wide on the right to glide through the Robins defence. Also involved in the movement was a young James Roby. He hadn’t yet reached his 21st birthday and was still seen very much as an understudy to Cunningham. His breakout year would come 12 months later when he picked up the Man Of Steel Award despite still playing mostly from the bench in relief of the Wales legend. Yet the fact that this team was so good that Roby could only occupy a spot on the bench boggles the mind. The term embarrassment of riches should have been coined for this lot who along with all the others already mentioned could call upon Paul Wellens and Willie Talau and had no less a figure than Lee Gilmour on the bench. Rovers stood about as much of a chance as the snakes on the plane once the windows were blown out in Samuel L Jackson’s frankly odd movie vehicle of 2006. Oops, spoiler alert….
No spoilers are required to work out what happened in the rest of this one-sided saga. The Galpharm continued to be a snake-pit for Morgan’s men. The rout continued thirteen minutes into the second half when Talau added his name to the scoresheet. The former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs man took Pryce’s offload to squeeze his way over despite the attentions of a couple of Rovers defenders. It was his 35th try in 88 appearances to date and he would go on to play 149 times for Saints crossing for 65 tries before departing for a brief spell at Salford in 2009. For five years Talau was a mainstay of Saints left edge providing flair and power in attack and no small amount of steel in defence. It is arguable that we have not seen a better left-sided centre at the club since.
Saints led 34-0 then going into the last quarter, and it was Talau next across the line as he doubled his try tally for the day. Long’s looping pass out to Pryce is something to behold in this move while the final pass comes from Gilmour. Talau gets involved in a needless bout of handbags after scoring the try, taking exception to the attempts of Ben Cockayne to tackle him as he goes over. Yet if you are going to play at the level of intensity displayed by this remarkable Saints outfit then perhaps aggression will spill out a little too much now and again. It’s mostly push and shove and Cockayne’s part in it is no doubt the product of his frustration at being on the wrong end of such a fearful pasting. Rovers had not been used to this sort of treatment on their impressive march towards the National League title that year. The bullies of the National League were being bullied by the Super League’s very own Gripper Stebsons. Ask your dad. Think Simpsons bullies with perhaps even worse hair styling.
It was a touch surprising that Gardner hadn’t got over the try-line to this point but he put that right with less than 15 minutes left. Fa’asavlu caused 17 kinds of mayhem on the right hand edge before releasing Gardner down the right hand touchline. The ex-Barrow man, who notched 173 tries in 289 games for Saints between 2002 and 2014, danced down the touchline before just about grounding the ball as Ford made a late, desperate bid to stop him. It was a token effort. I used to know a lad who would play in goal in street games of football when we were kids. He would dive later than a Ben Westwood charge-down. That’s kind of what Ford’s effort to stop Gardner was like. Given that his side were already 40-0 down and the only dreams of Twickenham they now had were of watching the Six Nations on their televisions the following winter, you couldn’t criticise Ford too much.
The final word, the final insult for Rovers, came from Wellens. Roby was again involved before a dummy and a shimmy took Saints stand-out fullback through the bewildered Robins rear-guard for the ninth try of an almost faultless performance. It was the 100th try in a Saints shirt for Wellens and he did not stop there, collecting another 131 before retiring in 2015 just one game short of his 500th appearance for his home-town club. The year 2006 was peak Wellens. He carried off the Man Of Steel Award, crowning him the best player in Super League in a season which saw perhaps its greatest ever side take to the field and destroy everything in its path. Wellens would go on to win the Harry Sunderland Trophy for Man Of The Match in Saints’ Grand Final victory over Hull FC at the end of the season, but was pipped to the Lance Todd Trophy for Man Of The Match in the Challenge Cup final win over Huddersfield Giants by Long who collected his third Lance Todd Trophy in five years.
Saints’ frightening league form continued. They scored 128 points in their next two victories over Huddersfield and Castleford in the league, before a surprise loss in Perpignan to Catalans Dragons preceded the 42-12 Challenge Cup final success over Huddersfield. They finished the regular season with wins over Wakefield, Leeds and Warrington before defeating Hull FC twice in the old top six play-off system. They edged out Peter Sharp’s side 12-8 in the Qualifying Semi-Final before a more convincing 26-8 triumph in the Old Trafford Grand Final in which Cunningham, Gardner, Meli, Pryce and Talau all scored tries.
It would be nine years before Leeds Rhinos emulated Saints’ feat of winning all three of the League Leaders Shield, Challenge Cup and Grand Final in the same season. That year Leeds were outstanding also, but they lost six matches and had one draw in 29 fixtures, which is a somewhat less dominant set of results than that which Saints achieved in 2006.
De La Soul also sang ‘itszoweezee’. And for 80 minutes on a national stage against an out of its depth, sacrificial Rovers side, it was. Can Justin Holbrook’s class of 2019 inflict something similar on Tim Sheens’ side on Friday night?
So said De La Soul in their 1990 hip-hop monstrosity ‘3 is a magic number’. It’s an abysmal ear-worm of a ditty which you will now no doubt blame me for failing to get out of your head for the next three days, but the Long Island-based antidote to soul music had a point. Three is a significant number. Especially in rugby league, and especially for Saints in 2006. They don’t make intros like this anywhere else you know. This shit isn’t just thrown together.
Saints picked up all three major trophies on offer 13 years ago. That’s the League Leaders Shield, Challenge Cup and Super League Grand Final for the uninitiated. They lost just four times in 35 outings under shades-sporting Kiwi coach Daniel Anderson, who would later spend three years out of the game for his role in the Paramatta Eels salary cap jiggery-pokery. But back in 2006 it was all champagne and sunshine for Anderson at Saints, who were even named BBC Sports Team Of The Year at the annual Sports Personality bash. That is some achievement given that rugby league coverage at the event is usually restricted to one line from Clare Balding about Wigan.
On their way to winning the Challenge Cup, then sponsored by Powergen, Saints faced this week’s opponents Hull KR in the semi-final. Justin Morgan’s side were in the middle of a title winning season of their own as they were promoted from the then National League to take their place in Super League from the start of 2007. But on that day the gulf in class between Saints and their lower league opponents was enormous. The red vee produced an utterly dominant display, handing the Robins’ proverbials to them in front of a national television audience and around 13,000 fans in attendance at what was then called the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield. Saints ran in nine tries and racked up a half century of points without reply. This game might not have been as well contested as say….Lorraine Kelly’s tax bill, but it is one to remember for Saints fans nonetheless.
Despite their own good form Rovers might have known there was little down for them just by having a quick glance at Saints’ results coming into the meeting. Rovers lost only twice that year in the league, to Leigh and Whitehaven, but Anderson’s side started the season with 13 straight victories at the higher level. Twelve of those came in the Super League while the other was a 56-6 mauling of Doncaster in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup. Included in that run was a particularly satisfying 48-10 destruction of Wigan at Knowsley Road which saw Saints run in another eight tries. They didn’t lose until a 19-16 reverse to Huddersfield Giants at the Galpharm in early May. It would not prove to be a bogey ground.
Nevertheless Rovers had proved that they could mix it with Super League opposition when they dumped Warrington out of the Challenge Cup in the quarter-final. Morgan’s side won 40-36 at Craven Park with Byron Ford grabbing a hat-trick in Rovers’ eight-try performance. A Warrington side which featured Stuart Reardon, Margin Gleeson, Henry Fa’afili, Brent Grose, Richie Barnett and Chris Leikvoll were shovelling humble pie down their collective throats in quantities that would make even Jacob Rees-Mogg chunder ever so slightly. It would not be their year in the Challenge Cup for another three years, by which time none of those players were involved for the Wire.
That last eight victory made the rugby league world sit up and take notice of Rovers, who to that point had not faced Super League opposition during their cup run. They had taken on York City Knights, Hunslet Hawks and Featherstone Rovers on their way to that last eight tie with Warrington. That the road to Twickenham (Wembley was still in its rebuilding phase post 1999) did not end against Paul Cullen’s side had raised hopes that Rovers could be competitive in the semi-final. But Saints were not any old Super League opposition in 2006. If there had been a league above Super League then Anderson’s side would have been in it all by themselves.
Saints made a fast start to the last four tie. Just two minutes were on the clock when Keiron Cunningham took an offload from ex-Bradford Bull and human bowling-ball Paul Anderson and cut through the Rovers defence with ridiculous ease before handing on to Sean Long to do the rest. The Saints half hardly seems to be sprinting as he eases away from what cover Rovers could muster. It was a clear sign that these two sides were on vastly different levels even at that early stage of the game.
Francis Meli was next to thrust himself into the action. Six minutes in he met Rovers’ loose forward Tommy Gallagher with a shoulder that looked suspiciously head high. No doubt in these more enlightened times of player welfare the big winger might have been presented with a coloured card by referee Karl Kirkpatrick, but he was not even penalised on the day. Meli was a divisive character during his time at Saints. Error prone, he nevertheless managed 145 tries in 223 appearances for Saints between 2006 and 2013. This being his first year as a Saint perhaps he was a little too eager to make an impression at his new club when he hurtled into the unsuspecting Gallagher. Some fans couldn’t take to him and would blame him for everything from knock-ons and penalties to the political situation in Ukraine but if Meli played today he’d probably be a marquee player in the current Saints side. Bad players didn’t hold down regular slots in Anderson’s class of 2006.
Fourteen minutes in Saints stretched their lead. They had already gone close when Anderson just failed to ground the ball from Long’s kick but when the scrum half placed another pin-point grubber towards the Rovers posts Jon Wilkin made no mistake. The accuracy of Long’s kick is unerring as it lobs towards the goalpost and sits up perfectly for Wilkin to touch down. It’s one of the finest examples you’ll see of how Long developed from the pure runner who signed for the club from Widnes in 1997 into perhaps the most complete halfback that Super League has ever seen. It was almost unfair to have him at seven, Cunningham at nine, Leon Pryce at six, Jamie Lyon in the centres and a young James Graham in the back row. The salary cap has worked in terms of making Super League more competitive but it has robbed us of witnessing sides as good as this vintage. We may never see its like again.
Wilkin made it a double on 20 minutes, taking Jason Cayless’ offload to ease over for Saints third try of the afternoon. Daniel Powter sang about having a bad day in 2006 and Rovers were starting to understand what the Canadian crooner was talking about. Only a quarter of the game had passed and Morgan’s side were more or less out of the running for a place in the final. It was just a question of how many Saints would score. Vinnie Anderson was next to cross and, much like Meli, he was the beneficiary of the less fussy officiating of the time. Taking Cunningham’s pass he seemed to run around the back of Maurie Fa’asavalu who had been introduced from the bench. Rovers defenders of 2019 would no doubt have thrown their arms up in the air in outraged protest and had this one chalked off following the 32nd review. But just as these were less enlightened times in terms of health and safety they were light years ahead in terms of how to use video technology. It’s one of several areas of the game in which we seem to have regressed.
There’s also a collector’s item in these highlights. A mistake from Lyon. The former Parramatta and Manly man had two peerless years at Saints but here we see him finding the touchline with his pass instead of his wing man Ade Gardner. The look on Lyon’s face following the mistake is an amusing mixture of horror and disbelief. It was the kind of pass that he made routinely during his stint with Saints and it should have seen Gardner go under the posts untouched for what would have been Saints, fifth try of the first half hour.
Saints would have to settle for a 24-0 half-time lead then but Lyon was soon among the try-scorers. Even when he was slightly off colour you couldn’t keep the Australian centre out of the game, and so it proved when he took Long’s pass out wide on the right to glide through the Robins defence. Also involved in the movement was a young James Roby. He hadn’t yet reached his 21st birthday and was still seen very much as an understudy to Cunningham. His breakout year would come 12 months later when he picked up the Man Of Steel Award despite still playing mostly from the bench in relief of the Wales legend. Yet the fact that this team was so good that Roby could only occupy a spot on the bench boggles the mind. The term embarrassment of riches should have been coined for this lot who along with all the others already mentioned could call upon Paul Wellens and Willie Talau and had no less a figure than Lee Gilmour on the bench. Rovers stood about as much of a chance as the snakes on the plane once the windows were blown out in Samuel L Jackson’s frankly odd movie vehicle of 2006. Oops, spoiler alert….
No spoilers are required to work out what happened in the rest of this one-sided saga. The Galpharm continued to be a snake-pit for Morgan’s men. The rout continued thirteen minutes into the second half when Talau added his name to the scoresheet. The former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs man took Pryce’s offload to squeeze his way over despite the attentions of a couple of Rovers defenders. It was his 35th try in 88 appearances to date and he would go on to play 149 times for Saints crossing for 65 tries before departing for a brief spell at Salford in 2009. For five years Talau was a mainstay of Saints left edge providing flair and power in attack and no small amount of steel in defence. It is arguable that we have not seen a better left-sided centre at the club since.
Saints led 34-0 then going into the last quarter, and it was Talau next across the line as he doubled his try tally for the day. Long’s looping pass out to Pryce is something to behold in this move while the final pass comes from Gilmour. Talau gets involved in a needless bout of handbags after scoring the try, taking exception to the attempts of Ben Cockayne to tackle him as he goes over. Yet if you are going to play at the level of intensity displayed by this remarkable Saints outfit then perhaps aggression will spill out a little too much now and again. It’s mostly push and shove and Cockayne’s part in it is no doubt the product of his frustration at being on the wrong end of such a fearful pasting. Rovers had not been used to this sort of treatment on their impressive march towards the National League title that year. The bullies of the National League were being bullied by the Super League’s very own Gripper Stebsons. Ask your dad. Think Simpsons bullies with perhaps even worse hair styling.
It was a touch surprising that Gardner hadn’t got over the try-line to this point but he put that right with less than 15 minutes left. Fa’asavlu caused 17 kinds of mayhem on the right hand edge before releasing Gardner down the right hand touchline. The ex-Barrow man, who notched 173 tries in 289 games for Saints between 2002 and 2014, danced down the touchline before just about grounding the ball as Ford made a late, desperate bid to stop him. It was a token effort. I used to know a lad who would play in goal in street games of football when we were kids. He would dive later than a Ben Westwood charge-down. That’s kind of what Ford’s effort to stop Gardner was like. Given that his side were already 40-0 down and the only dreams of Twickenham they now had were of watching the Six Nations on their televisions the following winter, you couldn’t criticise Ford too much.
The final word, the final insult for Rovers, came from Wellens. Roby was again involved before a dummy and a shimmy took Saints stand-out fullback through the bewildered Robins rear-guard for the ninth try of an almost faultless performance. It was the 100th try in a Saints shirt for Wellens and he did not stop there, collecting another 131 before retiring in 2015 just one game short of his 500th appearance for his home-town club. The year 2006 was peak Wellens. He carried off the Man Of Steel Award, crowning him the best player in Super League in a season which saw perhaps its greatest ever side take to the field and destroy everything in its path. Wellens would go on to win the Harry Sunderland Trophy for Man Of The Match in Saints’ Grand Final victory over Hull FC at the end of the season, but was pipped to the Lance Todd Trophy for Man Of The Match in the Challenge Cup final win over Huddersfield Giants by Long who collected his third Lance Todd Trophy in five years.
Saints’ frightening league form continued. They scored 128 points in their next two victories over Huddersfield and Castleford in the league, before a surprise loss in Perpignan to Catalans Dragons preceded the 42-12 Challenge Cup final success over Huddersfield. They finished the regular season with wins over Wakefield, Leeds and Warrington before defeating Hull FC twice in the old top six play-off system. They edged out Peter Sharp’s side 12-8 in the Qualifying Semi-Final before a more convincing 26-8 triumph in the Old Trafford Grand Final in which Cunningham, Gardner, Meli, Pryce and Talau all scored tries.
It would be nine years before Leeds Rhinos emulated Saints’ feat of winning all three of the League Leaders Shield, Challenge Cup and Grand Final in the same season. That year Leeds were outstanding also, but they lost six matches and had one draw in 29 fixtures, which is a somewhat less dominant set of results than that which Saints achieved in 2006.
De La Soul also sang ‘itszoweezee’. And for 80 minutes on a national stage against an out of its depth, sacrificial Rovers side, it was. Can Justin Holbrook’s class of 2019 inflict something similar on Tim Sheens’ side on Friday night?
5 Talking Points From Castleford 12 Saints 42
Saints Win Key Battle
Coming into this one a lot of the talk was about how the game could be won and lost in the front row. Castleford’s Liam Watts and the returning Grant Millington at prop either side of hooker Paul McShane taking on Saints’ front trio of Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson at prop alongside James Roby at number nine.
It was always going to be a key battle and it was won by the visitors by the kind of margin normally reserved for Parliamentary votes on Theresa May’s Brexit deals. Saints’ front three combined for 323 metres while their direct opponents could only muster 180 between them. That was largely due to the extra defensive workload placed upon them by Saints’ domination of possession and territory. The Tigers’ three had to combine for 106 tackles, missing a further 15 while Saints’ threesome, ably backed up by Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees and Jack Ashworth, were only required to make 56 tackles. They missed only five between them.
The question that is most often asked by Cas fans about why McShane doesn’t get more opportunity at international level was again answered by Roby. McShane is a very, very good player who arguably would be good enough to play for England or Great Britain in most other eras. It is no disgrace to him to be constantly overlooked in favour of Roby. The Saints man isn’t just the best number 9 in Super League right now, but one of the best to ever play the game. There is very little between him and even his great predecessor Kieron Cunningham, so what chance a mere mortal like McShane has of getting the better of him might most fairly be described as minimal.
And he duly did not. Roby had one assist and took off on 13 of his trademark scoots from dummy half while McShane, gassed out from trying to involve himself in every defensive tackle, could only manage five darts from acting half. Again that is indicative of his side’s lack of possession as error after error provided opportunities for a Saints side in fairly ruthless mood. If the old adage that the front row sets the platform for a performance is true then it is no surprise that Saints taught Castleford a bit of a lesson on the night. The Tigers should feel no shame about that. It is doubtful whether there is a better front row anywhere in the world of rugby league than the three in Saints trenches.
What’s Daryl Doing There?
Cas coach Daryl Powell was enduring a miserable night. He’d already seen Lachlan Coote and Regan Grace cross for first half tries before the comedy of errors leading to Saints’ third try caused Powell’s top to blow completely. The Tigers had recovered possession from an uncharacteristically wild Roby pass when Greg Eden lobbed it straight back into the arms of Lees. The prop forward hared towards the line and although he was stopped short the ball was worked from left to right where Theo Fages hit Dominique Peyroux running a great line to score his third try in as many games. His fourth would come before the end.
That first Peyroux try made the score 18-0 to Saints and for Powell it was all becoming a bit too much to take. As his side trudged back to half way to restart the game they found their coach suddenly out there with them. The explanation given during the TV broadcast was that the Tigers coach likes to watch the game from the opposite side of the ground to where the bench and technical area are located. If he hadn’t walked across the field he would have had to walk all the way around the pitch, no doubt picking up some pretty stern advice from the shell shocked home fans along the way. So he cut straight across the field, barking angrily at his players and in particular the hapless Eden as he went.
Nobody would reasonably argue that Powell was being polite or constructive. He wasn’t asking his players nicely to refrain from passing the ball to the chaps in the blue. Yet whatever he said and whatever tone he used surely it’s a form of on-field coaching. The kind of thing the RFL and Super League can afford to agree to frown upon since they can’t seem to agree on anything else. Action must be taken against Powell and if need be he needs to find a seat in the stand on the same side of the ground as his technical area. Otherwise we are a short step from coaches popping on and off the field whenever they feel their players might benefit from their wisdom. If we tolerate this we might as well go the whole hog and introduce time-outs. The Wolfpack fans would love it. But then what time will we get home from a 7.45pm kick-off?
It Works In Rugby
Every time the debate about whether to use technology in sport is raised those in favour trot out the same old stock phrase. It works in rugby. Quite often this is uttered by people who watch rugby about as regularly as Warrington win titles. There is a counter argument which suggests it doesn’t work in rugby. Not always. We saw another example of this in this one when Michael Shenton’s try was allowed to stand.
It may seem a little trifling to worry about conceding a try when your team is 32-0 up but the score line should have no influence on when it is appropriate to use video evidence. Jonny Lomax should have been celebrating a try at the other end after he was put clear by Zeb Taia but was hauled down just short. Theo Fages then attempted to switch the ball out to the right edge only to find Shenton. The former Saints man was so far up alongside the Saints attacking line that viewers may have been forgiven for thinking that the centre was still playing for the club. Even he was surprised, looking back at the officials several times before parking Grace on his backside and strolling under the posts.
The incident was not reviewed. Had it been the evidence would have shown Shenton to be four or five metres offside. It’s baffling to consider why a review was not called for given the modern trend towards looking for reasons to disallow tries. Twenty-four hours before Shenton’s effort Jake Mamo had a try ludicrously chalked off in Warrington’s narrow win over Wakefield Trinity after forensic scrutiny of the footage conjured up an obstruction. We’re happy to review obstruction calls over and over but not to check how a defender ended up in an attacking line so quickly. It doesn’t work in rugby.
Defensive Desire Wears Cas Down
Saints were comfortable for most of this game. Sides of the past might have been tempted to take the foot off the gas but Justin Holbrook has a different philosophy. The desire of this group to defend its try-line regardless of how far ahead they are on the scoreboard is phenomenal. Several examples stand out, but two in particular within a few seconds of each other sum up the attitude that the coach has instilled.
Coote had already pulled off a try-saver on Jordan Rankin close to half-time. That set the tone for the others to follow. James Clare had replaced the hapless Eden but he wasn’t having any more luck. He was forced into an error by a superb gang-tackle from Saints. Danger averted, that is until Joseph Paulo was penalised for an incorrect play-the-ball to put more pressure on a Saints defence still getting its breath back. Bearing in mind that Saints led 32-6 at this point it would have been easy to buckle. Yet they responded again, bundling Alex Foster into touch to win back possession.
There was one real lapse on the night. On the last play of the game Jake Trueman jinked between a tiring Thompson and Lees to notch Castleford’s second try, their first legal effort. After keeping the Tigers scoreless in the first half Saints racked up a sixth completed 40-minute period of the season in which they have not conceded a point. Defence is an attitude and Saints approach to it so far in 2019 is a big reason why they are setting the early pace.
How Good Is Lachlan Coote?
Hands up who thought we’d never replace Ben Barba? I have to admit I’m raising my hand as I write. Before arriving in England Coote had a reputation as a solid performer. The kind of guy who was always likely to be good enough for Super League but who would pale in comparison to Barba. We’d miss the explosiveness, the 90-metre miracles and the ability to sing our own version of Glad All Over.
The early indications are that Coote is much better than we might have expected. It took him only three minutes to open the scoring, taking Roby’s pass to sneak over. From then on he was involved in everything, setting the example for the defence as we’ve seen but also showing his creative influence too. It was his offload that allowed Mark Percival to cross for Saints sixth try of the evening. Before that he’d been involved in a clinical movement from a scrum which allowed Percival to put Grace over, while the Scotland international’s pin-point kick to Cas’ left edge also allowed Tommy Makinson to put Eden into touch and set up the position for Lomax to put Taia over early in the second half.
Everything Coote does has a touch of class about it. He never looks remotely hurried whether fielding kicks or weighing up passing options. The only area of his game we might reasonably expect him to develop is his goal-kicking. He landed five from nine attempts in this one which is ok for a reluctant kicker but something that he will be keen to improve on.
Like Barba, Coote has his own song on the terraces already. Unlike Barba, ‘The Reason’ may be Saints last line of defence and a genuine attacking force for a sustained period of time. It’s early, but Coote has the potential to become one of the club’s best ever NRL imports.
Coming into this one a lot of the talk was about how the game could be won and lost in the front row. Castleford’s Liam Watts and the returning Grant Millington at prop either side of hooker Paul McShane taking on Saints’ front trio of Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson at prop alongside James Roby at number nine.
It was always going to be a key battle and it was won by the visitors by the kind of margin normally reserved for Parliamentary votes on Theresa May’s Brexit deals. Saints’ front three combined for 323 metres while their direct opponents could only muster 180 between them. That was largely due to the extra defensive workload placed upon them by Saints’ domination of possession and territory. The Tigers’ three had to combine for 106 tackles, missing a further 15 while Saints’ threesome, ably backed up by Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees and Jack Ashworth, were only required to make 56 tackles. They missed only five between them.
The question that is most often asked by Cas fans about why McShane doesn’t get more opportunity at international level was again answered by Roby. McShane is a very, very good player who arguably would be good enough to play for England or Great Britain in most other eras. It is no disgrace to him to be constantly overlooked in favour of Roby. The Saints man isn’t just the best number 9 in Super League right now, but one of the best to ever play the game. There is very little between him and even his great predecessor Kieron Cunningham, so what chance a mere mortal like McShane has of getting the better of him might most fairly be described as minimal.
And he duly did not. Roby had one assist and took off on 13 of his trademark scoots from dummy half while McShane, gassed out from trying to involve himself in every defensive tackle, could only manage five darts from acting half. Again that is indicative of his side’s lack of possession as error after error provided opportunities for a Saints side in fairly ruthless mood. If the old adage that the front row sets the platform for a performance is true then it is no surprise that Saints taught Castleford a bit of a lesson on the night. The Tigers should feel no shame about that. It is doubtful whether there is a better front row anywhere in the world of rugby league than the three in Saints trenches.
What’s Daryl Doing There?
Cas coach Daryl Powell was enduring a miserable night. He’d already seen Lachlan Coote and Regan Grace cross for first half tries before the comedy of errors leading to Saints’ third try caused Powell’s top to blow completely. The Tigers had recovered possession from an uncharacteristically wild Roby pass when Greg Eden lobbed it straight back into the arms of Lees. The prop forward hared towards the line and although he was stopped short the ball was worked from left to right where Theo Fages hit Dominique Peyroux running a great line to score his third try in as many games. His fourth would come before the end.
That first Peyroux try made the score 18-0 to Saints and for Powell it was all becoming a bit too much to take. As his side trudged back to half way to restart the game they found their coach suddenly out there with them. The explanation given during the TV broadcast was that the Tigers coach likes to watch the game from the opposite side of the ground to where the bench and technical area are located. If he hadn’t walked across the field he would have had to walk all the way around the pitch, no doubt picking up some pretty stern advice from the shell shocked home fans along the way. So he cut straight across the field, barking angrily at his players and in particular the hapless Eden as he went.
Nobody would reasonably argue that Powell was being polite or constructive. He wasn’t asking his players nicely to refrain from passing the ball to the chaps in the blue. Yet whatever he said and whatever tone he used surely it’s a form of on-field coaching. The kind of thing the RFL and Super League can afford to agree to frown upon since they can’t seem to agree on anything else. Action must be taken against Powell and if need be he needs to find a seat in the stand on the same side of the ground as his technical area. Otherwise we are a short step from coaches popping on and off the field whenever they feel their players might benefit from their wisdom. If we tolerate this we might as well go the whole hog and introduce time-outs. The Wolfpack fans would love it. But then what time will we get home from a 7.45pm kick-off?
It Works In Rugby
Every time the debate about whether to use technology in sport is raised those in favour trot out the same old stock phrase. It works in rugby. Quite often this is uttered by people who watch rugby about as regularly as Warrington win titles. There is a counter argument which suggests it doesn’t work in rugby. Not always. We saw another example of this in this one when Michael Shenton’s try was allowed to stand.
It may seem a little trifling to worry about conceding a try when your team is 32-0 up but the score line should have no influence on when it is appropriate to use video evidence. Jonny Lomax should have been celebrating a try at the other end after he was put clear by Zeb Taia but was hauled down just short. Theo Fages then attempted to switch the ball out to the right edge only to find Shenton. The former Saints man was so far up alongside the Saints attacking line that viewers may have been forgiven for thinking that the centre was still playing for the club. Even he was surprised, looking back at the officials several times before parking Grace on his backside and strolling under the posts.
The incident was not reviewed. Had it been the evidence would have shown Shenton to be four or five metres offside. It’s baffling to consider why a review was not called for given the modern trend towards looking for reasons to disallow tries. Twenty-four hours before Shenton’s effort Jake Mamo had a try ludicrously chalked off in Warrington’s narrow win over Wakefield Trinity after forensic scrutiny of the footage conjured up an obstruction. We’re happy to review obstruction calls over and over but not to check how a defender ended up in an attacking line so quickly. It doesn’t work in rugby.
Defensive Desire Wears Cas Down
Saints were comfortable for most of this game. Sides of the past might have been tempted to take the foot off the gas but Justin Holbrook has a different philosophy. The desire of this group to defend its try-line regardless of how far ahead they are on the scoreboard is phenomenal. Several examples stand out, but two in particular within a few seconds of each other sum up the attitude that the coach has instilled.
Coote had already pulled off a try-saver on Jordan Rankin close to half-time. That set the tone for the others to follow. James Clare had replaced the hapless Eden but he wasn’t having any more luck. He was forced into an error by a superb gang-tackle from Saints. Danger averted, that is until Joseph Paulo was penalised for an incorrect play-the-ball to put more pressure on a Saints defence still getting its breath back. Bearing in mind that Saints led 32-6 at this point it would have been easy to buckle. Yet they responded again, bundling Alex Foster into touch to win back possession.
There was one real lapse on the night. On the last play of the game Jake Trueman jinked between a tiring Thompson and Lees to notch Castleford’s second try, their first legal effort. After keeping the Tigers scoreless in the first half Saints racked up a sixth completed 40-minute period of the season in which they have not conceded a point. Defence is an attitude and Saints approach to it so far in 2019 is a big reason why they are setting the early pace.
How Good Is Lachlan Coote?
Hands up who thought we’d never replace Ben Barba? I have to admit I’m raising my hand as I write. Before arriving in England Coote had a reputation as a solid performer. The kind of guy who was always likely to be good enough for Super League but who would pale in comparison to Barba. We’d miss the explosiveness, the 90-metre miracles and the ability to sing our own version of Glad All Over.
The early indications are that Coote is much better than we might have expected. It took him only three minutes to open the scoring, taking Roby’s pass to sneak over. From then on he was involved in everything, setting the example for the defence as we’ve seen but also showing his creative influence too. It was his offload that allowed Mark Percival to cross for Saints sixth try of the evening. Before that he’d been involved in a clinical movement from a scrum which allowed Percival to put Grace over, while the Scotland international’s pin-point kick to Cas’ left edge also allowed Tommy Makinson to put Eden into touch and set up the position for Lomax to put Taia over early in the second half.
Everything Coote does has a touch of class about it. He never looks remotely hurried whether fielding kicks or weighing up passing options. The only area of his game we might reasonably expect him to develop is his goal-kicking. He landed five from nine attempts in this one which is ok for a reluctant kicker but something that he will be keen to improve on.
Like Barba, Coote has his own song on the terraces already. Unlike Barba, ‘The Reason’ may be Saints last line of defence and a genuine attacking force for a sustained period of time. It’s early, but Coote has the potential to become one of the club’s best ever NRL imports.
Castleford Tigers v St Helens - Preview
Saints hope to make it seven wins in a row to start the 2019 BetFred Super League campaign when they visit the Mend-A-Hose Jungle to take on Castleford Tigers on Friday night (March 22, kick-off 7.45pm).
Justin Holbrook’s side were challenged for the first 40 minutes of last week’s clash with Huddersfield Giants but proved far too strong in the end, running out 40-12 winners after a strong second half display. That followed wins over Wigan, Wakefield, Leeds, Salford and London which see Saints sit two points clear of the Tigers and Warrington at the top of the table going into this one. It’s a crucial opportunity to open up a bit of daylight over Daryl Powell’s side who are one of the sides heavily fancied to be in the play-off shake-up by the end of the season.
Holbrook has kept faith with the exact same 19-man squad that travelled to Huddersfield. That means no place for Danny Richardson, with the only selection posers seemingly at prop. Jack Ashworth got the nod last week but was sparsely used and he, Matty Lees, Kyle Amor and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook will all compete for game time alongside the established starters Luke Thompson and Alex Walmsley. James Roby is likely to be the only recognised hooker if as expected Aaron Smith doesn’t make the final 17. Look for Morgan Knowles to fill in there at certain points along the way should the England star need a rest in his much anticipated duel with Castleford’s Paul McShane.
Dominique Peyroux had a fantastic game at the John Smith’s Stadium last week and he will line up in the second row alongside Zeb Taia with Knowles likely to start at loose forward. Joseph Paulo will alternate for any of those three from the bench.
Lachlan Coote has been earning high praise for his performances this year so far, so much so that the memory of Ben Barba fades more with each passing week. Coote will be the last line of defence again for Saints and will offer his eye-catching array of passing skills in attack. That could lead to opportunities for wingers Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace outside of the centre pairing of Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama. In the halves, Theo Fages has been linked with a move to the NRL when his Saints contract runs out at the end of the current season. It could just be agent talk, but whether or not Australia beckons expect the Frenchman to continue to get the nod at scrum-half with the excellent Jonny Lomax alongside him at stand-off.
The big news coming out of Castleford this week is the release of utility back Ben Roberts. The New Zealand and Samoan international has been out of the Tigers side through injury for some time and it was decided mutually between the player and the club that he should be released from his contract. One of Roberts’ most famous moments in a Cas shirt arrived when he dropped a late goal at the Jungle to send Saints to a damaging defeat in 2015. A fit Roberts would have been a threat again here but there has to be doubts now about whether another Super League club will take a chance on the 33-year-old.
With Luke Gale and Jamie Ellis also out long term it has meant that Jake Trueman’s time as a regular first team starter has come a little earlier than he might have expected, while the experience in the halves comes from former Hull FC man Jordan Rankin.
Roberts couldn’t solve Castleford’s fullback problem when Zak Hardaker’s troubled private life blew a hole in the Tigers’ 2017 title aspirations but since then Peter Mata’utia has come in from Leigh and made the position his own. Out wide Greg Eden is again the top scorer in the competition in the early weeks but with James Webster having departed at the end of last season Greg Mikinin or Alex Foster will operate at centre with James Clare in contention for a spot also. Former Saint Michael Shenton is still a classy presence at left centre and will no doubt give Naiqama all that he can handle defensively.
It should be a fascinating battle up front as McShane is flanked by England hopeful Liam Watts and the returning Grant Millington. The latter was suspended for two games after being involved in an altercation in the win over Hull KR in early March. Having sat out the loss to Warrington and last week’s return to the winner’s circle over Salford Red Devils Millington will be a key figure if Castleford hope to contain Walmsley, Thompson and Roby. Mike McMeeken is still missing from the second row which is a blow for Powell but in Oliver Holmes, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Nathan Massey and Adam Milner the former Leeds coach still has plenty of back row options. Junior Moors, Tuoyo Egodo and recent pick-up Chris Clarkson complete the Tigers 19-man selection.
This should be Saints biggest challenge yet. The Tigers have lost just that one game against Steve Price’s in-form Warrington outfit and are always a difficult proposition on home soil. Yet Saints defence has been outstanding this term, with four of their six opponents so far having failed to register a single point in the second half of their meetings with Holbrook’s men. If Saints can produce that kind of desire to defend their line and keep Castleford’s wide-running attackers out of the game then they should have more than enough to extend their unbeaten record. Yet off nights happen, and if Saints were to produce one here it would be likely to prove costly.
Two tries from Knowles and Fages helped Saints to a 40-18 win on their last visit to Castleford in Super League last May, while they also knocked Powell’s side out of the Challenge Cup thanks to some cape-wearing chicanery from Barba. Their last defeat at the Jungle was that never to be forgotten play-off semi-final in 2017 when Gale’s drop-goal secured a Golden Point win to get the Tigers to Old Trafford where they were Zak-ed into defeat by Leeds Rhinos.
It could be that close again, but if it goes to form then Saints punishing defence should see them home by the odd score or two. Saints by 10.
Squads;
Castleford Tigers;
1. Peter Mata’utia, 2. James Clare, 3. Greg Minikin, 4. Michael Shenton, 5. Greg Eden, 6. Jake Trueman, 8. Liam Watts, 9. Paul McShane, 10. Grant Millington, 11. Oliver Holmes, 13. Adam Milner, 14. Nathan Massey, 15. Jesse Sene-Lefao, 16. Junior Moors, 17. Alex Foster, 18. Matt Cook, 25. Tuoyo Egodo, 32. Jordan Rankin, 33. Chris Clarkson.
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 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, 21. Aaron Smith, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Referee: James Child
Justin Holbrook’s side were challenged for the first 40 minutes of last week’s clash with Huddersfield Giants but proved far too strong in the end, running out 40-12 winners after a strong second half display. That followed wins over Wigan, Wakefield, Leeds, Salford and London which see Saints sit two points clear of the Tigers and Warrington at the top of the table going into this one. It’s a crucial opportunity to open up a bit of daylight over Daryl Powell’s side who are one of the sides heavily fancied to be in the play-off shake-up by the end of the season.
Holbrook has kept faith with the exact same 19-man squad that travelled to Huddersfield. That means no place for Danny Richardson, with the only selection posers seemingly at prop. Jack Ashworth got the nod last week but was sparsely used and he, Matty Lees, Kyle Amor and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook will all compete for game time alongside the established starters Luke Thompson and Alex Walmsley. James Roby is likely to be the only recognised hooker if as expected Aaron Smith doesn’t make the final 17. Look for Morgan Knowles to fill in there at certain points along the way should the England star need a rest in his much anticipated duel with Castleford’s Paul McShane.
Dominique Peyroux had a fantastic game at the John Smith’s Stadium last week and he will line up in the second row alongside Zeb Taia with Knowles likely to start at loose forward. Joseph Paulo will alternate for any of those three from the bench.
Lachlan Coote has been earning high praise for his performances this year so far, so much so that the memory of Ben Barba fades more with each passing week. Coote will be the last line of defence again for Saints and will offer his eye-catching array of passing skills in attack. That could lead to opportunities for wingers Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace outside of the centre pairing of Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama. In the halves, Theo Fages has been linked with a move to the NRL when his Saints contract runs out at the end of the current season. It could just be agent talk, but whether or not Australia beckons expect the Frenchman to continue to get the nod at scrum-half with the excellent Jonny Lomax alongside him at stand-off.
The big news coming out of Castleford this week is the release of utility back Ben Roberts. The New Zealand and Samoan international has been out of the Tigers side through injury for some time and it was decided mutually between the player and the club that he should be released from his contract. One of Roberts’ most famous moments in a Cas shirt arrived when he dropped a late goal at the Jungle to send Saints to a damaging defeat in 2015. A fit Roberts would have been a threat again here but there has to be doubts now about whether another Super League club will take a chance on the 33-year-old.
With Luke Gale and Jamie Ellis also out long term it has meant that Jake Trueman’s time as a regular first team starter has come a little earlier than he might have expected, while the experience in the halves comes from former Hull FC man Jordan Rankin.
Roberts couldn’t solve Castleford’s fullback problem when Zak Hardaker’s troubled private life blew a hole in the Tigers’ 2017 title aspirations but since then Peter Mata’utia has come in from Leigh and made the position his own. Out wide Greg Eden is again the top scorer in the competition in the early weeks but with James Webster having departed at the end of last season Greg Mikinin or Alex Foster will operate at centre with James Clare in contention for a spot also. Former Saint Michael Shenton is still a classy presence at left centre and will no doubt give Naiqama all that he can handle defensively.
It should be a fascinating battle up front as McShane is flanked by England hopeful Liam Watts and the returning Grant Millington. The latter was suspended for two games after being involved in an altercation in the win over Hull KR in early March. Having sat out the loss to Warrington and last week’s return to the winner’s circle over Salford Red Devils Millington will be a key figure if Castleford hope to contain Walmsley, Thompson and Roby. Mike McMeeken is still missing from the second row which is a blow for Powell but in Oliver Holmes, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Nathan Massey and Adam Milner the former Leeds coach still has plenty of back row options. Junior Moors, Tuoyo Egodo and recent pick-up Chris Clarkson complete the Tigers 19-man selection.
This should be Saints biggest challenge yet. The Tigers have lost just that one game against Steve Price’s in-form Warrington outfit and are always a difficult proposition on home soil. Yet Saints defence has been outstanding this term, with four of their six opponents so far having failed to register a single point in the second half of their meetings with Holbrook’s men. If Saints can produce that kind of desire to defend their line and keep Castleford’s wide-running attackers out of the game then they should have more than enough to extend their unbeaten record. Yet off nights happen, and if Saints were to produce one here it would be likely to prove costly.
Two tries from Knowles and Fages helped Saints to a 40-18 win on their last visit to Castleford in Super League last May, while they also knocked Powell’s side out of the Challenge Cup thanks to some cape-wearing chicanery from Barba. Their last defeat at the Jungle was that never to be forgotten play-off semi-final in 2017 when Gale’s drop-goal secured a Golden Point win to get the Tigers to Old Trafford where they were Zak-ed into defeat by Leeds Rhinos.
It could be that close again, but if it goes to form then Saints punishing defence should see them home by the odd score or two. Saints by 10.
Squads;
Castleford Tigers;
1. Peter Mata’utia, 2. James Clare, 3. Greg Minikin, 4. Michael Shenton, 5. Greg Eden, 6. Jake Trueman, 8. Liam Watts, 9. Paul McShane, 10. Grant Millington, 11. Oliver Holmes, 13. Adam Milner, 14. Nathan Massey, 15. Jesse Sene-Lefao, 16. Junior Moors, 17. Alex Foster, 18. Matt Cook, 25. Tuoyo Egodo, 32. Jordan Rankin, 33. Chris Clarkson.
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 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, 21. Aaron Smith, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Referee: James Child
Hunte & Sullivan Destroy Cas - 1994
Saints made a disastrous start to the 1994/95 season. Eric Hughes’ side went down to a 20-29 home defeat to a Doncaster side inspired by future Saints cult hero Vila Mata’utia. It was a miserable result on a balmy August afternoon. Saints followed that disappointment with a 31-10 reverse at Warrington a few days later, when Mark Forster grabbed a hat-trick and Jonathan Davies scored 11 points with the boot.
So with their title challenge already faltering Saints needed a spark. A win at Halifax got them off the mark for the campaign, before Salford were narrowly edged out 34-28 at Knowsley Road. Next came a trip to Cumbria, Saints winning 30-25 against Workington Town at Derwent Park thanks to an Ian Pickavance try-double and 10 points from Bobbie Goulding.
By the time Castleford arrived in mid-September there was hope rather than expectation that title hopes could be revived. The losses had been painful and even the wins had been a little scrappy and less than convincing. It wasn’t until the arrival of John Joyner’s Cas side that Saints really showed their attacking prowess. Joyner’s men arrived at Knowsley Road unbeaten. All of Widnes, Workington, Hull FC and Sheffield Eagles had been vanquished as the Wheldon Road side set the early pace alongside perennial title favourites Wigan. Eighty minutes in the St Helens sunshine was all it took to have the Yorkshire side hastily re-assessing their prospects for the season.
This column consistently bemoans the lack of old fashioned wing play in the modern game. Too many sides employ battering rams on the flanks whose main role is to get their team out of their own end of the field. They still score a volume of tries but today’s wingers tend to do so once good field position has been established. They are less of a threat from deep than the early 90s wingers of my mind’s eye. This match was a perfect example of the damage that could be caused by genuine flyers out wide.
One such flyer, Anthony Sullivan, had somehow not managed to score a single try in any of the matches leading into this Castleford clash. In fact it had been a sluggish star to what turned out to be a glorious Saints career for the Welshman. Having arrived in the 1991/92 season Sullivan didn’t get into double figures for a campaign until 1993/94 when he crossed 20 times. By the time of his departure from Saints in 2001 he had scored 235 four-pointers for the red vee and was widely regarded as one of the greats of his era. The three he scored in this game were an indication of why Sullivan would go on to be held in such high esteem. The combination of speed, balance and poise was breath-taking and something you so rarely see in today’s more robotic Super League.
On the opposite wing Alan Hunte had crossed five times before this one and would almost double that tally by the end of a vintage Saints performance. It was Hunte who went over first, taking Goulding’s pass to tiptoe down the touchline to open the scoring. At around 3 minutes 10 of the clip you can see how Goulding had created the space by running across the face of the Castleford defence, committing defenders before firing a quick pass out to Hunte. Arriving from Widnes earlier in 1994 Goulding would eventually prove one of the catalysts for Saints march towards a first league crown in 21 years in 1996 when they also went on to win the Challenge Cup.
It wasn’t until the stroke of half-time that Sullivan opened his try-scoring account for the season. A grubber kick towards the Saints in-goal area was expertly scooped up by fullback Steve Prescott, who jinked, hopped and stepped away from his own line before unloading a quite sublime flicked pass to Sullivan on his inside (around 6 mins 35 into the clip). It was over before Sullivan even crossed the half-way line, the amber shirts floundering in pursuit of Saints elegant number 5. By the time he crossed the try-line Sullivan was able to dot the ball down with the utmost nonchalance.
Which is a good word to describe how Saints dealt with Castleford the rest of the way. The home side were a different outfit in the second half, and their wide men caused seven kinds of havoc as they ripped the visiting defence apart. Sullivan’s try close to the break had given Saints a fairly slender 15-8 half-time advantage, but within four minutes of the restart Saints were over again. Chris Joynt was halted on the left hand side and as the ball was switched to Goulding by hooker Sean Casey the halfback placed a picture-perfect cross-field kick into the space ahead of Hunte on the opposite side of the field. Hunte got there ahead of his opposite number Simon Middleton and slid over to put Saints in total command of the game at 19-8 (8 minutes in).
Just before the hour Hunte’s hat-trick arrived (8.36). It was a messy affair, but highlighted the opportunistic skills of the former Wakefield man. Richard Goddard had been introduced from the Castleford bench but soon found himself in a comical tangle after Scott Gibbs’ attempted pass over the top towards Hunte went to ground. In trying to pick the ball up Goddard could only succeed in kicking it towards his own try-line in the manner of an old man letting his grandchildren win in a back garden game. Goddard performed this unlikely trick twice, allowing the ball to roll over the try-line for a grateful Hunte to grab his third try of the afternoon. He wasn’t done there.
Five minutes later, from a scrum on Saints own 20-metre line they were at it again (9 mins 30). Goulding ran at the defence once more, drawing men to him before handing on to Shane Cooper who moved the ball on to Prescott. Going through the gears, Prescott was leaving opponents standing before deciding that actually the quickest way to the try-line was to hand on to the supporting Sullivan. Ball tucked, bolt-upright and with a peerless running style Sullivan made light of racing away from the cover as Tawera Nikau and Graham Steadman gave a forlorn chase. Steadman’s desperate attempt to tap the ankles of Sullivan as he gets close to the try-line just gives the thing an even greater aesthetic pleasure. A try you could watch over and over and wonder why they don’t make them like this any more.
Casey was making a rare appearance for Saints. He managed just 14 games for the club between 1990 and 1994. Here he was deputising for the second game running for a young Keiron Cunningham. The latter, and even today’s great number nine James Roby would have been proud of Casey’s involvement in Sullivan’s hat-trick try. Scooting out from dummy half on the left hand side of the field Casey held off three Cas defenders before freeing an arm to slip the pass to Sullivan who crossed for the easiest of his three tries on the day (10 minutes 21). It was a dazzling piece of skill from Casey, and exactly the sort of thing that Saints fans would come to take for granted from the likes of Cunningham and Roby over the next quarter of a century.
From the ensuing kick-off (11 minutes 15) Goulding set Hunte free once more down the right hands side and though his gallop down the touchline came to an end before he could cross for a fourth (that would have to wait), Hunte did had done enough to set up the position for Goulding to work a little more of his magic. Faking a pass out to the left where much of the space was, Goulding stepped back inside and found Gibbs who went over untouched to put Saints 39-8 up. Goulding’s conversion saw Saints break the 40-point barrier, the halfback dropping to his knees in mock-unworthiness of the by now delighted home suport.
There was still time for Hunte to have the last word, latching on to a loose pass deep inside Castleford territory to earn a simple walk-in for his fourth of the match, and his ninth of that season by that point (13 minutes 40). After a tense first half Saints had run out 47-14 winners with the kind of display that the term 'champagne rugby' was invented for.
Unfortunately there were not too many reasons to pop the cork on the champagne bottle during the rest of 1994/95. Inconsistency plagued Hughes' side, who could only manage an 18-18 draw at Oldham a fortnight after this win and would go on to lose a further seven times in the league. They finished fourth, which was a place behind Castleford as it happened, as Wigan went on to claim yet another crown. Leeds finished runners up but they were a distant seven points behind the Central Park outfit for whom Martin Offiah scored a quite ridiculous 53 tries and Frano Botica kicked his way to 408 points.
Barely two years later Hughes was gone, replaced by Shaun McRae as the Australian went about the business of delivering that first title in almost a quarter of a century. Sullivan and Hunte would remain integral parts of that team in 1996, as would Goulding, Gibbs, Prescott and Joynt. Others moved on, Casey replaced by the indomitable Cunningham while Paul Loughlin and Sonny Nickle were makeweights in the deal which brought Paul Newlove to Knowsley Road. Bernard Dwyer also headed to Bradford in that deal. The kind of rugby we had been given a glimpse of in this win over Castleford became a more regular occurrence as Saints finally broke the domination of their local rivals from over the lump.
So with their title challenge already faltering Saints needed a spark. A win at Halifax got them off the mark for the campaign, before Salford were narrowly edged out 34-28 at Knowsley Road. Next came a trip to Cumbria, Saints winning 30-25 against Workington Town at Derwent Park thanks to an Ian Pickavance try-double and 10 points from Bobbie Goulding.
By the time Castleford arrived in mid-September there was hope rather than expectation that title hopes could be revived. The losses had been painful and even the wins had been a little scrappy and less than convincing. It wasn’t until the arrival of John Joyner’s Cas side that Saints really showed their attacking prowess. Joyner’s men arrived at Knowsley Road unbeaten. All of Widnes, Workington, Hull FC and Sheffield Eagles had been vanquished as the Wheldon Road side set the early pace alongside perennial title favourites Wigan. Eighty minutes in the St Helens sunshine was all it took to have the Yorkshire side hastily re-assessing their prospects for the season.
This column consistently bemoans the lack of old fashioned wing play in the modern game. Too many sides employ battering rams on the flanks whose main role is to get their team out of their own end of the field. They still score a volume of tries but today’s wingers tend to do so once good field position has been established. They are less of a threat from deep than the early 90s wingers of my mind’s eye. This match was a perfect example of the damage that could be caused by genuine flyers out wide.
One such flyer, Anthony Sullivan, had somehow not managed to score a single try in any of the matches leading into this Castleford clash. In fact it had been a sluggish star to what turned out to be a glorious Saints career for the Welshman. Having arrived in the 1991/92 season Sullivan didn’t get into double figures for a campaign until 1993/94 when he crossed 20 times. By the time of his departure from Saints in 2001 he had scored 235 four-pointers for the red vee and was widely regarded as one of the greats of his era. The three he scored in this game were an indication of why Sullivan would go on to be held in such high esteem. The combination of speed, balance and poise was breath-taking and something you so rarely see in today’s more robotic Super League.
On the opposite wing Alan Hunte had crossed five times before this one and would almost double that tally by the end of a vintage Saints performance. It was Hunte who went over first, taking Goulding’s pass to tiptoe down the touchline to open the scoring. At around 3 minutes 10 of the clip you can see how Goulding had created the space by running across the face of the Castleford defence, committing defenders before firing a quick pass out to Hunte. Arriving from Widnes earlier in 1994 Goulding would eventually prove one of the catalysts for Saints march towards a first league crown in 21 years in 1996 when they also went on to win the Challenge Cup.
It wasn’t until the stroke of half-time that Sullivan opened his try-scoring account for the season. A grubber kick towards the Saints in-goal area was expertly scooped up by fullback Steve Prescott, who jinked, hopped and stepped away from his own line before unloading a quite sublime flicked pass to Sullivan on his inside (around 6 mins 35 into the clip). It was over before Sullivan even crossed the half-way line, the amber shirts floundering in pursuit of Saints elegant number 5. By the time he crossed the try-line Sullivan was able to dot the ball down with the utmost nonchalance.
Which is a good word to describe how Saints dealt with Castleford the rest of the way. The home side were a different outfit in the second half, and their wide men caused seven kinds of havoc as they ripped the visiting defence apart. Sullivan’s try close to the break had given Saints a fairly slender 15-8 half-time advantage, but within four minutes of the restart Saints were over again. Chris Joynt was halted on the left hand side and as the ball was switched to Goulding by hooker Sean Casey the halfback placed a picture-perfect cross-field kick into the space ahead of Hunte on the opposite side of the field. Hunte got there ahead of his opposite number Simon Middleton and slid over to put Saints in total command of the game at 19-8 (8 minutes in).
Just before the hour Hunte’s hat-trick arrived (8.36). It was a messy affair, but highlighted the opportunistic skills of the former Wakefield man. Richard Goddard had been introduced from the Castleford bench but soon found himself in a comical tangle after Scott Gibbs’ attempted pass over the top towards Hunte went to ground. In trying to pick the ball up Goddard could only succeed in kicking it towards his own try-line in the manner of an old man letting his grandchildren win in a back garden game. Goddard performed this unlikely trick twice, allowing the ball to roll over the try-line for a grateful Hunte to grab his third try of the afternoon. He wasn’t done there.
Five minutes later, from a scrum on Saints own 20-metre line they were at it again (9 mins 30). Goulding ran at the defence once more, drawing men to him before handing on to Shane Cooper who moved the ball on to Prescott. Going through the gears, Prescott was leaving opponents standing before deciding that actually the quickest way to the try-line was to hand on to the supporting Sullivan. Ball tucked, bolt-upright and with a peerless running style Sullivan made light of racing away from the cover as Tawera Nikau and Graham Steadman gave a forlorn chase. Steadman’s desperate attempt to tap the ankles of Sullivan as he gets close to the try-line just gives the thing an even greater aesthetic pleasure. A try you could watch over and over and wonder why they don’t make them like this any more.
Casey was making a rare appearance for Saints. He managed just 14 games for the club between 1990 and 1994. Here he was deputising for the second game running for a young Keiron Cunningham. The latter, and even today’s great number nine James Roby would have been proud of Casey’s involvement in Sullivan’s hat-trick try. Scooting out from dummy half on the left hand side of the field Casey held off three Cas defenders before freeing an arm to slip the pass to Sullivan who crossed for the easiest of his three tries on the day (10 minutes 21). It was a dazzling piece of skill from Casey, and exactly the sort of thing that Saints fans would come to take for granted from the likes of Cunningham and Roby over the next quarter of a century.
From the ensuing kick-off (11 minutes 15) Goulding set Hunte free once more down the right hands side and though his gallop down the touchline came to an end before he could cross for a fourth (that would have to wait), Hunte did had done enough to set up the position for Goulding to work a little more of his magic. Faking a pass out to the left where much of the space was, Goulding stepped back inside and found Gibbs who went over untouched to put Saints 39-8 up. Goulding’s conversion saw Saints break the 40-point barrier, the halfback dropping to his knees in mock-unworthiness of the by now delighted home suport.
There was still time for Hunte to have the last word, latching on to a loose pass deep inside Castleford territory to earn a simple walk-in for his fourth of the match, and his ninth of that season by that point (13 minutes 40). After a tense first half Saints had run out 47-14 winners with the kind of display that the term 'champagne rugby' was invented for.
Unfortunately there were not too many reasons to pop the cork on the champagne bottle during the rest of 1994/95. Inconsistency plagued Hughes' side, who could only manage an 18-18 draw at Oldham a fortnight after this win and would go on to lose a further seven times in the league. They finished fourth, which was a place behind Castleford as it happened, as Wigan went on to claim yet another crown. Leeds finished runners up but they were a distant seven points behind the Central Park outfit for whom Martin Offiah scored a quite ridiculous 53 tries and Frano Botica kicked his way to 408 points.
Barely two years later Hughes was gone, replaced by Shaun McRae as the Australian went about the business of delivering that first title in almost a quarter of a century. Sullivan and Hunte would remain integral parts of that team in 1996, as would Goulding, Gibbs, Prescott and Joynt. Others moved on, Casey replaced by the indomitable Cunningham while Paul Loughlin and Sonny Nickle were makeweights in the deal which brought Paul Newlove to Knowsley Road. Bernard Dwyer also headed to Bradford in that deal. The kind of rugby we had been given a glimpse of in this win over Castleford became a more regular occurrence as Saints finally broke the domination of their local rivals from over the lump.
5 Talking Points From Huddersfield Giants 12 Saints 40
McGillvary Brain Fart Turns The Tide
If you just look at the 40-16 score-line this looks like a routine win for Saints. Yet it was anything but for 55 minutes or so as the Giants belied their position at the bottom of the Super League table. The turning point came early in the second half when, just moments after a Lachlan Coote penalty goal stretched Saints lead to six points at 18-12, England international winger Jermaine McGillvary suffered what is commonly referred to as a brain fart.
A Coote kick looked like going dead in-goal before it took a wicked hop backwards and came to rest just inside the dead ball line. McGillvary was forced to pick it up and try to run it back into the field of play. Surrounded by Saints defenders he should have taken his medicine and had the game restart with a goal-line drop-out. Huddersfield would still have been under pressure but at least they would have had an opportunity to see another set of six out defensively and then regroup. Inexplicably, Mcgillvary chose instead to try to offload the ball to a team-mate behind his own line. The pass went to ground and the first player to react to it as it bobbled along the grass was Mark Percival who reached out to touch down for his second try of the match. Just before half-time Percival had grabbed a crucial score, touching down from Jonny Lomax’s kick to give Saints a slender 16-12 lead at the break. This time his try put 10 points between the sides, and that became 12 when Coote slotted over the extras.
From that point on the Giants were never really in the game. As their belief and energy wilted that of Saints grew and grew, scoring three more tries through Regan Grace, Dominique Peyroux and Lomax to hit the 40-point mark for the first time in 2019.
Are Saints A Second Half Team?
Thursday night wasn’t the first time during Saints opening run of six consecutive wins that they have taken a hold on the game after the break. Huddersfield joined Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos and London Broncos in failing to score a single point against Saints in the second half of games this term, albeit only by the width of former Saint and 2014 Grand Final winner Jordan Turner’s foot. The ex-Hull and Canberra man looked to have crossed for a late consolation for Simon Woolford’s side only for replays to show that his boot had made contact with the touchline before he went over.
Saints scored 24 points without reply in the second half of this one to add to their 10 without a response against the Warriors, Broncos and Red Devils. Saints were also locked at 10-10 at half-time away at Wakefield in Round 2 and although the second half of that one was a much tighter affair they still managed to hold off the challenge of Chris Chester’s wayward, inconsistent mob to emerge with a 24-18 win. Against the Rhinos Saints scored 17 unanswered points to win 27-22 having trailed 22-10 at the interlude. I don’t know if there is something in the oranges handed out by the Saints staff at the break during their games so far this season but whatever it is they are feeding them, or whatever it is that Justin Holbrook is telling them, is working like the proverbial charm. Saints visit Castleford next week and if I could offer one piece of advice to Daryl Powell now it is that he should make sure his side have a comfortable lead after the first 40. Otherwise there is likely to be nothing down for them.
Peyroux Shines
Lomax was named Sky Sports Man Of The Match and for once I found myself agreeing with the motley crew of hastily assembled ex-Wiganers responsible for judging these things. The stand-off was at the centre of everything Saints did offensively, ably assisted by the increasingly magnificent Coote. Lomax scored one try, had one assist, four tackle busts and made 90 metres on 12 carries with only one handling error. Defensively he contributed 21 tackles as Saints shut the door on their hosts in the second 40.
For his part Coote was almost faultless at fullback, contributing an assist for Grace’s try and troubling the Giants all night with his kicking game. In defence he seems to read everything so much quicker than everyone else on the field. You get the feeling that the former North Queensland Cowboy could also slot into the halves should we find ourselves with a problem in that area, although nobody should probably mention that to Danny Richardson at the moment. An average performance by Theo Fages against the Giants may have given the youngster hope, but Holbrook will certainly judge the Frenchman on what he has done so far over the season and not on one slightly underwhelming effort here.
Ask around a little among the Saints faithful about the star performer on the night and you will get plenty of shouts in favour of Dominique Peyroux. The Samoan international had his best game of the season so far for Saints, jointly topping the tackle count with Morgan Knowles on 27 while helping himself to his second try in consecutive games after crossing against the Broncos last week.
His return of 77 metres is surprisingly underwhelming but what is impressive about Peyroux is not only his defensive output but the way in which he has managed to all but eliminate the errors from his game. He has not made a handling error since the visit to Wakefield in early February. Offensively he suffers along with Tommy Makinson and Kevin Naiqama from the inability of our more creative players to pass the ball from left to right more effectively, but when called upon Peyroux is one of the side’s most potent attacking threats. All of which is a long way from how he was perceived on his arrival at the club, when against the backdrop of former coach Keiron Cunningham insisting that Peyroux would become a fans favourite the general consensus among the fans was that he was somewhere around Championship standard.
Peyroux has just turned 30 so should still have a good two or three years in him. If those years are spent under the excellent guidance of Holbrook then we may still see even more improvement in a man who seemed unwanted two years ago.
The Team Should Follow Peyroux And Cut Down The Errors
Peyroux may be making less errors these days but dropped ball is still a problem for the team as a whole. The first half of this one was so tight largely because Saints missed a plethora of chances to score through poor handling. Percival allowed the ball to squirm out of his grasp as he crossed the line early on while Grace bamboozled the Giants defence on a mazy run downfield before dropping the egg cold just when it looked as if he had clear daylight in front of him.
Lomax was next to waste a good situation and even the usually unflappable James Roby caught the disease, tearing through the Giants defence only to see his pass to a wide open Alex Walmsley knocked down by Huddersfield’s best performer on the night Darnell McIntosh. If even half of those chances had been converted Saints might well have found themselves out of sight by the break.
A look at the overall picture shows that only the Broncos and the Rhinos have made more than Saints 67 handling errors this term. As much as we can argue that this is symptomatic of a more expansive style brought in by Holbrook it is still evidence that Saints need to take better care of the pill if they are going to get the best out of their attacking weapons. Seven teams offload the ball more often than Saints in 2019 so it is not as if their style of play, as much as it has improved under Holbrook from the dark days of the Cunningham Grind, is too high risk. More likely these are just concentration issues, with the added caveat that Saints have played in some fairly miserable weather conditions early in the season. The report card would probably say ‘could do better’.
Ashworth Or Amor?
Matty Lees came back into the side after he was unavailable for the London game last week, so that meant that either Jack Ashworth or Kyle Amor was set to miss out. In the event Holbrook chose to go with Ashworth and leave out Amor. No doubt this was a popular decision among most fans, who believe that of the two Ashworth is by far the most dynamic runner and more likely to look for an offload to create the second phase of play. Amor is now almost famed for his eagerness to ‘find his front’ once his stutter-step in front of the defensive line fails to open up a running lane. Many fans believe the former Wakefield man is past his sell-by date and that Holbrook should be looking to the younger Ashworth and Lees more regularly.
Amor’s recent comments on the situation were instructive. He revealed that he was given the opportunity to go elsewhere but chose instead to stay and fight for his place. If nothing else that takes some courage and determination, given that it is a choice he has made despite being told in no uncertain terms by Holbrook that his involvement was likely to be reduced in 2019. To his credit he had fought his way back into the side in recent weeks but was stood down against in favour of Ashworth for this one.
Yet a quick look at Ashworth’s stats do nothing to suggest that he gets any more involved than Amor. He had just three carries against the Giants for 29 metres. This represents a pretty handy average of 9.67 metres per carry but three carries in a game which saw Luke Thompson unused after the break is a pretty meagre return. Ashworth himself may have a slight injury concern but if not his sporadic use could be a reflection of the fact that Holbrook has reservations about whether he is really ready to contribute significantly at this level. Lees appears to be ahead of both Amor and Ashworth in the pecking order and with Walmsley and Thompson around and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook making over 100 metres in this one the two A’s are finding themselves a little on the fringes. Ashworth has already spent time on dual registration with Leigh and we may see a little more of that as the season wears on. All of which possibly makes Amor a more valuable asset than he is given credit for.
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If you just look at the 40-16 score-line this looks like a routine win for Saints. Yet it was anything but for 55 minutes or so as the Giants belied their position at the bottom of the Super League table. The turning point came early in the second half when, just moments after a Lachlan Coote penalty goal stretched Saints lead to six points at 18-12, England international winger Jermaine McGillvary suffered what is commonly referred to as a brain fart.
A Coote kick looked like going dead in-goal before it took a wicked hop backwards and came to rest just inside the dead ball line. McGillvary was forced to pick it up and try to run it back into the field of play. Surrounded by Saints defenders he should have taken his medicine and had the game restart with a goal-line drop-out. Huddersfield would still have been under pressure but at least they would have had an opportunity to see another set of six out defensively and then regroup. Inexplicably, Mcgillvary chose instead to try to offload the ball to a team-mate behind his own line. The pass went to ground and the first player to react to it as it bobbled along the grass was Mark Percival who reached out to touch down for his second try of the match. Just before half-time Percival had grabbed a crucial score, touching down from Jonny Lomax’s kick to give Saints a slender 16-12 lead at the break. This time his try put 10 points between the sides, and that became 12 when Coote slotted over the extras.
From that point on the Giants were never really in the game. As their belief and energy wilted that of Saints grew and grew, scoring three more tries through Regan Grace, Dominique Peyroux and Lomax to hit the 40-point mark for the first time in 2019.
Are Saints A Second Half Team?
Thursday night wasn’t the first time during Saints opening run of six consecutive wins that they have taken a hold on the game after the break. Huddersfield joined Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos and London Broncos in failing to score a single point against Saints in the second half of games this term, albeit only by the width of former Saint and 2014 Grand Final winner Jordan Turner’s foot. The ex-Hull and Canberra man looked to have crossed for a late consolation for Simon Woolford’s side only for replays to show that his boot had made contact with the touchline before he went over.
Saints scored 24 points without reply in the second half of this one to add to their 10 without a response against the Warriors, Broncos and Red Devils. Saints were also locked at 10-10 at half-time away at Wakefield in Round 2 and although the second half of that one was a much tighter affair they still managed to hold off the challenge of Chris Chester’s wayward, inconsistent mob to emerge with a 24-18 win. Against the Rhinos Saints scored 17 unanswered points to win 27-22 having trailed 22-10 at the interlude. I don’t know if there is something in the oranges handed out by the Saints staff at the break during their games so far this season but whatever it is they are feeding them, or whatever it is that Justin Holbrook is telling them, is working like the proverbial charm. Saints visit Castleford next week and if I could offer one piece of advice to Daryl Powell now it is that he should make sure his side have a comfortable lead after the first 40. Otherwise there is likely to be nothing down for them.
Peyroux Shines
Lomax was named Sky Sports Man Of The Match and for once I found myself agreeing with the motley crew of hastily assembled ex-Wiganers responsible for judging these things. The stand-off was at the centre of everything Saints did offensively, ably assisted by the increasingly magnificent Coote. Lomax scored one try, had one assist, four tackle busts and made 90 metres on 12 carries with only one handling error. Defensively he contributed 21 tackles as Saints shut the door on their hosts in the second 40.
For his part Coote was almost faultless at fullback, contributing an assist for Grace’s try and troubling the Giants all night with his kicking game. In defence he seems to read everything so much quicker than everyone else on the field. You get the feeling that the former North Queensland Cowboy could also slot into the halves should we find ourselves with a problem in that area, although nobody should probably mention that to Danny Richardson at the moment. An average performance by Theo Fages against the Giants may have given the youngster hope, but Holbrook will certainly judge the Frenchman on what he has done so far over the season and not on one slightly underwhelming effort here.
Ask around a little among the Saints faithful about the star performer on the night and you will get plenty of shouts in favour of Dominique Peyroux. The Samoan international had his best game of the season so far for Saints, jointly topping the tackle count with Morgan Knowles on 27 while helping himself to his second try in consecutive games after crossing against the Broncos last week.
His return of 77 metres is surprisingly underwhelming but what is impressive about Peyroux is not only his defensive output but the way in which he has managed to all but eliminate the errors from his game. He has not made a handling error since the visit to Wakefield in early February. Offensively he suffers along with Tommy Makinson and Kevin Naiqama from the inability of our more creative players to pass the ball from left to right more effectively, but when called upon Peyroux is one of the side’s most potent attacking threats. All of which is a long way from how he was perceived on his arrival at the club, when against the backdrop of former coach Keiron Cunningham insisting that Peyroux would become a fans favourite the general consensus among the fans was that he was somewhere around Championship standard.
Peyroux has just turned 30 so should still have a good two or three years in him. If those years are spent under the excellent guidance of Holbrook then we may still see even more improvement in a man who seemed unwanted two years ago.
The Team Should Follow Peyroux And Cut Down The Errors
Peyroux may be making less errors these days but dropped ball is still a problem for the team as a whole. The first half of this one was so tight largely because Saints missed a plethora of chances to score through poor handling. Percival allowed the ball to squirm out of his grasp as he crossed the line early on while Grace bamboozled the Giants defence on a mazy run downfield before dropping the egg cold just when it looked as if he had clear daylight in front of him.
Lomax was next to waste a good situation and even the usually unflappable James Roby caught the disease, tearing through the Giants defence only to see his pass to a wide open Alex Walmsley knocked down by Huddersfield’s best performer on the night Darnell McIntosh. If even half of those chances had been converted Saints might well have found themselves out of sight by the break.
A look at the overall picture shows that only the Broncos and the Rhinos have made more than Saints 67 handling errors this term. As much as we can argue that this is symptomatic of a more expansive style brought in by Holbrook it is still evidence that Saints need to take better care of the pill if they are going to get the best out of their attacking weapons. Seven teams offload the ball more often than Saints in 2019 so it is not as if their style of play, as much as it has improved under Holbrook from the dark days of the Cunningham Grind, is too high risk. More likely these are just concentration issues, with the added caveat that Saints have played in some fairly miserable weather conditions early in the season. The report card would probably say ‘could do better’.
Ashworth Or Amor?
Matty Lees came back into the side after he was unavailable for the London game last week, so that meant that either Jack Ashworth or Kyle Amor was set to miss out. In the event Holbrook chose to go with Ashworth and leave out Amor. No doubt this was a popular decision among most fans, who believe that of the two Ashworth is by far the most dynamic runner and more likely to look for an offload to create the second phase of play. Amor is now almost famed for his eagerness to ‘find his front’ once his stutter-step in front of the defensive line fails to open up a running lane. Many fans believe the former Wakefield man is past his sell-by date and that Holbrook should be looking to the younger Ashworth and Lees more regularly.
Amor’s recent comments on the situation were instructive. He revealed that he was given the opportunity to go elsewhere but chose instead to stay and fight for his place. If nothing else that takes some courage and determination, given that it is a choice he has made despite being told in no uncertain terms by Holbrook that his involvement was likely to be reduced in 2019. To his credit he had fought his way back into the side in recent weeks but was stood down against in favour of Ashworth for this one.
Yet a quick look at Ashworth’s stats do nothing to suggest that he gets any more involved than Amor. He had just three carries against the Giants for 29 metres. This represents a pretty handy average of 9.67 metres per carry but three carries in a game which saw Luke Thompson unused after the break is a pretty meagre return. Ashworth himself may have a slight injury concern but if not his sporadic use could be a reflection of the fact that Holbrook has reservations about whether he is really ready to contribute significantly at this level. Lees appears to be ahead of both Amor and Ashworth in the pecking order and with Walmsley and Thompson around and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook making over 100 metres in this one the two A’s are finding themselves a little on the fringes. Ashworth has already spent time on dual registration with Leigh and we may see a little more of that as the season wears on. All of which possibly makes Amor a more valuable asset than he is given credit for.
Don't forget to follow the blog here on www.stephenorfordonsaints.blogspot.com and on Twitter @tsbyql9
Can Grace New Deal Help Him Join Welsh Saints Legends?
We may only be a month into the 2019 season but already Saints have one eye on the long-term future as Regan Grace extends his contract with the club to the end of the 2021 season.
The Welsh international winger’s current deal was set to expire at the end of this season but he has now committed himself to the red vee for a further two years. Grace has been an ever-present in the side since breaking into it on Good Friday 2017 under the interim coaching team of Derek Traynor, Jamahl Lolesi and Sean Long. The trio were placed in temporary charge after the departure of Keiron Cunningham and one of their first acts was to promote Grace from the under-19s side into the first team. Grace made an immediate impression, running all over the Wigan defence that day to the tune of 160 metres on 15 carries and a debut try. He was unfortunate to be on the end of a 29-18 defeat as Saints lost Kyle Amor early to a fairly dubious red card decision.
Since when Grace has scored 33 tries in 62 appearances for the Saints. He is the club’s leading try-scorer in 2019 so far with four and looks to have convinced Holbrook that he is ahead of Adam Swift for that left-wing berth. Swift is currently injured but has been very much a back-up option since the emergence of Grace. Swift is out of contract at the end of this season and while it would be nice to retain both of them the decision to put such faith in Grace may leave Swift questioning whether he wants to commit or look for first team rugby elsewhere.
Yet even after nearly 60 games Grace divides opinion among the Saints fans. He still has flaws in his game. He is vulnerable under the high ball and often has problems coping with the physical demands placed upon him. Along with opposite winger Tommy Makinson and centres Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama Grace is often tasked with carrying the ball out from deep inside his own half early in the tackle count. All of which means getting acquainted with forwards who are significantly bigger than the slightly built Grace. It takes a toll, and led to costly errors in his own half early in his career. Latterly Grace seems to have ironed those out of his game but it is still fairly wince-inducing when he flies in to the line of defence while prop forwards playing 20 minutes a week trudge back onside. It’s not the modern way, but it would be lovely to see Grace get instructions to keep the chalk on his boots out wide and leave the hard yards to the bigger guys.
Grace’s relationship with Percival on that left side is a perplexing one at times also. Quite often the pair look as though they are meeting on a staff away day for the first time. Often you get the feeling that if one were asked to fall backwards to let the other catch him a serious injury would ensue. There seems to be little cohesion between them, either because Percival misjudges when to release the ball or because Grace has got caught in a bad position in support. Yet when it clicks between them it is undeniably one of the most exciting sights in the sport. Very few players have the raw speed of Grace over a short distance and so invariably when Percival or Zeb Taia do manage to get the ball to him in space he leaves defenders in his wake. He still has a tendency to look around him while in space, waiting to see who is around to give him the next whack of his young career, instead of pinning his ears back and sprinting away.
Again this is something that he has improved upon so far in 2019 but you still wouldn’t categorise him with former Saints greats like Darren Albert or Anthony Sullivan for whom half a yard of space led to widespread gate-shutting and the turning out of lights. Grace has all the speed and elusiveness he needs to be a success at Super League level but to fulfil his true potential he needs to add that ruthless streak to his finishing. At this stage of his career it is even arguable that Swift is the better finisher of the two but you get the feeling that Holbrook feels he can improve that part of Grace’s game.
Grace’s critics also point to his slighter frame as a reason to believe that he is not as reliable defensively as he could be. Yet the 22-year-old has missed only five of his fairly modest 21 tackle attempts to far this season. Considering he has directly squared up to the likes of Tom Davies, Ben Jones-Bishop and Tom Briscoe so far this season his defensive efforts have been solid enough. It is not so much the physical act of tackling that he has issues with but rather his decision making at times. He is still prone to flying out of the line to leave others exposed but that is a trait of many of the three-quarters currently plying their trade in Super League. It’s a high risk strategy. If it works and the play is shut down you’re a hero, but if you get it wrong and leave your opponent with a walk-in you get some rather less enjoyable attention. In many ways you may have to live with that with Grace throughout his career, but under the tutelage of Holbrook he should make some improvements in this area. We should see him get it right more than he gets it wrong as his young career progresses.
Last week’s announcement of the return of the Great Britain Lions brand should serve as a huge incentive to the likes of Grace. He has been one of the few players identified as a candidate for breaking up what will probably be the English dominance of the squad which tours New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in the autumn. If not this tour then he has time on his side to make future tours and could, if his new deal at Saints works out as planned, become one of the all-time great Welsh players in Saints history alongside the likes of Sullivan, Scott Gibbs, Kel Coslett, Roy Mathias and of course Cunningham.
The Welsh international winger’s current deal was set to expire at the end of this season but he has now committed himself to the red vee for a further two years. Grace has been an ever-present in the side since breaking into it on Good Friday 2017 under the interim coaching team of Derek Traynor, Jamahl Lolesi and Sean Long. The trio were placed in temporary charge after the departure of Keiron Cunningham and one of their first acts was to promote Grace from the under-19s side into the first team. Grace made an immediate impression, running all over the Wigan defence that day to the tune of 160 metres on 15 carries and a debut try. He was unfortunate to be on the end of a 29-18 defeat as Saints lost Kyle Amor early to a fairly dubious red card decision.
Since when Grace has scored 33 tries in 62 appearances for the Saints. He is the club’s leading try-scorer in 2019 so far with four and looks to have convinced Holbrook that he is ahead of Adam Swift for that left-wing berth. Swift is currently injured but has been very much a back-up option since the emergence of Grace. Swift is out of contract at the end of this season and while it would be nice to retain both of them the decision to put such faith in Grace may leave Swift questioning whether he wants to commit or look for first team rugby elsewhere.
Yet even after nearly 60 games Grace divides opinion among the Saints fans. He still has flaws in his game. He is vulnerable under the high ball and often has problems coping with the physical demands placed upon him. Along with opposite winger Tommy Makinson and centres Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama Grace is often tasked with carrying the ball out from deep inside his own half early in the tackle count. All of which means getting acquainted with forwards who are significantly bigger than the slightly built Grace. It takes a toll, and led to costly errors in his own half early in his career. Latterly Grace seems to have ironed those out of his game but it is still fairly wince-inducing when he flies in to the line of defence while prop forwards playing 20 minutes a week trudge back onside. It’s not the modern way, but it would be lovely to see Grace get instructions to keep the chalk on his boots out wide and leave the hard yards to the bigger guys.
Grace’s relationship with Percival on that left side is a perplexing one at times also. Quite often the pair look as though they are meeting on a staff away day for the first time. Often you get the feeling that if one were asked to fall backwards to let the other catch him a serious injury would ensue. There seems to be little cohesion between them, either because Percival misjudges when to release the ball or because Grace has got caught in a bad position in support. Yet when it clicks between them it is undeniably one of the most exciting sights in the sport. Very few players have the raw speed of Grace over a short distance and so invariably when Percival or Zeb Taia do manage to get the ball to him in space he leaves defenders in his wake. He still has a tendency to look around him while in space, waiting to see who is around to give him the next whack of his young career, instead of pinning his ears back and sprinting away.
Again this is something that he has improved upon so far in 2019 but you still wouldn’t categorise him with former Saints greats like Darren Albert or Anthony Sullivan for whom half a yard of space led to widespread gate-shutting and the turning out of lights. Grace has all the speed and elusiveness he needs to be a success at Super League level but to fulfil his true potential he needs to add that ruthless streak to his finishing. At this stage of his career it is even arguable that Swift is the better finisher of the two but you get the feeling that Holbrook feels he can improve that part of Grace’s game.
Grace’s critics also point to his slighter frame as a reason to believe that he is not as reliable defensively as he could be. Yet the 22-year-old has missed only five of his fairly modest 21 tackle attempts to far this season. Considering he has directly squared up to the likes of Tom Davies, Ben Jones-Bishop and Tom Briscoe so far this season his defensive efforts have been solid enough. It is not so much the physical act of tackling that he has issues with but rather his decision making at times. He is still prone to flying out of the line to leave others exposed but that is a trait of many of the three-quarters currently plying their trade in Super League. It’s a high risk strategy. If it works and the play is shut down you’re a hero, but if you get it wrong and leave your opponent with a walk-in you get some rather less enjoyable attention. In many ways you may have to live with that with Grace throughout his career, but under the tutelage of Holbrook he should make some improvements in this area. We should see him get it right more than he gets it wrong as his young career progresses.
Last week’s announcement of the return of the Great Britain Lions brand should serve as a huge incentive to the likes of Grace. He has been one of the few players identified as a candidate for breaking up what will probably be the English dominance of the squad which tours New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in the autumn. If not this tour then he has time on his side to make future tours and could, if his new deal at Saints works out as planned, become one of the all-time great Welsh players in Saints history alongside the likes of Sullivan, Scott Gibbs, Kel Coslett, Roy Mathias and of course Cunningham.
Huddersfield Giants v Saints - Preview
Unbeaten Saints look to stretch their winning streak to six to open the 2019 season when they visit the John Smith’s Stadium to face Huddersfield Giants on Thursday night (March 14, kick-off 7.45pm).
Justin Holbrook’s side are the only team with a 100% record in Super League so far this term after their 26-0 victory over London Broncos was coupled with Castleford’s 24-10 defeat at Warrington. It means a two-point lead at the top of the table for Saints and an early chance to establish themselves as the team to beat this term.
To do that Holbrook has selected all but one of the 19 who were originally named for the win over the Broncos. The only change to the squad sees Aaron Smith replace James Bentley. Smith was drafted in from outside the 19 last week to start the match against Danny Ward’s side in place of the slightly niggled James Roby. Roby is expected to return this week but it will be interesting to see whether Smith’s promising performance has been good enough to earn him a place in the match day 17.
The back line seems fairly well established now. Scotland international and GB Lions tour candidate Lachlan Coote has been imperious at fullback so far since joining from North Queensland Cowboys, while Kevin Naiqama made an impressive return to the side against the Broncos having missed the win over Salford and all but two minutes of the victory over Leeds a week previously. Naiqama is joined in the centres by Mark Percival while Tommy Makinson will start at right wing opposite Regan Grace. The Welshman has this week penned a new deal with Saints until the end of the 2021 season and is the side’s leading try-scorer this season so far with four. He and Percival often operate as if they have just met, but between them they possess all the physical skills needed to create havoc in opposition defences.
Theo Fages has taken his opportunity at halfback particularly well, earning another man of the match gong in the win over the London side. Danny Richardson seems further away from a recall than ever as Fages’ halfback partnership with Jonny Lomax improves week by week. Expect those two to be at the centre of everything Saints create.
If Smith gets the nod to start on the bench then one of Saints many prop forwards will miss out. Unless there are any slight niggles this week the players to miss out won’t be either Alex Walmsley or Luke Thompson, so one of Kyle Amor, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees or Jack Ashworth could find themselves in the stands or preparing to be part of Leigh Centurions' match day squad with Luke Douglas. Alternatively, Holbrook could go with four props on the bench against a physical Giants pack. That would be harsh on Smith who showed enough to convince me that it could be time to draft him in more regularly to help reduce Roby’s workload.
The back row is unlikely to change. Dominique Peyroux and Zeb Taia get through a lot of work between them and are a potent threat in wide areas, while Morgan Knowles is preferred at loose forward to Joseph Paulo. Knowles was questioned on these pages last week for his lack of offensive output but there can be no doubting his value to the side defensively. And since the side’s recent success has been built on conceding just four points in their last 200 minutes of rugby there is no reason to suggest that Holbrook would want to do without the Welsh international. Paulo will see action as his fellow forwards tire and perhaps when his greater ball skills could come to the fore late in the game.
The Giants earned only their first win of the season when they beat Wigan 14-6 last weekend, and as things stand Simon Woolford’s side sit bottom of the Super League table on points difference. The Danny Brough era is over in Huddersfield with the Scottish international now turning out for Wakefield, so Matt Frawley and former Saint Lee Gaskell are in charge of playmaking duties. Their backline includes exciting prospect Darnell McIntosh but is mostly reliant on more experienced campaigners like England international Jermaine McGillvary, ex-Saint Jordan Turner and former Newcastle Knights flyer Akuila Uate.
The Giants pack has experience in the form of Oliver Roberts, Joe Wardle and Ukuma Ta’ai while Woolford has added to his options with Suaia Matagi and given more minutes to youngsters like Matty English. Alex Mellor is another key for Huddersfield, as is Sebastine Ikahihifo and the veteran Michael Lawrence. Yet is looks a workmanlike forward group rather than an explosive one of the kind you would need to trouble Saints in-form defence.
The Giants were victorious when the teams last met in August. A McIntosh double and a Mellor try secured a 16-12 win over Saints who could only reply through Thompson and some truck driver from Darwin. Saints last visit to Huddersfield had an altogether happier ending for Holbrook and his men as they got up 26-12 last February. Jon Wilkin, Roby, Taia and Percival all crossed for Saints that night while Brough and Roberts were the try-scorers for Huddersfield.
With Brough no longer around it is hard to see how the Giants can trouble what has been a ferocious and miserly Saints defence in recent weeks. Holbrook’s side concede an average of only just over 11 points across their first five outings and we haven’t seen anything in Huddersfield so far this term to suggest that they have the firepower to significantly alter that record. McGillvary is the x-factor for the Giants. On top form he can rip apart any defence but with few really frightening weapons around him he is more likely to face a tough day at the office against the early pace-setters. Saints by 24.
Squads;
Huddersfield Giants;
1. Darnell McIntosh, 2. Jermaine McGillvary, 4. Jordan Turner, 5. Akuila Uate, 6. Lee Gaskell, 7. Matt Frawley, 9. Kruise Leeming, 10. Suaia Matagi, 12. Alex Mellor, 13. Michael Lawrence, 15. Oliver Roberts, 17. Ukuma Ta’ai, 19. Matty English, 20. Jake Wardle, 25. Colton Roche, 26. Sebastine Ikahihifo, 29. Sam Hewitt, 32. Innes Senior, 35. Joe Wardle.
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 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, 21. Aaron Smith, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas
Justin Holbrook’s side are the only team with a 100% record in Super League so far this term after their 26-0 victory over London Broncos was coupled with Castleford’s 24-10 defeat at Warrington. It means a two-point lead at the top of the table for Saints and an early chance to establish themselves as the team to beat this term.
To do that Holbrook has selected all but one of the 19 who were originally named for the win over the Broncos. The only change to the squad sees Aaron Smith replace James Bentley. Smith was drafted in from outside the 19 last week to start the match against Danny Ward’s side in place of the slightly niggled James Roby. Roby is expected to return this week but it will be interesting to see whether Smith’s promising performance has been good enough to earn him a place in the match day 17.
The back line seems fairly well established now. Scotland international and GB Lions tour candidate Lachlan Coote has been imperious at fullback so far since joining from North Queensland Cowboys, while Kevin Naiqama made an impressive return to the side against the Broncos having missed the win over Salford and all but two minutes of the victory over Leeds a week previously. Naiqama is joined in the centres by Mark Percival while Tommy Makinson will start at right wing opposite Regan Grace. The Welshman has this week penned a new deal with Saints until the end of the 2021 season and is the side’s leading try-scorer this season so far with four. He and Percival often operate as if they have just met, but between them they possess all the physical skills needed to create havoc in opposition defences.
Theo Fages has taken his opportunity at halfback particularly well, earning another man of the match gong in the win over the London side. Danny Richardson seems further away from a recall than ever as Fages’ halfback partnership with Jonny Lomax improves week by week. Expect those two to be at the centre of everything Saints create.
If Smith gets the nod to start on the bench then one of Saints many prop forwards will miss out. Unless there are any slight niggles this week the players to miss out won’t be either Alex Walmsley or Luke Thompson, so one of Kyle Amor, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees or Jack Ashworth could find themselves in the stands or preparing to be part of Leigh Centurions' match day squad with Luke Douglas. Alternatively, Holbrook could go with four props on the bench against a physical Giants pack. That would be harsh on Smith who showed enough to convince me that it could be time to draft him in more regularly to help reduce Roby’s workload.
The back row is unlikely to change. Dominique Peyroux and Zeb Taia get through a lot of work between them and are a potent threat in wide areas, while Morgan Knowles is preferred at loose forward to Joseph Paulo. Knowles was questioned on these pages last week for his lack of offensive output but there can be no doubting his value to the side defensively. And since the side’s recent success has been built on conceding just four points in their last 200 minutes of rugby there is no reason to suggest that Holbrook would want to do without the Welsh international. Paulo will see action as his fellow forwards tire and perhaps when his greater ball skills could come to the fore late in the game.
The Giants earned only their first win of the season when they beat Wigan 14-6 last weekend, and as things stand Simon Woolford’s side sit bottom of the Super League table on points difference. The Danny Brough era is over in Huddersfield with the Scottish international now turning out for Wakefield, so Matt Frawley and former Saint Lee Gaskell are in charge of playmaking duties. Their backline includes exciting prospect Darnell McIntosh but is mostly reliant on more experienced campaigners like England international Jermaine McGillvary, ex-Saint Jordan Turner and former Newcastle Knights flyer Akuila Uate.
The Giants pack has experience in the form of Oliver Roberts, Joe Wardle and Ukuma Ta’ai while Woolford has added to his options with Suaia Matagi and given more minutes to youngsters like Matty English. Alex Mellor is another key for Huddersfield, as is Sebastine Ikahihifo and the veteran Michael Lawrence. Yet is looks a workmanlike forward group rather than an explosive one of the kind you would need to trouble Saints in-form defence.
The Giants were victorious when the teams last met in August. A McIntosh double and a Mellor try secured a 16-12 win over Saints who could only reply through Thompson and some truck driver from Darwin. Saints last visit to Huddersfield had an altogether happier ending for Holbrook and his men as they got up 26-12 last February. Jon Wilkin, Roby, Taia and Percival all crossed for Saints that night while Brough and Roberts were the try-scorers for Huddersfield.
With Brough no longer around it is hard to see how the Giants can trouble what has been a ferocious and miserly Saints defence in recent weeks. Holbrook’s side concede an average of only just over 11 points across their first five outings and we haven’t seen anything in Huddersfield so far this term to suggest that they have the firepower to significantly alter that record. McGillvary is the x-factor for the Giants. On top form he can rip apart any defence but with few really frightening weapons around him he is more likely to face a tough day at the office against the early pace-setters. Saints by 24.
Squads;
Huddersfield Giants;
1. Darnell McIntosh, 2. Jermaine McGillvary, 4. Jordan Turner, 5. Akuila Uate, 6. Lee Gaskell, 7. Matt Frawley, 9. Kruise Leeming, 10. Suaia Matagi, 12. Alex Mellor, 13. Michael Lawrence, 15. Oliver Roberts, 17. Ukuma Ta’ai, 19. Matty English, 20. Jake Wardle, 25. Colton Roche, 26. Sebastine Ikahihifo, 29. Sam Hewitt, 32. Innes Senior, 35. Joe Wardle.
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 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, 21. Aaron Smith, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas
Saints Memories - Cunningham Departs After Giants Draw
Saints Memories – Saints 14 Giants 14 – 2017
Things look pretty good for Saints right now. There they are, perched proudly atop the Super League table with five wins out of five to start the 2019 Super League season. They are the only team to remain undefeated in the top flight this term and won’t be feeling too worried about a trip to basement-dwelling Huddersfield Giants this weekend. The Giants remain at the foot of the table despite earning their first win of the season against floundering Wigan last time out.
Yet it is not that long ago that the Giants caused 17 kinds of uproar and turmoil right through the Saints organisation. Rick Stone brought his side to Langtree Park for an early season Super League clash on April 7 2017 having seen his side win just two of their first eight games, though they did manage a creditable 16-16 draw at Wigan in mid-March. Stone couldn’t guide his side to a win at Saints either, but the draw they earned was enough to see the legendary Keiron Cunningham ousted from his position as head coach within a couple of days.
Saints had made a fairly rocky start to 2017 by the time the Giants rolled into town that night. Cunningham’s men had a losing record after seven games, with just three wins and four losses to start the campaign. They had played a game less than Huddersfield’s eight owing to the Giants earlier participation in the Challenge Cup. When Saints did win against Leeds on opening night (6-4), Catalans on March 18 (28-24) and Warrington a week later (31-6) it was against the backdrop of some pretty loud dissatisfaction from the fans. The style of play was dull and boring, five drives and a kick grinding tedium which only ever threatened points through sheer weight of possession and field position. That conservatism might have seen Cunningham get a pass had the team been winning regularly, but having already lost at Leigh, Hull FC and Salford as well as at home to Wakefield Trinity there was considerable pressure on the coach heading into the match.
It started well enough. Fresh from his magical flicked pass to Jack Owens which won the game for Saints in the south of France, Theo Fages helped himself to two first half tries. The second was a magnificent effort as the Frenchman twisted the blood of Giants youngster Darnell McIntosh to go over in the south west corner. Adam Swift added another on that side of the ground to help Saints build what looked like an unassailable 14-0 lead at half-time. Even in the darkest of days Saints rarely blew such a significant half-time advantage at home. Even the sides of the 1980s which would regularly trail in 10-15 points behind the league winners would have felt safe with a 14-point lead at home at the break. The more professional, highly decorated Saints of the Super League era should have breezed it.
With 20 minutes to go they still held that advantage. Yet their lack of imagination with ball in hand had seen them unable to add to their own points tally. It would prove costly when McIntosh emulated Fages by grabbing a quick double, and then when Sam Wood sneaked in at the north west corner. Had Danny Brough managed to land the conversion from the touchline Stone’s men would have earned a remarkable win. As it was the spoils were shared, and Cunningham was a man heading for the gallows.
The weekend was full of rumour and counter-rumour about Cunningham’s future on social media. By the Monday, Saints announced his departure after a two-year stint. It brought to an end his 24-year association with his home town club as player and coach. While it was still early in the 2017 campaign, and although Cunningham had reached the playoffs in each of his two full seasons in charge since taking over from Nathan Brown at the end of the 2014 season the parting of the ways didn’t seem unjust or untimely. Only the top four would make the playoffs at the end of the 2017 season under the Super 8s structure. There were real fears that the sleep-inducing an often ineffective rugby on show would see Saints miss out for the first time since playoffs were introduced to Super League in 1998.
Cunningham, for all his brilliance as a player, had shown a dogged unwillingness to adapt his tactics or to embrace the playing style that had long been a tradition of the club. The teams the great man played in bore no resemblance to the one he put together as coach. The likes of Owens (who did not play against the Giants but was often held up as the poster boy for Cunningham’s failures), Matty Dawson (ditto), Matty Smith, Tommy Lee and Adam Walker were considered well short of the quality expected at Saints. The fans had grown tired of Cunningham extolling the virtues of what were largely ordinary players and the atmosphere at home games had become toxic. It was truly tragic that one of the greatest players ever to wear the red vee was becoming something of a villain. Some of that anger remains among the more forgetful Saints fans who have by now dismissed Cunningham’s achievements as a player and only seem to remember the stale fare offered up by Cunningham the coach.
If you look solely at the players involved Cunningham’s legacy is not all bad. Ten of the 17 on duty against the Giants have been regularly involved for Saints this season under Justin Holbrook and an 11th is still at the club but out injured in Adam Swift. The counter-argument to the idea that Cunningham helped build the team we see today is probably that despite having sufficient tools at his disposal in terms of personnel he could never mould them into an exciting, functional and consistent unit. From the moment Holbrook walked through the door a few weeks after the Huddersfield draw it became apparent that it was possible to get a tune out of the very same players who had looked so bedraggled at the end of the Cunningham tenure.
An interim team of under-19s coach Derek Traynor, assistant coach Jamahl Lolesi and legendary halfback Sean Long took on the role until Holbrook was appointed and settled in and already it looked like the change had done the squad some good. A battling performance at Wigan a week after the Giants draw saw Saints go down 18-29 but with Kyle Amor unluckily dismissed early in the game for an alleged high tackle it was felt that there were some green shoots of hope. That feeling was backed up even further when Saints shocked runaway league leaders Castleford Tigers at Langtree Park on Easter Monday. It was never going to be a long term solution, however, and despite winning at home to Leigh defeats at Widnes, Warrington and a 53-10 Challenge Cup humiliation at Castleford in early June meant that Holbrook’s in-tray was pretty full when he took full control for the first time for Saints Magic Weekend meeting with Hull FC.
Holbrook couldn’t have wished for a better start as Saints walloped the black and whites 45-0, following that up with a breath-taking 22-19 success over Wigan on May 25. Another defeat at Castleford followed before the Giants took another two points from Saints on June 16. Matty Smith’s finest hour in three spells as a Saint arrived a week later when his last second drop-goal earned victory over Salford, but his eye injury at Leeds contributed to a narrow 24-22 defeat a week later. Saints were still infuriatingly inconsistent and very uncertain of a playoff place.
Three wins in a row over Hull FC (19-12), Catalans Dragons (46-28) and away at Wakefield Trinity (41-16) in the Super 8s stage righted the Saints ship. That Wakefield win was only Saints second on the road in the whole of 2017 and saw them sneak into the top four, where they were heartbreakingly beaten by Luke Gale’s golden point for the Tigers. Seconds earlier it had looked like Ryan Morgan’s try had sealed what would have been a quite stunning Grand Final appearance.
The confidence instilled in the side by that narrow miss, plus the addition of Ben Barba after some very public Magic Weekend negotiations, saw Saints ride roughshod over the competition throughout most of 2018 as they carried off the League Leaders Shield with some ease. Yet the semi-finals once again proved the end of the road as they went down 18-13 to Warrington. Still, the smile was back on the faces of the fans under Holbrook’s more enterprising, considerably more consistent brand of rugby league. As sad as it was to say farewell to one of the great names of the club’s history, the night Keiron Cunningham failed to beat Huddersfield at home despite his side taking a 14-point lead has proved fairly vital in turning around the club’s fortunes.
Things look pretty good for Saints right now. There they are, perched proudly atop the Super League table with five wins out of five to start the 2019 Super League season. They are the only team to remain undefeated in the top flight this term and won’t be feeling too worried about a trip to basement-dwelling Huddersfield Giants this weekend. The Giants remain at the foot of the table despite earning their first win of the season against floundering Wigan last time out.
Yet it is not that long ago that the Giants caused 17 kinds of uproar and turmoil right through the Saints organisation. Rick Stone brought his side to Langtree Park for an early season Super League clash on April 7 2017 having seen his side win just two of their first eight games, though they did manage a creditable 16-16 draw at Wigan in mid-March. Stone couldn’t guide his side to a win at Saints either, but the draw they earned was enough to see the legendary Keiron Cunningham ousted from his position as head coach within a couple of days.
Saints had made a fairly rocky start to 2017 by the time the Giants rolled into town that night. Cunningham’s men had a losing record after seven games, with just three wins and four losses to start the campaign. They had played a game less than Huddersfield’s eight owing to the Giants earlier participation in the Challenge Cup. When Saints did win against Leeds on opening night (6-4), Catalans on March 18 (28-24) and Warrington a week later (31-6) it was against the backdrop of some pretty loud dissatisfaction from the fans. The style of play was dull and boring, five drives and a kick grinding tedium which only ever threatened points through sheer weight of possession and field position. That conservatism might have seen Cunningham get a pass had the team been winning regularly, but having already lost at Leigh, Hull FC and Salford as well as at home to Wakefield Trinity there was considerable pressure on the coach heading into the match.
It started well enough. Fresh from his magical flicked pass to Jack Owens which won the game for Saints in the south of France, Theo Fages helped himself to two first half tries. The second was a magnificent effort as the Frenchman twisted the blood of Giants youngster Darnell McIntosh to go over in the south west corner. Adam Swift added another on that side of the ground to help Saints build what looked like an unassailable 14-0 lead at half-time. Even in the darkest of days Saints rarely blew such a significant half-time advantage at home. Even the sides of the 1980s which would regularly trail in 10-15 points behind the league winners would have felt safe with a 14-point lead at home at the break. The more professional, highly decorated Saints of the Super League era should have breezed it.
With 20 minutes to go they still held that advantage. Yet their lack of imagination with ball in hand had seen them unable to add to their own points tally. It would prove costly when McIntosh emulated Fages by grabbing a quick double, and then when Sam Wood sneaked in at the north west corner. Had Danny Brough managed to land the conversion from the touchline Stone’s men would have earned a remarkable win. As it was the spoils were shared, and Cunningham was a man heading for the gallows.
The weekend was full of rumour and counter-rumour about Cunningham’s future on social media. By the Monday, Saints announced his departure after a two-year stint. It brought to an end his 24-year association with his home town club as player and coach. While it was still early in the 2017 campaign, and although Cunningham had reached the playoffs in each of his two full seasons in charge since taking over from Nathan Brown at the end of the 2014 season the parting of the ways didn’t seem unjust or untimely. Only the top four would make the playoffs at the end of the 2017 season under the Super 8s structure. There were real fears that the sleep-inducing an often ineffective rugby on show would see Saints miss out for the first time since playoffs were introduced to Super League in 1998.
Cunningham, for all his brilliance as a player, had shown a dogged unwillingness to adapt his tactics or to embrace the playing style that had long been a tradition of the club. The teams the great man played in bore no resemblance to the one he put together as coach. The likes of Owens (who did not play against the Giants but was often held up as the poster boy for Cunningham’s failures), Matty Dawson (ditto), Matty Smith, Tommy Lee and Adam Walker were considered well short of the quality expected at Saints. The fans had grown tired of Cunningham extolling the virtues of what were largely ordinary players and the atmosphere at home games had become toxic. It was truly tragic that one of the greatest players ever to wear the red vee was becoming something of a villain. Some of that anger remains among the more forgetful Saints fans who have by now dismissed Cunningham’s achievements as a player and only seem to remember the stale fare offered up by Cunningham the coach.
If you look solely at the players involved Cunningham’s legacy is not all bad. Ten of the 17 on duty against the Giants have been regularly involved for Saints this season under Justin Holbrook and an 11th is still at the club but out injured in Adam Swift. The counter-argument to the idea that Cunningham helped build the team we see today is probably that despite having sufficient tools at his disposal in terms of personnel he could never mould them into an exciting, functional and consistent unit. From the moment Holbrook walked through the door a few weeks after the Huddersfield draw it became apparent that it was possible to get a tune out of the very same players who had looked so bedraggled at the end of the Cunningham tenure.
An interim team of under-19s coach Derek Traynor, assistant coach Jamahl Lolesi and legendary halfback Sean Long took on the role until Holbrook was appointed and settled in and already it looked like the change had done the squad some good. A battling performance at Wigan a week after the Giants draw saw Saints go down 18-29 but with Kyle Amor unluckily dismissed early in the game for an alleged high tackle it was felt that there were some green shoots of hope. That feeling was backed up even further when Saints shocked runaway league leaders Castleford Tigers at Langtree Park on Easter Monday. It was never going to be a long term solution, however, and despite winning at home to Leigh defeats at Widnes, Warrington and a 53-10 Challenge Cup humiliation at Castleford in early June meant that Holbrook’s in-tray was pretty full when he took full control for the first time for Saints Magic Weekend meeting with Hull FC.
Holbrook couldn’t have wished for a better start as Saints walloped the black and whites 45-0, following that up with a breath-taking 22-19 success over Wigan on May 25. Another defeat at Castleford followed before the Giants took another two points from Saints on June 16. Matty Smith’s finest hour in three spells as a Saint arrived a week later when his last second drop-goal earned victory over Salford, but his eye injury at Leeds contributed to a narrow 24-22 defeat a week later. Saints were still infuriatingly inconsistent and very uncertain of a playoff place.
Three wins in a row over Hull FC (19-12), Catalans Dragons (46-28) and away at Wakefield Trinity (41-16) in the Super 8s stage righted the Saints ship. That Wakefield win was only Saints second on the road in the whole of 2017 and saw them sneak into the top four, where they were heartbreakingly beaten by Luke Gale’s golden point for the Tigers. Seconds earlier it had looked like Ryan Morgan’s try had sealed what would have been a quite stunning Grand Final appearance.
The confidence instilled in the side by that narrow miss, plus the addition of Ben Barba after some very public Magic Weekend negotiations, saw Saints ride roughshod over the competition throughout most of 2018 as they carried off the League Leaders Shield with some ease. Yet the semi-finals once again proved the end of the road as they went down 18-13 to Warrington. Still, the smile was back on the faces of the fans under Holbrook’s more enterprising, considerably more consistent brand of rugby league. As sad as it was to say farewell to one of the great names of the club’s history, the night Keiron Cunningham failed to beat Huddersfield at home despite his side taking a 14-point lead has proved fairly vital in turning around the club’s fortunes.
5 Talking Points From Saints 26 London Broncos 0
A Perfect Ten
Another week, another routine win for a Saints side gathering Big Mo Mentum. This 26-0 success over London Broncos was Saints fifth win in a row to start the 2019 campaign, giving them a perfect 10 points out of 10 on the league table. Justin Holbrook’s side are now the only side who can boast a 100% record in Super League after a banged up Castleford Tigers lost 24-10 at Warrington on Thursday (March 7). The Wire had seen their own perfect start go up in smoke a week previously when they went down 23-22 to Catalans Dragons in Perpignan.
Saints scored five tries against Danny Ward’s Broncos outfit while defensively the shutout means Holbrook’s men have conceded just four points since shipping 22 in the first half against Leeds Rhinos two and a half games ago. Dominique Peyroux, Theo Fages, Regan Grace, Kevin Naiqama and Lachlan Coote all crossed for Saints. The latter, who has been mentioned in dispatches for inclusion in the Great Britain squad for the winter tour of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea due to his qualification for Scotland, kicked three from five goal attempts and was just shaded to the Man Of The Match award by the busy, industrious and skilled Fages.
A Slight Niggle....Or Rotation?
Holbrook had spoken this week on the subject of squad rotation. It is felt by many that the reason Saints could not keep their 2018 regular season form going into the Super 8s and Super League semi-finals was that key players were never given a rest by the Australian coach. A 30-game season, plus a cup run to the semi-finals was thought to have taken its toll on Saints who went down rather meekly to Warrington in the last four before the Grand Final. Yet Holbrook insisted this week that he was not overly concerned about fatigue possibly setting in. He remained adamant that players would not be rested and that only injuries or suspensions would see his regulars miss out. It’s too early in the season, he explained, adding that players should not need to be rested for the London game having only played four games prior to the visit of the newly-promoted side.
And yet when the teams were announced an hour before kick-off one name was glaringly absent from the 17. James Roby has been busy building an impressive lead in the new Steve Prescott Man Of Steel scoring system. It seemed the only way to give other players a chance to catch Roby was for the Saints skipper to miss out. His performance in last week’s 26-4 win at Salford was typically masterful and there has been every reason to believe he could continue his record of collecting Man Of Steel points in each of Saints Super League games so far. That is until he was omitted with what was described as a ‘slight niggle’.
The explanation fit the criteria that Holbrook had laid down for leaving his top stars out. If there was an injury doubt about Roby it was exactly the right call to give him the week off. However you don’t have to be as cynical as this scribe to wonder about the omission of a player whose ability to play 80 minutes has never been questioned but nor has it always been considered the best thing for his career. It’s a coincidence that Roby develops a slight niggle in the week that Holbrook speaks out against a rotation policy and in which Saints get a visit from one of the favourites to finish bottom of the pile this year, even if it was a team coming in off the back of a memorable win over Wigan.
It is to be hoped that whatever niggle Roby has is indeed only slight and that he will be available for this week’s trip to Huddersfield Giants. They too prepared for a clash with Saints by beating Wigan but they look a slightly more genuine threat than the Broncos, particularly on their own patch.
Should Smith Now Be A Regular In The 17?
In Roby’s absence Aaron Smith grabbed a first Super League start of the season at hooker. Smith has spent much of 2019 so far on dual registration with Leigh Centurions. He did not seem close to a first team recall, and even his regular gig at Leigh was thrown into doubt when the Centurions acquired Liam Hood from Widnes in the aftermath of the Vikings’ brush with extinction. Yet one slight niggle later and Smith was elevated straight into Saints first 13.
The results will have given Holbrook something to think about. At 33 Roby could do with a capable back-up to help reduce his minutes and so maximise his impact when he is on the field. None of Stuart Howarth, Tommy Lee or Theo Fages have fit the bill since an ageing Kieron Cunningham shared playing time with the young prodigy Roby almost a decade ago. Until now Roby’s superhuman efforts have allowed Saints to largely get away without that quality back-up, but in Smith they may have at last found someone who can maybe take on that role for a spell before assuming the starting job once Roby signs off. Thirty-one tackles, just two misses, a couple of tackle busts, a clean break, five runs from dummy half and an average gain of 7.43 metres per carry represent a very promising stat line for the youngster who made his Super League debut on loan at Hull KR last term. Only the allegedly lazy malingerer Zeb Taia and Morgan Knowles managed more tackles than Smith in the Saints side, while only Tommy Makinson and Naiqama picked up more ground per carry.
With Fages now seemingly settled in the halfback role Holbrook could do a lot worse than find a regular spot on his bench for Smith. Yet with so many props to try to keep happy now there must still be doubts about whether he will do that. As well as Smith the likes of Kyle Amor, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Jack Ashworth, Matty Lees and Luke Douglas will all feel that they have a case for regular inclusion in the match day squad. Holbrook faces tough selection decisions every week. As long as he has a fit Roby to call on he may still feel it is best to hold Smith back. How long he can do that for is another question.
Easy On The Knowles Hype
I want to talk to you about Morgan Knowles. But first of all a cautionary tale. Do you remember last season when Danny Richardson slotted into the Saints halfback position and helped the side to a League Leaders Shield? The talk then was of comparisons to the great Sean Long, especially with the man himself on the coaching staff. Surely it could only aid Richardson’s development into a world superstar? Hmm...well......
It hasn’t quite turned out that way. Fast forward a few months and a fit again Richardson is plying his trade at Leigh on dual registration, kept out of the Saints first team by a resurgent Fages. Richardson’s prospects of an immediate recall appear bleak. He has a lot of work to do to avoid being remembered on the excellent Saints Heritage site as something of a one season wonder, someone who’s star shone brightly and briefly never to reach those heights again.
Which brings me back to Knowles. The Welsh international has been around the first team for a little longer than Richardson has so far managed. This year he has been promoted to the starting line-up now that Jon Wilkin is no longer around, even fighting off competition for that spot from Saints new signing from Cronulla Joseph Paulo. He is always in the thoughts off most fans when discussion turns to the standout performers each week and it is easy to see why. He has a stunning work ethic which has seen him average 42 tackles per game in 2019. No other Saint can match that and only four players have got through more than Knowles’ 210 in the whole of Super League.
Yet as talk of a Great Britain call-up and comparisons to Sean O’Loughlin intensify, here are some other Knowles stats. One try. No assists. Only six tackle busts with no clean breaks and only two offloads. Knowles has no short kicking game either, a fact referenced by his grand total of no attacking kicks. I’ve never seen him beat a man, never seen him pass to anyone but the next person in the line, and if he’s playing 13 as an auxiliary prop as is the modern way then he needs to improve on the 254 metres he has made in the first five outings. To put that into context Tai’a has 602 metres, Luke Thompson 540, McCarthy-Scarsbrook 471 and Alex Walmsley 466. So if Knowles doesn’t make metres like a prop and he doesn’t have the creative skills of a traditional loose forward he’s basically keeping his place through the sheer defensive workload he gets through. For that reason he should be in the 17 every week. Defence win games and ultimately, championships.
All I’m asking is that before we ruin him and turn him into a foot note in the club’s history can we stop acting like he’s Ellery Hanley?
Is The Job About To Get Tougher?
Relatively plain sailing then for Saints who are averaging 25 points per game in attack (which would be more if they had improved on an overall goal kicking success rate of 56%) and who have the league’s best defence with only 56 points conceded at an average of only just over 11 per game. If you are conceding 11 points each week you are going to win far more games than you lose. The next best rearguard belongs to Castleford Tigers who are giving up just short of 14 points per outing.
Yet some of these stats are perhaps best viewed in the context of the strength of the opponents. Saints have only faced one of the other four sides occupying the top 5 playoff places in the shape of Salford and get set to face another basement dweller when they visit the bottom-placed Giants this week. The unexpected struggles of Wigan and Leeds have helped soften Saints early season schedule, but there are perhaps tougher battles to come. After Huddersfield Saints visit Castleford before hosting Hull KR. Rovers have an encouraging three wins out of six so far this year and their visit is followed by a trip to Perpignan to face Catalans Dragons for the red eve. The Dragons’ 46-0 home pounding by Salford looks something of a freak so an easy ride should not be expected there. Then come Warrington at home on April 12 before the Good Friday reunion with what by then will surely be a much improved Wigan outfit.
If there is still a zero in the loss column following the Easter programme we can be extremely confident, provided the lessons from the back end of last year have been learned.
Another week, another routine win for a Saints side gathering Big Mo Mentum. This 26-0 success over London Broncos was Saints fifth win in a row to start the 2019 campaign, giving them a perfect 10 points out of 10 on the league table. Justin Holbrook’s side are now the only side who can boast a 100% record in Super League after a banged up Castleford Tigers lost 24-10 at Warrington on Thursday (March 7). The Wire had seen their own perfect start go up in smoke a week previously when they went down 23-22 to Catalans Dragons in Perpignan.
Saints scored five tries against Danny Ward’s Broncos outfit while defensively the shutout means Holbrook’s men have conceded just four points since shipping 22 in the first half against Leeds Rhinos two and a half games ago. Dominique Peyroux, Theo Fages, Regan Grace, Kevin Naiqama and Lachlan Coote all crossed for Saints. The latter, who has been mentioned in dispatches for inclusion in the Great Britain squad for the winter tour of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea due to his qualification for Scotland, kicked three from five goal attempts and was just shaded to the Man Of The Match award by the busy, industrious and skilled Fages.
A Slight Niggle....Or Rotation?
Holbrook had spoken this week on the subject of squad rotation. It is felt by many that the reason Saints could not keep their 2018 regular season form going into the Super 8s and Super League semi-finals was that key players were never given a rest by the Australian coach. A 30-game season, plus a cup run to the semi-finals was thought to have taken its toll on Saints who went down rather meekly to Warrington in the last four before the Grand Final. Yet Holbrook insisted this week that he was not overly concerned about fatigue possibly setting in. He remained adamant that players would not be rested and that only injuries or suspensions would see his regulars miss out. It’s too early in the season, he explained, adding that players should not need to be rested for the London game having only played four games prior to the visit of the newly-promoted side.
And yet when the teams were announced an hour before kick-off one name was glaringly absent from the 17. James Roby has been busy building an impressive lead in the new Steve Prescott Man Of Steel scoring system. It seemed the only way to give other players a chance to catch Roby was for the Saints skipper to miss out. His performance in last week’s 26-4 win at Salford was typically masterful and there has been every reason to believe he could continue his record of collecting Man Of Steel points in each of Saints Super League games so far. That is until he was omitted with what was described as a ‘slight niggle’.
The explanation fit the criteria that Holbrook had laid down for leaving his top stars out. If there was an injury doubt about Roby it was exactly the right call to give him the week off. However you don’t have to be as cynical as this scribe to wonder about the omission of a player whose ability to play 80 minutes has never been questioned but nor has it always been considered the best thing for his career. It’s a coincidence that Roby develops a slight niggle in the week that Holbrook speaks out against a rotation policy and in which Saints get a visit from one of the favourites to finish bottom of the pile this year, even if it was a team coming in off the back of a memorable win over Wigan.
It is to be hoped that whatever niggle Roby has is indeed only slight and that he will be available for this week’s trip to Huddersfield Giants. They too prepared for a clash with Saints by beating Wigan but they look a slightly more genuine threat than the Broncos, particularly on their own patch.
Should Smith Now Be A Regular In The 17?
In Roby’s absence Aaron Smith grabbed a first Super League start of the season at hooker. Smith has spent much of 2019 so far on dual registration with Leigh Centurions. He did not seem close to a first team recall, and even his regular gig at Leigh was thrown into doubt when the Centurions acquired Liam Hood from Widnes in the aftermath of the Vikings’ brush with extinction. Yet one slight niggle later and Smith was elevated straight into Saints first 13.
The results will have given Holbrook something to think about. At 33 Roby could do with a capable back-up to help reduce his minutes and so maximise his impact when he is on the field. None of Stuart Howarth, Tommy Lee or Theo Fages have fit the bill since an ageing Kieron Cunningham shared playing time with the young prodigy Roby almost a decade ago. Until now Roby’s superhuman efforts have allowed Saints to largely get away without that quality back-up, but in Smith they may have at last found someone who can maybe take on that role for a spell before assuming the starting job once Roby signs off. Thirty-one tackles, just two misses, a couple of tackle busts, a clean break, five runs from dummy half and an average gain of 7.43 metres per carry represent a very promising stat line for the youngster who made his Super League debut on loan at Hull KR last term. Only the allegedly lazy malingerer Zeb Taia and Morgan Knowles managed more tackles than Smith in the Saints side, while only Tommy Makinson and Naiqama picked up more ground per carry.
With Fages now seemingly settled in the halfback role Holbrook could do a lot worse than find a regular spot on his bench for Smith. Yet with so many props to try to keep happy now there must still be doubts about whether he will do that. As well as Smith the likes of Kyle Amor, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Jack Ashworth, Matty Lees and Luke Douglas will all feel that they have a case for regular inclusion in the match day squad. Holbrook faces tough selection decisions every week. As long as he has a fit Roby to call on he may still feel it is best to hold Smith back. How long he can do that for is another question.
Easy On The Knowles Hype
I want to talk to you about Morgan Knowles. But first of all a cautionary tale. Do you remember last season when Danny Richardson slotted into the Saints halfback position and helped the side to a League Leaders Shield? The talk then was of comparisons to the great Sean Long, especially with the man himself on the coaching staff. Surely it could only aid Richardson’s development into a world superstar? Hmm...well......
It hasn’t quite turned out that way. Fast forward a few months and a fit again Richardson is plying his trade at Leigh on dual registration, kept out of the Saints first team by a resurgent Fages. Richardson’s prospects of an immediate recall appear bleak. He has a lot of work to do to avoid being remembered on the excellent Saints Heritage site as something of a one season wonder, someone who’s star shone brightly and briefly never to reach those heights again.
Which brings me back to Knowles. The Welsh international has been around the first team for a little longer than Richardson has so far managed. This year he has been promoted to the starting line-up now that Jon Wilkin is no longer around, even fighting off competition for that spot from Saints new signing from Cronulla Joseph Paulo. He is always in the thoughts off most fans when discussion turns to the standout performers each week and it is easy to see why. He has a stunning work ethic which has seen him average 42 tackles per game in 2019. No other Saint can match that and only four players have got through more than Knowles’ 210 in the whole of Super League.
Yet as talk of a Great Britain call-up and comparisons to Sean O’Loughlin intensify, here are some other Knowles stats. One try. No assists. Only six tackle busts with no clean breaks and only two offloads. Knowles has no short kicking game either, a fact referenced by his grand total of no attacking kicks. I’ve never seen him beat a man, never seen him pass to anyone but the next person in the line, and if he’s playing 13 as an auxiliary prop as is the modern way then he needs to improve on the 254 metres he has made in the first five outings. To put that into context Tai’a has 602 metres, Luke Thompson 540, McCarthy-Scarsbrook 471 and Alex Walmsley 466. So if Knowles doesn’t make metres like a prop and he doesn’t have the creative skills of a traditional loose forward he’s basically keeping his place through the sheer defensive workload he gets through. For that reason he should be in the 17 every week. Defence win games and ultimately, championships.
All I’m asking is that before we ruin him and turn him into a foot note in the club’s history can we stop acting like he’s Ellery Hanley?
Is The Job About To Get Tougher?
Relatively plain sailing then for Saints who are averaging 25 points per game in attack (which would be more if they had improved on an overall goal kicking success rate of 56%) and who have the league’s best defence with only 56 points conceded at an average of only just over 11 per game. If you are conceding 11 points each week you are going to win far more games than you lose. The next best rearguard belongs to Castleford Tigers who are giving up just short of 14 points per outing.
Yet some of these stats are perhaps best viewed in the context of the strength of the opponents. Saints have only faced one of the other four sides occupying the top 5 playoff places in the shape of Salford and get set to face another basement dweller when they visit the bottom-placed Giants this week. The unexpected struggles of Wigan and Leeds have helped soften Saints early season schedule, but there are perhaps tougher battles to come. After Huddersfield Saints visit Castleford before hosting Hull KR. Rovers have an encouraging three wins out of six so far this year and their visit is followed by a trip to Perpignan to face Catalans Dragons for the red eve. The Dragons’ 46-0 home pounding by Salford looks something of a freak so an easy ride should not be expected there. Then come Warrington at home on April 12 before the Good Friday reunion with what by then will surely be a much improved Wigan outfit.
If there is still a zero in the loss column following the Easter programme we can be extremely confident, provided the lessons from the back end of last year have been learned.
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