St Helens v Wigan - Preview

Saints look to take a step closer to sealing another League Leaders Shield when they host Wigan Warriors in a Betfred Super League Round 22 clash on Friday night (July 12, kick-off 7.45pm).

Unlike all of the previous meetings between these two old foes in the Super League era this one is not available to view from the comfort of your armchair. With Leeds Rhinos still struggling to avoid relegation to the Championship Sky have chosen to broadcast their meeting with the similarly threatened Hull KR instead. This has been the cause of much whining and screaming from fans of Saints and Wigan, outraged that their 743rd squabble of another Every Minute Matters campaign has been snubbed. If there is a question for Sky to answer it is about why they have chosen Hull v London Broncos for live broadcast ahead of the derby. Yet broadly it is A Good Thing that Super League TV audiences will be served an alternative to what has by now become routine.

In fact, were it not for Wigan’s recent upturn in fortunes the whole episode would be in real danger of drowning in its own meh-ery. Saints are not only over the hills but several fields away from all others in what used to be the race to finish top of the pile. A defeat to their nearest and dearest would see their supremacy over Adrian Lam’s side cut to a mere 14 points. That’s seven wins which in a 29-game season is...well....you do the maths as they now say.

The only thing giving this one an edge is the fact that Wigan have picked up wins in their last five and have risen above the mediocrity that engulfs the rest of the league to move into a faintly respectable fourth position. But while two wins over Hull KR and victories over Huddersfield, Salford and the Rhinos are not enough to convince me that the Warriors are a clear and present danger to Saints’ ambitions the Wigan faithful disagree. They have flooded social media with talk of a late bid for Grand Final glory and of plans for another World Club Challenge. They are buoyed further by the announcement this week that Jackson Hastings will join them from Salford next season. The buzz around that has even dampened any negativity around George Williams finally announcing his decision to move to Canberra Raiders. Throw in a new one-year deal for Lam and anticipation hasn’t been this high in Wigan since The Verve played Haigh Hall in 1998. All of which has at least whetted the appetite for putting them back in their box.

Justin Holbrook has spent much of the week fielding questions about his own future. It being a whole year since they made an attempt to derail Saints’ season so the Australian press got to work this week by linking Holbrook to a currently struggling Canterbury Bulldogs side. More vague quotes in the press from Holbrook about how things will be resolved ‘in the next few weeks’ have done nothing to ease our anxiety around his position, especially since a new contract seemed a formality a week or two ago. Holbrook has re-introduced the winning culture that went temporarily AWOL towards the end of the Kieron Cunningham reign. To lose him now would be a shattering blow, particularly since it looks ever more likely with each passing week that his hard work will come into fruition in 2019.

Taking time out from gossip and interrogation to name his 19-man squad Holbrook has made two changes to the party which travelled to and won impressively at Hull FC last week. Most significant is the return of James Roby after a four-week injury absence. Holbrook is not yet certain whether Roby will be fit enough to start the game but that’s ok since the other change sees back-up hooker Aaron Smith return after suffering a concussion at Warrington a fortnight ago. The men to make way are Joseph Paulo who has a calf strain along with centre Matty Costello.

Paulo’s absence could mean that James Bentley will see some action in the back row. The former Bradford Bull has been deputising for Robyn and Smith at hooker over the last two weeks but will look to challenge for a back row spot along with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook with Zeb Taia still sidelined with a shoulder problem. Morgan Knowles and Dominique Peyroux pick themselves in that area of the team, while whichever of Roby and Smith gets the nod will be flanked by the twin threat of Luke Thompson and Alex Walmsley in a formidable front three. They are backed up by Matty Lees, Kyle Amor and Jack Ashworth who would all start for many Super League clubs.

At the back Saints seem fairly settled. Lachlan Coote will be the last line of defence behind a three-quarter line of Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival and Regan Grace, with Hull-bound Adam Swift also named in the party. Jonny Lomax has been Saints’ most influential creative force along with Coote this year and will again indulge in some weapons grade string-pulling alongside Theo Fages in the halves.

Lam’s ranks were boosted recently by the return of Liams Farrell and Marshall. Farrell has long been a vital cog in the machine, one of the few links to a time when the Warriors could boast a truly dominant pack. Meanwhile Marshall helped himself to a hat-trick in the 52-10 pummelling of Rovers last time out. He will line up opposite Joe Burgess with Oliver Gildart and the outgoing Dan Sarginson forming the centre partnership. Behind them Zak Hardaker is at last making more headlines on the field than off it. Williams will partner Thomas Leuluai in the halves, a stuttering alliance which represents another key area where Saints have the edge. If Wigan need a change in that area then responsibility will likely fall on inconsistent, injury-prone poor man’s Rangi Chase Jarrod Sammut.

Farrell apart Wigan’s pack looks outmatched by Saints’. Tony Clubb is a grandly over-rated individual who has in any case seen better days, while Romain Navarette is as likely to cough up possession as he is to get over the line to gain and make metres. Between them Sam Powell is reliable enough but about as far away from Roby as it is possible to be without actually being Tommy Lee. Joe Bullock is a prop of great promise but lacks the experience to take on Thompson and Walmsley if Clubb and Navarette aren’t hitting their very best form. Willie Isa will have a key role, albeit one likely to involve a lot of rule-breaking. I wonder if those let down by this week’s TV choices have considered how fascinating it will be to see this one played out without a video referee for the first time in 23 years.

Outside of that little lot and with Sean O’Loughlin taking his traditional late season break before the playoffs Wigan will be relying on youth. As well as Bullock, Oliver Partington, Morgan Smithies, Jake Shorrocks, Chris Hankinson and Liam Byrne are all in Lam’s 19-man selection.

Saints and Wigan have met twice already this season. Opening night saw Saints record a 22-12 home win before they eased to a 36-10 success on Good Friday. Social media bluster and TV-related rows aside there’s no reason to expect anything other than another Saints win in what the Saints marketing team are insisting on referring to as Bad Friday. Indeed. It doesn’t get any worse. Thankfully we have a great team on the field. Saints by 20.

Squads;

St Helens;

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 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 15. Morgan Knowles 16. Kyle Amor 17. Dominique Peyroux 18. Adam Swift 19. Matty Lees 20. Jack Ashworth 21. Aaron Smith 22. James Bentley 23. Lachlan Coote

Wigan Warriors;

3. Dan Sarginson 4. Oliver Gildart 5. Joe Burgess 6. George Williams 7. Thomas Leuluai 8. Tony Clubb 9. Sam Powell 12 Liam Farrell 14. Romain Navarette 15. Willie Isa 17. Liam Marshall 20. Zak Hardaker 22. Joe Bullock 23. Chris Hankinson 24. Oliver Partington 27. Jarrod Sammut 36. Liam Byrne 37. Jake Shorrocks 38. Morgan Smithies

Referee: Ben Thaler