Golden Tries - Harrison’s Header

Even when they were average Saints were different. They were the definition of mediocrity in the 1990/91 season, yet still found a way to stand out from the crowd. On the afternoon of November 11 1990 George Mann scored a try that will never be forgotten by those inside the old Knowsley Road ground. It instigated a rule change while at the same time cementing a place in Saints folklore for Mann and his accomplice, six-foot-seven forward John Harrison.

It had been a patchy start to the campaign by Saints, not that dissimilar to the one made by Kristian Woolf’s side in 2020 before the current suspension. The late Mike McClennan was in charge back then and his side opened their league programme with a defeat at Hull FC before home wins over Bradford Northern and Hull KR. They had been dumped out of the Lancashire Cup by Salford by then so when they went to Leeds and were thumped 23-4 there were already concerns for their prospects for the season. They had already lost half as many league games as eventual champions Wigan would in their entire 26-game league schedule.

League matters went on hold for the visit of the touring Australian Kangaroos. The tourists left Knowsley Road with a 34-4 victory under their belts as former Saint Mal Meninga’s try brace was eclipsed by Andrew Ettingshausen’s hat-trick. Michael Hancock, Steve Roach and Kerrod Walters also crossed for Bob Fulton’s side, whose only blemish arrived when Les Quirk got over for Saints.

When the league resumed there was a further set-back for Saints at Castleford’s pre-jungle Wheldon Road. There were no Tigers around in those days but Saints were nevertheless mauled by Graham Steadman. The former Great Britain fullback scored a hat-trick in a 29-16 win for a Castleford side coached by Darryl Van De Velde. As November began Saints got back on track with a 30-18 win over Rochdale Hornets in which five different players crossed for tries, including Mann. Quirk, Shane Cooper, Shaun Devine and Tea Ropati were also able to touch down as Saints recorded a third league win of the season to go with the three damaging defeats they had suffered.

Next to arrive at Knowsley Road were Sheffield Eagles. They were coached by Gary Hetherington in what seems like another life for the long-time Leeds Rhinos chairman. The Eagles were not considered glamorous enough for a date with the Kangaroos and their first round Yorkshire Cup exit to Bradford Northern meant they had managed to squeeze in a couple more league games than Saints by this stage. They had managed to win only two from their first eight, yet perhaps their best result was an 18-18 draw with champions Wigan on the opening day. They would finish the season second from bottom and were relegated from the top flight, which if nothing else proves that shock results still happened occasionally before the introduction of the salary cap.

There was no shock here. On any other day a 34-17 home victory by Saints over the Eagles might have been considered routine. That is if it were not for the contribution of Harrison and Mann in the 55th minute. Saints skipper Shane Cooper - himself no stranger to alternative methods that today’s risk-averse players would consider positively barmy - was tackled around five metres short of the Eagles line. He played the ball to Harrison who did not hesitate in holding the ball at head height before thrusting his neck muscles forward to propel the ball forward with his forehead. It looped over a bewildered Eagles defensive line but there was no surprise among the men in the red vee. Mann got to it first to ground it at the scoreboard end of the ground but had he not done so hooker Paul Groves was loitering in the vicinity having also been aware of Harrison’s intentions.

The story goes that Saints had planned the stunt to the extent that McClennan had checked with referee Gerry Kershaw before the game as to the legality of it. They had clearly been given the green light. It was not a knock-on as the ball was not propelled towards the Eagles’ try line with the hand or arms. The chasers had been careful to stay behind Harrison and therefore onside when the big man’s innovative bonce came into contact with the ball. Nevertheless the ruse was controversial and widely frowned upon. Shortly after the law was changed to ensure that it could not happen again. I do slightly lament the fact that we will never get to see Terry O’Connor - a man who reacts to a run-of-the-mill offload in the way most of us did when Michael Jackson held his baby over a hotel balcony - deal with a show of such flagrant audacity.

Aside from Harrison’s header the most memorable thing about Saints’ season was their Challenge Cup run. McClennan’s side went all the way to the final at Wembley, going down 13-8 having let John Monie’s side build up a 12-0 half-time lead. In the league Saints continued to have ups and downs, including an 18-8 defeat to the Eagles at Sheffield two days before Christmas. That was during a run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions for Saints which saw them dumped out of the Regal Trophy at Warrington and also lose at home to Wigan on Boxing Day and at Widnes on New Year’s Day 1991.

Four more league defeats followed as Saints limped to a sixth-placed finish. It was the kind of campaign that would have today’s social media coaches demanding the removal of the man at the helm but McClennan stuck around a while longer. Saints finished second the following season under his tutelage and could have got closer to Wigan were it not for some very unreliable away form. By 1992/93 the gap was even closer. The two rivals were separated only on points difference at the end of that season with the pivotal moment being a bruising 8-8 draw at Central Park over Easter, which back then was one of the last games of the season.

McClennan left Saints in December of the following season but he had made his mark, not just on the club which would end it’s long wait for a title three years later, but on the laws of rugby league.