Saints v Huddersfield Giants - Preview

Saints will look to keep up with the early season pace-setters when they host Huddersfield Giants in a Betfred Super League Round 6 clash on Friday night (March 6, kick-off 7.45pm).

Kristian Woolf’s side recovered from their gallant defeat by Sydney Roosters in the World Club Challenge to brush aside Toronto Wolfpack at Warrington last time out. Saints held the Canadian side scoreless in a 32-0 success which leaves them third in the table going into this weekend’s games, but crucially with a game in hand over Wigan Warriors and Castleford Tigers who currently sit above them.

The champions have received a major boost with the news that Lachlan Coote could be ready to make a return to action. The Great Britain fullback has not been involved since suffering medial ligament damage in the 48-8 win over Salford Red Devils on opening night, but is named in Woolf’s 21-man party for this one. Coote’s addition is one of two changes to the squad that took on the Wolfpack last week. Centre Josh Simm is included while Aaron Smith sits this one out through suspension and James Bentley is missing with an ankle injury.

Should Coote be fit to play he should take his regular place at fullback behind a three-quarter line that will have Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace on either wing and Kevin Naiqama at right centre. The other centre slot is a little more up for grabs. With Mark Percival a long-term absentee with a shoulder problem and Bentley’s injury, Simm will compete for the spot alongside Matty Costello and perhaps Jack Welsby given that he would be shunted from the fullback position should Coote make the line-up. Costello would have been very disappointed to miss out on selection last week in favour of Bentley. Woolf’s decision on whether to play Costello with both Percival and Bentley out could be an instructive one in terms of Costello’s long-term prospects at the club.

With Smith and Bentley out there is the possibility that Theo Fages could move from his regular scrum-half role to help cover James Roby in the hooking position. Woolf has spoken of Roby’s ability to play 80 minutes if necessary but you get the sense that the coach would prefer not to over work his veteran skipper if it can be avoided. A move for Fages may not be all that likely, but it would solve the problem in that spot and would have the added attraction of offering a first opportunity at Super League level for the much talked about but yet to be seen Lewis Dodd. Dodd has made every 21-man squad so far this season without ever seeing any action but perhaps this is the kind of game that would be perfect for him to make his first appearance at this level.

Woolf has also made noises about Morgan Knowles or Dominique Peyroux spending some time in the number nine role. Knowles was plunged into emergency service as a centre in the win over Toronto following Bentley’s misfortune, but whenever Roby is on the field you can expect the Welsh international to occupy his usual loose forward role behind the second row partnership of Peyroux and Zeb Taia. The former Catalans Dragon and Gold Coast Titan may be advancing in years but he leads Saints in both carries and metres made so far in 2020. He continues to be influential, while the front row of Roby, Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson is without peer in this particular kingdom. The usual suspects of Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees and Joseph Paulo should make the bench with any one from five or six others in with a shot at taking the last spot there. Woolf could go with another front row forward in the shape of Kyle Amor or Jack Ashworth, or he could choose the versatile Welsby or any one from Costello, Simm and Dodd. There are a few more variables than is the norm with team selection this week due to the injuries and the suspension of Smith, so it could be an interesting announcement once the team is made public.

Huddersfield boss Simon Woolford has a suspension problem of his own to ponder. Front rower Suaia Matagi is banned after being found guilty of a trip in the Giants 42-10 defeat to Wigan last time out. It was the Giants first defeat of a season that had started well for them with victories over Catalans Dragons in Perpignan and further road victories at Salford Red Devils and Hull KR.

Huddersfield were well in the game against the Warriors also, but fell away after the sin-binning of halfback Aidan Sezer late in the first half. Keeping him on the field will be crucial to any hopes that they harbour of knocking off a Saints side that is still the team to beat in Super League terms. They have other star names like England international Jermaine McGillvary, former Saints Jordan Turner and Lee Gaskell, ex-Catalan back rower Kenny Edwards and the exciting Darnell McIntosh but everything flows through Sezer since his move north from Canberra Raiders at the end of 2019.

Louis Senior is out which may see McIntosh restored to fullback after he missed the loss against Wigan. Innes Senior is a candidate to come in on the wing with Turner likely to be partnered in the centres by Jake Wardle. Gaskell and Sezer form an exciting halfback partnership behind a pack that although shorn of the services of Matagi still features Ukuma Ta’ai, Michael Lawrence, the industrious Adam O’Brien and another ex-Saint Paul Clough. Matty English is another key cog in the Giants wheel who misses out but they can call on the services of James Gavet, a veteran of 74 NRL appearances in spells with Canterbury Bulldogs, Wests Tigers, Brisbane Broncos, New Zealand Warriors and Newcastle Knights.

Despite the Giants good early season form Saints will be expected to pile the sort of misery on them that Wigan managed last weekend. The Giants were never likely to spend very much time near the top of the table after hobbling to a 10th placed finish last season. The addition of Sezer and Gavet will help but this is largely the same squad which only managed to avoid relegation on the final weekend of 2019. At home and with the likes of Roby and Coote back in the fold Saints should be far too strong for the Giants. Yet there is recent precedent for a Giants win on Saints soil. A week after they were blown away 35-16 by Catalans Dragons in the 2018 Challenge Cup semi-final Saints suffered the aftershock of a 16-12 home humbling by a Huddersfield side who would go on to finish that season 19 points behind the league leaders. It’s tough to see a repeat of that who seem to be suffering no such ill effects from recent defeats to Warrington and the Roosters, so expect Saints to win by something upwards of 20 points.

Squads;

St Helens;

1. Lachlan Coote, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 5, Regan Grace, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9, James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Dom Peyroux, 13. LMS, 14. Morgan Knowles, 15. Matty Lees, 16. Kyle Amor, 17, Jack Ashworth, 18. Joseph Paulo, 21, Matty Costello, 22. Jack Welsby, 26. Josh Simm, 27. Lewis Dodd.

Huddersfield Giants;

2. Jermaine McGillvary 3. Jake Wardle 4. Jordan Turner 5. Darnell McIntosh 6. Lee Gaskell 7. Aidan Sezer 8. James Gavet 9. Adam O'Brien 11. Kenny Edwards 12. Joe Wardle 13. Michael Lawrence 15. Oliver Wilson 16. Aaron Murphy 17. Ukuma Ta'ai 18. Paul Clough 22. Tom Holmes 23. Oliver Russell 25. Innes Senior 26. Sam Hewitt 27. Sam Wood 29. Jon Luke Kirby

Referee: Gareth Hewer