Saints v Hull KR - Preview

In spite of its seeming inability to apply workable Covid protocols Super League stumbles on into Round 10 this week as Saints face Hull KR at Warrington’s Haliwell Jones Stadium on Sunday (August 30, kick-off 1.00pm).

League matters took a break last week as the one surviving Challenge Cup sixth round tie was played out between Catalans Dragons and Wakefield Trinity. A single game was still enough to conjure up another coronavirus hot mess, with several members of the Dragons’ travelling party testing positive in the days that followed. That has led to the postponement of the French side’s clash with Wigan which was scheduled for this Saturday (August 29) and what would have been Steve McNamara’s side’s first game on French soil against Leeds Rhinos on September 7. Not the first time that Leeds will have had a trip to France thwarted by the unseen enemy in this utterly berserk 2020 season.

Castleford had thought that they could put their feet up for another week having been originally scheduled to play against cash-strapped, chaotic crisis club Toronto Wolfpack. However, with the Warriors in need of an opponent the powers that be pulled their by now weekly magic trick and inserted a Tigers side they found lying around the house into the path of Adrian Lam and his side for this weekend. 

Wakefield, while without a few players who need to isolate and having stood David Fifita down, are nevertheless still required to attend on Sunday to fulfil their fixture with the Wolves. Fifita is out after refusing to wear his GPS tracker which is used for monitoring the amount of contact between players. That information is pretty fundamental to keeping the game safe and ensuring that it can still go ahead. Trinity didn’t really have anywhere else to go on the matter. They’re good like that, Trinity. So long as nobody asks them to kneel.

Back to our main focus which, predictably in a blog called That Saints Blog You Quite Like, is the upcoming assignment against Rovers. The Bobbins Robins haven’t played since they went down swinging 40-10 against Warrington at Leeds on August 8. Since then, chairman Neil Hudgell has decided that he has had enough and will stand down at the end of the season. Whenever that is. Hudgell is an often controversial figure, an owner who is not averse to flapping his gums in anger if he thinks his poor, long suffering, comatose giant of a club is being put upon. Still, as Saints fans we live in a house made of the glass for which the town is renowned on the subject of mouthy owners so let’s not sling too much mud. 

Let’s hope to see the slinging of some rugby balls instead. To that end coach Kristian Woolf has made three changes to the 21-man party that he selected for the 10-0 win over Castleford last time out. Tommy Makinson serves the first of a five-game ban for his inappropriate grab on Liam Watts. Given that it could have been as many as eight Makinson might count himself fortunate. He’ll have to take his medicine and we will all hope that the incident is remembered as one of those inexplicable one-offs. Like that time Lama Tasi made a break.

Matty Costello comes back into the squad but he is perhaps more likely to replace Mark Percival at centre than to operate on the wing in place of Makinson. Casting some doubt on that is the call-up handed to Josh Simm, a centre with the reserves of some reputed potential. We could see Jack Welsby come on to the wing for his first appearance since the restart, while on the opposite flank Regan Grace is in line for his 100th appearance for Saints since making his debut against Wigan on Good Friday in 2017. Kevin Naiqama is the other regular member of Saints three-quarter line set for a start.

Woolf spoke fairly glowingly of Lewis Dodd earlier this week when he was quizzed on the subject of younger players stepping in for absent stars. The coach was adamant that the young halfback will take to Super League quickly once he gets his chance. There is a growing belief among many that the Rovers game is the perfect opportunity to blood Dodd, so will this be his moment? The established pairing of Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages have mostly excelled in the last couple of years but were on the missing persons list against the Tigers. Dodd’s inclusion would give what should be a routine win over a struggling side another dimension. It would also re-introduce Lomax and in particular Fages to the concept of competition for places which in truth they have not had since the departure of Danny Richardson to the Tigers.

Woolf’s third and final squad change sees Dominic Peyroux return to the fold. The back-rower has been out with a combination of illness and injury in recent weeks but returns here in place of Joe Batchelor. Whether Peyroux will start depends largely on what Woolf chooses to do with James Bentley. The former Bradford man replaced Percival at centre against the Tigers but that was something of an emergency measure. I’d like to see Bentley keep his place in the second row alongside Zeb Taia with international turncoat and all around nuisance Morgan Knowles at loose forward. 

Such a move could see Peyroux hit the interchange bench alongside Matty Lees, while Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Kyle Amor, Aaron Smith, Jack Ashworth and maybe even Dodd could all compete to be introduced from the bench. Woolf had some interesting thoughts on the proposed increase of interchanges back to 10 from eight when asked this week. He made the very reasonable point that there have been rule changes introduced to increase fatigue and open the game up, so why negate the effect they have had on the spectacle by going back to 10 interchanges?

Whoever is selected for the 17 among this band of handy-looking replacements will hope to get game time behind an ageing but still spectacular front row of Alex Walmsley, James Roby and James Graham.

Hull KR have been hit with the news that one of their main weapons is out. Nobody has scored more than Ben Crooks’ eight tries in Super League in 2020 but he faces a six-week lay-off with a calf problem. Former Tigers centre Greg Minikin returns as a result, and coach Tony Smith will also have prop Robbie Mulhern available again. Smith has been open about how the suspension of relegation for 2020 will influence his side’s style of play and allow him to assess his squad over the longer term. We saw evidence of that when the former Leeds and Warrington boss fielded 11 out of contract players in the defeat to the Wolves. 

It was clear also that Smith had instructed them to play with a bit of width and keep the ball alive as much as possible. That approach will be a marked contrast from what we saw from Castleford in Saints last outing, when Daryl Powell’s side kept risk to a minimum and tried to slug it out. Saints seem better equipped to face a team playing more expansively and could pile on the points if they hit top gear. Yet Rovers will look to the likes of Ryan Brierley, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Weller Hauraki, Kane Linnett and former Saint Adam Quinlan to cause problems of their own. If the Warrington weather co-operates expect a very different game from the Castleford win, and one in which Saints should have too much for Super League’s bottom club. 

Saints by 24.

Squads;

St Helens;

1. Lachlan Coote 3. Kevin Naiqama 5. Regan Grace 6. Jonny Lomax 7. Theo Fages 8. Alex Walmsley 9, James Roby 11. Zeb Taia 12, Dom Peyroux 13. LMS 14. Morgan Knowles 15. Matty Lees 16. Kyle Amor 17. Jack Ashworth 19. Aaron Smith 20. James Bentley 21. Matty Costello 22. Jack Welsby 26, Josh Simm 27. Lewis Dodd 32. James Graham.

Hull KR;

1. Adam Quinlan 3. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 4. Kane Linnett 5. Greg Minikin 7. Jordan Abdull 8. Robbie Mulhern 9. Matt Parcell 11. Weller Hauraki 13. Dean Hadley 14. Mitch Garbutt 15. George Lawler 16. Daniel Murray 19. Will Dagger 23. Ethan Ryan 25. Matty Gee 26. Will Maher 27. Elliot Minchella 28. Matthew Storton 30. Jamie Ellis 31. Ryan Brierley 32. Nathaniel Peteru

Referee: Scott Mikalauskas

 

Saints 10 Castleford Tigers 0 - Review

To begin, a revelation. Saints 10-0 win was not a particularly enjoyable experience from where I was sitting. 

I have read a lot in the hours since the final hooter about how exciting it was, what a great spectacle we had witnessed. Tough, uncompromising, ‘proper’ rugby league. I’m not buying it. From the point of view of a Saints fan (or a Cas fan) it was certainly tense. There was drama, but it was more Boardwalk Empire than 24. Slow burning, uneventful story-telling in which the characters involved were the story rather than the high octane kind in which something scarcely believable happens every third scene and major characters are routinely killed off. As Saints and Cas hammered away at each other throughout a quite literally pointless first 40 minutes the only people at risk of being killed off were casual, neutral sports viewers who might have tuned in and wondered why we all speak so highly of this game of ours.

Let’s be clear that it is difficult to criticise Castleford for their approach. The fearful pasting they took against Catalans Dragons a week ago coupled with Saints’ imperious dismissal of Leeds Rhinos meant that Daryl Powell’s side came into this one with no expectation on them. Most people had predicted a comfortable Saints victory. Castleford’s only hope of being competitive was to play exactly the kind of game we saw. Tight, risk averse, physical. The onus was on Saints to open the game up and so turn it into the type of match that would have suited their situation. It made no sense for Castleford to try to take Saints on in an expansive, open contest just as it did not make sense for teams at the bottom end of the Premier League to try to open up against Arsenal in the days of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, as much as Arsene Wenger would try to shame them into doing so.  In my view Castleford were canny and succeeded in bringing us down to their level for the most part. 

Saints have now played three games since the restart and conceded only one try and just six points. That is quite staggering and something for which they have rightly been praised. Yet taking this game in isolation I didn’t feel that either side threw enough at the other’s defence to justify the glowing tributes. Yes there was commitment, courage and great powers of defensive concentration on show but at the same time it is an awful lot easier to defend for 80 minutes when all that is coming at you is one pass off the ruck. We have touched on the reasons why Castleford might approach their task this way but what’s our excuse?

Disruption is one possible mitigating factor. Mark Percival returned to the starting line-up after missing the Rhinos game with a tight hamstring. If restoring him to the side was any sort of gamble it did not pay off. In making a half break and putting Lachlan Coote through a gap he suffered a recurrence of the problem and eventually left the scene inside the opening 20 minutes. Coote dropped the pass by the way. It was that sort of day. A day on which despite a conservative approach Saints made 20 handling errors, almost double their average per game coming in. It all led to a reshuffle which saw James Bentley move into Percival’s left centre berth and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook enter the fray somewhat earlier than planned to fill the gap left by Bentley. 

Incidentally we need to talk about Bentley. When we posted the 13pro-am podcast Man Of The Match poll he was not among our shortlisted four. Inevitably there were calls for him not only to be in the four but to be the winner. This was echoed throughout social media among many fans. It is going to be unpopular so I stress that this is my view and not necessarily that of the others involved with 13pro-am (more than one of the others had him in their four so he was considered) but I really don’t get it. 

Bentley’s move to centre was one of the principal reasons why we became so straitjacketed and conservative in attack. He’s a fine player and all of the attributes he is lauded for - toughness, aggression, work-rate - all ring true. But these attributes do not stop people screaming about John Bateman when he is wrongly selected to play centre for England. Instead we line up to point out that Bateman will never be a centre as long as he has a hole in his arse. Similarly, Bentley will have far, far better days when he plays in the second row or as a loose forward. 

Like all of his team-mates the former Bradford Bulls man did his job in defence. He made 30 tackles - which was only bettered by five other Saints players - and only missed two. Yet with the ball in hand be did not make a break and  never looked likely to with only two tackle busts. We can’t glean much from his error or offload count with just one in each column. He was solid and showed his versatility again but I cannot see how he was Man Of The Match.

Another reason for our lack of creativity may lie in our halfback combination. Jonny Lomax has been peerless for two or three years and is probably allowed a day off. I’m more concerned with Theo Fages. He emerged as a hero in scoring the only try of the game, backing up Alex Walmsley’s break to seal the win three minutes from the end. Support play has never been a problem for the Frenchman and 34 tackles with only three misses show what a fine defender he has always been. But is that what we want from our halfback? For my money - and it was particularly evident here - he does not get his hands on the ball enough and does not dictate play. He’s second in command to Lomax at best and maybe third when you factor in Coote. Yet we do still go to him for last tackle options where it must be said there is room for improvement. If you are going to play conservatively or if the opposition is good enough to stop your main attacking threats you need a half that can make the right choice on the last play. I’m not sure he is that man.

Fages’ predecessor in the halfback role at Saints is of course Danny Richardson, now of Castleford. Richardson was put under great pressure by Saints at all times rendering his kicking game fairly ineffective. The flaws that persuaded Justin Holbrook to make Fages the man at the start of 2019 despite Richardson’s Dream Team year of 2018 remain. The Widnesian does not run at the line enough and his defence is still suspect. He missed four tackles in this one which doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider that he only made 11 and that one of the misses was on Fages on his way to scoring the crucial try. There is plenty to like about Richardson’s game but if you are looking for physical toughness and defensive stability then Fages is your man in a straight choice between those two. Whether either is good enough to play halfback for Saints is another issue entirely.

Incredibly we have reached this point without even the merest hint of Tommy Makinson’s ill-advised grab at the most personal parts of Liam Watts’ anatomy. Watts was returning to the Castleford side after injuring his arm with a saw, and suffered yet more unexpected pain when literally having his chain pulled by the England winger. What was going through Makinson’s mind and how much intent there was only he will truly know. Makinson has a fairly flawless disciplinary record which may help him if he tries to defend the Grade F charge that has been made against him and which carries a possible eight game ban. Makinson would be described by most as not that sort of player. But even if you are ‘not that sort of player’ as soon as you grab an opponent by the balls in anything but a metaphorical sense you immediately become ‘that sort of player’. Makinson can expect a fairly lengthy spell on the sidelines and will have to take his medicine. I cannot understand such an action and it would be recklessly myopic to try to defend it. 

So what do we do for a winger for the meeting with Hull KR in a fortnight? Not so long ago the loss of a great player like Makinson could be fairly well covered by Adam Swift. He wasn’t as good in defence, made more errors and was not as reliable returning kicks or starting sets but his try record for Saints compared favourably. But Swift is now in Hull, leaving Kristian Woolf looking for a winger and very possibly a centre should Percival not recover in time. Matty Costello filled in well for Percival against Leeds and could be recalled while we may see Jack Welsby for the first time since before lockdown. He and Costello are arguably interchangeable at centre and wing and Kevin Naiqama has NRL experience in both positions also. At a push maybe Coote or Lomax could switch to centre, with Welsby or Naiqama featuring at fullback against Rovers. There are options. In any case, despite all of my frustrations with Sunday’s performance I’m confident that Saints will beat Tony Smith’s side even if Woolf calls me and asks if I have any centre or wing experience.

If I’d played on the wing in this dreary, pretend classic against the Tigers there’s half a chance you wouldn’t have noticed.  How’s that for a revelation...?

St Helens v Castleford Tigers - Preview

A midweek fixture change means that Castleford Tigers - and not Wakefield Trinity - are the visitors to St Helens for Sunday’s BetFred Super League Round 9 clash (August 16, kick-off 4.15pm).

On Tuesday of this week it emerged that several members of the Hull FC squad and coaching staff had tested positive for Covid-19 following their 54-18 defeat by the Salford Red Devils. That has forced the majority of staff from both those clubs into self-isolation and meant that Hull’s planned meeting with Castleford and Salford’s clash with Catalans Dragons could not go ahead. To minimise the disruption to an already cluttered calendar a quick fixture reshuffle was necessary. It’s not an ideal situation but with all teams playing at a single venue each week and no fans to inconvenience the late alteration made sense. The game’s authorities must now figure out how to avoid a repeat of events at Hull FC. A bullet has been dodged, but as the season wears on fixture changes will become less feasible.

But we do have a game, for which Saints boss Kristian Woolf has made just one change to the 21-man party which travelled to Leeds and emerged with a 48-0 win over the Rhinos a week ago. Jack Ashworth comes in for Dominique Peyroux, who has still not quite recovered from the muscular problem that has forced him to miss the first two games since the restart. Mark Percival was a late withdrawal before last week’s pounding of the Rhinos due to a tight hamstring but is deemed fit enough for inclusion. Matty Costello was drafted into the starting 13 from outside the initial 21-man squad but is left out of this week’s selection. Should he be required he can be drafted in again with the rule which sees teams lose an interchange for that kind Warrington Wolfery suspended for 2020. 

Morgan Knowles is also included despite leaving the Leeds game relatively early with a head knock. He should play at loose forward behind a second row of Zeb Taia and James Bentley, the latter having used the two games since the restart to really establish himself as a genuine threat to Peyroux’s place once the former Gold Coast Titan and New Zealand Warrior regains full fitness. 

The front row is where the victory over Leeds was really engineered, and again looks formidable with Alex Walmsley and James Graham at prop and James Roby at hooker. Roby will be making his 500th appearance as a professional, having turned out a mammoth 456 times for Saints, 36 times for England and 7 times for Great Britain. It’s a monumental achievement. As a Saints fan you have to pinch yourself to think that we have been blessed with another legend of the sport in the dummy half role so soon after the retirement of Kieron Cunningham. Somebody is getting something very right in the Saints youth development set-up. Roby now skippers the side, leading them to Grand Final success at the end of 2019. He’s a little less dynamic than in his youth but he remains one of Saints most important players and a key influence on the next generation of players breaking into the first team in recent years.

Ashworth will hope to push Kyle Amor, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Joe Batchelor for two available bench spots alongside Matty Lees and back-up nine Aaron Smith.

If the forwards laid the groundwork for the Leeds performance the backs - and one in particular - added all of the decoration. Regan Grace scored a phenomenal hat-trick. Two length of the field tries came either side of a classic modern winger’s diving finish at the left corner. Grace had not scored before lockdown nor in the restart opener against the Dragons but was unstoppable against Richard Agar’s bewildered side. A more cynical writer than I might link his brilliance to Percival’s absence, but if the pair are both firing it will be a long day for the Tigers’ right edge defence. On the other side Tommy Makinson plays outside Kevin Naiqama, with Lachlan Coote at fullback. Coote’s tally of a try and two assists against Leeds was impressive if slightly overshadowed by the endeavours of Grace.

It is all knitted together by the established halfback pairing of Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages. Both took a bit of a back seat last weekend as others shone, though Fages did get on the scoresheet following Walmsley’s ridiculous break and perfectly timed pass. There will be times when the pair will be called upon to control tighter games than we have had to endure so far since the restart and both remain vital. Lewis Dodd awaits his opportunity behind them.

Castleford won’t relish having to face Saints instead of that planned meeting with a Hull FC side coming off the back of a whopping defeat to Salford. The Tigers have problems of their own having been crushed 40-14 by Catalans last week and might have benefitted from a gentler assignment. Still, you have to play everyone at some point so coach Daryl Powell may prefer to focus on the positives. Namely, former Warrington and Salford man Gareth O’Brien could make his debut in the Tigers’ problem fullback position after joining the club from the wreckage of Toronto. In addition, star forward Liam Watts could also return after an arm injury caused by some less than textbook home improvements involving a saw. DIY may not be his thing but Watts is a prop of genuine quality, and one that will be needed if Cas have any hope of containing Saints’ monstrous front three. 

Behind Watts Nathan Massey, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Mike McMeeken and Adam Milner have all shown in the past that they can mix it with the league’s best while at hooker Paul McShane will relish the battle with Roby. 

Peter Mata’utia is out due to his ill-advised dangerous throw on Samisoni Langi in the Dragons defeat so Sosaia Feki could feature having been named in the 21 for the first time this season following his move from Cronulla Sharks. Ex-Saint Michael Shenton had a mixed day last time out, scoring two early tries against the Dragons before finding out exactly what all the fuss is about with Israel Folau. Shenton is a consistently high performer and will see a clash with his old club as the perfect opportunity to bounce back and show what he can do.  In the halves Jake Trueman and former Saint Danny Richardson have bags of potential and could develop into a partnership that is the envy of everyone across the league.

For now though Saints must start heavy favourites. They were irresistible last week while Cas, for all their individual quality and potential, looked decidedly ragged after a good start against Steve McNamara’s side. If Saints get on top early the Tigers could end up the team most affected on the field by the Covid outbreak at Hull. Saints by 20.

Squads;

St Helens;

1. Lachlan Coote 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 6. Jonny Lomax 7. Theo Fages 8. Alex Walmsley 9. James Roby 11. Zeb Taia 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 14. Morgan Knowles 15. Matty Lees 16. Kyle Amor 17. Jack Ashworth 19. Aaron Smith 20. James Bentley 22. Jack Welsby 23. Joe Batchelor 27. Lewis Dodd 32. James Graham

Castleford Tigers; 

2. Derrell Olpherts 4. Michael Shenton 5. Sosaia Feki 6. Jake Trueman 7. Danny Richardson 8. Liam Watts 9. Paul McShane 10. Grant Millington 11. Oliver Holmes 12. Mike McMeeken 13. Adam Milner 14. Nathan Massey 15. Jesse Sene-Lefao 16. George Griffin 17. Alex Foster 20. Junior Moors 21. James Clare 22. Jacques O’Neill 24. Tyla Hepi 26. Calum Turner 34. Gareth O’Brien

Referee: James Child

Leeds Rhinos 0 Saints 48 - Review

Come back! Those of you who immediately took to social media to declare Super League’s restart a failure in the wake of Hull FC’s positive Covid-19 tests can relax. A quick fixture reshuffle and everything is back on. That means I can now review Saints’ startling destruction of Leeds Rhinos without peppering my prose with sad reminders of a season lost.

Saints had restarted brilliantly with a 34-6 towelling of Catalans Dragons but this was an even more joyous expression of their vast superiority. Leeds were woeful. Richard Agar had started to look like a proper rugby league coach before lockdown but his inability to find answers here made him look more like the chancing PE teacher his detractors have always suspected him to be. Yet whoever was in charge of the Rhinos would not have found a way to stop Saints on this march. Even Kristian Woolf seemed incredulous, sat there belly-laughing, shoulders shaking like that infamous gif of Tory ice-witch Theresa May. 

A lot seems to have happened in rugby league in the 72 hours since I was fretting about Mark Percival’s absence. The England centre was not risked because of a tight hamstring. His place went to Matty Costello, who had not been named in the original 21-man squad on Friday. One of a raft of changes to conditions during the Covid environment of 2020 is that clubs are able to draft in players from outside their 21 without losing an interchange. Huge sighs of relief all round. You wouldn’t want to face a team possessing Agar’s strategic acumen with only seven interchanges, would you?

The only other change saw Matty Lees come on to the bench. He missed the Dragons win with illness (no, not that one) but replaced Joe Batchelor in the 17. That meant James Bentley kept his place in the second row alongside Zeb Taia, leaving no place for Dominique Peyroux. Despite several attempts by Leeds defenders to separate his head from his shoulders Bentley put in another solid performance. Another 53 tackles to add to the 46 he managed last week marked him out as Saints’ hardest working defender for the second week in succession. He also found time to provide the assist for Lachlan Coote’s try which completed the rout. In a packed schedule Peyroux will be needed. What he has contributed since becoming revitalised under Justin Holbrook cannot be understated or forgotten, but we may just be seeing the beginnings of a changing of the guard in the second row. Bentley is now proving his worth there and Joel Thompson of Manly Sea Eagles is expected to replace Taia in 2021.

If the second row is in fine fettle words fail me in describing the condition of the front row. This was a different sort of performance to that which we saw against Catalans last week. Only 10 offloads versus 17 in the win over Steve McNamara’s side highlight the difference in approach. According to the TV commentator’s James Graham sledged the Leeds side about the fact that Saints would ‘get them up the middle’. That certainly would be backed up by the evidence on the field. Graham scored the first of Saints’ eight tries with a powerful charge to the line, which was seen and then raised by Alex Walmsley as he took three or four tacklers over the line with him for Saints’ second. Throughout the afternoon Saints provided proof that you don’t need to play with great expansion and width to leave fans satisfied that they have been entertained. Just win, and win this well.

In all Walmsley ripped off 205 metres on 20 carries. The Leeds pack just could not handle him. The highlight of the Walmsley masterclass was not his try - breathtaking though that was - but his assist for Theo Fages four-pointer. Walmsley broke the line and surged down field into open space before turning into Alfie Lange to find Fages in support on his right hand side. Walmsley was jogging backwards, gesturing towards a giddy Saints bench in celebration before Fages had even dotted the ball down beneath the sticks. It was rugby league’s version of Usain Bolt slowing down 20m from the line but breaking the 100m world record regardless. 

Which I’m sure you’ll agree is a seamless link to the performance of another great sprinter, Regan Grace. The thing about comprehensively monstering your opposition pack in the early going is that it allows you to bring out your box of tricks later on. So it was that Grace was able to cruise past the statuesque Leeds cover for two length of the field efforts either side of an acrobatic, flying finish in the left hand corner. Grace’s hat-trick of tries were the first three of his 2020 campaign so far. In a year in which patience has been a necessity for all of us they were a wonderful reminder that some things really are worth waiting for. 

For the first he took Coote’s pass five metres from his own line and glided through a chaotic Rhinos line before dancing inside two Leeds defenders and jogging to the line. After his flying second his third was the best of the lot, fielding a kick inside his own in-goal area before taking the scenic route back into the field of play and streaking away to score. Several Rhinos defenders gave chase without ever looking remotely likely to catch him. It was a special performance from a special player, and one that attracted lots of attention from fans of Welsh rugby union on social media. If rugby league is serious about establishing itself in the consciousness of those outside the M62 it needs to make sure that extravagant talents like Grace are not lost to the other code.

When he had stopped giggling Woolf typically deflected the attention away from his side’s attacking endeavours and praised his players for their defence. Shutting Leeds out is no mean feat. Doing so on their own patch at Headingley is a first for any side in the Super League era. On the face of it 28 missed tackles isn’t a stellar statistic, but it is the work that Woolf’s side do to recover from those misses which makes them so formidable. The Rhinos didn’t get a huge amount of good ball as the Saints attack dominated. Yet there was a spell early in the game and another one close to half-time and just before Grace’s first effort when Agar’s men put pressure on the Saints goal-line defence. They bent but didn’t break, as champions are wont to do. 

The win lifted Saints up to second in the table. Only Wigan lie above Woolf’s men now and it is hard to see on this form how Adrian Lam’s infinitely less convincing outfit will hold them off for too much longer. The next challenge is not Wakefield Trinity - who gave the Warriors an almighty quiver before going down by a single point immediately prior to Saints’ win - but Castleford as the authorities execute a swift fixture shuffle to combat the Hull FC Covid mini outbreak. A late change of opponent is unlikely to faze the laughing Woolf as they look to wreak yet more havoc on a Tigers side who found Catalans too hot to handle on Saturday.

It can’t come soon enough.

Saints v Leeds Rhinos - Preview

Saints look to build on their excellent restart to the 2020 Super League campaign when they take on Leeds Rhinos at Headingley on Sunday (August 9, kick-off 6.30pm).

Kristian Woolf’s side looked extremely impressive in their first outing following the lockdown, brushing aside Catalans Dragons 34-6 in Leeds a week ago. Now they return to face a Rhinos side that despite the continued absence of fans will be somewhat more familiar with the surroundings. They’ll also face a side that sits top of the table going into this weekend’s fixtures. Saints remain two points behind Richard Agar’s side having played a game more. In a season shortened by the pandemic this is very close to a must-win even at this relatively early stage of proceedings.

Woolf has named exactly the same 21-man squad that was on duty ahead of the Catalans game, although the final match day 17 may undergo a few tweaks. Matty Lees and Dominique Peyroux missed out last week with illness and a muscle injury respectively but could be in line for a return to action. It looks like a straight choice between Lees and James Graham for the starting prop berth alongside Alex Walmsley, while Peyroux will hope to renew his successful second row partnership with last week’s standout Zeb Taia. That would be harsh on James Bentley, who stepped in for Peyroux against the Dragons to deliver a try and 46 tackles. 

Along with Walmsley, Morgan Knowles and James Roby look the other certain starters in the pack all things being equal. With Lees and Peyroux back in contention Joe Batchelor’s spot in the 17 looks vulnerable while one of Kyle Amor and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook may also miss out so that back-up hooker Aaron Smith can be accommodated. Alternatively Woolf could select both Irish international props and rely on the versatile Bentley to provide the cover for Roby.

The backs are fairly settled. Lachlan Coote should continue at fullback after his two-try effort last time out. Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace are established on the wings with centres Kevin Naiqama and Mark Percival completing the threequarter line. Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages pull the strings in midfield as youngster Lewis Dodd awaits his first Super League opportunity. The squad is completed by youngster Jack Welsby who after impressing in his early first team outings is going through a more challenging period in his development. In a busy season with a congested schedule later on you get the feeling his time will come again before too long.

Leeds’ restart meeting with Huddersfield Giants last week was one of the more remarkable Super League games in recent years. The Rhinos looked extinct at 26-6 down with just 12 minutes remaining, but staged an epic four-try comeback to take it to extra-time at 26-26 before winning it with Luke Gale’s golden point drop-goal in that extra period. That they managed to turn it around with Ash Handley in the sin-bin for dissent is all the more astonishing. They deserve full credit for the turnaround but Giants coach Simon Woolford will know that no side should lose a game from the position they were in.

Agar has had to make two changes to his 21-man selection due to injury. James Donaldson was stretchered off during the Giants win with a back injury and misses out despite hopes that the damage is not as serious as first thought. Yet perhaps the biggest miss for Leeds will be that of former Gold Coast Titans centre Konrad Hurrell who has a hamstring problem. Hurrell is a major attacking weapon on Leeds’ left edge and showed that when he bagged two tries in last weekend’s miracle comeback. Handley, Alex Mellor, Rhyse Martin, Rhys Evans and Briscoe brothers Tom and Luke are among the candidates to fill the void in the centres alongside the now permanent fixture that is Harry Newman. Richie Myler is fit to play despite suffering a head knock last week. Myler could continue at fullback with young star Jack Walker still unavailable. That will enable the dangerously unpredictable Robert Lui to continue his halfback partnership with Gale. 

If Martin or Mellor move to the back line then Cameron Smith could come into the back row along with Matt Prior. Ava Seumanafagai and Mikolaj  Oledzki are in line to start at prop with chief offloader Adam Cuthbertson backing them up. Youngster Tom Holroyd could also get an opportunity in the front row rotation. The Rhinos are strong at hooker where the speedy and industrious pair of Brad Dwyer and Kruise Leeming represent one of the league’s best duos in the position.

Leeds’ only defeat this season came all the way back on opening day in February when they were routed 30-4 by Hull FC. There was no sign then of the sort of form that would see them hand out shellackings to Warrington, Hull KR and Toronto and also see off Salford with something to spare before the shutdown. They were somewhat less impressive during the restart but found a way to win almost despite themselves. They are a genuine threat, but spurred on by the consequences of defeat I expect an in form Saints to edge this one by a couple of scores. Saints by 12.

Squads;

Leeds Rhinos;

2. Tom Briscoe 3. Harry Newman 5. Ash Handley 6. Robert Lui 7. Luke Gale 8. Ava Seumanafagai 9. Kruise Leeming 10. Matt Prior 11. Alex Mellor 12. Rhyse Martin 14. Brad Dwyer 16. Richie Myler  17. Adam Cuthbertson 19. Mikolaj Oledzki 21. Rhys Evans  22. Cameron Smith 23. Callum McLelland 24. Luke Briscoe 26. Alex Sutcliffe 28. Tom Holroyd 34. Jack Broadbent

St Helens;

1. Lachlan Coote 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 6. Jonny Lomax 7. Theo Fages 8. Alex Walmsley 9. James Roby 11. Zeb Taia 12. Dominique Peyroux 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 14. Morgan Knowles 15. Matty Lees 16. Kyle Amor 19. Aaron Smith 20. James Bentley 22. Jack Welsby 23. Joe Batchelor 27. Lewis Dodd 32. James Graham

Referee: Chris Kendall

Saints 34 Catalans Dragons 6 - Review

Sunday felt like a special occasion. After almost five months of inactivity Super League made it’s return. Having been involved in the last game before the suspension of play due to the Covid-19 outbreak Saints were also in action first after the restart. They took on Catalans Dragons on the neutral territory of Headingley in Leeds. There were no fans inside the ground but that couldn’t detract from the excitement of finally seeing some live, competitive rugby league on British soil after such a long and desperate absence. 

Unlike that last game before the suspension - a 28-14 defeat to Castleford Tigers on March 15 - this was a Saints performance worth the wait. Kristian Woolf’s side had been stagnant before lockdown. The loss to the Tigers had been one of three early season setbacks as the transition from the Justin Holbrook era to the Woolf tenure proved a little bumpy. Defeats to Warrington and Huddersfield had preceded the Tigers defeat, and even one of the three games that Saints had won to that point has been expunged from the record. The Toronto Wolfpack fell victim to a putrid cocktail of their own hubris, over-spending, visa issues and the bleeding obvious and undeniable truth that running a North American side in a mainly British League is all but unworkable. As such Saints’ 32-0 success over the Wolfpack at Warrington on February 29 now exists only as a matter of statistical record.

It left Saints lying eighth out of 11 before the start of play against Steve McNamara’s side. The Dragons came in to this one with just a single defeat from their opening four games before the competition’s shuddering halt. Yet they were blown away by a Saints side seemingly refreshed and with a whole new approach to attacking rugby. That approach was perhaps influenced by the introduction of the “6 again” set restart rule which sees the tackle count restart after ruck infringements where previously a penalty would have been awarded. From the start the emphasis seemed to be on making a big but rather sluggish Catalans side defend as many second phase plays as possible. 

Saints came up with 17 offloads, more than double the amount they had been averaging in Super League games until this one. Tommy Makinson and Mark Percival had three each while Alex Walmsley and the returning James Graham managed two apiece. Graham was named in the starting line-up after the surprise omission of Matty Lees from the squad. Lees was suffering from a sore throat which in these strange times is justification enough for caution. Having seen everyone involved in the game work so hard to get things under way again the last thing anybody wants is to risk even a minor outbreak which could once again put the completion of the 2020 season in doubt. 

Dominique Peyroux and Joseph Paulo also missed out with muscle problems. James Bentley slotted into the second row alongside the incomparable Zeb Taia, while Lees’ absence created a vacancy on the bench which Joe Batchelor stepped up to fill. Kyle Amor was afforded more minutes as a result and he didn’t miss his opportunity. The Cumbrian made 110 metres on 11 carries and alongside Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (114 metres on 16 carries) provided excellent cover for Walmsley and Graham. The latter’s 84 metres on 13 carries looks like modest impact, but his ability to not only offload but also pass before he reaches the defensive line adds another dimension to the Saints front row. Walmsley was Walmsley, crashing through all comers for a breathtaking try to cap a 153-metre effort in attack and 24 tackles in defence.

Yet in terms of the pack and although it was Morgan Knowles who claimed Sky Sports’ Man Of The Match award it was Taia who stood out. His magical inside ball to Lachlan Coote to set up the first of Saints’ six tries was another example of his class. He will leave a huge hole in the side when he departs at the end of the season. For now we got to sit back and enjoy a performance that yielded 144 metres on 16 carries, a try and two assists including that sensational, instantaneous catch and pass which gave Coote the first of his two scores in a personal tally of 18 points. Bentley was a try-scorer too, and has given Woolf a possible selection poser should Peyroux return to full fitness in time for the meeting with Leeds this coming Sunday (August 9). As well as scoring his try, his 46 tackles was more than any other Saint managed on the day, though the 45 made by Knowles is certainly worthy of recognition.

Coote only played twice before lockdown thanks to a medial ligament problem. His return to fitness could be a major factor in a real upturn in Saints’ form on this evidence. In front of him Makinson ripped off 220 metres including a typically brilliant, winding run to the line for what is surprisingly only his second try of 2020. There will be more if Woolf continues with the more open style on display here. Percival too was outstanding. He did not cross for a try himself but managed 182 metres on 19 carries to go with those three offloads. Had the nearest player in support to Percival’s searing first half break been Makinson, Coote or Regan Grace rather than James Roby then the England centre would most likely have had a try assist also. Like Coote, Percival has missed much of the early part of 2020. He damaged a shoulder in defeat at Warrington in early February but is one of those players whose season might just have been saved by the extended break.

If we are looking at what could have worked better there are a couple of very minor gripes to note on an overwhelmingly positive day overall. Saints’ kicking game still has questions to answer, although the tactical acumen of Theo Fages and Jonny Lomax in this department was not really tested. The Dragons defence did not force the Saints attack into enough last tackle situations as they were carved open regularly. The Saints halfback pair each grabbed an assist but it is still Lomax who carries much of the creative burden between the two. 

Support play is another area where strides could be made before next week. As refreshing as it was to see Saints forwards refusing to resort to the knees and elbows fair of years gone by there were still times when a little more push at the line could have been fruitful. Thirty-four points is not a bad effort by any stretch of the imagination but I just felt that there were even more points there for the taking if Saints had backed up even more. Taking those sorts of opportunities could be key against a Rhinos side who, as we saw in their win over the Huddersfield Giants immediately after the Saints game, are not to be given an inch even when way down on the scoreboard.

The “6 again” rule was a controversial introduction given that it has happened after the season has already started. Yet it added to the spectacle in the sense that it quickened the pace of the game. There was barely a stoppage in the first 10 minutes of the Saints win and the first half zipped by in a flash. That was helped further by the other major alteration to the rules, the removal of scrums. The players had apparently requested that some down time be inserted at the handovers that have replaced scrum situations but that didn’t seem to happen. The players of both Saints and Catalans seemed happy to get on with it without a breather except where there was an injury requiring a stoppage. It’s a small sample size but the evidence so far is that the absence of scrums won’t impair the game in the way that some - me included - had feared. You don’t really need set scrum moves and six defenders out of the way when the game is being played the way that Woolf’s side approached it here.

It really felt like a new era, different even to the one we embarked upon in January as Woolf stepped into Holbrook’s shoes. Everything is different post-Covid, but that could be great news for Saints going forward.