Despite all the negativity I feel towards it right now there is still a game to write about. Saints return to their own patch to host Hull KR on Friday night (September 11, kick-off 6.00pm).
Kristian Woolf’s side spent five days at the top of the league but have since been overtaken by Catalans Dragons despite the fact neither side has played since Saints walloped Huddersfield Giants 54-6 last Friday night (September 4). Fearful of not completing the season in the age of Covid the game’s authorities lost their nerve and made a pre-emptive move. They decided to determine league position with points percentage, a mathematical equation that makes the government’s algorithm for exam results look rational, well thought through and totally impartial.
But it is what is and we must press on. Woolf has made two changes to the 21-man party on duty for the Giants game. Captain James Roby returns after he was forced to sit out last week due to concussion protocols, while Zeb Taia has recovered sufficiently from the groin injury he picked up when Saints met Rovers less than a fortnight ago. The men to miss out are Lewis Dodd who is still unavailable after being forced to isolate as a result of test and trace protocols, and young back up hooker Josh Eaves.
Theo Fages left the Rovers game early after hyper-extending his knee. He subsequently missed out last week despite making the initial squad. He features again and could be set for a return. If he doesn’t make it we may see Jack Welsby given another chance to partner Jonny Lomax in the halves. The pair were excellent against Simon Wololford’s side and there should be no worries about pairing them up again.
Tommy Makinson serves the third of his five game ban for that now infamous incident involving Liam Watts of Castleford, while Mark Percival is still not fit enough to return. Woolf hinted that Percival has a chance for next week’s Challenge Cup clash with Warrington but for now Josh Simm may get another opportunity with Matty Costello filling in again on the wing. Simm made a promising first Super League start and will be particularly interesting to see how he goes if Taia is fit enough to be restored to the left hand second row berth.
Regan Grace thrilled us again with two sensational tries last week while on the other side Kevin Naiqama should play inside Costello. The Fijian was an injury doubt earlier in the week and if there is any uncertainty about him James Bentley could be moved from the second row to slot in at centre. Lachlan Coote has been peerless at fullback, turning in another man-of-the-match, 26-point performance last time out. He is key to everything Saints do in attack and defence.
With Roby and Taia back there could be significant changes to the pack. Aaron Smith may feel he did enough last week to get the start but this is James Roby we are talking about. It largely depends on how fit Roby is and how Woolf wants to use him. Both Roby and Smith will play their part. Taia’s selection at second row ought to be a no-brainer, but then what do you do elsewhere?
Does Morgan Knowles - who filled in for Taia last week - revert to loose forward and allow James Graham to play as a more conventional prop? That would likely push Matty Lees back to the bench after a solid performance last week but if we are picking only on form then Kyle Amor gets the start after he led all Saints forwards in metres made in that win over the Giants. The only thing that everybody can definitely agree on is that Alex Walmsley should start. Beyond those mentioned Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Jack Ashworth, Joe Batchelor and Dominique Peyroux are also in the mix.
Rovers come in off the back of a stunning 34-18 win over Wigan a week ago. The Robins achieved it despite making several changes to the line-up which had pushed Saints close for large parts of their last meeting. Tony Smith has tinkered less this week, with the only change to his 21-man selection seeing Mitch Garbutt included at the expense of Jamie Ellis. The latter ran the show in the first half against Saints before fading as the champions took control. Yet he was replaced for the Wigan game by Jordan Abdull who turned in an even better performance.
Abdull really brought the best out of the previously unheralded Jez Litten, Elliot Minchella, hat-trick man Greg Minikin and the already excellent Kane Linnett. All have served notice that they present a major threat to Saints if they do not improve on the performance they offered two weeks ago. But the big question has to be where is Smith’s big scrum-half manufacturing factory and who will they throw in off the production line this week?
In the pack Rovers are somewhat more convincingly putmatched but Dean Hadley, Matt Parcell, Harvey Livett and George Lawler and Weller Hauraki offer a mix of youth and experience and will revel in Rovers’ newly cavalier style of play. All things being equal they should come up short against a Saints side that looks a class above the rest of Super League irrespective of contrived points systems.
Perhaps we have seen this week that things are not equal. Far from it. Rovers have a puncher’s chance in this one whereas before they last faced Saints you would have given them no chance. I still expect Saints to win but I am considerably more nervous than I can remember feeling ahead of a home game with Rovers in a long time.
Well, I would be if I didn’t care just that little bit less this week. Saints by 18.
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 23. Joe Batchelor 26. Josh Simm 32. James Graham.
Hull KR;
3. Shaun Kenny Dowall 4. Kane Linnett 5. Greg Minikin 7. Jordan Abdull 9. Matt Parcell 11. Weller Hauraki 12. Harvey Livett 13. Dean Hadley 14. Mitch Garbutt 15. George Lawler 16. Daniel Murray 18. Jez Litten 19. Will Dagger Lewis 20. Mikey Lewis 23. Ethan Ryan 24. Joe Keyes 25. Matty Gee 26. Will Maher 27. Elliot Minchella 28. Matty Storton 32. Nathaniel Peteru
Referee: Jack Smith
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