Saints v Wigan - Preview

If you thought the last derby was strange tomorrow night’s meeting between Saints and Wigan (October 30, kick-off 7.45pm) has the potential to be even stranger.

Saints 42-0 towelling of Wigan at Salford on September 29 was a non-event. Warriors coach Adrian Lam decided - understandably perhaps - to prioritise the Challenge Cup semi-final which had somehow been scheduled for just a few days later. Much good it did them. Corsets were required to stop sides splitting across the rugby league community as the nation’s least favourite club managed to lose to Leeds. Only Yorkshire-based journalists who took Leeds’ success as a sign that we were back in 2015 enjoyed it more than I did.

This time around it is not the strength of the Wigan side that is the issue but the dodgy dealing going on in the background as the playoffs approach. Predictably, teams with playoff-worthy win percentages have decided to stick rather than twist. Suddenly a heavy cold for the tea lady is reason enough for some clubs to call off games which would previously have gone ahead. Sometimes against the backdrop of seven or eight positive Covid tests and further contact tracing issues. 

Several clubs are now struggling to reach the 15-game minimum required to reach the playoffs, a rule which itself was made up on the spot at Super League’s last great meeting of minds. The worried response of fat-walleted chairmen is a genius ruse to expand the playoffs. There’s a famous line in The Simpsons in which the children at Springfield Elementary are asked what giving everyone an equal chance when they are clearly not equal is called. ‘ Communism’ they all reply in unison. It’s ironic that rich club owners with a financial position usually somewhere to the right of that held by Tim Martin have now resorted to evoking ‘the greater good’ to save their own skins.

The upshot of all this politicking is that this game - which could have been a genuine decider for the League Leaders Shield - is now severely diminished by the uncertainty surrounding the stakes. It may still decide the League Leaders Shield but if it does so it will be the most devalued honour since Jimmy Saville was knighted. To decide to make this week’s fixtures the final round of the season would be the kind of amateur shit show you get in pub sports. It’s the Dog & Bollock forfeiting their dominoes match against the The Three Bell Ends because Matt from Health couldn’t get out of his meeting in time to make the trip. Yet it is very likely to happen. Saints v Wigan for the League Leaders Shield in a straight shoot-out. Following that an expanded playoff series that is basically winner stays on.

You may remember that Saints boss Kristian Woolf gave most of his stars the night off on Monday as a youthful Saints side were edged 12-10 by Salford. No doubt he did so with this fixture in mind. All of Lachlan Coote, Regan Grace, Jonny Lomax, James Roby, Zeb Taia, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Matty Lees return to the squad. In addition you can expect Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Theo Fages, James Bentley and Morgan Knowles to return to the line-up having not been required in the 17 for Salford. 

Alex Walmsley will not feature as he is suspended. The two game ban he picked up for a dangerous tackle on Alex Sutcliffe has been reduced to one but that one just happens to be the derby. Maybe Lees will start alongside James Graham at prop with Knowles at 13. Alternatively Woolf could go with McCarthy-Scarsbrook or Kyle Amor.  The Cumbrian has just signed a one-year extension to his contract to keep him at Saints until the end of 2021. Assuming Lockdown Britain still counts days, months and years by then. 

One more interesting selection sees Josh Eaves included as the second hooker ahead of Aaron Smith. Eaves showed up well in the Salford loss scoring a great early try and is perhaps now emerging as a genuine alternative to Smith in relief of Roby. Peyroux did himself no harm with his performance and he will hope to push for a place in the 17 along with Jack Welsby, Joseph Paulo, Lewis Dodd and Jake Wingfield. Josh Simm joins Graham as the only starter against Salford likely to get the nod again from the beginning in this one.

With the whiff of undeserved silver in the air it is little surprise to see Wigan bring in the cavalry. Lam is without long term injury victims Jack Wells and Liam Marshall while Shaun O’Loughlin and Ethan Harvard are also out injured. Yet most of the rest of Lam’s star names are on deck. There are just two changes to the squad which trounced Salford 58-12 last time out as Liam Byrne and Chris Hankinson replace Joe Shorrocks and Dom Manfredi. 

The man to watch for the Warriors will be Bevan French. His combination of speed and elusiveness make him a force at fullback. Zak Hardaker and Oliver Gildart provide quality at centre with the wings likely to be occupied by Salford past and future in the shape of Jake Bibby and Joe Burgess. The latter has all the tactical acumen of Mike Bassett but if he gets a yard of space on that left edge even Makinson will struggle to get near him. 

In the halves Jackson Hastings will grin and bear playing for this awful club again alongside Thomas Leuluai. Sam Powell defines the term ‘grub’ at hooker while Lam’s middle options include the youthful psychosis of Oliver Partington, Morgan Smithies alongside the more experienced but rather fading trio of Brad Singleton, George Burgess and Cunty Blob Tony Clubb. Ben Flower continues to avoid capture for murdering Lance Hohaia in 2014 and could also feature. 

In the back row Liam Farrell is good enough to be above the barbs of this column such is the esteem in which he is is held. Alongside him is likely to be Willie Isa although former Saint Joe Greenwood may get some game time. Failing that he will at least get to ask Taia to autograph his Zeb Taia pyjamas.

Predictions scarcely matter if you’re changing the rules but my only doubt about a comfortable Saints win is the absence of Walmsley. The other Saints front rowers have a big job on to make up the go-forward that will be missing without the ex-Batley man. Nevertheless I’d still back Saints to put Wigan back in their box with a narrow 4-point win.

Squads:

St Helens:

1. Lachlan Coote 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 5. Regan Grace 6. Jonny Lomax 7. Theo Fages 9. James Roby 11. Zeb Taia 12 Dom Peyroux 13. LMS 14. Morgan Knowles 15. Matty Lees 16. Kyle Amor 18 Joseph Paulo 20. James Bentley 22. Jack Welsby 24 Josh Eaves 26 Josh Simm 27 Lewis Dodd 31 Jake Wingfield 32. James Graham.

Wigan Warriors:

1. Zak Hardaker 3. Chris Hankinson 4. Oliver Gildart  5. Joe Burgess 6. Bevan French 7. Tommy Leuluai 8. Tony Clubb 9. Sam Powell 10. George Burgess 11. Willie Isa 12. Liam Farrell 14. Ben Flower 15. Joe Greenwood 16. Morgan Smithies 17. Oliver Partington 19. Joe Bullock 20. Liam Byrne 23. Jake Bibby 28. Harry Smith 31. Jackson Hastings 38. Brad Singleton

Referee: Chris Kendall

Saints 10 Salford Red Devils 12 - Review

It ended in defeat, but Saints 12-10 reverse against Salford Red Devils on Monday (October 26) was not without its plus points.

Changes were expected for this one when we saw the squad that Kristian Woolf had named two days previously. Even so the scale of the reshuffle was a surprising, slightly jarring development. Not like finding out that Dido Harding is still in charge of test and trace, but you feared the worst in terms of the result. And so it proved. Yet we may one day look back on this game as a day when far more important gains were made. Five players made their first team debuts while there were further opportunities for Matty Costello, Josh Simm, Jack Welsby, Aaron Smith, Lewis Dodd, Jack Ashworth and Josh Eaves. In all 13 of the 17 on duty had come through the system at Saints, which would still have been true if Woolf had gone a little bit stronger and included any or all of Tommy Makinson, Regan Grace, Johnny Lomax, James Roby, Matty Lees and Morgan Knowles. There is nothing wrong with the production line.

None of Tom Nisbet, Ben Davies, Nico Rizelli, Matty Foster or Jake Wingfield let anybody down. My own feeling is just that youth benefits more from being introduced gradually rather than being thrown in together all at once to either sink or swim. With the exceptions of Alex Walmsley and James Graham the experienced players that were included were those on the fringes of the first team squad and not the regulars who have been playing every week. Men like Ashworth, Joseph Paulo and Joe Batchelor needed the minutes but none of them are currently part of what you would say is Saints strongest 17. Just one or two more of the established stars could have made the difference to the result and - crucially perhaps - to the confidence of the youngsters making their first appearance.

Not to say that there wasn’t justification for Woolf’s decision to give some players the night off. Saints had played Leeds only three days before this one and face Wigan on Friday (October 30) in a derby game that has the potential to decide the League Leaders Shield. Players have limits and three games in eight days is probably beyond what is good for them. Graham had missed the win over Leeds and Walmsley had learned earlier in the day that he will be suspended for the Wigan game, factors which gave Woolf a little bit more leeway with those two. Walmsley was hit with a two-game ban for an alleged crusher tackle on Alex Sutcliffe of the Rhinos. That has since been reduced to one but Walmsley will still sit the derby out.

Despite the changes the game started well enough for Saints. Inside three minutes Dominique Peyroux sliced through two or three defenders to put Eaves in for his first try for the club on just his third appearance. Peyroux was outstanding throughout. He did more than anyone to stake a claim for more minutes when the bigger games come along. 

He was a regular in Justin Holbrook’s outstanding 2019 side but has been edged out this year by James Bentley. On this evidence Peyroux is a more penetrative player than the combative Bentley and must at least be considered a useful option off the bench.  There will be those who will highlight his sloppy play-the-ball error which led to Pauli Pauli’s try just before half-time but that was a rare blemish. Peyroux carried the ball only 10 times but ran for 98 metres, contributing 41 tackles in defence. No Saints player managed more than that though it is some way short of the ludicrous 70 that Luke Yates managed. 

Eaves made his mark to the extent that he has been named ahead of Smith in the 21-man squad for the Wigan game. As well as scoring Saints only try of the night the young hooker made 26 tackles, 10 of which came from marker, while averaging nine metres per carry in attack. By comparison Smith made 15 metres per carry but from only three attempts and 24 tackles. Statistically then there isn’t much between them but there has just been a sense in recent weeks that Smith is falling out of favour with Woolf. Eaves may have emerged as a genuine contender to be Roby’s regular understudy. 

After scoring first through Eaves Saints had stretched out to a 10-0 lead before Pauli Pauli’s intervention. Yet they had done so courtesy of two penalty goals from the boot of Dodd. There is an argument that the decision to take the two on those occasions betrayed a lack of confidence in the young Saints ability to break the Salford line. With a stronger team on deck there would still be justification for taking the first one to push the six-point advantage out to eight and so force Salford into having to score twice. But the first XIII kicks the second one to the corner and goes for the try 100% of the time. Such is their attacking philosophy they would probably have ran both. Ideally, you’d like the philosophy to stay the same even when the personnel changes.

Maybe one reason why they did not feel confident in doing so was the absence of the three attacking pivots through which everything flows. With Lomax, Theo Fages and Lachlan Coote out of the side creativity was always going to be affected. In particular Coote’s role is crucial as a facilitator, almost like a third halfback. With Costello at fullback Saints just didn’t have that despite a solid showing from a man who has played most of his first team football at centre or on the wing. Costello did have 116 metres on 17 carries and led Saints alongside Paulo with three offloads but the assist column remained bare. That is not all down to him. Welsby and Dodd are not yet as practiced in the system as Lomax and Theo Fages and between them the trio just couldn’t get that link going.

Regrettably we have to address the one moment that could and probably should have won it for Saints. It was rare that the young Saints were able to strip the Red Devils for numbers out wide but they did so 15 minutes into the second half. Jack Welsby found space on the right edge and handed on to Nisbet for what looked like a simple walk-in. What transpired instead was horrific for the unfortunate 21 year-old, who dived for the line a fraction too early and lost the ball on impact with the ground. The ball had been grounded so there was hope before the video review that he might have got away with letting the ball squirm from his grasp. Yet the pictures told the sorry tale. The ball had been grounded short before coming loose.

Many were quick to point out that Nisbet would learn from the experience. And he will. Yet the lesson should be on how to put such a glaring error behind him and move on, and not about the execution. Nisbet did not reach the heights of Super League without knowing how to ground a ball from a technical point of view. He would not have got out of junior club rugby and into Saints famed youth system without knowing how to do that. He won’t need telling. He’ll just need the support firstly of all of us albeit socially distanced on social media, but also of the coaches and the senior players at the club.  The best thing that can happen for Nisbet is to get another first team opportunity as early as possible but with Makinson and Grace rather immovable objects on the wings it could be a while before he gets that chance. It should also be remembered in all of this that players like Nisbet - used to turning out for the reserves and under-19 side in previous seasons - have not had a game for some time thanks to Covid. 

Saints fledgling stars proved durable enough. Both Eaves and Wingfield withstood high shots from Lee Mossop. It’s a trait that the Salford man no doubt picked up from the Wigan School Of Grubbery but at least offered the pair a revealing insight into the physicality of the big league. In the end it was another error which led to Saints undoing. Rizelli had done extremely well to beat a couple of defenders in trying to clear his lines with Saints hanging on to a four-point advantage at 10-6. Rizelli arguably took on one too many as the ball came free to give Salford a late chance. They duly took it as the ball was moved to the other side of the field where Krisnan Inu got rid of Welsby like Ben Bradley swatting away a hungry child before cutting inside to score. For an encore Inu landed a superb conversion from near the touchline to deny Saints even the prospect of a shot at golden point extra time.

Even then there was one final chance for Saints. They worked the ball left as the clock ticked down but just as it looked like a gap had opened up Simm just couldn’t find the offload that might have earned Saints a reprieve. It means that a loss against Wigan this week will leave the two old foes on the same win percentage ahead of whatever manic, late season goalpost-moving is being cooked up by Robert Elstone and his trusty advisors otherwise known as club chairmen.

It’s a stretch to say the derby might not matter. The derby always matters even if Wigan tried to pretend otherwise in September’s meeting.  But whether it decides the destiny of the League Leaders Shield or not Saints look in good shape not only to defend their title - whatever that will mean in the madness of 2020 - but also for many years to come. 

The kids are alright, even if they didn’t quite do enough to win this time.

 

Saints v Salford Red Devils - Preview

It could be a more youthful, experimental Saints side which takes on Salford Red Devils at Headingley on Monday (October 26, kick-off 5.30pm).

Head Coach Kristian Woolf has made seven changes to his 21-man squad from the one which was on duty for Friday’s 40-8 home victory over Leeds Rhinos (October 23). Lachlan Coote, Regan Grace, Jonny Lomax, James Roby, Zeb Taia, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Matty Lees all drop out with a mix of youngsters and forgotten men drafted in to take their place. 

Back rowers Matthew Foster and Jake Wingfield, hooker Josh Eaves and fullback or winger Tom Nisbett are all included while there are recalls for Jack Ashworth, Joseph Paulo and Matty Costello. Paulo has not featured since the pre-lockdown 12-10 home defeat to Huddersfield Giants back in March. The word around the campfire is that he has given up on convincing Woolf that he can contribute in the final year of his Saints contract and instead negotiated a release to enable him to join Toulouse for 2021.

Ashworth has had some off field issues which have been a major reason why he has not seen first team action since a 54-6 win over the Giants at Headingley in early September. For Costello’s part he might have thought the injury to Mark Percival would give him an opportunity for a run in the first team. However he has been overtaken in the pecking order by both Jack Welsby and last week’s hat-trick hero Josh Simm. Costello will hope to make his first appearance since starting that big win over the Giants on the wing but long term his Saints future looks bleak.

Trying to predict what the final Saints line-up might look like is tricky. For all the new blood, Woolf has included 10 of the 17 who strolled past Leeds last time out who could still feature. Add to that the fact that James Graham and Lewis Dodd did not play any part against the Challenge Cup winners and we could still see a relatively strong side. Alex Walmsley’s inclusion is perhaps a surprise given that he has had a heavy workload of late and is one of Saints most important players in the pack. Maybe the prospect of Walmsley picking up a ban after being sin-binned for placing Leeds’ Alex Sutcliffe in a dangerous position is in Woolf’s thinking. If a ban is imminent the England prop might be involved on the basis that he’ll get his rest when that ban comes. If not then maybe he could sit this one out to stay fresh for Wigan on Friday (October 30).

Aside from Walmsley Saints have all of Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Theo Fages, Joe Batchelor, Morgan Knowles, Kyle Amor, Aaron Smith, James Bentley and Simm on duty. How many of them we will see is likely to depend on how healthy they are following Friday’s run out. Woolf has said publicly that Dodd will get a start in the halves soon and this looks like being the time. For his sake I hope he is able to do so within a relatively strong line-up. I’m not sure we will learn too much about how he fits in to the shape of the team if he is having to steer a ship that is too reliant on youth. Along with some of the 10 who played on Friday perhaps Dominique Peyroux would be a useful inclusion. He needs the game time and has the experience which could prove vital.  

Turning our attentions to Salford their coach Ian Watson has been linked with a move to Hull FC on social media this weekend. He has worked relative miracles in getting the Red Devils to last year’s Grand Final and to Wembley earlier this month. It is easy to see why Hull chief Adam Pearson might consider Watson the ideal candidate to get the best out of a talented but continually underachieving squad. 

No deal has yet been done at the time of writing so for now Watson remains focused on Salford. He has made three changes to his 21-man party after they were blown away 58-12 by Wigan on Friday. Dan Sarginson returns from the Covid issues that ruled him out of an appearance at Wembley and he is joined by Connor Jones and Tom Gilmore. Mark Flanagan misses out after being knocked out in that Wigan loss while Niall Evalds withdrew from that one late and does not make it here either. James Greenwood is the other man to miss out.

Watson will hope for a much better performance than the one served up by his players against Wigan. Clearly Wembley took a toll physically and emotionally but there is plenty of quality in the Red Devils line up. Krisnan Inu has been superb this year while Kallum Watkins has also made an impact after joining from Toronto Wolfpack without making an appearance for the Canadian side. Kevin Brown looks gone for the year so the creative onus is on Tui Lolohea and Chris Atkin or Gilmore if he gets the nod. 

The forward pack is led by former Wigan man Lee Mossop and there is further experience in the shape of Tyrone McCarthy, Gil Dudson and Parramatta Eels-bound hooker Joey Lussick. Sebastine Ikahihifo and Pauli Pauli bring the power and the unpredictability. 

Saints only previous clash with Salford in 2020 was way back on opening night A time before the new normal led us to the point where failing clubs are as I write apparently colluding to end the regular season early and expand the playoff series. That 48-8 home win was arguably Saints best performance of a shaky start to the season before Covid came along and changed everything. Whether they can repeat that depends to some degree on Woolf’s selection decisions but you get the sense that there is enough in the Saints squad to get home. Saints by 18.

Squads;

St Helens;

2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 7. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 12, Dom Peyroux, 14. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17, Jack Ashworth, 18, Joseph Paulo, 19. Aaron Smith, 20. James Bentley, 21, Matty Costello, 22. Jack Welsby, 23, Joe Batchelor, 24, Josh Eaves, 26, Josh Simm, 27, Lewis Dodd, 29, Matty Foster, 30, Tom Nisbet, 31, Jake Wingfield, 32. James Graham.

Salford Red Devils;

2 Ed Chamberlain, 4 Dan Sarginson, 5 Krisnan Inu, 6 Tui Lolohea, 8 Lee Mossop, 9 Joey Lussick, 10 Gil Dudson, 12 Pauli Pauli, 13 Tyrone McCarthy, 14 Sebastine Ikahihifo, 16 Greg Burke, 17 Luke Yates, 18 Chris Atkin, 22 Rhys Williams, 24 Elliot Kear, 25 Connor Jones, 29 Oliver Roberts, 30 Andy Ackers, 32 Kallum Watkins, 33 Tom Gilmore, 34 Oliver Ashall-Bott.

Referee: Ben Thaler

Saints 40 Leeds Rhinos 8 - Review

Saints position at the top of the BetFred Super League table was never really under serious threat during this fairly routine 40-8 win over an under-strength Leeds Rhinos side.

Although there has been a lot of it about during this strange, Covid-compromised campaign, Richard Agar’s decision to rest many of his senior players was nothing new in the aftermath of a cup final. Even in more normal times we have all attended games a week either side of a trip to Wembley in which a weakened team turned in a less than competitive performance. The scope for coaches to take the opportunity to rest their stars at such times has only increased with the introduction of playoffs and the Grand Final in 1998. Why risk injuries and burnout when there is no requirement to finish top of the league in order to be crowned champions? Leeds have played this system better than anyone down the years, twice winning the title despite finishing a modest fifth in the regular season standings.  

If weakened teams feels like a new phenomenon it is because those sorts of selection decisions have been made even more likely in the year of Covid.  A combination of a packed schedule featuring midweek fixtures and the frequent absence of those either infected or sidelined by contact tracing protocols have played their part. We will no doubt see a much changed Leeds side take on Castleford on Monday (October 26) just as we will see Kristian Woolf ring the changes for Saints against Salford that same day. More on which later.

First let’s focus on this one. At times it felt a little bit too much like a training run for Saints. Their line was rarely threatened in the first half. Saints gave the kids nothing. A bit like this callous Tory government. The baby Rhinos went without, but mercifully it was just possession and territory that they lacked for the most part in the opening half. For a while it looked as if Saints might shut out the Rhinos in both league fixtures for the first time following that memorable 48-0 win back in August. 

That they did not was due as much to lack of concentration as anything else. If we are picking holes in this Saints display the left hand edge defence still looks unconvincing and there were some sloppy errors in attack that allowed Leeds to build their way into the game. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Kyle Amor and Alex Walmsley all dropped passes you would not expect to see shelled at junior level. You couldn’t shake the feeling that a little bit of intensity was lacking from Saints at times. That is perhaps understandable given that the result was never in doubt and with that Salford fixture looming less than 72 hours from the final whistle.

One man who did enhance his reputation was Josh Simm. The young centre was left out of the last match against Wakefield Trinity and must have feared that Jack Welsby’s performance in that game would make it difficult to get back in. Yet he justified his recall in the grand fashion, scoring a superb first half hat-trick. These were the first tries of Simm’s Super League career and on this evidence there will be many more. He put on a clinic in how to finish, swerving inside and rounding Jack Walker for his first before crashing through two defenders for his second. His third was more straightforward, strolling in after a sublime looping pass from Jonny Lomax. Simm had a quieter second half and is one of those who needs to work to tighten that left edge defence. Yet we may one day look back on this game as the one in which he arrived as a Super League force.

Simm’s second try was also the second of two that Saints scored while playing with 12 men after the early sin-binning of Alex Walmsley. The England forward was invited to take a 10-minute rest by referee Liam Moore after an incident involving Alex Sutcliffe. As Walmsley wrestled the Leeds man to the ground he seemed to drop his weight on to Sutcliffe’s neck and shoulders. The level of intent was unclear and is something only Walmsley can really know. Yet irrespective of intent tacklers have a duty of care not to place ball carriers in dangerous positions. It is something that has crept into the wider game since the defensive emphasis has shifted towards wrestling techniques. For Walmsley it is an incident which comes quickly off the back of the controversial tackle in which Wigan’s Jack Wells was seriously injured. Walmsley was never ‘that sort of player’ before. The nagging feeling persists that there is something in Woolf’s philosophy, and in particular his approach to defending and slowing the play-the-ball, that has made incidents like this a more prominent part of Walmsley’s make-up.

Back to more positive thoughts, and the performance of the ageless James Roby. The skipper took us straight back to his Man Of Steel winning year of 2007 in creating a first half try for Zeb Taia. Roby dummied to Theo Fages before shooting out from dummy half and finding Taia with an offload for an easy walk-in. It was a vintage moment from Roby in an overall performance which saw him chew up 153 metres on 10 carries and make 44 tackles. Only tackle machines Morgan Knowles and James Bentley bettered that defensive tally for Saints. That Roby is a decade older than those two illustrates how remarkable his efforts are at this stage of his career. 

Roby has been so good recently that Woolf has felt able to do without the services of Aaron Smith. The understudy was recalled to the bench here for his first action since the golden point win over Hull KR on September 11. This was good news for those of us starting to worry that he was falling further and further from the coach’s thoughts. He repaid the faith with a try following a glorious break and exchange of passes with Fages. It was one of the highlights of the match along with Kevin Naiqama’s try in which the Fijian tipped the ball on to Tommy Makinson and supported the winger on the inside to touch down. Yet overall Smith was limited to only a 15-minute cameo and will hope to feature more against Salford. That seems more likely with the announcement of the 21-man squad which includes Smith but not Roby.

On which subject we now know following that squad announcement that the team will look significantly different on Monday. Lachlan Coote, Lomax and Regan Grace are all rested along with Roby, Taia, McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Matty Lees. Lewis Dodd was not in the 17 for this win over the Rhinos which hopefully points towards a first start in one of the halfback positions against Ian Watson’s men. Smith should get a decent run while the experience of Walmsley, Amor, Dom Peyroux and Joseph Paulo could prove useful if there are some unfamiliar names given an opportunity.  Along with Dodd and Simm and Joe Batchelor, Welsby is included as is Matty Costello but there still may be room for some new boys with Josh Eaves, Tom Nisbet, Matthew Foster and Jake Wingfield all included.

Saints form so far has afforded them the luxury of resting their stars just as it did at various times during both the 2018 and 2019 campaigns. Only the prospect of winning a third straight League Leaders Shield acts as a reasonable incentive now for Saints. They have reached the 15-game mark required as a minimum to qualify for the playoffs and don’t seem in any real danger of slipping out of the top four even should they suffer one or two defeats. With home advantage not really relevant there is a compelling argument that the bigger picture for Woolf is to keep everyone as fit and sharp as possible for the knockout games.

The League Leaders Shield would be most welcome but Woolf knows that he will be judged largely on events on a Friday night in Hull in November.

Saints v Leeds Rhinos - Preview

The first of two games in the space of three days awaits Saints as they host Leeds Rhinos at on Friday night (October 23, kick-off 7.45pm).

This will be the 15th league game for Kristian Woolf’s side, a significant figure in 2020’s Covid-ravaged programme. Fifteen is the minimum number of games that a club needs to complete in order to be eligible for the playoffs. A win in this one would be Saints’ 12th, giving them a win percentage of 80%. At that point they could theoretically put the cue on the rack. There aren’t four sides capable of bettering that win percentage particularly now that we have reached the at which clubs are opting not only to swerve playing their fixtures but also to dodge going to the trouble of rearranging them. So like a spoiled diva who has just discovered that her dressing room window is 10cm too narrow we might ask....what’s our motivation?

Well, it’s Leeds. And not just Leeds, but a Leeds side that has just come off the back of winning a 14th Challenge Cup. Their dramatic 17-16 victory over Salford Red Devils had the rugby league journalists salivating. They claimed that previously unpopular coach Richard Agar had now proved himself and that a return to the heights reached by the Rhinos 2015 vintage was inevitable. Which is an interesting point of view given that Leeds still sit outside Super League’s top four with a real fear of missing out on the semi-finals.

Woolf has made just the one change to his 21-man squad. James Graham is now free from his Covid quarantine and replaces youngster Jake Wingfield. That could see Woolf name a similar side to the one that brushed aside Wakefield Trinity last time out, with Graham coming in at either  loose forward or prop. Depending on which way Woolf goes on that the starting spots held by Matty Lees and Zeb Taia look most vulnerable. James Bentley should nail down one second row place while Alex Walmsley and James Roby will complete the front row. Morgan Knowles should start also, either at second row or loose forward.

It is in the backs where Woolf has been discussing his selection dilemmas this week. He has spoken about how well both Jack Welsby and Josh Simm have done in relief of the injured Mark Percival at left centre. With Percival still out Woolf must choose between the youngsters again. Neither will let him down, though Woolf did also suggest that Welsby will be more likely to move around over the coming weeks due to his versatility. 

The rest of the three-quarter line looks set with Tommy Makinson outside Kevin Naiqama on the right and Regan Grace in the left wing. Naiqama is free to play having escaped any punishment for his ill-advised decision to run over Wakefield’s Alex Walker last week. That group will operate in front of the incomparable Lachlan Coote at fullback.

That victory over Chris Chester’s side did give us a glimpse of Lewis Dodd in one of the halfback role. After originally coming on at hooker Dodd moved to stand-off when Jonny Lomax took a knock late on. Dodd grabbed his first Super League try with a little help from referee Robert Hicks, and it was encouraging to see Woolf this week suggesting that Dodd will get a start in the halves this year if all goes to plan. Whether it will be this one or not I’m not sure. Perhaps Woolf may prefer to ease Dodd in against Salford on Monday (October 26) after they have been softened up by their clash with Wigan on Friday. If Lomax has no ill-effects from last week expect him to start alongside the seemingly immovable Theo Fages.

Outside of that little lot the usual suspects vie for bench spots. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Kyle Amor must be favourites to make the bench although Dom Peyroux, Joe Batchelor and Aaron Smith will hope to feature. Jack Ashworth will not following the news that he has pleaded guilty to criminal damage and not guilty to theft ahead of a February trial for the latter.

There are some regulars missing from Agar’s 21 following his side’s Wembley exertions. Tom Briscoe, Konrad Hurrell and Ash Handley are rested and with Harry Newman out with a long term injury it will be a patched-up back division. Seven members of the cup final 17 do survive including Lance Todd Trophy winner Richie Myler. Ava Seumanafagai, Brad Dwyer, Robert Lui, Mikalolaj Oledzki, James Donaldson and Alex Sutcliffe are the others who will be asked to shake off the hangover. That means no Luke Gale, Kruise Leeming, Adam Cuthbertson, Alex Mellor, Rhys Martin or Matt Prior but another possible opportunity for the likes of Sam Walters, Jarrod O’Connor, Tom Holroyd and Liam Tindall among others.

Saints, who finally announced the signing of Luke Thompson from Manly Sea Eagles this week, look an overwhelming favourite to carry on a winning run that now stretches to nine Super League matches. The absence of key Leeds players will be a convenient get out for the RL press who have declared Leeds back to their Grand Final-winning best. Even they might accept though that the revival might have to go on hold for a week. Saints by 24.

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, 11. Zeb Taia, 12, Dom Peyroux, 13. LMS, 14. Morgan Knowles, 15. Matty Lees, 16. Kyle Amor, 19. Aaron Smith, 20. James Bentley, 22. Jack Welsby, 23, Joe Batchelor, 26, Josh Simm, 27, Lewis Dodd, 32. James Graham

Leeds Rhinos;

1. Jack Walker 8. Ava Seumanafagai 14. Brad Dwyer 16. Richie Myler 19. Mikolaj Oledzki 20. Bodene Thompson 21 Rhys Evans 22. Cameron Smith 23. Callum McLelland 24. Luke Briscoe 25. James Donaldson 26. Alex Sutcliffe 27. Sam Walters 28. Tom Holroyd 33. Jarrod O’Connor 34. Jack Broadbent 36. Corey Hall 38. Liam Tindall 39. James Harrison 42. Levi Edwards

Referee: Liam Moore

Saints 48 Wakefield Trinity 6 - Review

Who said sequels are never as good? Actually it was me on these very pages while previewing the second meeting between Saints and Wakefield Trinity in the space of six days. If you are a neutral and were hoping for a repeat of the first instalment you might think I was right. This was not the competitive contest we saw last week. But if you are a Saints fan you might reflect that you enjoyed this second episode rather more.

In my review of the 20-16 win over Trinity at Headingley I pondered some of Kristian Woolf’s selection decisions. In that context it was instructive to see him speak publicly ahead of the second game about his thought process. He felt that it would be good for Morgan Knowles to play in a wider role in the second row for a while. This gives him a slightly reduced workload and also an appreciation of a different role. It also affords the ageing Zeb Taia - in his final season - to reduce his minutes for a spell. The thinking is that both players will benefit physically and mentally ahead of the season’s denouement. 

Woolf didn’t wait very long to move those players back into more familiar territory. Knowles started at loose forward and Taia was restored to the starting line-up. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook had started at 13 last time out but reverted to his more familiar bench spot. The other change was slightly surprising as Jack Welsby was preferred at left centre to Josh Simm. Welsby was certainly unfortunate to miss out last week as Tommy Makinson returned to the side but it was nevertheless harsh on Simm who has done well in relief of the injured Mark Percival in recent weeks. Simm’s opportunity will come again no doubt, as hopefully will that of Aaron Smith who has seemingly fallen out of favour with Woolf recently.

To the match then, which was largely a stroll for a Saints side hitting something like its highest gear. They scored nine tries to one in a dominant display. Saints were 30-0 up by half-time and could afford to relax slightly in the second half. Yet it could all have been so different. We need to talk about Kevin. Having gone 4-0 up through the first of James Roby’s double Saints could have found themselves short handed when Naiqama clumsily landed knees-first into the rib cage of Wakefield fullback Alex Walker. Intent is always hard to prove but if duty of care to an opponent is absolute then referee Robert Hicks should have at least shown Naiqama a yellow card. There are many Saints fans who would not have complained at a red.

Naiqama survived the experience and later scored just his fourth try of the Super League season when he took Makinson’s superb inside ball to round off the scoring late on. It was a rare moment of attacking involvement for Naiqama who has looked out of sorts for most of 2020, and not just in the way that most of us have in this bizarre year of tortuous daily briefings led by Lord Wibble and his band of bewildered, besuited incompetents. Perhaps Naiqama reasoned that sticking the knees in was as good a way to get noticed as any. He hasn’t been getting the ball very often. It could have proved costly.

As it was the first half belonged to Makinson, who upstaged even his skipper by helping himself to three tries in the space of 24 minutes. They all looked pretty similar, all displaying his deadly finishing skills on the right hand touch line after good link up play between Theo Fages, Jonny Lomax and Lachlan Coote. Makinson’s treble takes him to six tries for the 2020 season. The five match ban he picked up for his infamous squirrelling of Liam Watts is perhaps the reason why he is still some way behind Saints leading try-scorer Regan Grace and the suddenly prolific powerhouse prop Alex Walmsley. Both of those added to their season’s tallies as the Trinity defence that had dug in so well a week ago rather wilted against a Saints side that had clearly gone up several gears since then.

After the break the main fascination was in witnessing how Lewis Dodd would take another first team opportunity. Having featured in the win over Wigan on September 29 Dodd was left out when Saints faced Wakefield at Headingley. He was introduced here with around 25 minutes remaining. Initially there was more disappointment as he slotted into the hooking role rather than his preferred halfback position. 

It took a worrying knock for Lomax to allow Dodd a short spell in the halves alongside Fages, albeit at stand-off rather than what used to be known as scrum-half. He handled things perfectly well again and even opened his try scoring account for the club. In truth he was rather fortunate that Hicks sent his effort upstairs for review as a try, leaving the video referee needing conclusive evidence to the contrary to chalk it off. There probably was not conclusive evidence that he had not scored but it looked highly dubious. One of those that was never going to be overturned by the TV evidence and so all depended on Hicks’ original decision. Those who still haven’t got over last year’s events at Wembley might consider that Hicks owed us one. It wasn’t quite as significant as the one Knowles was denied beneath the arch but try telling that to Dodd. He’ll remember it for some considerable time.

The second half did feature one rude interruption when Innes Senior intercepted a Lomax pass and took it 90 metres to score Wakefield’s only try. There was a moment when it looked like Grace might run him down but Senior found another gear which the Welshman didn’t have. He’d had to perform a swift 180, always difficult when you are in attack mode and anticipating a chance to run to the line and then find yourself having to chase down a winger who is already 30 metres down the field. 

But it was a minor blemish for Saints on a night when they recorded their 11th win from 14 outings in Super League in 2020. That’s a win percentage of 78.57%, over seven percentage points better off than nearest challengers Wigan. The pies have spent this week successfully swerving a tough-looking fixture with Catalans Dragons, the tea lady having been forced to isolate in line with Covid protocols. That and the team they fielded in the derby recently suggests Wigan have little appetite for challenging Saints at the top. Yet a testing period awaits Woolf’s men, with next Friday’s meeting with Leeds the first of three games in eight days. Saints also face Leeds’ Challenge Cup final opponents Salford on October 26 before running into Wigan again on October 30. Three wins there is a big ask but would stretch the unbeaten run to 12 and surely see Saints enter the playoffs as league leaders.

Talking of sequels and repeat performances, another Grand Final experience like the one we had last year would be nice.

Saints v Wakefield Trinity - Preview (Game 2)

If the old maxim about sequels rings true we shouldn’t expect too much when Saints cross paths again this Thursday night (October 15, kick-off 7.45pm).

Sequels are never as good. Think Dumb And Dumber To, The Fly II and this winter’s much anticipated Lockdown II in which the UK’s varied array of Eton-educated, ghoulish half-wits take the nation hostage but with a promise not to ruin Christmas too much. If it sounds naff it’s because it’s probably more of a remake than a sequel. It is inconceivable that the ending will be any different.

Let’s be honest the first one - played out just six days ago - wasn’t a classic. Saints edged home 20-16 having gone 12-0 behind during a truly woeful first act. Kristian Woolf’s side got it together just in time to take the win that keeps them at the top of the Super League’s new win percentage table. With others faltering amid the Covid chaos and the short turnaround in fixtures that it demands another win here would go a long way to sealing a third straight League Leaders Shield.

Woolf has added a new name to the cast for this one. In the only change to the 21-man squad on duty last week 19 year-old loose forward Jake Wingfield is included in the first team squad for the first time. He replaces James Graham who was ruled out of action late last week when a positive Covid test within the family left him having to isolate. This game comes too quickly for him but presents Wingfield with a valuable opportunity to be around the first team in the run up to a game whether he makes his debut or not.

With Graham out it was Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook who started at loose forward in the first encounter with Chris Chester’s side. Morgan Knowles moved to the second row while Zeb Taia had to settle for a place on bench. It didn’t go terribly well for half an hour so Woolf needs to decide whether to repeat that or else restore Knowles to the 13 role in which he has seen great success over the last two seasons. That would likely mean a start for Taia alongside James Bentley in the second row behind a front row of Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Matty Lees. Kyle Amor will be in that front row rotation too, as will McCarthy-Scarsbrook if he does not start. After Roby went 80 minutes last week and Jack Welsby was an unused sub Woolf might also want to think about bringing Aaron Smith back into the match day 17. 

Welsby’s inability to get into the side is down largely to the return of Tommy Makinson. The 29 year-old played his first game after a five-match suspension last time out and is a certain starter when available. The rest of the back line is also pretty settled with Josh Simm covering for the injured Mark Percival, Kevin Naiqama and Regan Grace completing the three-quarter line and Lachlan Coote at fullback.

The halves is an area where many including this observer see scope for change but it remains unlikely that Woolf will break up the partnership of Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages with the still untried Lewis Dodd. Others hoping to get the call into the 17 are Dom Peyroux and Joe Batchelor.

Wakefield are still without the influential halfback pair of Jacob Miller and Tony Gigot as well as longer term injury victim Danny Brough. Also missing is powerful centre Bill Tupou while up front Tinirau Arona misses out too. 

Still,Trinity showed last week that they have the quality and the spirit to test Saints despite those key absences. Ryan Hampshire was outstanding in the halves last week and there is pace in the back line with Tom Johnstone and Reece Lyne. 

Kelepi Tanginoa has really impressed in the pack which also features the excellent, GPS vest-fearing colossus that is David Fifita. Joe Westerman showed several classy touches in the first encounter while Matty Ashurst will again be keen to prove his worth to the club which allowed him to leave in 2011. Josh Wood managed 55 tackles last time, only bettered by Roby’s tally of 60. Expect Wood to be busy again as Wakefield look for a third win of the campaign. That would bring them level with fellow strugglers Hull KR in the fight to avoid wooden spoon ignomy.

It would be surprising if this one wins any awards but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will lack drama. The first instalment had its share of plot twists and almost had a shock ending. Yet having had a scare in the original I expect things to be a little more straightforward for Saints in this not so long awaited second episode. Saints by 24.

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, 11. Zeb Taia, 12, Dom Peyroux, 13. LMS, 14. Morgan Knowles, 15. Matty Lees, 16. Kyle Amor, 19. Aaron Smith, 20. James Bentley, 22. Jack Welsby, 23, Joe Batchelor, 26, Josh Simm, 27, Lewis Dodd, 31. Jake Wingfield

Wakefield Trinity

1. Alex Walker 2. Tom Johnstone 4. Reece Lyne  5. Ben Jones-Bishop 8. David Fifita 11. Matty Ashurst 13. Joe Westerman 15. Craig Kopczak 16. James Batchelor 17. Chris Green 18. Adam Tangata 21. Max Jowitt 22. Josh Wood 24. Jack Croft 29. Ryan Hampshire 31. Connor Bailey 36. Kelepi Tanginoa 37. Romain Navarrete 40. Innes Senior 41. Eddie Battye.

Referee: Robert Hicks

Saints 20 Wakefield Trinity 16 - Review

 There hasn’t been a lot of positivity around Saints 20-16 win over Wakefield Trinity last Friday night (October 9). If the reactions I have seen could be merged into one average reaction to suit the majority of us it would be something like a disappointed shrug and some cliched mumblings about how a win is indeed a win. Even if it no longer equates to two league points. It wasn’t pretty but it worked, as Alice Cooper once said about Barbara Streisand. Pots and kettles.

The problems were numerous so let’s start at the beginning. Saints lost James Graham in the run up to the game. He has been forced to isolate due to a Covid-19 issue within the family. No problem. We didn’t have James Graham at the start of the season. Let’s just bring in another prop...say....Matty Lees and the rest of the side can be left virtually undisturbed from the pristine state that Justin Holbrook left it in. 

Clearly Kristian Woolf’s mother never taught him to put things back where he found them. Lees did start at prop but the new coach has gone away from the concept of Morgan Knowles as the starting 13. When he is available the spot goes to Graham, and now we find that when the former NRL star is not available the spot does not go back to Knowles. It goes instead to veteran penalty dispenser Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Knowles is shoe-horned into the second row where he looks about as comfortable as Matt Hancock doing Queen on karaoke, and Zeb Taia is relegated to the bench. 

It took half an hour of horror and slapstick to convince Woolf to introduce Taia. Saints were dreadful in that opening spell. About as bad as I’ve seen them since the departure of Keiron Cunningham and the arrival of Holbrook in 2017. These are first world problems to fans of clubs who don’t make the playoffs every year but for us the tedium of that time was real. If Woolf wants to take us towards a more simplified, mistake-free philosophy then he hasn’t got much of a margin of error before we natives get restless. Lose playing this way and you’re out. Without seeming to move the ball outside the middle third of the width of the field Saints nevertheless managed to fail to complete any of their first five sets. I can live with mistakes if we are missing flick-passes out wide but when it is happening despite a strategy of one pass off the ruck alarm bells ring. 

Those alarm bells were blaring in this one after 20 minutes. By that time Chris Chester’s side had gone in for two tries and taken a 12-0 lead. First Reece Lyne found space down the right and kicked inside for Alex Walker to score, and then Craig Kopczak burst over from Ryan Hampshire’s pass from dummy half after Jonny Lomax had somehow hauled him down earlier in the set. Misfiring, malfunctioning Saints were in a hole.

They survived two more scares before things got better. First Jonny Lomax’s attempt to give the attack a little width was picked off by Lyne who headed off quickly in the direction of Saints line. Only the pace of Regan Grace prevented more points, the Welshman reeling Lyne in and then hauling him down with a crucial tackle. Later, youngster Jack Croft tore a hole through Saints right edge defence. Understandable that they should be a bit sleepy. Kevin Naiqama gets so little ball that I have just had to check that he is not furloughed. Yet as Croft found himself in open space he rather lost his nerve and let Saints off the hook with an ill-advised, over-hit kick ahead which was scooped up easily by Lachlan Coote. Had either of those chances been taken the mountain may have been too high to climb. As it was it set up a flicker of a revival in the last 10 minutes of the first half.

The two tries that Saints scored in that period were absolutely crucial. Going in just two points down at 12-10 having played so far beneath themselves had to have been strangely heartening for Saints. McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s crash through two flailing defenders showed that Saints had the physical power to take over the contest just as soon as they could get their shit together. Coote then profited from Josh Simm’s miracle ball as he was bundled into touch, which showed also that Saints had the class and the skill to see off the league’s bottom club, even though they had effectively been given a 12-point start.

Saints control of the second half was not absolute but it was just about enough. Wakefield’s attacking opportunities dried up but perhaps more importantly Saints began to keep hold of the ball a lot better. Their 55% completion rate from the first half was improved to 66% by the end of proceedings. After making a ridiculous nine handling errors in that first 40 minutes Saints were guilty of only four more after the break. Slowly but surely they began to overhaul Trinity. First with Grace going over from a sublime long ball from Lomax and then Coote grabbing his second try of the night when James Roby created space for Lomax to find his fullback in support. Coote would have felt more than a little relief as he converted the second of those two scores to give his side a 20-12 lead. He had wasted an opportunity moments earlier when having broken the Wakefield line he failed to find Theo Fages supporting on his inside. 

It was not at all surprising that Roby should find a moment of class to help decide the outcome. He was superb on the day, with 60 tackles in defence and 131 metres with ball in hand. Of the Saints forwards only Alex Walmsley made more ground while no player on either side matched Roby’s defensive effort. Many felt the decision by the broadcasters to award the man of the match gong to Josh Wood was indicative of their bias towards Trinity on the night. I must admit there was a surreal moment late in the game when I’m certain I heard Phil Clarke cheer when a short Wakefield restart cannoned off Simm into touch to give the Yorkshire side possession and with it one more chance to get back into the game. Then when Matty Ashurst did score a late try Clarke began bizarrely shrieking for an 8-point try. The replay was shown several times but in the end Blackrod’s finest couldn’t find a better reason than the fact that it was against Saints. Fans of his persuasion would introduce 20-point tries against Saints if they could count that high. 

Overall though, as comically bad as Barrie and Terry are much of the TV bias comes from the fact that this was the league’s bottom side putting the frighteners up the league’s best side. When you are at the top you are there to be shot at. Pretty much every rugby league fan who is not a Saints fan would have wanted Wakefield to win this game. It will be the same when the sides meet again next week. Best buckle up for the ride. It is a compliment in a roundabout sort of way.

That Wakefield did not win it was thanks partly to Fages’ late try-saver on Ashurst. The Frenchman showed astonishing strength to haul the ex-Saint back from virtually across the try-line before he could plant the ball down. For all that, I am still not convinced Fages offers enough as a creative half and in particular as a foil for Lomax. Fages may well be playing to Woolf’s instructions but you can’t help but wonder about Lewis Dodd and the impact he could have. Amid all the other selection questions is another concerning the whereabouts of Dodd for this one. Having made his debut in the win over Wigan last time out it was disappointing not to see him given the chance to build on that start. And disappointment for Jack Welsby too, named as one of the four interchanges as Tommy Makinson returned from suspension but not called upon to take the field. In the age of Covid is it wise to be trying to play with a 16-man rotation? Might it not have been better to call up Aaron Smith who can at least spell Roby? The skipper was outstanding but playing the full 80 minutes isn’t a recipe for extending his longevity.

And yet for all the moaning, including my own in this piece, we should not forget where we are. Saints are now clear at the top of the Super League table with a win percentage that is now five points better than that of nearest challengers Wigan. Yet another year in the playoffs beckons and who knows, with a fair wind and a bit more respect for possession at times we could yet find ourselves topping the league for a third straight year and winning a second consecutive Grand Final.

It’s really not all that bad...

Saints v Wakefield Trinity - Preview

 Saints will look to consolidate Super League’s top spot when they travel to Headingley to take on Wakefield Trinity on Friday (October 9, kick-off 5.30pm).

It’s over a week since Kristian Woolf’s side brushed aside an experimental Wigan team 42-0 at Salford’s AJ Bell Stadium. Covid era rugby league often means fixtures come in quick succession so a rare chance to rest up should see a refreshed Saints ready to take on the league’s bottom club. By contrast Wakefield were in action as recently as Sunday (October 4) as they went down 40-8 to an improving Catalans Dragons outfit. 

It was Trinity’s eighth defeat in a row, a run which has seen Chris Chester’s side fail to win since beating Salford Red Devils 22-12 all the way back in March. Winless since the restart, Wakefield’s last success came at a time when crowds could gather in rugby league grounds, scrums existed and Toronto Wolfpack’s players all had valid visas. A lot has happened since then but the general trend of Saints winning and Wakefield losing remains very much the same.

Woolf has made only one change to his 21-man squad ahead of this one. Tommy Makinson returns from the five-match suspension he was handed for grabbing Liam Watts in a part of the anatomy that does not represent the most obvious way of effecting a tackle. Though it may very well have affected Watts’ tackle. 

Matty Costello makes way for Makinson and the England man should slot straight back into his favoured right wing berth. Jack Welsby has been deputising for Makinson so it will be interesting to see if Woolf can still find a place in the side for one of the club’s most talented youngsters. Another, Josh Simm, will hope to continue his run in the side in the continued absence of Mark Percival. The rest of the back five picks itself with Lachlan Coote at fullback, Kevin Naiqama at right centre and Regan Grace on the left wing. Grace scored two more outstanding tries against Wigan to take his Super League 2020 tally to eight and his overall record to 60 tries in 104 appearances for Saints since 2017. He is still two months shy of his 24th birthday and could set all kinds of records if he hangs around.

I’d like to think that Woolf has a selection dilemma in the halves but I suspect he does not see it that way yet. Lewis Dodd made his long awaited first team debut in the win over Wigan, coming off the bench for a stint at dummy half rather than in his preferred halfback role. Wakefield could have already passed the signpost marked ‘bothered’ with relegation out of the equation so a game against them could be the perfect opportunity to ease Dodd in to the role from the start Yet Woolf has shown himself to be a pragmatist during his brief Saints reign and will more likely stick with the tried and tested pair of Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages. Lomax is available having escaped suspension following the yellow card he received for a high shot on Harry Rushton in the derby.

Also free to play is Alex Walmsley despite calls from Wigan coach Adrian Lam for action to be taken for the challenge that has put Jack Wells out for four to six months. The disciplinary panel chose not to punish Walmsley, who is helped by the wording and subsequent interpretation of the law as it stands. When tackling as third man a player cannot make contact below the knee if a ball carrier’s forward progress is stopped and he is held upright by the other two (or more) defenders. This was not the case with Wells who was still moving forward when Walmsley joined in the attempt to bring him to ground. Clearly there is a dangerous element to this type of tackle and perhaps it is something that the game’s legislators need to revisit. Yet in the rule’s current state it is difficult to see what offence was committed.

Also available is James Graham after he avoided a ban for dangerous contact. Those two may start in the front row alongside the in-form James Roby at hooker, or Woolf may again choose to start with Matty Lees and use Graham as the extra middle that the loose forward position has regrettably become. That was the case last time out when Zeb Taia started on the bench but if he is restored to the starting line-up we may see Morgan Knowles revert to 13 and James Bentley operating in the second row alongside Taia.  Bentley has been keeping Dominique Peyroux out of the side with some impressive displays. Peyroux may again have to fight for a bench spot along with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Kyle Amor, Aaron Smith, Joe Batchelor and possibly Dodd. 

Chester has a mixed bag of good and bad news regarding his Wakefield squad. They are one of several clubs who have been hit by positive Covid-19 tests this season and can welcome back David Fifita, Ryan Hampshire, James Batchelor and Eddie Battye for this one. On the flip side they will be without the excellent Bill Tupou in the centres, playmaker Tony Gigot and veteran loose forward Joe Westerman. Look out for Tom Johnstone who seems the likeliest challenger to Makinson for an England shirt on the wing, while Kelepi Tanginoa and Tinirau Arona both add a physicality and a spark to the side. Ex-Saint Matty Ashurst has great experience as does prop Craig Kopczak. In the backs Jacob Miller is a skilled operator in midfield and there is further strike in the shape of Reece Lyne and Ben Jones-Bishop.

None of which seems likely to provide a big enough bump in the road to halt Saints. They look too powerful up front and have the pace and the skill out wide to hurt this struggling Trinity side as and when Woolf deigns to use it.  

A win would leave Saints with 10 victories from their 13 outings, enough to keep both Warrington and Wigan in the rear view mirror in terms of the Super League standings. The Wolves and the Warriors have already played 13 times, managing nine wins each. They face each other immediately after Saints and Wakefield hear their final hooter, meaning one of them is set to lose further ground to Saints if Woolf’s men enjoy the comfortable evening I expect. Saints by 24.

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 11. Zeb Taia 12, Dom Peyroux 13. LMS 14. Morgan Knowles 15. Matty Lees 16. Kyle Amor 19. Aaron Smith 20. James Bentley 22. Jack Welsby 23. Joe Batchelor 26. Josh Simm 27. Lewis Dodd 32. James Graham.

Wakefield Trinity;

1. Alex Walker 2. Tom Johnstone 4. Reece Lyne  5. Ben Jones-Bishop 6. Jacob Miller 8. David Fifita 9. Kyle Wood 10. Tinirau Arona 11. Matty Ashurst 14. Jay Pitts 15. Craig Kopczak 16. James Batchelor 18. Adam Tangata 19. Jordy Crowther 21. Max Jowitt 24. Jack Croft 25. Brad Walker 29. Ryan Hampshire 36. Kelepi Tanginoa 40. Innes Senior 41. Eddie Battye.

Referee:  Liam Moore