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;
- 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;
- 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
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