Saints 34 Hull FC 16 - Review

Well, that was much more like it, wasn’t it? On the back of last week’s defeat to Catalans Dragons in Perpignan Saints bounced back in style. It was a win which not only dealt Hull FC a psychological blow ahead of next week’s reunion for the Challenge Cup semi final at Leigh, but one which has also shot Saints back to the top of the table after Wigan’s hilarious capitulation in France on Saturday (May 29).

Kristian Woolf still has a few injuries to cope with so his side was by no means at full strength. Regan Grace was the latest star to be sidelined after he picked up a concussion in scoring a late try against the Dragons last week. He joined Tommy Makinson, James Bentley and Matty Lees on the list of absentees for this one. That gave an opportunity to Josh Simm, whose last first team appearance for Saints had been the 12-10 defeat by Salford which ultimately cost Woolf’s side the League Leaders Shield back in October. 

Simm’s loan spell at Leigh Centurions earlier this season yielded just one appearance in a 52-16 defeat to Castleford Tigers. Yet with Jack Welsby covering Grace’s wing position and Kevin Naiqama continuing to cover Makinson’s it was Simm who got the nod to partner Mark Percival in the centres. Interestingly, Woolf chose to switch Percival back to the left edge with Simm, who had caught the eye on that side during his six appearances in 2020, asked to play on the right. Fourteen carries for 102 metres represents a more than creditable return to the fold.

The only other changes saw Alex Walmsley restored to the starting line-up after a hopefully brief experiment as an impact player off the bench, while Woolf again rotated Lewis Dodd on to the bench in place of Aaron Smith. Agnatius Paasi stepped down from the starting line-up to the bench to accommodate Walmsley.

The changes had the desired effect as Saints made a rapid start. Marc Sneyd handed them the early initiative by fluffing Lachlan Coote’s opening kick-off and forcing Hull to drop out from beneath their own sticks. James Roby, Theo Fages and Jonny Lomax combined quickly to send Welsby over in the corner. Coote’s first goal of the day gave Saints a 6-0 lead. 

It was a lead that should have been added to on five minutes when Fages put Percival through a gap but his return pass to the halfback was knocked down by Jake Connor. It would have been a walk in for Fages who along with Jonny Lomax and Percival repeatedly caused panic down that side of the field against Hull’s right edge defence. That near miss was a warning not heeded by Brett Hodgson’s side who fell further behind on the next set when Roby and Fages again combined before Coote dummied and shimmied over. The position had been set up by a strong carry by Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook who had one of his more effective outings, reeling off 122 metres on 16 carries. Only Walmsley (172) and Joel Thompson bettered that for Saints while only Josh Griffin (124) did so for Hull.

Coote could not add the extras to his own try and within three minutes FC were back in the contest. Percival had lost possession 30m from his own line in a crunching tackle from Chris Satae, setting up the position from which Connor grubbered into the left corner for Adam Swift to touch down. Sneyd could not convert but it was a one score game at that point at 10-4. 

Amid the incisive rugby Saints were playing there were some misfires. Notably when Lomax again tried to find Welsby out on that left flank only to send the ball sailing into touch. Errors like this can frustrate but given what we have been served up stylistically by Saints in the opening seven rounds of Super League it was refreshing to see the intent to move the Hull defence around. It was still built on the back of some powerful bursts in the middle of the field but there seemed far more imagination in attack once the big men had punched their holes in the FC defence. 

Roby and Walmsley provided a good example of this a few minutes after Lomax’s errant pass. Both left defenders on the floor to enable Saints to shift the ball out to Simm who attracted the attention of several black and whites defenders. With the line pulled out of position Fages was able to turn the ball back inside to Morgan Knowles who shrugged off two defenders and spun over for Saints’ third try.  Coote’s goal gave Saints a 16-4 lead. They were in total command again.

It was a first half dominated by Saints who gobbled up a ridiculous 74% of the possession before the break. However good your defence is the best way of stopping your opponents from playing is to deny them any possession. Saints certainly achieved that. 

When Hull did get an opportunity in that opening period they invariably blew it.  Just after Knowles’ try Sneyd broke the line and put Manu Ma’u through a gap. However, the former Parramatta Eel seemed beset with panic as the covering Saints defenders converged. His return pass to Sneyd was a stinker which ended up on the ground. That was a chance that Hull could not afford to waste given the weight of territory and possession going against them at that time.

Saints were denied by the video referee as much as by their own lapses in concentration. Repeatedly video referee James Child gave a negative verdict when asked by Chris Kendall to adjudicate on a possible Saints try. On another day Saints could have joined Warrington, Leeds and Catalans in running up an embarrassing scoreline on this weekend of Super League blowouts. The first of these came just after Sneyd’s break. Saints again made inroads on their left and when Coote’s attempted offload went astray Lomax managed to get a boot to it. As the ball crossed the Hull goal line it was snaffled by Percival who touched down. It took an eternity to determine that Sione Mata’utia was stood in front of Lomax at the kick and was within 10 metres of Connor as he tried to deal with it. Mata’utia was making no attempt to get involved in the play but to the letter of a very questionable law he was offside.

There was time for Percival to break through again only to see Lomax’s pass batted down by Griffin to deny the opportunity before Saints were again unsuccessfully claiming a try. Swift lost the ball in a gang tackle and Fages found himself with the simple task of picking up and dotting down. Yet Kendall decided that the tackle on Swift had been completed before the ball came loose. In all honesty it looked a poor call and something of a sympathy vote given that Saints were threatening to run away with it at this point.

Coote added two more to Saints lead after Hull were caught offside. At this point were treated to a cameo from Paasi. The Tongan probably only played around 20 minutes, leaving the game after around 53 minutes with a slight concern over his hamstring. Yet he used the time he had well, earning a set restart on his first explosive carry and in all gaining 91 metres on just 11 carries with a couple of tackle busts. He even had a hand in Welsby’s second try six minutes before half time. Paasi showed he isn’t just a wrecking ball, linking up with Roby and Fages to send Welsby strolling over in the corner for his second try of the night. No Grace? No problem. Coote missed again with the conversion but Saints held an ultimately decisive 22-4 half time advantage.

Paasi was involved again when Saints were next rebuffed by Child. The big prop’s offload found Fages whose lobbed kick was plucked out of the air by Welsby. Though he gathered it cleanly enough he was just unable to ground it under pressure from Mahe Fonua. Paasi wasn’t done there, ringing Jordan Lane’s bell as the Hull man found himself in the unfortunate position of having to tackle the Saints prop one on one. Before his day was curtailed Paasi them went close to scoring as along with Coote the pair just failed to ground Fages’ neat grubber close to the line. 

The Frenchman’s next attacking kick paid more dividends. It seemed a routine bomb of the kind that ordinarily induce steam from the ears but this was Fages’ day almost as much as it was Welsby’s. Connor flapped hopelessly at it allowing Welsby to snatch it from him to complete his hat-trick. Another Coote goal meant Saints led 28-4.  They went close again on 51 minutes when Lomax released Naiqama down the right. Just as it looked like the Fijian would dive over in the corner he was bundled into touch by a spirited defensive effort by Sneyd and Swift.

Paasi’s exit was played down as precautionary by Woolf, along with that of Percival who had by now left with a hamstring issue of his own. Yet there was a notable drop off in performance when the pair left. The fitness of both will not be decisive at Leigh next week given the other weapons Saints possess but it would instil a lot more confidence that we can repeat this level of performance if those two are involved.

Fonua reduced the arrears on 58, barging through Lomax and Coote after being fed by an hitherto subdued Josh Reynolds. Sneyd’s goal made it 28-10, but 18 points was as close as Hodgson’s men would get. Lomax narrowly missed Welsby with a looping pass for what could have been his fourth try of the night before arguably the best score of the evening by Joe Batchelor. Knowles - a man who has been known to be questioned for his attacking inactivity on these pages - surged through a gap and found Lomax who had the presence of mind to turn the ball back inside to Batchelor to touch down. Neither Batchelor nor Knowles broke 100m which perhaps suggests that they could still contribute more in attack, but both were beautifully in sync here to stretch Saints’ lead to 34-10 once Coote landed his sixth goal of the game for a personal haul of 16 points.

The game was won, but Saints did deflate a little in the latter stages. Both McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Amor came up with basic errors as the intensity dropped just a little. That drop off culminated in Fonua scoring his second try of the game on the very last play, latching on to a Sneyd crossfield lob to grab another four. Sneyd’s conversion gave a final scoreline of 34-16 which arguably flattered Hull given Saints’ dominance particularly in the first half.

It all means that Saints lead the table, joining Wigan and Catalans with a record of seven wins and one loss from the first eight rounds. Meanwhile Hull have now lost three of their last four in the league after a promising start. They will now need to beat Saints by 19 points when they meet in Hull on August 1 if they are to win the Steve Prescott Cup played annually over the two league meetings between the sides.

None of which means that overcoming them when a place in the Challenge Cup final is on the line next week is a given. A performance as good as this one will do the job. That has to be the challenge now for Woolf’s side who proved here that they can turn it on in attack if they punch the right holes in the opposition pack. It will still be a forward orientated gameplan, but there is hope for the backs too on this evidence.

It’s still not the razzle dazzle of yesteryear nor the heart stopping, do everything the hard way approach of some other days gone by. But it’s a marked improvement on anything else we have seen from Saints in 2021. We’d all swap it for victory next week, but if Saints can show this kind of dominance 

Sants v Hull FC - Preview

Saints and Hull FC are about to get sick of the sight of each other. They meet next weekend in the Challenge Cup semi final at Leigh Sports Village. First though, FC visit Saints in a Super League Round 8 clash on Friday night (May 28, kick-off 7.45pm).

Coaches Kristian Woolf and Brett Hodgson probably wouldn’t publicly admit that next week’s cup meeting is of greater importance. Yet if either was told that he could only win one of the two they’d be foolish not to choose the semi final. Neither is foolish, but it will nevertheless be interesting to see how they approach this league meeting. Will it be a phoney war? Will any players carrying slight knocks which wouldn’t ordinarily stop them from playing be given the night off? Does either side look likely to beat the other twice? And if not, is winning this one something of a booby prize?

Woolf’s squad selection suggests he isn’t treating this one any differently. He has been forced into just the one change to his 21-man party. Regan Grace suffered a head knock in scoring a late try in last weekend’s defeat at Catalans Dragons and will miss out due to the six-day turnaround between games. His replacement in the squad is Sam Royle, a 21-year old back rower who has yet to make his first team debut. 

It’s tempting - given the way that Woolf’s side have played this year - to view this selection as the start of his grand plan to fill the team entirely with back rowers. There was a joke doing the rounds this week that Woolf’s lack of interest in the newly available George Williams was down to the fact that Williams isn’t great at those tough yardage carries beloved of Woolf and the Sky Sports commentary team. In reality, Saints are just fresh out of wingers with which to replace Grace. Tommy Makinson may or may not return for the semi final but will not be considered here, while Tom Nisbet is on loan at Oldham for at least another week. Someone is going to have to play out of position. The smart thing would probably be to give Josh Simm a run in the centres alongside Mark Percival and ask Jack Welsby to join Kevin Naiqama in covering the wing positions. Simm has had his own loan spell at Leigh Centurions this season, that after impressing in his occasional appearances last season but falling out of favour as Percival returned and Welsby continued to shine. 

Elsewhere the team should look much like it did last week, with James Bentley and Matty Lees still out with long term injuries. Lachlan Coote has been the subject of murmurings on his future with no deal in place for next year and beyond, but for now is a fixture at fullback. Theo Fages is another linked with the exit who nevertheless is an almost automatic selection in the halves alongside Jonny Lomax. It will be instructive to find out whether the deepening injury crisis has any effect on Woolf’s apparent bench rotation policy between Lewis Dodd and Aaron Smith. We may see both, but I suspect we will certainly see Smith as any opportunity to give James Roby a breather before next week’s big show must surely be seized upon.

Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook has been the man to fill Lees’ starting prop role. He did so last week alongside Agnatius Paasi as Woolf reckoned that Alex Walmsley might be a useful impact player off the bench. And he was, the problem being that when you bench Walmsley you inevitably weaken the team from the start. It might not be a coincidence that Walmsley did not start and Saints only scored two points in the first half, although there have been other games in which Walmsley did start which have seen Saints struggle in attack early on. It’s almost certainly a tactical problem for which Woolf is responsible, but playing without Walmsley does not help.

With Bentley out the back row is fairly fixed, with Joel Thompson and Sione Mata’utia in the second row ahead of the recently returned Morgan Knowles. Royle will battle for a bench spot along with Joe Batchelor, Kyle Amor, Dan Norman, Ben Davies, Smith and Dodd.

FC have looked a more realistic title contender in their early days under new coach Hodgson. They have knocked Wigan out of the Challenge Cup, lost narrowly to the same opponents in the league and held Warrington to a 14-14 draw. You can now expect them to be competitive against any Super League opposition, though they will be a tad concerned about their last two performances. They lost 27-10 at home to Catalans on the Monday that fans were welcomed back into rugby league grounds and although they got back to winning ways last week against Leeds Rhinos they would surely have lost to a side with a few more ideas in attack than Richard Agar’s side. The Rhinos battered Hull for large parts of the second half without ever really threatening to score enough points to win. Saints attack is not flash, but you would imagine they have enough to take advantage if Hull afford them similar levels of possession and territory.

Hodgson has also made just a single change to his squad. Josh Bowden comes back in after an arm injury, replacing Connor Wynne. That means that pretty much all of his big guns are on deck. Jake Connor has moments of madness but is among the most talented players knocking around in Super League right now, while Marc Sneyd’s halfback partnership with Josh Reynolds seems to have pushed the black and whites to a new level. Across the backs former Saint Adam Swift is playing as well as he ever has - oh to have him in the squad to step in for Grace - while Mahe Fonua and Carlos Tuimavave are dangerous too. Josh Griffin made a mockery of Konrad Hurrell in the first half last week and will provide a stiff test for Saints right edge defence.

Up front Hull have their own Roby-lite in the tireless Danny Houghton while prop Chris Satae has performed consistently well this year. Scott Taylor is still out injured but Bowden’s return beefs up a pack that also could feature another ex-Saint Andre Savelio as well as Brad Fash, Ligi Sao, Mane M’au and Joe Cator. 

Predictions are difficult with next week casting a large shadow over this one. There have been some slight cracks appearing in the Saints defence in recent weeks after some dominant displays earlier in the season. The nilling of Salford on May 17 showed that Saints can still be miserly, but it seems likely that if they have another off night and don’t defend well they will not score enough points to beat Hull with all of their attacking weapons. 

If we can only win one of the two let it not be this one. We can recover from a defeat here whereas lose next week and the wait for a cup win extends to 14 years. But let’s be greedy and back Saints to edge both. After all, there is never really a meaningless game between Saints and Hull now that all meetings are part of the Steve Prescott Cup, held in memory of the former international fullback and champion fundraiser who served both clubs with such distinction. 

Saints by four.

Squads;

St Helens;

1, Lachlan Coote, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4, Mark Percival, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 11. Joel Thompson, 13, Morgan Knowles, 14. Sione Mata’utia, 15. LMS, 16. Kyle Amor, 17, Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jack Welsby, 19, Aaron Smith, 20, Joe Batchelor, 21. Lewis Dodd, 22. Josh Simm, 25. Dan Norman, 29. Ben Davies, 30. Sam Royle.

Hull FC:

1. Jake Connor 2. Bureta Faraimo 3. Carlos Tuimavave 4. Josh Griffin 5. Mahe Fonua 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Marc Sneyd 9. Danny Houghton 10. Chris Satae 11. Andre Savelio 12. Manu Ma’u 13. Ligi Sao 14. Jordan Johnstone 15. Joe Cator 16. Jordan Lane 17. Brad Fash 19. Ben McNamara 20. Jack Brown 21. Adam Swift 22. Josh Bowden 24. Cameron Scott

Referee: Chris Kendall

Catalans Dragons 20 Saints 16 - Review

Given the way Saints had been playing in 2021 it always felt like a question of when and not if their winning run would come to an end. The fixture list had so far been kind. Of the sides Saints faced in the opening six rounds of Super League only Huddersfield Giants were considered playoff contenders before the season began. Even they are only now starting to find form after a torrid start under new coach Ian Watson. A trip to Perpignan to face Steve McNamara’s Catalans Dragons was viewed by many as Saints first big test of the campaign. It was a test they failed. 

There was a slight surprise in Kristian Woolf’s starting line-up. Alex Walmsley - who has been arguably Saints most important player given their forward-orientated, grinding game plan - was left on the bench at the beginning of the game. Agnatius Paasi got the nod to start in the front row alongside Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and hooker James Roby. 

Walmsley wasn’t the only key player who did not make it on to the field from the outset. Woolf was still without the injured trio of Tommy Makinson, Matty Lees and James Bentley. With these players missing altogether it was a brave and slightly curious decision to hold Walmsley back. It was probably exactly what McNamara might have wished for. His side had endured late problems of its own. They had to find a way to settle in to their biggest game of the season without the talismanic Sam Tomkins at fullback and starting centre Samisoni Langi. Both had been named in the side an hour before kick-off but both withdrew late on in circumstances mysterious enough to evade the investigative skills of Bill Arthur and the Sky commentary team. Still, you don’t expect a man who can’t tell the difference between Kevin Naiqama and Regan Grace to get the scoop on last-minute team changes. You might as well ask your cat to rustle you up an omelette.

Woolf made another change to his 17 in bringing back Lewis Dodd into the fold. The young half had missed the previous two games but was preferred on the bench to Aaron Smith for this one. My attempts to work out what is going on here between Woolf and these two players have so far proven fruitless. Just what is happening? It’s a real head-scratcher. What exactly is the criteria here? Does Woolf believe that some games suit the genuine back-up nine that is Smith and others call for the silkier skills of Dodd? Is there a rota system being employed here, like Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence alternating in goal for England in the 1970s and 80s? Or does Woolf just play eenie meenie miney mo with the two of them each week? If you know then please enlighten me because I’m genuinely baffled. I feel like a contestant due to to appear on Catchpoint who has wandered into the wrong studio and ended up on University Challenge answering questions about Norwegian literature.

The game might have gone differently had Naiqama not been rumbled putting a foot in touch before claiming a 7th minute try. It was a close call but referee Robert Hicks and his touch judges were 100% correct to disallow the effort. Television replays showed the Fijian had clearly stepped on the whitewash before diving over. But that evidence came later after Hicks had decided to back his own judgement and that of his fellow officials. Given the technology is available it is perhaps arguable that it was worth a review. Yet as every Saints fan knows to their cost Hicks has previous for placing absolute faith in his own decision making and spurning the opportunity to double check. As we also know he is not always right. He was in this instance but there is some debate about whether he was correct about a subsequent incident involving Mike McMeeken in the build-up to an ultimately crucial Benjamin Jullien try. More on which later.

It was another five minutes before either side broke the deadlock. McCarthy-Scarsbrook was pinged doing McCarthy-Scarsbrook things, horsing around in the tackle in front of his own posts.  But hang on! Isn’t this now a set restart? Where is the line at which it becomes a penalty? I’m not sure what McCarthy-Scarsbrook was up to. He left his arm in on the tackled player which helped dislodge the ball as he got up to play it. The Saints man’s clear intention was to slow the attack down but I’m not sure that it constituted foul play. Can a set restart not be awarded if the ball is lost by the attacking team as a result of the offence? Can they not just go back to the mark with a fresh set? If not, why don’t we see more attacking players let go of the ball when they fancy a relieving penalty or a shot at goal instead of what might only be one or two extra tackles? 

A penalty may have helped a desperate Saints late in the game when the Dragons started lying on for as long as they could, safe in the knowledge that Hicks would only order a set restart. Saints were awarded one with 15 seconds left when they were deep in their own territory and four points adrift in pursuit of a game-saving try. It was a bit like winning a speedboat on Bullseye when you live in Coventry. There is scope for the referee to award a penalty if he thinks the interference is cynical but the Dragons wisely deduced that by the time Hicks started viewing it as such the clock would wind down sufficiently to preserve the win. It was what you might euphemistically term a professional use of the law. It is a confusing, inconsistent and unfathomable law that simply has not worked. It should be consigned to the dustbin of tried and failed rugby league innovations along with Clubcall. Nevertheless McCarthy-Scarsbrook was penalised and James Maloney kicked Catalans into a 2-0 lead. 

Maloney scored the game’s first try also, and it came on 22 minutes after another decidedly Hicksy call. That is to say possibly correct to the letter of the law but only called when the mood takes the overly demonstrative, champion beard wearer.  Naiqama had fought hard to get back into the field of play and avoid a goal-line dropout after retrieving a searching kick but was then judged to have played the ball incorrectly. And he did, failing to get to his feet before placing the ball on the ground and rolling it back with his foot as the law states. But his attempts to do so were hampered greatly by a couple of Dragons defenders who were McCarthy-Scarsbrooking for all they were worth having frankly been embarrassed by Naiqama’s escape. 

If that was unfortunate then it didn’t necessarily have to lead to a try. Saints have been immense in defence for most of 2021 but were found wanting on the ensuing set when Maloney glided between Jonny Lomax and Sione Mata’utia to score. He converted his own try to push the Dragons out to an 8-0 lead. 

Naiqama had a busy last few minutes before half-time as Saints tried to get a foothold. First he was the victim of a fairly scandalous third man in tackle by Dragons centre Mathieu Laguerrre who had only been drafted in after the late loss of Langi. It was an unnecessary, dangerous intervention from the 22 year-old which went unpunished by Hicks. We are seeing far too many of these in the modern game and far too little is being done to legislate against them. I expect we will see some unfortunate soul have his season ended and his career threatened by one before we start seeing some positive action from referees or the disciplinary panel. A red card and a minimum three-game ban would be a good starting place.

Thankfully recovered, Naiqama came close to putting Saints back in the contest when he went over from Mark Percival’s pass late in the half. The problem was that Percival’s pass was so far forward it landed in 2022. Play was brought back for a Saints penalty because Jullien had hit Theo Fages late in the build up. This caused some confusion among fans who thought Hicks had failed to play an advantage. 

Percival’s mistake was not just throwing a forward pass but throwing any sort of pass at all. He had already convinced the defender that he was going to throw it out to Naiqama and the defender had already moved over to try and cover the winger. All Percival had to do was hold on to the ball and he would have strolled over. It is hard to be too harsh on Percival. He did manage two tries in Saints spirited late fightback. Yet there is a certain irony in a player often criticised for having hands of glue electing to pass when he doesn’t need to and making an absolute pig’s arse of it. The sort of thing Alanis Morrissette might have been interested in. Instead of six Saints settled for two as Lachlan Coote slotted the penalty to make the half time score 8-2.

Two minutes into the second half Saints took out the big spade and dug themselves into a hole from which they would not escape. Coote fielded Maloney’s kick and defied every rule in the Woolf coaching manual by throwing a fairly speculative pass in the direction of Grace. Ninety-nine times out of 100 Saints backs returning kicks take the tackle and start the set. Not this time. As if to prove beyond question the Woolf philosophy that passing equals risk Coote’s pass headed only vaguely in the direction of Grace. He couldn’t handle it which enabled McMeeken to swoop on the loose ball and release a lovely offload for Dean Whare to stroll in. Maloney’s third goal of the afternoon gave the Dragons a 14-2 lead.

Eight minutes later Saints finally crossed for their first try. As is the standard these days it was a shorter range effort. Coote and Roby linked up well on the right to allow Percival to do the rest. The thought of passing this one never crossed his mind. Coote was unable to add the extras so Saints still trailed 14-6 with half an hour left. It was at this point that a point of genuine controversy arrived. Saints had struggled with the speed and footwork of Arthur Morgue and Tom Davies all evening and when they failed to halt the progress of the ex-Wigan winger the ball found its way to McMeeken. The former Castleford man crabbed across the defensive line from right to left before suddenly straightening up and bursting towards the line. Theo Fages grabbed a hold of his ankles and appeared to have effected a last ditch tackle. Yet just at the point where McMeeken hit the ground he also slipped from Fages’ grasp. Hicks - who last week awarded a golden point penalty to Leeds for activity he deemed to have taken place after the tackle - decided that this one had not been completed allowing McMeeken to get up off the floor and continue the movement which culminated in a try for Jullien. 

It was a borderline call which Hicks may or may not have been right about. But even if he was right it seems negligent, borderline arrogant not to send it up to the video referee for a quick check. No doubt Hicks will say he was certain and I can’t sit here and categorically state that he was wrong. I’m not sure. But I can categorically state that he was certain that Morgan Knowles hadn’t scored in the early moments of the 2019 Challenge Cup final. I know, let it go. But Hicks is a man who seems quite immune to learning from the past. He has been the victim of his own hubris before. Rob, you might be right. You might not. But make sure while you have the technology. If not, let’s just scrap it and accept all calls by the referee unquestioned.

Maloney’s conversion of the Jullien try gave Saints real problems at 20-6 down but again it was Percival who gave us hope. He scored with 10 minutes to go after good work by Fages and Coote. It was a try that came with an assist from Hicks too, who awarded Saints three consecutive penalties to set up the field position. Were this try scored against Saints the social media conspiracy theorists would absolutely credit it to Hicks and offer him their sarcastic congratulations. In this reality it was just a well worked movement from Saints finished off by Percival who was returning to try-scoring form. Coote could not convert and Saints still trailed 20-10.

Yet Woolf’s side were not quite done, and nor was the controversy. It’s no coincidence that as they emerged from their five-drives-and-a-kick shell late in the game Saints started to trouble the Dragons defence more. Four minutes remained when Lomax sent a missile out to Grace’s wing to send him over for his seventh try of the year. In a desperate bid to stop him McMeeken hit Grace suspiciously high. Not as hard as it might have appeared from the Welshman’s reaction. He spent several minutes receiving treatment from the medical staff. But it was high, and given the crackdown we have seen on contact with the head on the other side of the world the shouts for a foul in the act of scoring and an ‘8-point’ try were not as desperate as they might seem. Contrary to popular belief it was reviewed by video referee Ben Thaler (it must have been tricky if Hicks wasn’t certain) and he decided the contact did not warrant a penalty. Another call that was not quite scandalous, not even outright incorrect, but one which could have gone the other way on another day. But this was not Saints day.

In analysing why we must not look to the ever eccentric Hicks but to the continuation of Woolf’s stifling tactics. Saints remain stale and predictable in attack and they no longer possess the dominant pack of Justin Holbrook’s side with which to lay the platform to bring the backs into play. Particularly with Walmsley on the bench and McCarthy-Scarsbrook not being Luke Thompson and all. 

The halves are asked to do very little creatively as a result and were subsequently outplayed by the Dragons pair of Josh Drinkwater and - probably enjoying his best game since arriving from the NRL amid much fanfare - Maloney. Calls for Dodd to be drafted into replace Fages are understandable but are akin to moving deck chairs on the Titanic if we continue down this tactical route.

Which we will. Next up are back to back league and cup clashes with Hull FC. One disappointing defeat will not convince Woolf to change course. He will still believe that his safety first grind is the most likely method of winning those two games. He won’t make excuses. Talk of early mornings and European travel issues are the preserve of fans desperate to find any reason for a loss other than We Weren’t Good Enough. Saints had a choice about whether to travel on the day or stay overnight. They made it and they live with the consequences. But Woolf will know also that in this system and league structure one defeat is just a minor inconvenience, hardly even qualifying as a setback. He’ll keep faith with the methods that brought him success last season and earned his side six wins out of six to start this campaign before the defeat to the Dragons.   

So the wait will go on for those of us who seek entertainment as well as success. Yet if losing becomes a habit playing this way the dissenting voices will grow. He’s betting everything on results and he’s just learned that his team are vulnerable.

Catalans Dragons v Saints - Preview

Amid Saints winning start to the 2021 Super League campaign there has remained plenty of chat about the strength of their opponents. Whether of a Saints persuasion or not many fans have pointed out that none of the sides beaten by Kristian Woolf’s side over the first six rounds are those you might expect to find sniffing around the top four or five come September. 

All of which has meant that despite the winning run we haven’t yet learned how Woolf’s grinding class of 21 will fare against the genuine contenders. Even a Challenge Cup tie against Leeds Rhinos hasn’t really eased our concerns or quietened the sceptics. The Rhinos might be a big deal in rugby league but their current incarnation is hardly vintage. The only team Richard Agar’s side have managed to beat this year are Chris Chester’s hapless, knee-dodging Wakefield Trinity.

This weekend might be where the real tests start for Saints. Woolf’s men have back to back clashes with Brett Hodgson’s New Kids On The Block of trophy contention Hull FC on the horizon, while a visit from Warrington Wolves lurks on the calendar for mid-June. Yet before all that, Saints attempt to get in and out of France with the goods faster than a pre-Brexit smuggler when they travel to Perpignan to take on Catalans Dragons on Saturday (May 22, kick-off 5.00pm UK time.) Woolf has revealed that Saints will travel to and from France on the day rather than spend the night in a hotel. 

Woolf is in the relatively fortunate position of being able to name an unchanged 21-man squad for the trip. I say relatively because although it is useful to have continuity off the back of a 28-0 win over Salford there are still some key players missing. Tommy Makinson remains sidelined with his foot injury while forwards Matty Lees and James Bentley have more long term concerns. Lees has a broken ankle and still faces another couple of months out while Bentley’s best hope is to get back into action ahead of the playoffs after breaking his leg at Leigh on April 30. 

Lying in a hospital bed hasn’t stopped the former Bradford Bulls man being linked with a move to Leeds when his contract expires at the end of the year. I’m not sure how likely that is to happen but I’m absolutely certain there will be a Facebook meltdown if it does. You get the feeling that the longer he stays out of action the more Bentley’s legend will grow. He’s a grafter with an incredible thirst for defensive work but he’s also exactly the sort of attacking player that Woolf values so highly for a reason. Very direct but about as likely to make a clean break as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. If he goes to Headingley then don’t immediately hit your keyboard. Instead, take a deep breath, remember what it felt like to lose Gary Connolly to Wigan and the world won’t seem such a terrible place. 

If the 21 hasn’t changed there’s half a chance that the match day 17 won’t either. Lachlan Coote is now firmly ensconced in the fullback role again after missing the start of the season through injury while Kevin Naiqama has been the one shifted over to fill the Makinson-shaped hole on the right wing. That allows Grand Final hero Jack Welsby to hold down one centre spot alongside Mark Percival with Regan Grace on the left wing. 

The same 17 would mean no place again for Lewis Dodd. Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages are clearly Woolf’s preferred halfbacks for now but Dodd has not even been afforded a spot on the bench in the last two. Aaron Smith has been recalled instead after he also went through a spell when it looked like Woolf may have decided to move on from him. Dodd has plenty of time on his side and with suggestions that Fages may head to Huddersfield his time may arrive next year. By the same token 19-year old Dodd would benefit from game time in the meantime. If Woolf’s policy of not selecting Dodd continues a loan spell starts to look a little less crazy.

The back division might not look exactly as we would like it at present but it is not being tasked too much by the Woolf game plan and as such is perfectly up to the job. There are perhaps a few softer spots in the front row where Alex Walmsley has reached indispensable status since the departure of Luke Thompson and the injury to Lees. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Kyle Amor do a serviceable job but don’t look like title-winning back-ups any more. Agnatius Paasi has had a big impact in some games but is still settling in after his move from New Zealand Warriors.  In the back row the same can be said for Joel Thompson after his arrival from Manly and the somewhat more dynamic Sione Mata’utia. Behind them Morgan Knowles has returned which is a massive boost to an already miserly defence. Yet like Bentley, Knowles is not a particularly creative presence. A lot of the guile up front is still provided by James Roby. May he never, ever retire. Joe Batchelor is enjoying his best run of games since joining Saints from York City Knights in 2019 and will hope to keep his place on the bench. 

Outside of that little lot Josh Simm, Dan Norman and Ben Davies will hope to find a way in but may find the door shut for the time being.

The Dragons have made a largely positive start to the Super League campaign. Steve McNamara’s side had been underwhelming in league and cup defeats to Warrington but wins over Wakefield and Hull since have them as high as third in the table. That 24-8 reverse to Warrington on April 24 remains their only loss in the league in 2021. 

McNamara welcomes former Wigan prop Gil Dudson back into his 21-man squad in place of Jason Baitieri. St Helens-born Matt Whitley is a high profile absentee so Benjamin Jullien may continue to partner one-time England man Mike McMeeken in the second row. Dudson could yet feature in an all ex-Wigan front row alongside Joel Tomkins and Mickey McIlorum. Benjamin Garcia skippers the side at loose forward, while Sam Kasiano is an often monstrous if a little indisciplined impact player.

The main men in the back division are Sam Tomkins at fullback and James Maloney at half. The latter’s combination with Josh Drinkwater can sometimes splutter and there are times when Maloney looks as though he might not be in France for the rugby. Yet all three possess match-winning abilities and will be key to the Dragons hopes of breaking down Saints vault-like defence. If they can get the service the outside backs are handy too. Tom Davies is another ex-Wiganer who can point to having already bagged six tries this year. Only Jake Bibby and Ryan Hall have more. On the opposite side Fouad Yaha is an absolute tank who will give Naiqama all he can handle defensively. Dean Whare and Samisoni Langi fill the centre spots following the failed experiment with LGBT spokesman Israel Folau. 

Despite a dizzying array of talent on both sides most observers are not expecting a wide open contest. Both coaches are risk averse. This game represents a step up in the quality of opposition for both so it would be odd to choose this week to open up. As much as I’d like to see an expansive game the more likely outcome is another hard fought ‘energy battle’ which Saints are likely to win by a couple of scores. Saints by 10.

Squads;

Catalans Dragons:

1. Arthur Mourgue 2. Tom Davies 3. Samisoni Langi 4.Dean Whare 5. Fouad Yaha 6. James Maloney 7.Josh Drinkwater 8. Gil Dudson 9. Micky McILorum10. Julian Bousquet 12. Mike McMeeken 13. Benjamin Garcia 14. Alrix Da Costa 15. Benjamin Jullien 17.Mickael Goudemand 20. Matthieu Laguerre 22. Joel Tomkins 27. Joe Chan 28. Sam Kasiano 29. Sam Tomkins 30. Jordan Dezaria

St Helens;

1, Lachlan Coote 3. Kevin Naiqama 4, Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 6. Jonny Lomax 7. Theo Fages 8. Alex Walmsley 9. James Roby 11. Joel Thompson 13. Morgan Knowles 14. Sione Mata’utia 15. LMS 16. Kyle Amor 17. Agnatius Paasi 18. Jack Welsby 19. Aaron Smith 20. Joe Batchelor 21. Lewis Dodd 22. Josh Simm 25. Dan Norman 29. Ben Davies.

Referee: Robert Hicks

Saints 28 Salford Red Devils 0 - Review

We’ll get to the result and another iffy performance in a minute. The first thing to say about being back inside the stadium that dare not speak its name is that it was an absolute joy. Everything about it from the sights, the smells and the dreadful muffled public address system to the needless heckling of the bloke a few rows away (open your fucking eyes Moore, you’re fucking stealing a living) made you realise just how much you’d missed it. 

It was emotional too. The minute’s silence observed impeccably (as far as I could tell) before kick-off brought into sharp focus the reasons why we have been denied this privilege for the last 14 months. It was a time to remember not just the many that have passed away from the monstrous pandemic, but also those who have been lost for other reasons during its dark days. I count my own dad among them. Covid has not only brought death with it, but also the further trauma of severely restricted hospital visits for the sick and dying and reduced capacity, socially distanced funerals. While the talk continues of Indian variants and what will happen next it was at possible, at least for one night, to view our return to the stadium as the beginning of a healing process. 

To the small matter of the sport, then. Saints maintained their 100% start to the Super League campaign with a 28-0 win over Salford Red Devils. It was a performance very much like its 2021 predecessors. A bit of a struggle. A slow burn of a win that had moments of comic ineptitude without ever making you feel like the result was in any doubt. Saints defence was back to its solid best, not always executing the tackle but always able to recover. 

Saints missed 31 tackles in all, led by Joel Thompson’s five. It’s early days for Thompson at Saints but he arrived from Manly with a reputation as a good defender and a runner of ‘good lines’. This has always struck me as a euphemism up there with football’s ‘good engine’. The reality is that Thompson leads the league in missed tackles and has made two clean breaks in the opening six rounds. I can’t be the only one starting to wonder what he is for. I pine for Zeb.

Saints defensive qualities, as admirable as they are, further stifle any prospect of entertainment. There is often no jeopardy attached to watching Saints against weaker opposition. Their MO is to strangle the life out of the opponent’s attack before their defence gets tired and literally gets run over late in the game. And coach Kristian Woolf’s side are absurdly, almost annoyingly good at it. This was not the first time in 2021 that the first 40 minutes of a Saints game had been a painfully low scoring affair. It wasn’t quite the pointless nadir of the first half against Wakefield last month - the footage of which is now a genuine resource at insomnia clinics the world over. But at 6-0 thanks to Alex Walmsley’s solitary barge over converted by Lachlan Coote it wasn’t exactly warming the hearts of the 4,000 golden ticket winners as the late spring temperature plummeted. Good job we were all so happy to be there, even if I didn’t feel much like Charlie Bucket.

The errors didn’t help in that opening half. In all Saints managed to drop their lollies on 15 occasions over the 80 minutes. I’d guess that the bulk of those arrived in that disjointed first half. It wasn’t until Salford’s eyes got bigger than their collective bellies that Saints showed that they can dazzle in broken play. An overlap on the Salford right almost caught Saints out but Ken Sio’s bold chip ahead was scooped up by Theo Fages. The Frenchman not only prevented a try as Salford chasers converged, he then proceeded to start a counter attack which he finished himself after a sweeping passing movement involving Coote and Jack Welsby. A classy passage of play from Fages during a man of the match performance that was by far his best of the season. 

Unfortunately it did not open the floodgates. It took until just before the hour mark for Kevin Naiqama to turn Saints 12-0 lead into a 16-0 lead. Again it came from short range, with that tiresome one lead runner, one out the back mode of attack that has been a Super League staple since the Wigan Warriors decided that variety in attack is a waste of everyone’s time and energy. In many ways we appear to be morphing into Wigan Warriors with each passing week. The execution is clinical and the finish from Naiqama impressive, but it’s very much the rugby league equivalent of route one and the Sam Allardyce POMO.

It could have been oh so different. Moments prior to his try Naiqama was back near his own line intercepting a Kevin Brown pass which might otherwise have led to a Salford try. As the Fijian took off down the south stand touchline my view from the opposite side took me back to the great long distance tries that used to be a regular occurrence for us to feast our eyes on. Anthony Sullivan, Alan Hunte or Darren Albert would have jogged home. But this side isn’t built for that. Naiqama might have plenty of NRL experience on the wing but he’s not the flyer he was. Maybe it’s his age - he turned 32 in February - or maybe it’s down to Woolf training the players for speed over shorter distances. Either way Naiqama was caught just after he’d reached the half way line by that well known speedster Tui Lolohea. Which is a bit like David Weir being caught by me. 

There was one other moment of genuine excitement before the end. Regan Grace added to his try tally for the season on the very last play of the game thanks to a nice pass from Fages to Welsby who then produced a stunning touch pass for the Welshman to somersault over in the left hand corner. It was a pass to evoke memories of Jamie Lyon, Matt Gidley or the bookies favourite Martin Gleeson. Proper touch centres who are now all but extinct because they wouldn’t be any good in ‘yardage’. Let’s hope Welsby continues to be a throwback. 

His masterful intervention had followed a more routine plunge from Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, accompanied by the obligatory histrionics that have somehow survived 302 games. The Londoner was one of only four Saints forwards to top 100m for the day with 106, the others being Walmsley (156), Kyle Amor (105) and Agnatius Paasi (102). McCarthy-Scarsbrook put in a decent shift  defensively too with 34 tackles and is doing a pretty serviceable job as a starting prop while Matty Lees recovers from his broken ankle. Only Thompson (35) made more defensive efforts than the former London Bronco whose tally was matched by the ageless James Roby. 

I keep saying a lot of the same things in these pieces so apologies for the repetition. I keep hearing the same thing in response too, which is that we will improve in attack. That we are just ‘clunky’. I don’t think we are ‘clunky’ any more than I think Harold Shipman was just a bit clumsy with needles. What we are doing in attack is by design. Woolf knows that we are fitter than most sides and have a deeper squad. He’s therefore decided that a low risk approach, with never more than two passes before contact with the defensive line is the way to exploit our advantages. And it will work, right up until the moment we come up against someone fit enough to avoid falling over in the last 20 minutes under the strain of the 10,000th Walmsley carry. The only question is whether such a team exists in Super League.

Anyway. There was a bigger picture this week. There are times when worrying about whether we’ll ever see a longe range try again or about just what in the Hell has happened to Lewis Dodd are secondary. It was a delight to be back and I’m sure we’re all desperate for it to continue on May 28 when Hull FC visit. 

The match day experience might be dull for a large portion of the time, but it’s ours again.

St Helens v Salford Red Devils - Preview

It might be short lived, it might be the start of something like a return to normal. As bed-wetters everywhere call for the easing of restrictions to be delayed due to concerns over the Indian variant of Covid-19, Saints nevertheless prepare to welcome fans to their home for the first time in over 14 months when Salford Red Devils visit on Monday night (May 17, kick-off 7.45pm).

There is of course no evidence that the Indian variant is more resistant to any of the available vaccines. There is certainly none to suggest that anybody who has been vaccinated could still suffer serious illness or death. Yet there is somehow still a feeling of inevitability about the reintroduction of tighter restrictions over the next few weeks. It would be an outrage, but I’m preparing for it nonetheless.

That’s why the 4,000 members who were successful in the ballot for tickets for the clash with Richard Marshall’s men are especially fortunate. We should make the most of it. It might be slightly eerie to only have 4,000 in a stadium more accustomed to housing something in the region of 10,000.  Social distancing will make it different to cup ties against Oldham and York which have attracted similarly modest crowds in recent years. It will be fascinating to see what kind of atmosphere can be generated. But at least there will be an atmosphere. It’s been far, far too long.

To on-field matters. Saints coach Kristian Woolf has been forced into making one change to the 21-man squad on duty for last week’s Challenge Cup win over Huddersfield Giants. Tommy Makinson limped out of that game inside three minutes having missed the previous two with a foot injury. He has since been ruled out for up to a month. His place in the squad has been taken by Josh Simm, involved for the first time since returning from a loan spell at Leigh Centurions. It’s far from a given that Simm will make the match day 17. When Makinson has been out previously Kevin Naiqama has been the preferred choice to fill the void with Woolf pairing Jack Welsby and Mark Percival in the centres. Only a further injury to one of those three or to Lachlan Coote or Regan Grace is likely to see Simm included. Yet he should be boosted by his recall to the first team environment and will no doubt get his opportunity at some point during what is a long season.

There is better news regarding Morgan Knowles. It was something of a false start for Knowles last week, named in the 21 for the Giants game but not deemed fit enough by Woolf to make it into the final 17. Woolf has made a firmer commitment to involving Knowles against Salford in his press comments this week. That could be bad news for Joe Batchelor who started against Ian Watson’s side. A back row of Knowles, Sione Mata’utia and Joel Thompson looks the way to go.  

Matty Lees is still out with a broken ankle so front row stalwarts Alex Walmsley and James Roby are likely to again have Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook for company. That will mean Kyle Amor and Agnatius Paasi will have to be content with spots on the bench. They may be joined by Batchelor, though both Aaron Smith and Lewis Dodd will hope to be involved. Dodd was left out last week and seems no closer to breaking up Saints functional but uninspiring halfback partnership of Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages. The Frenchman’s exit from the club was a conversational topic again this week as the Giants made their interest public. For now he will continue to be the safe pair of hands that Woolf treasures so much alongside the more creative presence of Lomax.

Dan Norman is named again despite having yet to make a competitive debut and he completes the selection along with young back Ben Davies.

Marshall has overseen a steady improvement in the Red Devils after a very uncertain start. His first match in charge was a 29-6 defeat to Saints but he returns again to his former employer with a few more reasons to be optimistic. The Red Devils pushed Castleford Tigers all the way to extra time in the cup last week. They picked up their first league win a fortnight before that against Leigh and are starting to look a little more competitive. 

Marshall has made three changes to the squad which took on the Tigers last weekend. Morgan Escare, Andy Ackers and former Saint Matty Costello all come back in with Oliver Roberts, Elliot Kear and Dec Patton missing out. Salford will still be without former Wigan flyer Joe Burgess, while goal-kicking three-quarter Krisnan Inu continues to miss out amid an investigation into comments he made about the rape conviction of former NRL star Jarryd Hayne. 

Despite these absences there are plenty of threats on the Salford side. Kallum Watkins and Dan Sarginson are Grand Final winners who have played internationally, while Kevin Brown and Tui Lolohea can be a devastating halfback combination on their day. The question is probably how many days they have left together. St Helens-born Brown is now 36 while Lolohea is approaching the end of the deal which saw him arrive after a fairly ordinary start to life in England with Leeds Rhinos. He will have plenty of suitors for 2022 and beyond. 

Up front another Grand Final winner leads in the shape of Lee Mossop, while Sebastine Ikahihifo is another very capable prop. Pauli Pauli and Darcy Lussick will look to add further impact. Elijah Taylor, Harvey Livett and Danny Addy have more subtle qualities but offer a decent mix of experience and improvisation. 

In truth none of it should be enough to trouble Saints. They can be a hard watch but Woolf’s side have so far proven very effective when it comes to getting results. As much as I fear a poor result could be around the corner for Woolf if he does not release the handbrake, it will probably take a stronger side than Salford at a later stage of its development to do the job. Marshall’s team are still very much a work in progress. He needs to be given time, and not judged too harshly by how he travels against the stronger sides in Super League. Saints by 18.

The result almost seems secondary to the symbolic importance of the occasion. Whatever the future holds it is significant for all 4,000 of us fortunate enough to be attending. It could be joyous. It could be emotional. It could be marred by constant talk of Lockdown 37 in the press, on TV and on social media. It’s really difficult to know how it will feel. But just to be there after so long away will be a reason to be thankful. It’s not normality, but it’s a tentative step in that direction.

Squads;

St Helens;

1 Lachlan Coote, 3 Kevin Naiqama, 4 Mark Percival, 5 Regan Grace, 6 Jonny Lomax, 7 Theo Fages, 8 Alex Walmsley, 9 James Roby, 11 Joel Thompson, 13 Morgan Knowles, 14 Sione Mata’utia, 15 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 16 Kyle Amor, 17 Agnatius Paasi, 18 Jack Welsby, 19 Aaron Smith, 20 Joe Batchelor, 21 Lewis Dodd, 22 Josh Simm, 25 Dan Norman, 29 Ben Davies.

Salford Red Devils;

1 Morgan Escare, 2 Ken Sio, 3 Kallum Watkins, 6 Tui Lolohea, 7 Kevin Brown, 8 Lee Mossop, 9 Andy Ackers, 10 Sebastine Ikahihifo, 11 Ryan Lannon, 12 Pauli Pauli, 13 Elijah Taylor, 14 Danny Addy, 16 Greg Burke, 18 Chris Atkin, 20 Harvey Livett, 21 James Greenwood, 22 Rhys Williams, 23 Dan Sarginson, 24 Matty Costello, 25 Jack Ormondroyd, 28 Darcy Lussick.

Referee: Liam Moore

Challenge Cup Review - Saints 23 Huddersfield Giants 18

Job done. Winning was all that mattered this week as Saints edged through to the last four of the Challenge Cup. Yet the manner of this 23-18 victory over Ian Watson did little to dissuade me from the view that if Saints and coach Kristian Woolf don’t change course soon, then a rude awakening is lurking around the corner.

Having trumpeted the return of Morgan Knowles to the 21-man squad Woolf ultimately decided that the Cumbrian wasn’t actually ready to be involved on the field after all. With James Bentley still in his hospital bed after surgery on his broken leg that meant a start at what used to be known as loose forward for Joe Batchelor. Joel Thompson returned from a foot injury to take his place in the second row alongside Sione Mata’utia. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook was again preferred as a starting prop ahead of Agnatius Paasi with Matty Lees another long term injury victim.

Also returning was Tommy Makinson. He was restored to his familiar right wing role which meant that Jack Welsby - one of the few Saints players who can claim to have been operating at or near his maximum level in recent weeks - was the unfortunate man to be left out. This was to accommodate both Kevin Naiqama and Mark Percival in the centres as Woolf opted for experience. It didn’t last long, with Makinson seeming to suffer a recurrence of his foot injury within the first three minutes. Welsby - who had been named on what looked a light bench also featuring only two props in Kyle Amor and Paasi alongside the recalled Aaron Smith - was going to play the vast majority of this one after all. Naiqama switched back to the wing and Welsby slotted back into the centres. Smith’s inclusion was a head scratcher bearing in mind that the young hooker had been out of favour recently. It also meant there was no place in the 17 this week for Lewis Dodd. Fortunate then that Theo Fages had one of his less disastrous performances. 

Woolf later denied that it had been too soon to recall Makinson following his absence from the last two games. In fact, the coach was quick to point out that Makinson could have played in last week’s 22-12 victory over Leigh Centurions but it was felt that another week’s rest would be beneficial. Seemingly, that extra week was not enough to get rid of the problem. It will now be interesting to see what Woolf does with Makinson for next Monday night’s clash with Salford Red Devils (May 17). It is the slated to be the first game attended by fans since a defeat to Huddersfield last March, but it might be one in which it would be wise to manage without the England winger. It is always a shame to see games missing the very best players but I’m sure those among us fortunate enough to be selected to attend as a result of the ballot will be glad of the opportunity to see even this dreary Saints outfit live and in the flesh after such a long and difficult period.

I could fill pages and pages telling you all about Saints failings in this one. Woolf continues to insist on a tedious, grinding style of rugby which on the face of it seems only to achieve the dubious aim of keeping games against lesser opposition close. Huddersfield are an improving side but the way some fans have turned them into Penrith Panthers because they mixed it for 80 minutes with Saints is at best laughable and at worst borderline delusional. If Woolf ever lets the handbrake off on this side the likes of Huddersfield would be cannon fodder for a team containing the amount of talent that Saints have. Saints many and varied weapons are criminally underused at present. So far it is a winning formula, but Saints are very much the academically gifted student who can’t be arsed to use all of their resources and abilities, preferring just to scrape through to the required grade. 

It is not just Saints. The Grind is the prevalent style across Super League. But at least some clubs have the excuse that keeping it tight helps them compete against more talented teams. What’s our excuse? There aren’t any teams in Super League with more talent than Saints. Huddersfield aren’t all that close if we’re being honest. I’m glad it didn’t happen this week in a knockout game but we probably need to get our arses summarily handed to us by someone - to suffer that rude awakening - for Woolf to consider a change. The alternative is a fairly joyless march to Super League domination. Which is fine if you like that sort of thing. 

The difference for Saints was mainly the brilliance of Regan Grace. Part of the Woolf ideology is that we should not move the ball as wide as the vicinity of Grace until tackles five or six, and never further than 20m from the opponent’s line. The days of watching out-of-your-seat long range tries are seemingly over. Too high risk. Go through the processes. Build pressure....zzzzz.....

So anyway because of this fun-deficient philosophy the Welshman doesn’t get a lot of touches. When they arrived in this one he made them count. His first significant intervention had a touch of good fortune about it when a Fages grubber ricocheted off a Giants defender before being scooped up and finished by Grace. That brought Saints back into it, 6-4 down after Michael Lawrence had opened the scoring by sneaking behind the Saints defence to be first to a pin-point Aidan Sezer grubber. 

Grace’s second took Saints into an 18-12 lead. Mark Percival had put Saints 10-6 up with a determined effort which he’d made more difficult than it needed to be by electing not to pass to Grace. Yet at half-time the Giants had retaken the lead 12-10 through Darnell McIntosh’s converted try. A Coote penalty had levelled the scores at 12-12 before Grace’s second try gave Saints a lead they would not relinquish. He was served up a fantastic long ball from Coote before bamboozling the cover by stepping inside in a manner that has become something of a Grace trademark. 

Fages landed a drop-goal to push the lead out to two scores at 19-12 but still the Giants hung around. lingering. Kept in it by Saints inertia. McIntosh’s second try arrived after Naiqama flapped at a Sezer lob, former Saint Joe Greenwood on hand to make the telling pass. There was now only one point in it at 19-18. And so it was again left to Grace to sort out the mess, going over to complete his hat-trick five minutes from time. This time it was Jonny Lomax who provided a stunning catch and pass after being fed by Fages. Coote could not add the extras which ensured that the tension remained for the last few minutes, but Saints hung on.

Grace had started the week by penning a new deal to keep him at the club until the end of the 2022 season. This was largely celebrated fans. And why wouldn’t you? Having an out and out speed merchant with a poacher’s instinct for the try line in your team for another year has to be viewed as a positive. A ray of light among news of links with another identikit, second row tackling machine being brought over from the NRL to help carry out the Woolf masterplan. Yet the shortness of Grace’s new deal was something which I found quite jarring. It would seem to suggest that he does not see his long term future in St Helens. Woolf has already conceded that there has been interest in Grace from rugby union, which we should remember is the working man’s game in Wales and not the pursuit of lager-lout lawyers and dentists that it is often viewed as in England. Financially it is also attractive, and it has a vastly superior international structure. In addition the idea that a winger gets more involved in league than union starts to look flimsy after a few weeks watching Woolf’s team. Anthony Sullivan never had this problem. It doesn’t look like Grace will tolerate it beyond 2022 either.

One other issue emerging from this one was the ongoing saga of the ‘six again’ rule and its interpretation. Brought in as an attempt to speed the game up it is surely time to put it back in the cupboard. Nobody seems to understand why set restarts are awarded. Since the game doesn’t stop there is no time to analyse the reasons for such awards. We are left to rely on the odd call of ‘too slow’ or ‘hand on ball’ from the referee which only arrive sporadically. And in any case...hand on ball? How can ‘hand on ball’ be an offence when the authorities just made it legal to strip the ball one on one? It’s a confusing, ill conceived rule. The commentators rarely explain it, largely because they are as clueless as the rest of us and too busy telling us how entertaining five drives and a kick is. What it is not is poor refereeing or some kind of inexplicable bias against your club. And no, Bill Gates isn’t responsible for Covid.

But the real kicker, the most compelling reason for casting set restarts forever into the fire of rugby league bad ideas along with margin meter and distance to target, is the fact that coaches now routinely abuse it. Yes, even Kristian Woolf. Especially Kristian Woolf actually. They have all figured out that when defending deep in your opponent’s half early in the tackle count it is often better to give away a set restart and make one or two extra tackles than allow a quick play-the-ball. They would not make this decision if a ruck infringement was likely to result in the concession of 30-40m from a penalty. 

So Saints live to fight another day. The dream of winning a first Challenge Cup in 13 years is still within sight. The semi-final draw has thrown up a challenging tie with a Hull FC side finally showing a bit of consistency and steel under Brett Hodgson. One of the delights of the black and whites win over the Evil Empire Wigan Warriors was the way they made the self proclaimed best fullback in the known universe Zak Hardaker look like he hadn’t played there before. To the point where the ancient and loyal brigade are already calling for him to be moved back into the centres at the earliest opportunity. Avoiding Warrington in the last four has thrown up the prospect of a repeat of the 2019 final for which a spot of revenge would be very welcome. But honestly, it looks a long way off if we continue to grind it out. One day soon one of these too-close-for-comfort affairs is going to go against us.