The bonkers, shapeless 2021 Super League season continues as Saints welcome Catalans Dragons for a top of the table get-together on Saturday afternoon (August 7, kick-off 2.30pm).
As things stand Saints still need to fit in five fixtures between now and the middle of September to meet the minimum of 18 required to qualify for the playoffs. It starts here with the first of a scheduled eight games in little over five weeks. It’s hardly a gentle start either, with Steve McNamara’s league-leading Dragons in town on the back of a run of 12 straight league wins. One of those came against Saints in Perpignan in May. Another here over Kristian Woolf’s men would put the French side in a commanding position in the race for the League Leaders Shield.
Unlike last week when Woolf could only call on 20 players ahead of the win over Hull FC, the Saints boss has named a full compliment of 21 for this one. Regan Grace and Agnatius Paasi return for what would be a first run out for them since the Wembley win over Castleford. Grace should be an automatic choice on the left wing and with Mark Percival, Kevin Naiqama, Lachlan Coote and Tommy Makinson all named we may see Jack Welsby once again left out of the starting line-up. That would be harsh on Welsby after his heroics at Hull but it would not be the first time he has produced a stellar performance one week and found himself kicking his heels on the bench the next. Yet with Coote Hull KR-bound for 2022 Welsby’s time is coming.
One man whose time may just have arrived a little earlier than expected is Lewis Dodd. The young half should continue to start in the absence of the unfortunate Theo Fages. The latter’s season and in all likelihood his time as a Saint was ended by the shoulder injury he sustained in the cup final. All of which means Dodd and Jonny Lomax will have to develop their understanding quickly for the regular season run-in and the playoff games which are hopefully to come.
Paasi probably won’t start but will be a useful addition to the bench - not least because Matty Lees is out. The academy product picked up a head knock at Hull as he tried to knock an opponent into December, and misses out due to concussion protocols. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook has been getting the start alongside Alex Walmsley at prop while James Roby goes on and on and on at hooker. Aaron Smith made a rare appearance off the bench at Hull so it will be interesting to see if Woolf hands him another chance. Kyle Amor looks a certainty for the bench as he looks for a third try in as many games.
The only choice in the back row is which two of Joel Thompson, Joe Batchelor and Sione Mata’utia take the second row slots ahead of loose forward Morgan Knowles. Batchelor has started the last two since Mata’utia missed Wembley through suspension and has a decent claim to a continued run in the shirt. Yet Mata’utia was the preferred choice prior to his ban and I’d expect him to work his way back into the starting line-up sooner rather than later.
The Dragons arrive without one or two key players. Tom Davies made his England debut in the Combined Nations game in June but he is out along with former Widnes back rower Matt Whitley and French stars Julian Bousquet, Benjamin Garcia and Jason Baitieri. McNamara was resigned to playing without those but has been dealt further blows this week with the loss of halfback Josh Drinkwater and mountainous prop Sam Kasiano.
Yet Catalans did not shoot to the Super League summit by relying on a small group of quality players. In Sam Tomkins they have a genuine star performer who is arguably playing as well now as at any time of his career. James Maloney has played State Of Origin and even turned out for the Kangaroos back when they considered international rugby league worthy of their time. After an iffy first season in France Maloney is returning to something like his best. Were the World Cup going ahead Mike McMeeken would have a strong case for a second row berth with England even if all of Shaun Wane’s NRL talent was available. And perhaps most exciting of all for Dragons fans is Arthur Morgue, a dynamic and elusive speedster with a nasty habit of making Super League defenders looking foolish.
Added to their star quality Catalans have an increasingly annoying but highly effective band of experienced, gnarled club doorman types who they hope will be able to stand up to Saints imposing physicality. Micky McIlorum would cause trouble in an empty house, as would Leigh-bound Wigan bar staff-botherer Joel Tomkins and another ex-Wiganer Gil Dudson, twice a major finalist with Salford Red Devils. Expect these two sides to knock 17 bells out of each other up front and just keep your fingers crossed that a game of rugby league might break out in the predicted stormy deluge.
If Woolf wants to complete his UK domestic trophy collection before he enters the third year of his spell he probably needs a win here. From that standpoint his need is greater, but McNamara will also be keen to avoid a loss that might hand Saints a psychological edge going into the season’s denouement. However they end up resolving it. As I write Leeds have just gone down to defeat against Castleford, so expect some dark mutterings from Richard Agar about how the playoff structure needs another late season re-jig.
Saints probably have too much even for a Dragons side on a 12-game winning run. Woolf’s side defend on a different level and it is that - rather than any dazzling handling skills - which is likely to see them through and set up what in the old days would have been a nerve-shredding run-in. Saints by 16.
Squads;
St Helens;
- Lachlan Coote, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5, Regan Grace, 6, Jonny Lomax, 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, 30. Sam Royle.
Catalans Dragons;
- Arthur Morgue 3. Samisoni Langi 4. Dean Whare 5. Fouad Yaha 6. James Maloney 8. Gil Dudson 9. Micky McIlorum 12. Mike McMeeken 14. Alrix Da Costa 15. Benjamin Jullien 16. Paul Seguier 17. Mickael Goudemand 20. Matthieu Laguerre 21. Corentin Le Cam 22. Joel Tomkins 23. Mathieu Cozza 27. Joe Chan 29. Sam Tomkins 30. Jordan Dezaria 31. César Rouge 32. Romain Franco
Referee: Liam Moore
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