Saints will look to reach a third Challenge Cup final in four seasons when they take on Wigan Warriors in the semi-final at Leeds United’s Elland Road on Saturday (May 7, kick-off 2.30pm).
The Challenge Cup is still considered a pretty huge pot to win, but such has been the effect of full-time professionalism in the top flight that Super League sides are now required to win only two matches to reach the last four. Saints arrived at this stage courtesy of a 46-4 win at Championship Whitehaven and a 36-20 success over 2021 Super League Grand Final foes Catalans Dragons. Meanwhile Wigan thrashed Wakefield Trinity 36-6 in the last 16 before shutting out Salford Red Devils in a 20-0 quarter-final triumph.
This latest meeting between the combatants of the original and best derby takes place a mere three weeks after their last Super League meeting. The traditional Good Friday skirmish saw Saints record a comfortable 22-4 win on April 15. Wigan fired early in that one but the spark soon went out as they could not breach the Saints defence again after Jai Field’s opening try. Saints responded with scores from Tommy Makinson, Joe Batchelor and Mark Percival. Saints still look some way superior to their rivals but coach Kristian Woolf’s decision to play a virtual academy side at Castleford on April 22 means that they are only separated by points difference at the top of the Super League table as things stand.
Woolf’s caution on that occasion was a response to an Easter programme of three games in eight days and the perceived need to protect key players. Saints have had their fair share of injuries in the first half of the season, while suspensions have been an issue too. The main selection dilemma for this one centres around influential stand-off Jonny Lomax. Lomax came off with an arm injury in the first half of last week’s 14-10 win over Salford. Woolf later confirmed that Lomax had sustained a bicep injury, but was unable at that time to speculate on the Saints playmaker’s chances of featuring against Matty Peet’s side.
As it is Lomax is named in Woolf’s 21-man squad for the trip to West Yorkshire. What that tells us about his chances of playing is unclear. Would Woolf waste a spot in his 21 for the benefit of keeping Wigan guessing on Lomax right up until kick-off? That doesn’t seem like a very Woolf-like approach. More the sort of shenanigans that Wigan coaches got up to in their 80s pomp when there was no real need to name a squad 48 hours before kick-off. Lomax’s inclusion is not a guarantee that he will play but it leads me to believe that he has a chance.
One man who does not is Will Hopoate. The ex-Canterbury Bulldog made a rare public appearance as Saints edged the Red Devils last week. However he was palpably unfit, sauntering around trying to find positions on the field where his liability factor could be reduced. Hopoate’s absence may not worry you too much given his lack of game time and barely visible impact since becoming a Saint but if Lomax doesn’t make it then it becomes more problematic. Lewis Dodd has already been ruled out for the year so without Lomax Woolf would have to find a completely new halfback partnership. Should that Doomsday scenario play out then maybe the best option would be too move Makinson to fullback and pair Jack Welsby in the halves with either James Roby or Joey Lussick.
That option becomes more appealing if Regan Grace is available. The Welshman has been limited to just one appearance so far in 2022, that coming in that win at Whitehaven in March. However he is named in Woolf’s squad. He could fill Makinson’s wing position opposite Josh Simm with the centre positions occupied by Percival and Konrad Hurrell who returns from a two-game suspension. Ben Davies is also included but may miss out after starting and scoring in the win over Paul Rowley’s men. There’s a suggestion that he may also be an option in the halves after operating there at Castleford but in a game of this magnitude that would be…well…bold.
There are less selection posers in the pack. If either Roby or Lussick start at 7 then the other will occupy their more familiar role at 9. Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees should start at prop, while Agnatius Paasi and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook are likely to be on the bench. Dan Norman returns to the squad and also has a shout. Perhaps more so than the now sparsely used Kyle Amor though the Cumbrian is also in Woolf’s initial selection. Another returning is Jake Wingfield after missing the last two with injury.
The back row department welcomed back Sione Mata’utia last week after a seven-week layoff. He began on the bench in that one but could slot back into the starting side. He had been one of the form forwards in the competition before picking up an injury in a win over Warrington in March. Since then Joe Batchelor’s form has continued to improve to the point where - given Mata’utia’s lack of recent game time - the ex-York City Knight looks the most certain starter in the second row. Curtis Sironen is another who is back from a two-game ban. His inclusion means that the unfortunate Sam Royle misses out after starting the last two. Morgan Knowles was responsible for everybody’s winning pay (do they still do that?) with that late and quite extraordinary tackle on Chris Atkin last time out so it is reassuring to have him as an almost certain starter at 13. Field is already looking over his shoulder.
A late bid by Peet to be allowed to select 9 Fields and 8 Bevan Frenches in his match day 17 was unsuccessful. Even the Evil Empire don’t do cloning just yet. Yet you can expect both to feature prominently as Wigan look for ways to break down this mean Saints rearguard. French will likely operate on one wing opposite Liam Marshall with Field at fullback. Iain Thornley looked like a world-beater against Warrington’s ragged defence last week but plainly he is not. If he is named at centre alongside Jake Bibby then this is one area of the back division where Saints will have a definite edge. And Thornley probably will be. It’s that or Sam Halsall. Thankfully for the A & E departments around Leeds Willie Isa is not available to slot into that position and begin throwing trademark haymakers. Kai Pearce-Paul is another who might have been an option but who is not available.
Also out are Wigan’s violent spine of Tommy Leuluai and Sam Powell. Neither has played since Good Friday. Leuluai picked up a knee injury in that game while Powell is serving a six-game suspension for his appalling crusher tackle on Jon Bennison. Powell has done very well to get away with only six games for that outrage. If Vladimir Putin ever faces trial for his war crimes in Ukraine he could do worse than drop a line to whoever defended Powell at his tribunal.
With Leuluai out Harry Smith could continue at halfback alongside former Manly man Cade Cust. Brad O’Neill is most likely to deputise for Powell. Which is no easy task. Exactly how do you replace that level of shithousery short of bringing Mickeh Mack back from sunnier climes?
Brad Singleton, Patrick Mago and Kade Ellis look the main front row options along with Ethan Harvard. Peet will probably find a place in the 17 also for Morgan Smithies, Liam Byrne and Oliver Partington but it can surely be only a matter of time before common sense prevails and the lot of them are harpooned back to the NCL where they can clobber people with impunity. The Wigan second row has an altogether classier look about it but then again both Liam Farrell and John Bateman have seen better days.
You have to go back 10 years for the last Challenge Cup meeting between the two. That was a 2012 quarter-final which finished 18-4 in Wigan’s favour before the Warriors were dumped out in the semi-final by Leeds. The last Saints cup win over Wigan was that never to be forgotten 75-0 flogging at Knowsley Road in 2005. Both sides have four wins each in the cup head-to-head in the Super League era, two of those meetings being finals. Wigan won 21-12 at Murrayfield in 2002 while Saints got home 32-16 in Cardiff two years later. Overall in Challenge Cup finals the ledger is at three apiece, Saints winning twice in the 1960s in both 1961 and 1966 and Wigan coming out on top in 1989 and 1991.
The slightly bare halfback cupboard has left a lot of Saints fans feeling decidedly edgy for this one. Many have been getting their excuses in early should Lomax not make it. I don’t share their pessimism. It’s hardly ideal to play with a makeshift halfback pairing if that is what transpires but the Saints pack looks so many light years ahead of Wigan’s that it may not matter. I’m not sure the loss of a halfback or two is going to put too much of a dint in Saints’ smothering defence. It’s not as if Roby or Lussick can’t tackle.
For that reason I’m backing Saints to come through this one by around 14 points and so book their place in the May 28 final at…(checks notes)…Tottenham!
Squads;
Wigan Warriors;
Bevan French, Jake Bibby, Iain Thornley, Liam Marshall, Cade Cust, Brad Singleton, Patrick Mago, Liam Farrell, John Bateman, Morgan Smithies, Kaide Ellis, Harry Smith, Oliver Partington, Ethan Havard, Liam Byrne, Joe Shorrocks, Jai Field, Abbas Miski, Sam Halsall, Brad O'Neill.
St Helens;
1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 12. Joe Batchelor, 13, Morgan Knowles, 14. Joey Lussick, 15. LMS, 16. Curtis Sironen, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 18. Kyle Amor, 19. Jake Wingfield, 21. Josh Simm, 22. Ben Davies, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 24. Dan Norman.
Referee: James Child
Video Referee: Ben Thaler
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