It was meant to be closer, and for a while it was. Ultimately though, Saints dealt with the threat posed by an allegedly resurgent Leeds Rhinos without too many alarms. A 42-12 win keeps Kristian Woolf’s side four points clear of Wigan, while below them Huddersfield Giants overhauled Catalans Dragons into third place after the French side were surprisingly beaten at Castleford by the Tigers.
There were a couple of changes to Woolf’s line-up ahead of this one. Curtis Sironen came back into the back row to replace the suspended James Bell while Jon Bennison was drafted in at fullback for the persistently infirm Will Hopoate. Mark Percival still wasn’t ready so Ben Davies – who has just penned a new two year deal with the club – continued at centre with Sione Mata’utia also still serving a ban. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook remains laid low by his facial injury and so the bench was occupied by Jake Wingfield and Dan Norman as well as regular pine riders Joey Lussick and Agnatius Paasi.
Just what is going on with Hopoate anyway? He was touted as a replacement for Kevin Naiqama when he arrived from Canterbury Bulldogs but has been anything but - not withstanding Naiqama’s current incarnation as a kick-fluffing international stand-off with Fiji. Hopoate hasn’t had a look in at centre due to the form of Konrad Hurrell. When he has played it has been as a fullback because Jack Welsby has been required in the halves since the injury to Lewis Dodd. Hopoate has looked good in that role and given Saints better balance but having made only seven appearances for the club will we ever be able to rely on his creaking body?
If Hopoate isn’t going to prove reliable there is hope in the shape of Bennison. Half of his first team experience to date has been on the wing but he produced an assured performance at fullback here. If there are concerns about him they are mostly physical. At times in this one he held the ball too long and then had to back himself to get to the try line when the passing lane disappeared. Quicker decision making is something which will hopefully develop. You get the sense that he has an important part to play for the remainder of this year with Dodd gone for the duration and Hopoate participating about as often as Robbie Williams links up with Take That.
Now if you are like me you will have gorged on a veritable feast of international rugby league over the weekend, in both the men’s and women’s games. Not for them the undignified spectacle of a made up friendly against whoever answers the phone to Ellery Hanley. Proper international matches as New Zealand hosted Tonga men and women, and put on clashes between Samoa and Cook Islands and an absolute belter between Papua New Guinea and Fiji at Mount Smart.
With all that going on what is the Tongan national coach and one of its better players doing being burdened by a Thursday nigh Super League appointment? It’s great for Saints that they had their head coach and arguably most in-form player available but what does it say about how seriously (or not) we are taking the international game? I think we all widely recognise that the reason the other code gets more attention and makes more money is the strength of its international structure versus our more parochial set-up. Expansionists are only expansionists so long as their club’s key personnel aren’t required to do anything strenuous which doesn’t directly benefit their club. But do we want a credible international game, or don’t we?
Yet If we are going to have mid-season internationals which require personnel to travel from one hemisphere to the other can we have a proper window without league fixtures to allow that to happen without the domestic game being diluted or short changing fans? It’s a radical suggestion I know but how about ditching loop fixtures to fit those internationals in and make best use of them. I know. Cold. Day. In. Hell.
Enough griping then as we get into the nitty gritty of the action. There was a disproportionate amount of video referee intervention in this one beginning with Hurrell’s seventh minute try. Saints moved the ball right through James Roby, Morgan Knowles, Jonny Lomax and Bennison to allow Hurrell to squeeze in at the right hand corner. It was the perfect response by Hurrell to some of the observations about his weight being offered by the taxi-load of fans who had come to cheer on his former club. Hurrell ended up close to the sideline, forcing Tommy Makinson so wide that he was almost sat in the front row of the south stand. But Hurrell stayed in field to notch his sixth try of this Super League season and his seventh in Saints colours.
After that Leeds briefly flickered into life. Harry Newman started an eventful evening for him personally with an example of his quality, streaking away from his own 20m line to start a move that saw the ball sweep through 10 pairs of hands and end with Lomax bringing down Rhys Martin 5m from the Saints line. It was a warning sign but came to nothing more.
And it just woke Saints up. They looked like they may have blown their next opportunity when Hurrell passed to Makinson too early after another foray down Saints’ right edge. The winger batted it back inside and even then it had to be saved by Hurrell before Bennison fell on it. That set up the position from where Roby found Welsby who hit Knowles. With defenders converging the ex-Welshman flipped a majestic ball around the the corner for Walmsley to ease over. The big man is not known for his try scoring but would double his season’s tally in one evening. Yet this one was all about Knowles. Loved by fans for his effort, endeavour and all around Morgan-knowles-iness, he showed that there are a few tricks in the box with this outstanding lock-picker of a pass. Makinson’s second successful conversion gave Saints a 12-0 lead.
Still Leeds were in the fight at this point. They should have made more of good field position given to them by a Walmsley error from the kick-off but botched their lines when Bodene Thompson ran around the back of Martin to concede a penalty for obstruction.
Yet only two minutes later Newman had the Rhinos on the board. Blake Austin sent a high kick out to Leeds’s right wing where David Fusitu’a kept it alive for Newman. The England World Cup hopeful cut back in-field and left a trail of Saints defenders in his wake as he motored over to score his second try of an hitherto injury wrecked season. More video was necessary as replays showed the ball just leaving the hand of Fusitu’a in the direction of Newman before the former New Zealand Warrior’s not inconsiderable backside touched what Stevo used to call terra firma on the wrong side of the whitewash. Close but a correct call. Martin is fifth on the list of Super League goalscorers in 2022 and had little trouble cutting the arrears to 12-6.
Walmsley flirted with danger soon after when his movement of the arm during a big shot on Zane Tevano looked suspiciously like an afterthought. It was one of those which might have been viewed more dimly in the early weeks of the season but which did not move referee Tom Grant enough to produce a card. That despite the classless encouragement offered by Austin for Grant to reach into his back pocket.
Optimists among the Leeds support - and let’s be fair only the optimists made the journey - might view the next few minutes before half time as the period which swung the game decisively in Saints favour. Much has been made of how Sam Walters was denied a try by the video referee just before Regan Grace was awarded one by the very same route at the other end. Realists will point out that Walters just didn’t score. The youngster was first to react to Kruise Leeming’s dab behind the defensive line but got no closer to grounding it than I got to taking Mark Cavendish’s place in the Quick Step Alpha-Vinyl team for the upcoming Tour De France.
Then came Grace’s punishing blow to Leeds’ belief. Again the video was called upon as Grace battled to get the ball down in the left corner. It was a scrappy-looking end to what had been a spellbinding passage of play. Woolf often talks in terms of the physical elements of the game. Effort, energy, building pressure. But this was a side set up by him chucking the ball around like the proverbial hot spud. Topping Leeds’ earlier Harlem Globetrotters tribute Saints moved the ball through 11 sets of hands before Grace turned inside his marker and lunged for the line. Grant sent it up for review as a try which was crucial in the outcome. It looked an iffy, slightly questionable grounding but there was no conclusive evidence that Grace had lost possession as the ball hit the ground. Sorry Leeds fans, them’s the rules.
Makinson missed his first conversion but Saints took a 10-point lead with them as they left the field for Woolf’s words of wisdom at 16-6.
Within three minutes of the restart Saints increased their lead. Lomax’s pass out wide to the right was an ugly one, but as it ricocheted off Makinson it bobbled it’s way into the arms of the unstoppable Hurrell. His second touchdown of the night saw Saints open up a 14-point lead at 20-6 and was a rare example of a try which didn’t require further examination from Liam Moore in the video booth. Makinson could not add the extras but it was hard to see a way back for Leeds from this point.
But again there was a brief flicker from Rohan Smith’s men. A raging against the dying of their light. Austin’s right to left cross-field bomb was knocked back by Ash Handley to Martin who had time enough to present Bodene Thompson with a walk-in to the left of the posts. Again the conversion presented little drama for Martin and perhaps it was game back on at 20-12.
For all of four minutes, although Saints’ next score did come with a little luck involved. Grace was pretty fortunate to get away with a ball strip on Zak Hardaker near the Leeds line in the latest of Grant’s eccentric decisions. From there Agnatius Paasi barged over for his first try for Saints in his 39th appearance. Of course he should not be judged on his try scoring record any more than Sir Paul McCartney should be judged on whether he can still sing Hey Jude. Paasi is an impact man with an offload game that is extremely welcome in an era of effort areas, the grind and going through the processes. Just a wonderful player to watch and richly deserving of getting off his duck egg. Makinson was on target this time as Saints led 26-12.
Leeds probably weren’t coming back after that but they could have chosen to dig in and slip to an honourable defeat. Instead they chose to implode. Discipline - if it was ever present - left the building as first Thompson and then Tetevano and James Bentley reminded Grant what he had situated in his back pocket. Thompson went first, clumsily tripping Matty Lees to earn himself 10 minutes to rethink his life.
While he was away Saints went close through Lees and when Mikolaj Oledzki had to desperately smother a Welsby kick close to the line. Yet the champions broke through again when Lomax timed a pass perfectly to Joe Batchelor who went over untouched, even finding time to run around the posts to improve the angle for the conversion. It was a painful decision as Bentley - by now slipping darkly into the black hole of his frustration - slid knees first towards the recent England debutant. It was probably not malicious. More careless. Which is probably what persuaded Grant not to take any action as Makinson popped over another goal for a 32-12 lead. Bentley’s walk of shame would come.
Before it did it was Austin’s turn to look a little sheepish as his dropout sailed out on the full. In the ensuing set Welsby offered up a short ball to Dan Norman to cross for Saints’ seventh try of the evening with eight minutes left. Norman has had to bide his time for opportunities since arriving from London Broncos but has featured eight times in all competitions this season scoring four tries. Makinson somehow managed to fail with the extras but at 36-12 it was of little consequence.
No sooner had Thompson returned from the sin bin than Tetevano restored Saints’ one man advantage. Lomax’s kick out to the right led to a fairly sloppy piece of play involving Bennison and Hurrell. The Tongan centre tried to improvise, kicking through the line only to be met with an inexcusable intervention by Tetevano. It was late, high and was performed with very little other than the Leeds man’s shoulder. Pick your poison. Which of the three do you want to send him off for?
With echoes of a similarly brainless assault on Theo Fages in the Challenge Cup meeting between these two from last year Tetevano walked and has subsequently earned himself a five-match ban.
Before Tetevano trudged off a modern day melee developed. The kind during which no punches are thrown, everybody grabs each other and the officials light up a cigar and wait for everyone to calm down before dealing with it. This one was stirred up by Walmsley who immediately reacted to Tetevano’s misbehaviour by running in and pushing the Rhinos man in retaliation. As he had earlier Walmsley escaped further action as Grant spoke only to both captains to appeal for them to get their players to stop acting up and get on with it.
It was a warning that a by now seething Bentley failed to heed. Oledzki had dropped a tired pass by Leeming which had allowed Jake Wingfield to surge down the field only to be stopped a few metres short by Oledzki’s admirably determined chase. As Walmsley attempted to take a quick tap following another offside call Bentley reached around to knock the ball away from a position with a different postcode to the one marked ‘square at marker’.
Grant saw it as a professional foul, compounding Bentley’s humiliation at getting a good old fashioned flogging at the home of his old club by forcing him to walk off the field via the scenic route along the length of the west stand. As he did so some bright spark threw some form of missile at him, likely a plastic bottle. That individual is one we can do without. Saints have already stated that they have studied the CCTV and are dealing with it.
With Bentley no longer around to break the rules in stopping him Walmsley crashed over for his second try, his fourth of the season and his first double since a 48-18 thrashing of Salford in January 2020. Yet again Grant felt compelled to review it, sending it up as a try and having it confirmed by Moore. It did look as though part of the ball had made contact with the ground - however briefly and despite the best efforts of several Leeds defenders.
It was all too much for Newman who launched into a full scale, foot-stamping tantrum in the faces of the officials. He was not carded by Grant but he did receive a two-match suspension from the match review panel, upgraded to three after his appeal was deemed frivolous. If he does have designs on a place in the England squad for the autumn - and there’s no doubt he has the talent - he will need to start displaying behaviour a good deal more mature than he managed here. Makinson landed his fifth goal to put Saints 30 points to the good at 42-12.
Statistically Sironen took his opportunity, ending the game as Saints top ground gainer with 121m. Paasi (104), Walmsley (103) and Lomax (101) all made notable efforts. For Leeds Martin worked hard for his 120m while Newman’s 106 were perhaps prettier to watch before his late combustion.
Defensively Roby was Saints’ top man again with 31 tackles, the only member of the home side required to top 30. If Bentley had the nous to match the endeavour shown by his 47 tackles he would be some player. He endured a miserable night no doubt made worse by a stellar performance by Hurrell in the battle of the two men who swapped clubs at the end of last term. Leeming put in another industrious defensive shift with 35. Matt Prior contributed 32.
Saints kept their errors to a modest seven which was a key. That is a figure way below their average of 11.6 per game coming in while the Rhinos’ 10 errors was slightly up on their 9.2 per game average before this game.
Saints certainly played the more penetrative rugby, managing nine clean breaks, three of which were attributed to Walmsley who seems to relish playing against the Rhinos. Only Fusitu’a and Newman managed to get the other side of the Saints defensive line into open space in the entire 80 minutes.
A 30-point win against a Leeds side which is thought to be improving is a great way to go into a pivotal period for Saints. They meet all of the other top four sides over the next three weeks. They travel to Perpignan to face Catalans this weekend, renew hostilities with Wigan at Magic Weekend in Newcastle on July 9 and then welcome in-form Huddersfield Giants to St Helens on July 15.
If Saints can win all three of those games it could deal a fatal blow to the hopes all of them might have had of winning the League Leaders Shield as the games will be running out by then. That would allow Woolf to manage his squad late in the season in preparation for the playoffs. However, if Saints cannot manage that and the position at the top of the league is still close late in the season then don’t be surprised to see Woolf allow someone else to pose in front of the sponsor’s billboard with the most undeservedly maligned trophy in sports. He has previous for resting his stars late in the season and it has brought him spectacular results when the Grand Finals have rolled around.
Saints: Bennison, Makinson, Hurrell, Davies, Grace, Welsby, Lomax, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Knowles. Interchanges: Lussick, Paasi, Wingfield, Norman
Leeds: Hardaker, Fusitu’a, Newman, Martin, Handley, Austin, Sezer, Oledzki, Leeming, Prior, Bentley, Thompson, Donaldson. Interchanges: Tetevano, Walters, Myler, O’Connor
No comments:
Post a Comment