Super League kicks back into gear this week following the international break with Saints hosting Leeds Rhinos on Thursday night (June 23, kick-off 8.00pm)
The champions are in pole position for another assault on the Super League crown, sitting four points clear of nearest challengers Wigan and Catalans Dragons after 15 of the 27 regular season rounds. That’s one point for every consecutive Grand Final Saints are set to win if the rest of the league doesn’t get its collective finger out and offer some credible competition.
Kristian Woolf’s side have lost just two league games so far in 2022. A 22-20 loss in Toulouse in early March was avenged at the start of June, while a youthful Saints outfit went down 30-10 at Castleford Tigers following a demanding Easter schedule.
Woolf’s men take on a Rhinos side still slumming it in eighth position despite winning four of their last six under new coach Rohan Smith. Pre-season recruitment looked solid enough with Aidan Sezer, Blake Austin and our very own James Bentley added to the ranks. Yet they endured a dismal start to the campaign which saw them lose five of their first six games, culminating in the departure of then head coach Richard Agar. Smith – a nephew of former Rhinos boss and two-time Grand Final winner Tony – has overseen an improvement in his new side but they still face an uphill struggle to make it into the top six for the end of season playoffs.
If they are going to take a step further towards that goal they will need to overcome a Saints side which - despite some significant absences - is still very much the team to beat in 2022. Woolf has only made one change to his 21-man squad selection from that which took on Hull KR last time out. Josh Simm comes back into contention in place of the suspended James Bell. Yet the coach remains without some key personnel. Saints are still shorn of the injured trio of Mark Percival, Lewis Dodd and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook as well as the suspended Sione Mata'utia.
Timely then that Will Hopoate has managed to string a couple of games together. If the Tongan international starts this one it will be his third consecutive appearance but only his seventh overall since joining from Canterbury Bulldogs for the start of this season. In the last two he has operated at fullback which has allowed newly capped England international Jack Welsby to move up into the halves alongside Jonny Lomax. That has given Saints better balance in the absence of Dodd who was lost for the season back on Good Friday.
Percival’s left centre berth was taken by Ben Davies for the win over Hull KR. That suited him better than the stand-off role he was pressed into filling after Dodd got injured and Hopoate was still struggling to gain his fitness. Davies’ 100-metre performance was rewarded with a try against the Robins and - despite the addition of Simm - there seems no reason to disrupt a three-quarter line featuring Davies and the in-form Konrad Hurrell at the centre positions and wing regulars Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace. Like Welsby, Makinson comes in off the back of 80 minutes for England while Grace did not feature in Wales’ 34-6 defeat to France having played so little rugby prior to that squad being named.
Looking longer term Saints this week announced extended stays at the club for both Hurrell and Dodd. Hurrell has agreed another year while Dodd will remain a Saint until 2026. Hurrell has confounded my scepticism by becoming one of the better performers this season since joining the club from the Rhinos. Meanwhile Dodd’s quality is perhaps even more visible when he is not there as Woolf grapples with the right playmaking combinations which he hopes will make Saints’ attack so much smoother. We will have to wait for it but Dodd is very likely to be the answer to the problem.
It was something of a surprise to see Bell selected in the second row ahead of Curtis Sironen against Rovers. Bell’s ban may give Sironen the opportunity to come back into the starting line-up, particularly with Mata’utia also still out. Joe Batchelor - another who celebrated making his England debut at the weekend - should fill the other second row berth.
Where it not for the retirement from international rugby league of James Roby Saints could field an all-England front row. Matty Lees was another national team debutant this week while Alex Walmsley remains the best English prop outside of the NRL.
In his recent press conference Woolf expressed some doubts about the fitness of Morgan Knowles to start in his regular loose forward slot. Along with Lomax Knowles missed the England game - officially through injury. But don’t be surprised to see both make miraculous recoveries in time to take on the Rhinos. If Knowles doesn’t make it there are options despite the absence of go to replacement and extra prop McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Sironen’s bygone days as a stand-off may mark him out as a candidate if Woolf wants more of a ball player. Roby too could switch to 13 and allow Joey Lussick to start at dummy half.
With McCarthy-Scarsbrook out there will at least be a bench spot up for grabs. Agnatius Paasi will likely take one as will Lussick should Roby stay in his preferred hooking role. Jake Wingfield and Dan Norman got the nod against Rovers and will hope to again amid competition from second rower Sam Royle. Backs Jon Bennison and Dan Hill complete the 21.
The Rhinos may welcome back Sezer for what would be just his seventh appearance since joining from Huddersfield Giants. Sezer had struggled with injuries at the back end of his Giants career and his luck hasn’t really changed since moving to the Rhinos. When he has been available he has been underwhelming. Should Smith decide against re-introducing the former Canberra Raider then another - Blake Austin - should feature in the halves alongside Richie Myler.
Jack Walker is another Leeds star who cannot seem to put a run of games together and he again misses out. With Jack Broadbent on the verge of a loan move to Featherstone Rovers Zak Hardaker could continue in the fullback role. Harry Newman was fit enough for a place on the bench when the Rhinos lost to the Giants in their last game a fortnight ago so could be in line to challenge for a starting spot. Liam Sutcliffe will be hoping to hold him off a while longer. Rhys Martin can operate in the centres while out wide Ash Handley is one of the better wingers knocking around Super League. On the opposite side former New Zealand Warrior David Fusitu’a is becoming more of a factor after an injury ravaged start to his Rhinos career.
The big news in the Leeds pack is that Alex Mellor has left the club and joined Castleford Tigers with immediate effect. Bodene Thompson and James Donaldson occupied the second row against Ian Watson’s side but there has to be a more than even chance that sin-bin dwelling former Saint Bentley will come back into the side after serving a three-match suspension.
Mikolaj Oledzki - fresh from signing a new four-year deal at Headingley, and Zane Tetevano are the likely staters at prop with the excellent Kruise Leeming set to come back in at hooker after missing the Giants game through injury. When Leeming takes a break the more direct if less subtle Brad Dwyer will pose a whole new set of problems. Matt Prior shrugged off an early injury scare while playing for the combined nations and is also available. Either he or the unfortunately monikered Cameron Smith will start at 13.
Saints won 26-0 when the teams met at Headingley back in April. The Rhinos have not beaten Saints in Super League since a 16-14 success in August 2017. That was in the midst of Justin Holbrook transforming a plodding Saints outfit content to cling on to a top 4 spot into the ruthless winning machine they are today. For Leeds’ last win in St Helens you have to go all the way back to a 41-16 shellacking from a team who would go on to win the treble of Super League Grand Final, Challenge Cup and League Leaders Shield in 2015.
There’s little prospect of that happening again here. Smith’s Leeds are a work in progress and will be coming up against a hopefully energised Saints after the break. It may not be the shutout we saw on April Fools Day but I still expect Saints to comfortably come out on top.
Squads;
St Helens:
1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Will Hopoate, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 12. Joe Batchelor, 13, Morgan Knowles, 14. Joey Lussick, 16. Curtis Sironen, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 19. Jake Wingfield, 21. Josh Simm, 22. Ben Davies, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 24. Dan Norman, 26. Sam Royle, 27. Jon Bennison, 29. Dan Hill.
Leeds Rhinos;
David Fusitu’a, Harry Newman, Liam Sutcliffe, Ash Handley, Blake Austin, Aidan Sezer, Mikolaj Oledzki, Kruise Leeming, Matt Prior, James Bentley, Rhyse Martin, Zane Tetevano, Brad Dwyer, Richie Myler, Cameron Smith, Bodene Thompson, Sam Walters, Jarrod O’Connor, James Donaldson, Max Simpson, Zak Hardaker.
Referee: Tom Grant
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