It was a performance short on artistic merit, but Saints claimed a much needed win over Castleford Tigers on Sunday afternoon (August 7).
After the slap around the chops that was the 44-12 hammering at Salford a week ago priority number one for Kristian Woolf’s side was to get the two points. That was a particularly pressing concern following Wigan’s 32-6 victory over rudderless basket case Warrington on Friday night (August 5) which narrowed the gap at the top of the Super League table to just two points ahead of the Tigers’ visit.
Woolf again had to deal with some chin-stroke inducing selection decisions. Perceived wisdom has it that using James Roby in the halves has not been working. Woolf agreed with the chatter whether consciously or otherwise and moved the skipper back to his regular number nine role. The stand-off role went to Jack Welsby which meant that Jon Bennison shifted to fullback after playing the last four on the wing.
Tommy Makinson returned from a hamstring injury but after Regan Grace was lost forever to the forces of union following a season ending Achilles tendon injury Woolf still had a vacancy to fill on the left flank. He chose to offer it to 20 year-old fullback, centre and occasional winger Danny Hill. It was just Hill’s second first team appearance, the first having also come against Castleford when a youthful Saints went down 30-10 at the Jungle in April. This was a fairer crack of the whip for Hill who would have benefitted from being slotted in alongside as strong a team as is possible under the current circumstances. Yet it was not without its traumas, particularly late in the contest.
Hill’s inclusion did still leave Saints with a very inexperienced left edge. Ben Davies was starting at left centre in the continued absence of Mark Percival and his oft suspended stand-in Sione Mata’utia. Yet the experimental centre-wing partnership held its own until that late period in the game when Bureta Fairamo became the first player since Anthony Gelling in 2016 to score a hat-trick against Saints. Arguably. the Davies-Hill partnership only buckled at least in part to a shoulder injury picked up by Hill.
In the pack Saints were missing Mata’utia and in form cult hero Agnatius Paasi. Mata’utia is usually a second rower but you are doing well if you can remember when he last played there. Trivia fans might be interested to know that it was the Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Wigan all the way back on May 7. Thankfully Saints can also call on Curtis Sironen and Joe Batchelor in the back row as well as James Bell off the bench, though the two-game suspension incurred by the former for a high shot in this one will likely see Mata’utia back in the pack when he returns from his own ban at Hull FC next week.
Paasi normally provides his impact from the bench. In his absence both Bell and Wingfield were handed spots on the interchange list along with the seemingly permanent presences of Joey Lussick and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook.
Before copping yet another ban it was Sironen who got Saints rolling early in this one. Just four minutes had elapsed when he received the ball from Lomax 10 metres out and proceeded to crash through the flimsy defensive efforts of Greg Eden and Alex Mellor to the left of the posts. It was the former Manly Sea Eagle’s first try of the Super League season and only his second for Saints after crossing in the Challenge Cup win at Whitehaven in late March. Makinson’s first conversion of the afternoon gave Saints a 6-0 lead on an afternoon when goal-kicking would prove crucial.
There was an early test for Hill soon after. Cas sustained a spell of pressure in Saints territory thanks to Konrad Hurrell getting a hand to Gareth O’Brien’s pass out to Leeds Rhinos’ newest recruit for 2023 Derrell Olpherts. From there Eden threaded a grubber through the Saints defensive line where it was covered up bravely by Hill.
A game which was scrappy for the most part then threw up a highlight so rare that my admittedly cursory research has failed to conjure up any stats on it. Lomax took possession on the last with Saints struggling to get out of their own end and produced a booming, accurate 20/40 kick. Since 2021 Super League has included the rule which allows a team to regain possession if they can kick the ball from inside their own 20 metre line and land it in touch - via at least one bounce in the field of play - inside the opposition’s 40 metre line. Lomax’s effort may not have been the first of its kind in Super League but it is the first one this observer can recall. The 20/40 is seen about as often as Will Hopoate so it was a special privilege to see it executed so well.
Lomax might have exploited the rule beautifully but his efforts didn’t get the rewards they deserved as Saints turned it over cheaply. Alex Walmsley charged through the Tigers line but as he was halted he threw a rather ill-advised inside ball to a non-existent support player. The ball was knocked down and then collected by Paul McShane as Castleford survived.
Lomax dropped a bad pass by Roby (rarer than a 20/40) before his next involvement in attack forced Olpherts to tip the ball into touch to prevent it from reaching Hurrell in space close to the line. Yet it only delayed the second Saints score of the day as Morgan Knowles notched his fourth try of the season. Again it was facilitated by more porous defence from Lee Radford’s side. Knowles took Jack Welsby’s pass inside the Tigers’ 10 metre line and easily shook off the flapping attentions of Liam Watts and Mellor to touch down. It was an easy conversion for Makinson to push Saints out to a 12-0 lead.
Watts wasn’t having much luck tackling legitimately so took to more lawless measures in a mad few minutes. First he went high on Makinson to offer Saints a relieving penalty deep in their own half. For an encore - and with Saints threatening having made good ground - the former Hull FC prop hit Lomax long after the Saints stand-off had found Matty Lees bursting through a hole in the Cas rearguard. Lees’ pass to Welsby went to ground so play was brought back for the penalty and Watts was invited to take 10 minutes rest by referee Chris Kendall. He could have few complaints. It would not have been unreasonable for Kendall to issue the yellow card to Watts following the high shot on Makinson. Especially given its similarities with the shot which was to earn Sironen his yellow later in proceedings. It was just a matter for Watts.
The challenge cost the Tigers numerically in terms of personnel, but not on the scoreboard. Saints decided to go for goal but on an occasionally blustery day Makinson managed to skew wide what looked like a routine attempt at goal. It was a textbook example of the kind of goal-kicking woes that have dogged Saints since Lewis Dodd went down with a season scuppering Achilles injury on Good Friday. Makinson, Bennison, Lomax and Davies have all been used in the role. Makinson has proven to be the best of a fairly average bunch but his 61.5% success rate is underwhelming.
Cheyse Blair was playing his first game since a two-match suspension for a high tackle in a recent clash with Warrington. His afternoon would again end early as he took a knock to the head from which he was unable to recover sufficiently to satisfy the concussion protocols. While he lay on the turf awaiting medical assistance Richardson was forced to bat the ball dead for a Tigers dropout under pressure from Welsby chasing his own kick.
Saints couldn’t capitalise and most of what remained of the half was a frustrating, error-strewn watch. Both sides came into this one averaging around 10 errors a game. Though Cas only marginally exceeded that with 12 Saints had the mistake-ometer in overdrive as they managed to butcher 20 possessions with careless handling. Davies, Bennison, Hurrell, Makinson and Hill all found different ways to spill possession inside the final 10 minutes of the half.
Of those errors Makinson’s was perhaps the most frustrating as he was unable to come down with possession from Lomax’s lofted kick into the in-goal. Had he done so the England winger would surely have had a try on his comeback. Hill was unfortunate also when Bennison broke free - one of only four clean breaks by Saints and only seven in the entire game between the two sides. The fullback made 35 metres down the field into Tigers territory but his attempt to find Hill with a kick out wide was too straight and too short. Hill’s only available course of action was to dive on it to retain possession but it squirmed away.
Saints compounded that error when they were then caught offside to offer the Tigers one last chance to attack before the break. Yet it was predictably squandered as Eden lost possession in Roby’s tackle just when it looked like the fullback might be poking his nose through the Saints defensive line and getting his arms free. The half-time hooter was an opportunity for both teams to have a much needed reset.
Yet still the Tigers could not settle. Back to back penalties two minutes into the second half gave Saints a chance to extend their advantage. The first was at a scrum so not a kickable opportunity, but the second came in short order when McShane and Mellor stole the ball from Wingfield close to the Tigers line. It was right in front of the sticks and an automatic two points even if your success rate is only 61.5%. If all of Makinson’s attempts had been from this position his percentage would be somewhat higher. He duly notched the two on offer and pushed Saints out to a three score lead at 14-0.
Cas now did not have the luxury of going for goal when they were presented with a similar chance a few minutes later. There was an element of controversy about the way the Tigers obtained possession, if not about the decision to penalise and sin bin Sironen. Richardson’s high ball was caught beautifully by Bennison but the youngster then seemed to lose the ball on the ground under pressure from McShane. Yet replays appeared to show that the crafty Cas man had knocked the ball out of Bennison’s grasp and - although it was one on one - that the ball had gone forward off McShane.
Kendall disagreed and was soon waving his yellow card at Sironen. The back rower was unbalanced as Fairamo stepped back inside him off the right wing. Sironen swung an arm in desperation and caught the former Hull winger directly in the head. Whether you like the rules or you don’t it was a clear yellow under the current guidelines. It also means another suspension for Sironen who has picked up a two-match ban. It is his fourth suspension of his first season at Saints. Like Mata’utia, he needs to come to terms with the current interpretations on foul play before it ends up costing him and Saints dearly. It is a pity because he is in fine form. Despite missing 10 minutes of action he was still one of only four Saints to gain over 100 metres on the day.
Though kicking was not an option Cas enjoyed a spell of pressure on Saints line. Yet again they threw away their opportunity as Mellor - having an especially abysmal afternoon with ball in hand - lost control of it at the play-the-ball.
The errors mounted. Lomax couldn’t connect with Bennison just inside the Tigers’ half. Richardson’s pass was too hot for Joe Westerman to handle. Just inside the last half hour Saints struck an ultimately decisive blow. Given good field possession as Castleford were caught offside, the champions advanced to the Tigers 10 where Lomax placed a low kick towards the in-goal area. Joe Batchelor was first on to it and claimed a try. Kendall agreed tentatively but sent it up to the video referee to check.
Kendall and Batchelor were correct, but not in quite the way they had thought. Batchelor rather flapped at the ball, failing to re-grip it to effect a legal grounding. It is almost impossible to do that when you make contact with the ball so low to the ground. As clear an example as there is of a rule designed to reduce the amount of tries scored. Pay your money and take your choice on what you think of that philosophy. Yet fortunately for Batchelor and Saints it was deemed that the former York man would have grounded the ball properly were it not for the illegal attentions of Gareth O’Brien. The former Warrington man was adjudged to have pulled Batchelor back and a penalty try was awarded.
It counts as Batchelor’s eighth of an impressive season. Penalty tries come with conversion attempts directly in front of the posts regardless of where the offence takes place so it was with some ease that Makinson landed his fourth goal of the game for a 20-0 Saints lead.
Yet even with that cosy cushion, when Saints threatened to burst into life they still stuttered. Welsby produced a moment - breaking inside his own 40 and racing 30 metres into Cas territory before he was pulled down by Eden and Mahe Fonua. The young Saints star fell awkwardly injuring his neck. There were sharp intakes of breath all round as he was looked at by the medical staff and deemed fit to continue. Welsby had already returned from a first half head injury assessment. Given our problems in the skill positions it must have been tempting for Woolf - with a 20-point lead heading towards the final quarter of the game - to rest Welsby for another day.
Saints could have really put themselves out of sight had Hurrell’s flick pass found Makinson near the Tigers’ try line rather than floating into touch. Yet as the last 20 minutes began it was the visitors who began to make the most attacking inroads. Richardson produced a magnificent 40/20 which rolled into touch just the right side of the corner post from a Tigers point of view.
McShane then tried to put a grubber through the Saints defensive line but it was blocked by the hand of McCarthy-Scarbrook. From the ensuing set the ball was moved right by Richardson to Eden who fed Fairamo. The winger barrelled straight through Hill to touch down and finally get Cas on the scoreboard. It was harsh on Hill who had picked up a shoulder knock earlier. Yet you got the sense that Radford should have been imploring his big outside backs to run at Hill and Davies from much earlier in the game. Perhaps they might have done if they had been able to hold on to the ball for more than two or three plays at a time. It was a difficult touchline conversion for Richardson which was blown off course by the wind to keep Saints in a healthy position at 20-4.
Sosaia Feki is a name you might have heard in Super League circles over the last couple of years without actually seeing proof of his existence. Like Keyser Soze. Feki joined Cas at the start of 2020 but a horror run of injuries prevented him from appearing in Super League until now. His ability to hang around for a seeming eternity without having to do anything is rivalled only by that of your average cabinet minister. Or perhaps by ageless contract extender McCarthy-Scarsbrook. In any case it was Feki who caused Saints’ next wobble as his low kick on the right edge inside the Saints half was fielded by Bennison who could only slide into touch in possession as the chasers converged.
Makinson was then penalised for something that you’d have to ask Kendall about just a few metres from the Saints line. In scenes not dissimilar to Fairamo’s earlier score the winger then added his second in four minutes. O’Brien, Eden and Richardson all combined but it was Feki who delivered another opportunity for Fairamo to power over through Hill. It needed video referee confirmation but was quickly awarded.
If the try was similar so was the conversion attempt - Richardson again off target from out wide. Though they had only out-scored Castleford by three tries to two at this point Saints’ superior goal-kicking from 61.5% man Makinson was making the difference as they still led 20-8 with just over 10 minutes left.
It was at this juncture that Hill was withdrawn from the fray. The news is that his shoulder problem will keep him from getting another first team opportunity for at least four weeks. You wonder - or I do - how much of Woolf’s decision to substitute Hill was down to the youngster’s physical inability to continue and how much was due to the coach fearing that the Tigers would continue to have success running at him and might must turn the scoreline around. Hill didn’t seem to have a problem until the last quarter but perhaps the injury wasn’t really tested by Cas until then. Overall Hill made just five tackles in the game and missed two.
Sensing that their attacking form wasn’t quite there Saints went into relative shutdown mode on their next possession. They received a penalty when Fonua ripped the ball away from Walmsley and began to methodically make their way down the field. When play six arrived Sironen was caught on the last a few metres from the Cas try line.
In scenes reminiscent of how Huddersfield Giants forced us all to suffer Wigan’s Challenge Cup victory back in May there was no attempt by Saints to get creative or earn a repeat set. It was a clear statement from Woolf’s side that they would back their defence. After all - and despite a recent sticky patch - no Super League side has conceded fewer points in 2022 than Saints. And it is not particularly close. The next best record belongs to Catalans Dragons but the French outfit have leaked 93 more points than Saints across the 22 rounds played so far.
The strategy can be considered successful in this one but perhaps only because the clock was such a factor. When Saints did open up they misfired, perhaps adding weight to the argument that they should stick it up the jumper and see this thing out. It was Bennison who didn’t get the memo, trying to execute a catch and pass to put Makinson over in the right corner but dropping his pass too low. Makinson got hands to it but couldn’t reel it in, much to his visible displeasure as he barked at the young fullback to get the ball higher. Yet the moment was gone.
By now Bennison - who had enjoyed a more than decent outing - was veering dangerously into nightmare territory. The eagle-eyed Kendall spotted a tiny knock-on from the Saints man as he stooped to collect a long kick downfield from off the grass deep in his own territory. That slip gave Cas another opportunity, and Fairamo needed no further encouragement to complete his 12-minute hat-trick. I haven’t got the stats on Gelling’s effort in 2016 but I’m guessing it wasn’t that quick. The only thing Gelling does with that kind of haste is book his flight to New Zealand when he gets wind that the police might be looking for him.
By this time it was Davies on the left wing for Saints and although Fairamo didn’t run through him after being fed by the O’Brien-Richardson-Eden combo he was still able to squeeze past the makeshift winger to go in at the corner. Another obligatory video review confirmed it. Yet with time against them Cas needed the conversion - again from out wide - to make it a one score game and set up a manic last few minutes. Whether through injury, frustration at his lack of success to that point or the position’s suitability for a left-footed kicker Richardson deferred the responsibility to McShane. Yet the result was the same. Though they had now scored as many tries as Saints over the 80 minutes - not something many teams have done this year particularly in this town - Cas were nevertheless going to lose by more than a converted try at 20-12.
Cas forced one last dropout for a final assault on the threepeaters’ line but O’Brien’s kick for Olpherts was badly weighted allowing Saints to hang on. Fittingly for a fairly ugly game it ended in a degree of farce when Walmsley attempted to tap and run with a final penalty awarded after the hooter only to lose the ball. Kendall’s final whistle was a relief to everyone not associated with the Tigers.
Individually Walmsley stood out, leading all metre makers with 144. Makinson’s 135 placed him second in that category and underlined exactly what we have been missing in his absence. As well as Sironen (116), Bennison was a running threat as good as any before the jitters set in late as he rumbled for 123 metres of his own. Castleford’s best effort came from Eden with 129, Fairamo added 122 to his three tries and Olpherts just about hit the century mark with 102.
Defensively the errors on both sides kept the tackle counts down. McShane led the way with 44 while there were 35 each for all of Mellor, Lees and Knowles. Since it was so evidently missing at Salford perhaps we should take heart from Saints’ defensive effort. In the face of 16 Tigers offloads Woolf’s side nevertheless kept their opponents scoreless for over an hour. Ultimately that was decisive as time ran out on the Cas comeback.
It was an important win for Saints, but following on from the Debacle Of AJ Bell and a very squeaky win at Wakefield there has to be concerns about the state of things as we enter the end of season stretch. Hull FC host Saints this Sunday (August 14). Brett Hodgson’s side have yet to find a depth of awfulness that they are not capable of but equally they can put a performance on as they did in Toulouse a couple of weeks ago. They followed that up with a narrow loss at top three Huddersfield last time out in a game they led by double digits and perhaps should have won. They can be a threat on their day.
Meanwhile Woolf seems no nearer to getting his shredded back line mended. The boss says Hopoate is in with a chance this week but I wouldn’t hit your nearest branch of BetFred and place all of your valuables on the ex-Bulldog managing an appearance. On the plus side Woolf will welcome back Paasi and Mata’utia to strengthen a pack which is already doing more than its fair share of the work in keeping Saints’ ship on course.
It’s all going to come down to Wigan at the end of August for the League Leaders Shield, isn’t it?
Saints: Bennison, Makinson, Hurrell, Davies, Hill, Welsby, Lomax, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Knowles. Interchanges: Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Wingfield, Bell
Castleford: Eden, Fairamo, Blair, Fonua, Olpherts, O’Brien, Richardson, Griffin, McShane, Watts, Edwards, Mellor, Westerman. Interchanges: Sutcliffe, Martin, Matagi, Feki
Referee: Chris Kendall
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