I told you it wasn’t a crisis.
Saints halted a two-game losing streak in impressive style as they dismissed the early pace setters on Thursday night (April 20). It’s a win which moves Saints back up to sixth in the league as we head towards an international break which has already been shunned into oblivion by the top clubs.
Head Coach Paul Wellens’ side also have a game in hand which - should they win it - will take them back into the top four. The result also saw the Wolves relinquish top spot in the Super League table after Wigan became the latest team to beat Wakefield Trinity. Which to be quite honest is a bit of a downside to the usually blissful feeling of flaying Warrington. But they brought it on themselves. Daryl Powell’s side have now suffered consecutive defeats after winning their first eight.
The Team News
There were plenty of reasons to be pessimistic for Saints fans coming into this one. Most of the starting pack which missed last week’s defeat at Hull KR remained out. Morgan Knowles served the second of a five-game suspension while Alex Walmsley, Sione Mata’utia, Curtis Sironen and Agnatius Passi all missed out again through injury. The one exception was Joe Batchelor who made a more than welcome return. The former York man has not featured since the win over St George-Illawarra Dragons in the build up to the World Club Challenge but has now recovered after ankle surgery.
It wasn’t just the pack with problems this week. There had been rumblings all week about Mark Percival’s availability and they were proved right as he was kept out due to his recurring hamstring problem. Percival played in the back row in last week’s loss to Hull KR at Sewell Group Craven Park but with Batchelor back he would most likely have reverted to his regular slot in the centres had he been available. In his absence Wellens stuck with a pairing of Konrad Hurrell and Will Hopoate.
And there was one more nasty surprise on game day when the list of 17 names on duty for Saints did not include that of Tommy Makinson. Wellens explained that the England winger had been playing at somewhere below full fitness for the last few weeks due to a number of issues and so the decision was taken to leave him out.
Warrington had some problems of their own up front, most notably the suspension of prop Paul Vaughan. The ex-Canterbury Bulldog has been a revelation in the opening weeks of 2023 and a major factor in the good run which saw Powell’s men shoot to the top of the table. Despite missing this one Vaughan has still made more metres than any other forward in Super League this term which tells you something about what he brings to the Wolves. Wire were also missing the suspended pair of Gil Dudson and Joe Philbin but welcomed back James Harrison.
Ritson Makes His Mark
Makinson’s absence gave an opportunity to Tee Ritson to make just his fourth appearance since joining from Barrow Raiders. The Thai-born winger impressed, scoring his second try for the club late on but his performance was as much about what he did in defence. Many will have had worries about Ritson in this area especially in comparison to the dependable Makinson. Yet the understudy stood up to the test well. There was evidence of that early when he made a crucial tackle on Ashton. Just five minutes had gone by when the Warrington flyer was found with a little running room on his favoured left wing. Ritson was able to size him up and push him over the sideline in a manner which even Makinson could not have bettered.
Gambler Hurrell Flips The Script
The visitors had been enjoying good possession early but were hit with a classic sucker punch inside 10 minutes. For what it is now worth George Williams has just been appointed England captain by his old Wigan coach Shaun Wane but he did not get there by producing the kind of lapses which led to Saints taking the lead. As Warrington again tried to find room on the left channel Hurrell blew up their plans, intercepting Williams’ pass and rumbling 50 metres to score. It was the ex-Leeds man’s fourth try of the season and his 16th in Saints colours in 35 appearances.
It was a gamble by Hurrell. He would not have been likely to do much about it had he failed to snaffle the pass and it had instead found its way to a Warrington hand. Yet the gamble paid off and it was ultimately a fantastic piece of opportunism from the Tongan. And you’ve got to love that about Hurrell. At times he’s a reckless chancer in the finest Saints traditions. His intervention set the tone for a fairly dominant Saints performance. With both Percival and Makinson out the goal-kicking responsibility passed on to Jon Bennison but he was unsuccessful with his first attempt.
Vintage Jonny
The 14,800+ in attendance didn’t have to wait long to see Saints build on that lead. Five minutes after Hurrell’s winning bet they were in again. A high shot by Daryl Clark on James Bell set up the position from where Lomax re-established himself over Hurrell as Saints’ leading try scorer in 2023. Hopoate had done well to maintain possession on the previous play, juggling it amid some suspiciously over-enthusiastic attention from Matt Dufty. Hopoate’s party trick enabled Lomax to take possession and step Danny Walker into next Tuesday before going over untouched for his fifth try of the season.
It was vintage Lomax on a night which - even at this early marker - was shaping up to be a vintage Saints night. Bennison had a much simpler task with the extras this time and Saints were almost keeping up with the clock at 10-0 up after just 12 minutes.
Things Get Better
Not content with that contribution Hopoate then set about bagging a try for himself. Jack Welsby placed a neat little dab through the Warrington defensive line and into the in-goal area where Hopoate beat both Dufty and Matty Russell to it to touch down. It was his second try of the season after opening his account in the 38-0 win over Wakefield at the end of March.
Again Ritson had been involved, winning the field position by forcing a goal-line dropout after Ashton and Stef Ratchford had hesitated in dealing with a Lomax kick.
There are just the merest signs that Hopoate is starting to find his rhythm in this side having now appeared in each of the last five matches. That is nearly half as many as he managed in the whole of his first season with the club in 2022. Bennison was on target again with the conversion and the champions were disappearing from view at 16-0.
A Rare Defensive Lapse
Eventually Wire cleared their heads sufficiently to at least threaten to get back into the contest. First Stefan Ratchford had an opportunity snuffed out illegally by Lomax as the Saints stand-off pulled his man back. That gave Wire a penalty 10 metres out from which they took full advantage. When the dam broke it was Dufty who forced it open, finding a good looking long ball out to Russell on the right wing to enable the winger to squeeze over. Referee Jack Smith felt the need to send it upstairs to the video referee but there was never really any doubt that the former Wigan man had stayed in the field of play. An excellent touchline conversion from Ratchford cut Saints’ lead to 10 at 16-6.
Wellens’ made some interesting comments after the game about how leaving space out wide is a deliberate defensive ploy for his troops. It has certainly worked over the last few seasons under Kristian Woolf. Saints conceded an average of only 11.3 points per game during Woolf’s three regular seasons in charge. That figure has gone up to 13.4 per game in the opening weeks of Wellens’ reign but that should still be more than good enough to be able to win consistently. Clearly Saints back themselves to be able to recover in time to stop tries going in on their edges and prioritise making sure the middle of the defence is solidified. The plan went slightly awry on this occasion. That could have given Warrington the proverbial glimmer but although they would have more chances to breach the Saints line it was the last time they would trouble the scoreboard operator on the night.
Another One Off The Conveyor Belt?
Saints have been absolutely prolific in bringing young talent from the academy into the first team in the Super League era. Welsby, Makinson, Percival, Lomax, Lewis Dodd, James Roby and Knowles are all regulars who have been developed in-house. Sam Royle is another who has started the last two, while Jake Wingfield regularly makes the 17 when he is fit. Half an hour in to this one we caught the latest glimpse of perhaps the next emerging academy star as George Delaney entered proceedings.
There were big shoes to fill with Walmsley and Paasi out but far from being unnerved by it Delaney looked comfortable throughout. He doesn’t seem big enough yet to play front row in Super League yet he carried the ball strongly all night. Eighty-one metres on 10 carries is a more than respectable stat line for the youngster who only turned 19 in February. He has now featured in the last four under Wellens. Although some of that it is a direct result of Saints’ injuries up front he looks a very good prospect. This run in the side can only be helping his development. Walmsley cannot go on forever, especially racking up the ridiculous numbers we have seen from him, so the emergence of Delaney could be timely. One to keep a close eye on.
Saints Hold Firm
Wire finished the half as they started it, enjoying a period of concerted pressure in the Saints half. Walker’s 40-20 kick was the catalyst for it. The Wolves’ hooker then threatened again with a testing grubber which was covered by Lomax. Another wave of attack followed. Williams’ kick was half stopped by Batchelor and gathered by Ben Currie. That led to Sam Kasiano going very close but he was stopped just short by a combination of Roby and Dodd. The pressure was only relieved when Walker’s pass went behind Matty Nicholson and was pounced on by Bennison.
In many ways this was the key period in the game. A Warrington try at that stage - just before half time - would potentially have brought the Saints lead down to just four points. In keeping it to a two score game Saints arguably struck a crucial psychological blow going into the break.
The Champagne Moment
The importance of that stand was illustrated just a few minutes into the second half when Saints stretched their advantage in the grand fashion. Roby, Welsby, Dodd and Lomax all got their hands on the ball in a flowing move which put Bennison in space on the outside of Russell. Dufty came over to cover but Saints’ young wing man had other plans for him. He dummied extravagantly to his inside support, a move that was bought unconditionally by the hapless Dufty. His momentum almost took him into the front row of the stand. Queue all manner of predictable gags about Dufty paying to get back in to the stadium.
With Dufty out of the equation the space opened up in front of Bennison who had a clear run to the line. He coasted over for his fourth try of the season and his 11th in 26 Saints outings. He could not tack on the two points from out wide on the left touchline but with a lead of 20-6 Wellens’ men were in a hugely commanding position.
He may only have made 26 senior appearances but Bennison looked every inch the veteran on the try-scoring play. It’s hard to think of too many wingers - even the more experienced ones - in Super League who would have had the presence of mind to try such an audacious dummy and then have the skills to execute it. He looks set for a more active role than being stuck out on the wing as his career develops.
Another Close Call
You may remember a game against Catalans Dragons at Newcastle’s Magic Weekend in September 2021. It is one which still sends shivers down the spine of all Saints fans. An 18-point lead was somehow frittered away in the final five minutes, culminating in Kasiano somehow pouching an attacking bomb and dotting it down to take the game into golden point extra time. Once there, James Maloney’s drop-goal completed the turnaround as the Dragons got home by a point.
Memories of that came flooding back when Kasiano almost stung Saints again with half an hour to go in this one. The opportunity came about thanks to a slightly iffy call from Smith. Greg Minikin appeared to lose possession into Bennison yet Smith ruled that it had been the Saints man who had knocked on. That set up the position from where Kasiano again went tantalisingly close. He was just hauled down short by Welsby, Lees and Hurrell yet made the fatal mistake of trying to promote the ball over the line with a second movement. Smith could have chosen to have the incident reviewed but instead made a brave live call to penalise the former Dragons prop for a double movement. He was right too, as the TV replays showed. Whether it goes Saints way or not I find it refreshing to see referees back their own judgement. I’m not a huge fan of everything being reviewed and scrutinised to the nth degree. Yet the level of risk in spurning the use of technology is high, as Rob Hicks found out in another famous meeting between these two sides at Wembley in 2019.
Smith’s was a call which was not only brave but crucial. And unlike that of Hicks four years ago it was correct. A score there would have got Warrington back in with a shout. As it was there was a feeling even at that point that everything would be alright and that Warrington were running out of chances. Their increasing desperation was underlined when Ratchford attempted a miraculous behind the back pass out to Ashton which rolled harmlessly over the touchline.
The Kill Shot
That feeling of security was enhanced with a quarter of an hour left. Lees had gone close earlier when chasing a seemingly lost cause of a kick, and was denied again on this occasion by Dufty. Yet the methods used by the fullback had been illegal. Lees was over the line and fighting to ground the ball when it was stolen by the Wire fullback with other Wolves defenders hanging on in the tackle. There was some suggestion that Dufty had not realised that he was not entitled to steal the ball from an opponent over the try line as the NRL permits that action. That gave Saints an easy opportunity to add two points from in front of the posts. Joey Lussick - now on alongside Roby who had switched to loose forward - took over the responsibility from Bennison and Saints led 22-6.
The Cherry On Top
That score seemed to squeeze any remaining air out of the Warrington balloon. The exclamation point on the victory came late on when Ritson added his name to the list of try scorers. He went in on the right wing after an outstanding flick pass from Hurrell. Lussick landed a very good looking conversion from the right hand touchline to put a touch of gloss on a deserved win. It capped what was undoubtedly Saints best performance of the season domestically. It didn’t quite match the intensity of the World Club Challenge win over Penrith but it showed that - despite some underwhelming results and performances in 2023 - this is a Saints side which can still mix it with anything that Super League has to offer.
Even more remarkably they did it while using only 15 of the 17 players on duty. Wellens chose not to use either Lewis Baxter or Wesley Bruines which is rare in the modern game. And bad news for the next coach who wants to offer the loss of one or two interchange players as an excuse for failing to get a result.
The Stats Bit
With a very makeshift pack on duty you might not expect Saints to have gained the same amount of ground as they would with everyone available. What you might not expect is that all five of the men who topped the 100 metre mark were backs. Hurrell led the way with 169 followed by Welsby (137). Both Hopoate and Bennison had 122 and Lomax 120. Ritson went close with 95. The best effort in the forwards was the 92 made by Lees. Royle added 85 and there was Delaney’s 81.
The Wolves struggled to fill the Vaughan-shaped hole to such an extent that only one player managed the century. And that was winger Russell with 123. The next best effort was Minikin’s 99 while the top forward was Walker on 89.
Saints’ top tackler was Lees with 34 with Roby just one behind on 33. There was more defensive work for Wire, who could have done with five more with Walker’s work rate. He made 47 tackles to go with his metre-making, while Josh McGuire had 35 and Nicholson 32.
Saints kept their error count below their season average, coughing it up just eight times compared with Warrington’s 12. Meanwhile Hurrell produced half of Saints’ six offloads. Only Wigan’s Toby King and Huddersfield’s Esan Marsters have made more in Super League this year. Powell’s teams are known for keeping the ball alive but were restricted to only five.
Next Up
In a word…nothing. Not this week at any rate. Super League takes a break for a mid-season international between England and France at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. Eight of Wellens’ squad were selected by Wane but at the time of writing only Welsby has a chance of playing as the other seven have been withdrawn. And even Welsby is working on getting a note from his mum. There are suggestions that Catalans Dragons and Toulouse will also pull their players out of the French squad. So an already unappetising fixture has pretty much descended into farce.
Saints will hopefully be taking French opposition much more seriously the following weekend when they go to Perpignan to face the fourth-placed Dragons. A fortnight of inactivity might help both sides get some bodies back into the frame for selection even if it does diddly squat for the international game. But that’s rugby league. Barf on about how much we need the international game and then run a mile when somebody has the temerity to arrange an actual fixture.
A Saints win would lift them above Catalans on points difference. And they would still have that game in hand on most other sides. Top four with more than half the season to play, anyone?
I told you it wasn’t a crisis.
Saints: Welsby, Ritson, Hurrell, Hopoate, Bennison, Lomax, Dodd, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Roby, Lees, Royle, Batchelor, Bell. Interchanges: Delaney, Lussick, Baxter, Bruines.
Warrington: Dufty, Russell, Minikin, Ratchford, Ashton, Williams, Drinkwater, Harrison, Walker, McGuire, Currie, Nicholson, Clark. Interchanges: Kasiano, Mata’utia, Thewlis, Green
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