After another rude interruption Saints return to action when they host Castleford Tigers on Friday night (July 5, kick-off 8.00pm).
Super League took a break last week while lip service was paid to the international game in the form of the mid season international between England and France, With no real TV coverage and the fact that it was scheduled as a curtain raiser to a second tier league fixture between Toulouse and Featherstone Rovers the whole affair feels like a pointless box ticking exercise. That’s before you even consider that the France and Toulouse squads share a number of players, none of whom can play two games on a single day.
Happily there are no more such interruptions from here on in. With a dozen league games left to play for most clubs it’s all on as they fight for the League Leaders Shield and places in the top six which bring the reward of playoff football.
Saints are still in the hunt for top spot but after last week’s disappointing 20-18 loss at Salford they need to bounce back quickly. Fortunately the fixture list has dealt them a comfortable looking home clash with a struggling Tigers side. Unfortunately that gentle reintroduction to league matters is followed by a trip to current league leaders Wigan. Following that Saints host a Warrington side who thrashed them on their own patch in the Challenge Cup in April before travelling to Leigh for what is always a tricky assignment. The next few weeks could tell us a lot about the title credentials of Paul Wellens’ side.
By contrast Cas have had their season cast into meaninglessness by IMG and their incessant meddling. Craig Lingard’s side won’t be going down to the Championship based on their results even if other criteria could yet take them there. Looking in the other direction the Tigers won’t be in the top six shake up either. They only have three wins and a draw from their first 15 games and sit in 10th place in the table, 11 points shy of a top six berth. This is one of the weakest Cas sides we have seen in the Super League era.
To illustrate that point Saints scored 52 points without reply in just the second half alone when the sides met in West Yorkshire earlier in the season. A lot of their problems must surely be attributed to a lack of motivation brought on by the absence of either incentive or jeopardy. Though if you’re a Tigers fan you might argue that the team is becoming more competitive. They lost by only one point last time out - going down 13-12 to Hull KR - while prior to that they only came up two points short against the champions. They lost 10-8 to a Wigan side which may or may not have had their preparations hampered by the length of their celebrations from the previous week’s Challenge Cup final win over Warrington.
Wellens has had to make two changes to his 21-man squad this week. Daryl Clark and Konrad Hurrell join an injury list which already includes Tommy Makinson, Alex Walmsley, Matt Whitley, Joe Batchelor, Morgan Knowles and Jake Wingfield. The only good news is that Jonny Lomax comes back into contention after recovering from a fractured hand. His return is especially timely given Clark’s absence as it should allow Moses Mbye to vacate the halves and resume a role at nine where Clark normally operates. Lomax seems likely to slot back in at stand-off alongside Rabbitohs-bound halfback Lewis Dodd.
With Hurrell out Wellens has a decision to make at centre. He could simply give an opportunity to Ben Davies or a debut to Jonny Vaughan. But here’s a bold idea. He could move Waqa Blake back into his preferred role after he has spent most of the season on the wing. Jon Bennison and Tee Ritson are both involved so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that both could play with Blake alongside Mark Percival in the centres ahead of fullback Jack Welsby.
If Mbye does start at hooker he will be part of a front row that should include Matty Lees and George Delaney at props. Delaney is one of the few people who may have benefited from the England game as it gave him a first taste of being involved in an international squad. Agnatius Paasi will probably continue his comeback from the bench giving Saints another option at prop. Behind those three Sione Mata’utia and Curtis Sironen are just about the last second rowers left standing although there will probably be a place on the bench with Sam Royle’s name on it. Expect James Bell to continue at 13.
Lingard has made five changes to the 21 on duty for that agonising one-point defeat to Hull KR. In come George Lawler, Daniel Hindmarsh, Luis Johnson, Sammy Kibula and Liam Watts. They replace Sylvester Namo, Sam Wood, Sam Hall, Josh Hodson and Nixon Putt.
Of those Wood looks the biggest loss. His centre spot could be filled by Alex Mellor with Corey Hall partnering him. Jason Qareqare and Innes Senior have plenty of pace on the wings while Tex Hoy shows flashes of his quality at fullback. Former Rover Rowan Milnes and ex-Wakefield man Jacob Miller will attempt to bring out the potential in that back line by supplying the ammunition from the halfback positions.
It’s up front where you really fear for Cas even against a depleted Saints pack. Watts is no longer the force he was and may settle for a role off the bench behind Griffin and either Matty English or Joe Westerman. Paul McShane is still missing so Liam Horne may continue at hooker. Horne was sent off the last time these sides met for a very dangerous tip tackle. He’ll need to keep his discipline this time if Cas are to have any hope of even keeping the score down. The extra space created by the 12 v 12 situation in the last meeting - Makinson had already been harshly dismissed - was perhaps a contributing factor in the Tigers inability to stop Saints running riot in that second half. Cain Robb is the likely provider of resting time for Horne along with George Hill although the latter has been operating at 13 of late..
If Mellor switches to centre from second row then Johnson and Hindmarsh are candidates to be heavily involved whether from the start or off the bench. Elie El-Zakhem will be difficult to shift from the back row but Lingard may choose to restore Westerman to his old loose forward role with Watts now available.
Saints’ 60-4 stroll at the Mend-A-Hose was the only other meeting between the two so far in 2024. Last year there were three matches featuring these sides in the whacky world of loop fixtures. Saints came back from beating Penrith Panthers in Sydney to win 24-6 at Cas a week later while Wellens ‘ men also won 22-0 at home in June and 34-4 at Castleford again in August. The Tigers’ last win over Saints came in April 2022 when a youthful visiting outfit went down 30-10 on the back of a busy Easter the previous week. For Castleford’s last win in St Helens you have to go back to August 2021 and a 20-10 Tigers triumph. The teams also bumped into each other at Wembley that year with the red vee winning 26-12.
The current Castleford cohort look a long way from challenging to make it into major finals. They face a massive task against a Saints team that will no doubt be smarting a bit from that defeat to Salford last time out. Despite the injuries all the evidence points to a comfortable return to the winners enclosure for the deposed four in a row champions. It’s essential ahead of the tests that await.
Squads;
Saints;
1. Jack Welsby, 3. Waqa Blake, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 14. Moses Mbye, 15. James Bell, 16. Curtis Sironen, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 20. George Delaney, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 24. Jake Burns, 25. Tee Ritson, 30. Jonny Vaughan, 31. Noah Stephens, 32. Leon Cowen, 33. Harry Robertson.
Castleford Tigers
1. Hooley 5. Innes Senior 7. Jacob Miller 8. Liam Watts 10. George Lawler 11. Elie El-Zakhem 12. Alex Mellor 13. Joe Westerman 14. Liam Horne 15. George Griffin 16. Rowan Milnes 20. Muizz Mustapha 23. Jason Qareqare 24. Cain Robb 26. Sammy Kibula 29. George Hill 30. Luis Johnson 32. Daniel Hindmarsh 34. Tex Hoy 35. Corey Hall 37. Matty English
Referee: Tom Grant
Video Referee: Liam Rush
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