It was another miserable afternoon for Saints as they were heavily beaten by a Hull KR side which is looking more and more like the real deal with each passing week.
Paul Wellens’ side suffered a 10th league defeat of the season and a seventh in their last nine Super League outings. Relegation form had IMG not obliterated that concept some time ago. Saints were held to a solitary converted try - and that from debutant halfback George Whitby. That followed last weekend’s blank scoresheet in the 20-0 Magic Weekend defeat by Wigan at Leeds’ Elland Road. It would be fair to say that things aren’t going so well.
And yet Saints remain inside the top six and - if the season were to finish today - on course for a playoff spot. The 2023 world champions are fifth on the same points - 26 - as sixth placed Catalans Dragons. They hold a points difference advantage over Steve McNamara’s side that is large enough to be worth another point. One point further back from those two are Leigh Leopards who host Saints on the final day of the regular season while late season specialists Leeds Rhinos are not out of the reckoning. It’s going to be close.
Unlike this game which was a procession almost from start to finish. The win keeps Rovers top of the table. Points difference is also the separating factor between the Robins and defending Super League champions Wigan, with the top two set to meet in a potential League Leaders Shield decider looming on September 6.
Not to rule out Warrington, who sit third just two points adrift of the other two and with the advantage of having to play against this decimated, shadow of a Saints side in a couple of weeks. Sam Burgess’ side finish with games against Huddersfield and London. It could still be their year in terms of the league. It’s happened before. Of course winning the Grand Final is something else altogether.
If some changes were necessary from the Wigan debacle then others were enforced. Despite being named in the initial 21-man squad Alex Walmsley was not fit to play. The England prop has managed just two appearances since returning from a four-month layoff. It’s reasonable to question the wisdom of signing the 34 year-old to another two-year deal beyond the end of this campaign. Still devastating at his best, it is looking more and more unlikely that he will contribute for a full season in what remains of his career.
Also out was James Bell. Named at hooker at Elland Road the former Leigh man was out with a back injury. Yet perhaps that inspired Wellens to restore some sanity to his team selection. Last week’s short lived experiment of Joe Batchelor at centre was not rebooted but it was Jonny Vaughan and not Wellens favourite Ben Davies who was selected to partner Waqa Blake. Goodness only knows what Davies has done to upset Wellens but it must be horrific.
Yet the bigger headline was the decision to hand a first team debut to halfback George Whitby. With Jonny Lomax returning from suspension it had been thought - in this column at least - that he would be paired with Moses Mbye with Jake Burns starting at hooker. That seemed the safe option - and we all know Wellens is fond of a safe option. Instead he paired Whitby with Lomax and Mbye reverted to hooker to fill in for the still absent Daryl Clark.
This week Batchelor’s nominal position was loose forward. That was in part due to the return to action of Sione Mata’utia. The former Kangaroo hadn’t featured since the 20-18 loss at Salford which started the current rot at the end of June. It was surprising to see him start after that kind of layoff but it was he who formed the second row with Matt Whitley.
By contrast Peters was able to field much of the same side that had thrashed the Dragons a week previously. Only one change was necessary with Jack Broadbent coming in at centre to replace Oliver Gildart. The ex-Wigan man failed an HIA during the Dragons game so missed out.
If ever an opening kickoff set the tone for a bad day it was this one. The ball sailed between Vaughan and Harry Robertson but remained in a perfectly catchable position for either. Yet communication was totally absent and between them they managed to fumble it forwards and give the visitors prime field position from the outset.
Within two minutes the scoreboard began ticking over. Matt Parcell, Tyrone May, Niall Evalds and Peta Hiku moved the ball right across the field to Joe Burgess who was able to dive over in the corner. It was awarded on review by video referee Ben Thaler but perhaps owed more to the decision of on-field whistler Chris Kendall to allow the latest offload in rugby league history by Sauaso Sue on the previous play. Mikey Lewis was not able to add the extra two points but this was not a day which would come down to goal-kicking.
It was fully six minutes into the game before Saints had their first possession. On seven minutes the disciplinary problems which have plagued Wellens’ side every bit as much as the injuries in 2024 made their customary appearance. Blake tangled with Broadbent, jabbing a swift but subtle left arm at the Rovers man’s head. There was deemed to be mitigation in Broadbent losing height in the tackle so Saints’ Fijian centre saw yellow rather than red.
Meanwhile, after grabbing Blake around the throat in reaction Lewis incurred no further punishment. Unfortunately that is the situation we find ourselves in now, where head contact whether intentional or not will see you sit for at least 10 minutes but needless aggression well after play has stopped won’t. Nobody is launching any potential lawsuits in connection with injuries sustained by strangulation, I guess.
Insult to injury and all that, Lewis was next to score. There was more than a touch of good fortune about it as May’s pass cannoned off the legs of Elliot Minchella before it was picked up by Lewis. He moved it on to Broadbent whose instant catch and pass put Ryan Hall away down the Rovers left. It was Lewis who got up in support of the multiple Grand Final-winning winger to take a simple inside pass and trot over unopposed. He was also good with the conversion this time and Peters’ men led 10-0.
Just before Blake returned from the sin-bin Saints conceded a second try in his absence. This time Lewis was the provider and May the scorer. The two halves combined before May offered a little fake to Broadbent and Hall outside him which was enough to allow him to glide past Mata’utia to score KR’s third try of the first 15 minutes. Another Lewis goal later they were keeping up with the rate of a point a minute on the game clock as they led 16-0.
Before the game was a quarter of the way through Rovers were in for a fourth try to move into an already unassailable looking 20-0 lead. Burgess’ second try was a carbon copy of his first as all of the same players - Parcell, May, Evalds and Hiku - got their hands on the ball in the move that finished with Burgess in at the right corner again. The biggest difference between the two Burgess tries in that opening quarter was that the second one saw no need for the extravagant dive for the line seen with the first one.
At this point that left defensive edge for Saints of Vaughan and Ritson had gone way past the point where repairs were required. It’s hindsight genius now but it might have been prudent to split Makinson and Blake up - not that the latter had been around much to that point owing to his swinging arm twitch - so that there would at least be one experienced player in each centre/wing defensive partnership. Whatever, it was a little late by then.
Were it not for the fact that Burgess can’t pass as well as he can run and score tries there would have been further trouble on 25 minutes. The ex-Wigan and Salford winger was again set free down that right hand side - Saints’ left edge in defence - but when Robertson chose to zero in on him and force him to pass whatever the cost Burgess fluffed his lines. His inside ball to James Batchelor was slightly in front of the back rower who had to dive forward to avoid making the handling error. Had he taken it cleanly in stride there was nobody left to stop him adding to the Rovers tally.
That set ended with a Saints dropout which - although hardly crucial to the outcome - said something about how spooked Saints were at this point. On the last play May sent a searching crossfield bomb from right to left. Yet it was too long, giving Blake the opportunity to catch it and set Saints up with a tap from their own 20 metre line. And a much needed breather. But Blake didn’t do that. Instead he chose to lazily bat the ball dead, forcing his already beleaguered side to defend another set. It’s a small thing, maybe. But it highlights how Saints - as well as facing a top team which are the real deal in some of their best form of the season - did very little to help themselves in the first half especially.
Parcell thought he was next to get on the scoresheet but after he got over from short range courtesy of Evalds’ pass his party was spoiled by the fact that Kendall had ruled that an earlier pass from May to Evalds had gone forward.
Fully 15 minutes had passed since Rovers last legal score before they got in again six minutes before the break. It was another move straight out of the Big Book Of How To Beat Saints as Rovers’ extra pace again prevailed by playing with width. By this time Jez Litten was on for Parcell and he shifted it early to allow May, James Batchelor, Hiku and Evans to again link up to find Burgess. Having seen his passing let him down on his last raid down the right touchline the right wing right winger dispensed with that idea and covered the remaining 60 metres to the try line himself.
The ease with which he beat Robertson at fullback was quite something. Though their emergence and the way the young players have handled themselves in this environment has been a major plus through this period of adversity it is clear that these guys are not the finished article and that more experience is required. The question is, are you willing to tolerate a few more bad losses along the way? You probably can’t have it both ways. Lewis converted Burgess’ hat-trick try to take KR out to a fairly embarrassing 26-0 lead. Despite a 40 metre break down the right by Ritson - finally switched from the left to avoid further punishment - the half would come to end with those 26 points between the sides.
Which lasted until seven minutes into the second half. At least we could now say that the gaps between Rovers tries were getting longer than in the carnage of that opening quarter. This time it was a short range affair as Kelepi Tanginoa got over from Parcell’s pass despite the attentions of Lomax, Blake and Robertson.
Thaler was again pressed into action for a second opinion on Kendall’s original decision of a try. Though there didn’t appear to be any definitive proof of the ball touching the ground nor was there enough evidence that it hadn’t to allow Thaler to overturn Kendall’s call. In all probability it was grounded. As far as the score was concerned it was in the books - as was another Lewis conversion for a 32-0 Robins lead.
Even when Saints’ endeavour saw them catch a break a combination of their weariness and outright sloppiness saw them waste it. Hall had looked threatening near the Saints line but decided to pass. It was his most questionable decision since he agreed to go back to Leeds for 2025 as the ball hit the turf and was seized upon by Mata’utia.
He must have been feeling it at this point - almost an hour into his first game for nine weeks - but regardless he set a course for the KR end of the field and took off. He made it as far as 45 metres from the Rovers line before he was upended by Litten. In the ensuing wrestle as he at least considered regaining his feet Mata’utia had the ball stripped. He lay there motionless for a good few seconds afterwards, his tank no doubt emptied by that kind of effort at that time.
You might call it another poor error but it rather gives the lie to the obligatory fan complaint after any heavy defeat that the players weren’t trying. There were other examples of great effort like Mbye and Blake diving on loose balls, albeit after Wellens had administered a stern word at halftime. It’s too simplistic to just say that the players aren’t trying. Some of them may not be good enough but they are trying.
There were many occasions when they could and should have done better. Particularly in the first half when the left edge of the defence was repeatedly shredded and Burgess had a field day. But overall the lack of effort accusation is a classic fan defence mechanism. Easier than admitting you got beaten by a better team on the day. But sometimes you just do. And we just did.
The disorganisation and disarray in which Saints find themselves at present was encapsulated by one set at the end of which Joe Batchelor had to hurriedly manufacture a kick. It went diagonally across the field while barely reaching head height. It was what would have been known in the street ball games of our childhoods as a pea roller. But it was not the quality - or lack thereof - of the kick which struck a chord but instead the level of chaos which remained in our attack almost an hour into the game.
The blame for that doesn’t lie at Whitby’s door despite the fact that he was the halfback. We’re already asking too much of our youngsters. Organisation should still have been at least in part down to others, in particular Lomax and Mbye. Yet with 15 minutes left Whitby - whose performance was also basically hamstrung by the sheer lack of possession Saints had in this one - showed us a glimpse of what he can do.
In possession close to the Rovers line he dabbed a smart kick into the in-goal. There it was turned into the proverbial dog’s dinner by Evalds as Whitby reacted first to touch down for a debut try. It was easily the most enjoyable moment of the 80 minutes from a Saints fan’s perspective. Especially since Whitby got up and converted the try himself. When the time comes and he graduates to the position of regular starting halfback it will be handy to have a decent goal-kicker around. Mark Percival has done a very serviceable job but Whitby is said to be somewhat more prolific. If only Saints had offered him more opportunities on the day.
Unfortunately his was the last scoring contribution from a Saints player but not in the game as a whole. Next up was Burgess’ fourth try of the afternoon. It was created by May who - after good link up play between Lewis and Dean Hadley - produced a looping pass that would have been sumptuous if by now we weren’t watching it from between the gaps in our fingers. It gave Burgess perhaps the easiest of his quartet of meat pies which took him to 11 for the season. That’s still four behind Lewis, three behind Hiku and two behind Hall in the race to be Rovers’ top scorer in 2024. The moral of that story is that the tries are being spread around the team. By contrast Saints’ top scorer is Welsby with 12 with Blake next on 11. After those Makinson’s 10 is the next highest tally.
Lewis’ latest conversion had pushed the lead out to 36-6 but there were a couple more horrors for Saints to endure before this one reached it’s denouement. With six minutes remaining Makinson picked up Saints’ second card of the game, but it was a different colour to the one which had been shown to Blake.
Makinson was red carded for the second time this season following what appeared to be a ball and all tackle on May. May stopped briefly to clear his head but then appeared keen to get on with things without any further investigation into the incident. Kendall had other ideas and after a quick enquiry as to May’s health he passed the incident on to Thaler.
A challenge which nobody seemed to notice a problem with initially looked worse from a different angle. From that perspective you could clearly see Makinson’s shoulder make contact with May’s head. Unintentionally, but as we have learned this season in particular intent has nothing to do with the punishment in Super League anymore. When Kendall called Makinson to him along with skipper Lomax he explained that there was forceful contact with the head without mitigation. That is to say basically that May was not losing height in the tackle as in the Blake incident earlier. In fact Makinson’s feet were off the ground, which nowadays is always something likely to get you into trouble.
The Match Review Panel (MRP) didn’t see it much differently to Thaler and issued a three-game ban. That was another source of confusion as Makinson’s very similar challenge which got him sent off against Castleford was deemed sufficient punishment and no ban was added to it. Are we to understand now that Makinson is judged on his previous and is considered to be someone whose tackle technique is dangerous? So no ban then but do it again and you get three games? Is that the deal?
Had that three game ban stood it would have been the last time we would have seen Makinson turn out at home in the red vee before his impending move to Catalans Dragons. Mercifully the ban has been reduced to two games on appeal. Barring any training accidents or episodes of dropping salad cream bottles on his foot while pottering around his kitchen we will now get to see Makinson at home one more time. That will be in the last home game of the season against the Tigers in September. Relief all around not just for the player but for the fans who can now give him a fitting send-off. If I can use that phrase…
Shorthanded, Saints conceded one more time. Lewis’ chip over the top was gathered by Jai Whitbread who slipped the tackle of Robertson and slid over. After another brief but nevertheless infuriating review it got the nod from Thaler and KR had hit 40. Lewis’ final conversion took the final score to 42-6. It was Saints’ biggest defeat at the stadium formerly known as Langtree Park since a 40-4 loss to Huddersfield in February 2013, Nathan Brown’s first game in charge having moved over from the Giants. Brown would go on to win a Grand Final in his second and final season. Right now odds are against Wellens achieving that before his career takes an enforced directional change.
Pitifully, Ritson was Saints only 100-metre maker on the day. Saints were far busier in defence where George Delaney made 47 tackles. Whitley made 38 while both Matty Lees and Mbye were pressed into 37.
It won’t come as a major surprise to learn that Burgess gained the most headway for Rovers with a ridiculous 240 metres at an average of 13 metres per carry. Add that to nine tackle busts and those four tries and he had quite the day out.
Ordinarily the 137 metres made by Hiku, the 123 by Hadley and the 114 from Hall would seem impressive but next to Burgess’ efforts they’re rendered slightly humdrum.
Defensively no Rover needed to reach 30 tackles with Minchella the top man in that regard with 29.
As he has before Wellens’ pointed the finger at those senior players who were available rather than the youngsters. That’s a fairly standard way of protecting the inexperienced guys and would probably be backed by any fan. Quite what those senior players feel about being publicly criticised is another matter. All except Lees who Wellens picked out for something that was short of both praise and criticism but clearly identified the prop as a lesser culprit.
Again he hinted at changes but what else is there left to change? How many other unearthed diamonds do we have just bursting for an opportunity? And would it do them much good to throw them into this bin fire of a team with the pressure of potentially missing the playoffs cranking up week by week?
Saints are still in a good position to reach the playoffs purely because two of their last four are against Huddersfield and Castleford. Two teams easily as bad as they are if not worse. The Giants are next up, coming off a walloping of their own as they went down 60-10 to Salford Red Devils. If Saints win those two they will make it extremely difficult for either Leigh or Leeds to knock them out of the six. Especially since both still have to play this League Leaders Shield hunting, Grand Final contending Hull KR side.
A team which - despite the many ills of Saints - deserve credit for a demolition job well done.
Saints: Robertson, Makinson, Blake, Vaughan, Ritson, Lomax, Whitby, Delaney, Mbye, Lees, Whitley, Mata’utia, Joe Batchelor. Interchanges: Stephens, Burns, Royle, Paasi
Hull KR: Evalds, Burgess, Hiku, Broadbent, Hall, May, Lewis, Sue, Parcell, Whitbread, James Batchelor, Hadley, Minchella. Interchanges: Litten, Luckley, Storton, Tanginoa
Referee: Chris Kendall
Video Referee: Ben Thaler