Avoiding a fourth consecutive league defeat is the task facing Saints when they host Catalans Dragons on Thursday night (May 15, kick-off 8.00pm).
Paul Wellens’ side have not won since a 26-14 home victory over Wakefield Trinity on April 11. In that time they have lost at Wigan and Warrington and suffered a 17-4 loss to Leeds at Newcastle’s Magic Weekend. They have had plenty of time to reflect on that May 3 reverse having not played since then due to last weekend’s Challenge Cup semi finals.
The red vee sit sixth in the Super League standings with an even record of five wins and five losses from the first 10 rounds. They are one of four teams with exactly that record, one of which is Steve McNamara’s Dragons. The natives are beyond restless but Wellens has remained in situ throughout the period of inactivity since the defeat by Brad Arthur’s Rhinos. Another loss here and the volume on the calls for Wellens to go might just go up a notch or two.
The Dragons are currently seventh as their points difference is inferior to that of Saints. They come into this one on the back of a Challenge Cup semi final defeat to Hull KR. While Saints will have been rested for 12 days by kick-off time the French side have had just five days to shake off their disappointment at missing out on Wembley and prepare for this one. McNamara has all the excuses at his disposal but it’s a game they too need to be winning if they want to boost their chances of succeeding in an ever tightening playoff race.
Wellens has made just one change to the 21-man squad selected ahead of Newcastle. Dayon Sambou featured in six in a row for Saints before the arrival of Deon Cross and - no doubt - scrutiny of his tackling technique at Warrington saw him miss out against Leeds. He drops out of the squad to be replaced by hooker Jake Burns.
One change might sound simple and imply minimal tinkering with the lineup but that’s not quite the story. Wellens got himself into a right old muddle with his team selection for the Rhinos game. Having seemingly made the brave decision to move on from underperforming skipper Jonny Lomax and hand the halfback reins to George Whitby the Head Coach named Lomax on the bench on Tyneside. This left Saints light in pack options off the bench - as if they weren’t light enough already - and led to the harsh and fairly embarrassing withdrawal of Jon Bennison just half an hour in.
With Whitby, Lomax, Jack Welsby and Tristan Sailor all on the field at the same time Saints were halfback/fullback heavy. Halfback/fullback drunk even. As a consequence Sailor was the one shunted out to occupy Bennison’s wing spot. It all made little sense. If he’d wanted to bring Lomax back in Wellens might have been better served naming the captain from the start and dropping one of the other three.
Obviously that was never going to be Welsby which would have left a straight choice between Whitby and Sailor. Not wanting to halt the development of the youngster or aggravate the pacy overseas signing Wellens opted instead for some sort of unsatisfactory halfway house. It was ugly. He must be more decisive from the start here and if that means damaging egos well then that’s part of the job, isn’t it?
Welsby, Cross, Mark Percival and Lewis Murphy look the only certain starters in the Saints back line. It seems likely that the Sailor at fullback experiment will end and Welsby will fill the void once more. Yet that doesn’t mean that Sailor will be left out. Wellens could persist with him as a winger ahead of Bennison or the former Brisbane Bronco could still force his way into the halves alongside either Lomax or Whitby. At this point it’s hard to say what is going through the Head Coach’s scrambled mind. Owen Dagnall is also named in the 21. A debut seems unlikely but don’t rule it out.
The forward pack also had a slightly different look to it last time out. Alex Walmsley is the number one forward in Super League in metres made (fifth among all players) but nevertheless started the Magic fixture on the bench. Agnatius Paasi - the very definition of an impact interchange player - started alongside Matty Lees instead. Between those two Moses Mbye continues to be preferred to Daryl Clark at hooker. Many would start Clark and have Burns on the bench with no room at all for Mbye. But something tells me that’s not what Wellens will do.
Joe Batchelor is still missing from the back row but with Cross on board Matt Whitley can move out of the centres once and for all. Then the debate about whether he is a good enough second rower can really start. No such deliberations are necessary around Curtis Sironen or loose forward Morgan Knowles, both of whom are consistent performers. Jake Wingfield, George Delaney and Noah Stephens are further bench options.
If McNamara is of a mind to get his excuses in early the fact that he has only named 20 players in his squad might be significant. Julian Bousquet is out along with Elliott Whitehead and Benjamin Garcia. Saints great Tommy Makinson will also miss the trip back to his old home. It’s a shame that the winger will not be involved as I’m sure he would have got a great reception from the fans. Probably better than that which awaits Wellens if truth be told.
This is no Trent Alexander-Arnold situation. This was a man coming to the end of his career getting to experience a different culture. He went with the blessing of most right thinking Saints fans. Yet as it turns out the injury to Kyle Feldt has meant that Saints have missed Makinson more than many of us might have imagined. If he - or Feldt - had been out on the right wing for Saints at Newcastle it’s hard to imagine Wellens naming Lomax on the bench and hauling off the wide man to make room. Perhaps Murphy would have assumed the role of scapegoat.
Another with a Wigan accent - the once retired Sam Tomkins - remains out and will no doubt spend the evening offering his wisdom to those of you who won’t be venturing out on the night. Deputising for him at fullback could be Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet who looks a real find for the French outfit. Fouad Yaha could come in on the wing opposite former Canberra Raider Nick Cotric. Reimis Smith is an ex-Melbourne Storm centre. He’s most likely to be joined in that position by Paul Seguier, Matthieu Laguerre or the returning Arthur Romano.
Stand-off and former Sydney Rooster Luke Keary has had plenty to say about the standard of Super League in recent weeks. He called it unwatchable which is bold considering he continues to be decidedly average in it. Ex-Saint Theo Fages is in line to be his halfback partner.
With Bousquet out there might be an opportunity for Chris Satae or Romain Navarette to join prop Tevita Pangai Junior in the front row with hooker Alrix Da Costa. Curtis Sironen’s brother Bayley may feature in the second row with Whitehead out. Tariq Sims and auxiliary prop/pretend loose forward Ollie Partington look like completing the back row.
The teams have met already in Super League this season. Though he spent 78 minutes infuriating his fans Lomax emerged the hero as he kicked two drop-goals in a 14-13 win in Perpignan in late March. Worryingly for the Dragons the now absent Tomkins scored all but one of his team’s points on that occasion. It was fraught, it was tense but it wasn’t pretty. You can probably expect similar on Thursday night unless the visitors turn up with a Challenge Cup hangover.
Squads;
Saints;
1. Jack Welsby, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Tristan Sailor, 7. Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. Daryl Clark, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Curtis Sironen, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Moses Mbye, 16. Matt Whitley, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jake Wingfield, 19. George Delaney, 20. Lewis Murphy, 21. Noah Stephens, 23. Jake Burns, 27. George Whitby, 30. Owen Dagnall, 36. Deon Cross.
Catalans Dragons;
3. Arthur Romano 4. Reimis Smith 5. Nick Cotric 6. Luke Keary 8. Tevita Pangai Junior 11. Tariq Sims 13. Oliver Partington 14. Alrix Da Costa 15. Chris Satae 16. Romain Navarette 17. Bayley Sironen 18. César Rouge 19. Paul Seguier 20. Jordan Dezaria 21. Théo Fages 22. Fouad Yaha 23. Matthieu Laguerre 26. Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet 28. Clément Martin 30. Giovanni Descalzi
Referee: Liam Moore
Video Referee: Jack Smith
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