Saints Caught Short At Centre
The problems started early in this squeaky-bum 27-22 win over Leeds Rhinos. Less than 90 seconds had gone by when new recruit Kevin Naiqama was struck by some friendly fire from Luke Thompson while assisting the England prop in the tackle. Naiqama was down with play held up for several minutes before he was escorted from the field never to return. Swelling around the Fijian’s eye suggested perhaps some vision problems but he also failed a concussion test.
A lack of vision was not just a problem for Naiqama. Saints coach Justin Holbrook had clearly reckoned without the possibility of an injury to one of his starting centres when he allowed first Ryan Morgan to go on loan to London Broncos and then Matty Costello to be selected by Leigh Centurions this week on dual registration. Even the most ardent supporters of Louie McCarthy- Scarsbrook must have felt their hearts sink when the former Bronco was the man spotted warming up to replace Naiqama. Echoes of Salford away a couple of years ago when Keiron Cunningham was rightly pummelled In this column for foisting McCarthy-Scarsbrook upon our three-quarter line. Now here was Holbrook committing the same sin. It was either that or move Dominique Peyroux to the centres from the second row. Advocates of this idea have clearly forgotten how Peyroux struggled in the role when he first joined Saints. Holbrook was stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place but in letting both Morgan and Costello play elsewhere had made his own bed.
A Half Of Two Halves
The enforced change didn’t seem to affect Saints early on as they raced into a 10-0 lead with tries from Theo Fages and Jonny Lomax. There was a touch of fortune about both. Fages could easily have been penalised for a double movement after he’d picked up a loose ball deep in Leeds territory and slid over. The video evidence seemed to show that Fages had not grounded the ball initially and only did so after a second movement with the arm. Crucially, referee Robert Hicks had sent the call up as a try leaving it arguable that there was insufficient evidence to change that decision. Soon after, Mark Percival’s desperate attempt to make up for his failure to find Lomax for what would have been a walk in was batted towards his own in-goal by a Leeds defender and the ball fell kindly for Lomax to touch down. That score was set up by a defence-splitting 50-metre break from Regan Grace and when Lomax had another try chalked off by the video referee Saints looked like they might post a big score.
That’s when the tide started to turn. Leeds dominated the second quarter of the match. Konrad Hurrell became unplayable against the beleaguered McCarthy-Scarsbrook and the rest of Saints right edge defence. Kallum Watkins had already got Leeds back into the game when Grace had gone for a walk out of the defensive line but it was Hurrell who put Saints in a half-time hole. The ex-Gold Coast man scored one try, made another for the scourge of Saints Ash Handley and was involved in two more which were disallowed for forward passes. Dazed and confused, Saints then allowed Mikolaj Oledzki to escape four men close to the line to give Leeds what looked a comfortable 22-10 advantage at the break.
Walmsley Casts A Spell And Answers The Bell
What can you do in four minutes and 24 seconds? Keeping your answers to that question clean you can add single-handedly turning around a rugby league game to your list. Alex Walmsley’s last contribution to the first half was a wild pass which flew into touch from around 30 metres away from the sideline. Like a lot of Saints handling in the first 40 minutes it was sloppy, careless, desperate and what cricketers describe as distinctly ‘village’.
Walmsley emerged from the dressing room with a determination to do something about it. In not much more time than it takes for your average video referee decision to be made the big prop crashed over for two tries to haul Saints back into contention. Before the 50-minute mark a 22-10 deficit had been cut to 22-20. Walmsley’s second try was particularly memorable, snatching a James Roby pass which looked bound for Morgan Knowles out of the air in routine fashion before crashing and spinning through several Leeds defenders to touch down. Four minutes and 24 seconds was all that had passed between the moment Walmsley touched down for his first try and the moment he plonked down his second. It was one of the more bewildering spells since David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear some time during the Cold War. It was also a remarkable effort from Walmsley, a man who spent 10 months out of action after fracturing a bone in his neck last March. Former NBA coach and now revered broadcaster Hubie Brown once spoke of Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas ‘answering the bell’. That is taking over a game when your team needs it most, as if answering some sort of alarm bell in your head telling you that it’s time to act. Here was Walmsley, just a few months on from questioning his entire career, answering the bell emphatically and decisively.
The Calls That Went Our Way
Despite Walmsley’s heroics Saints could only add one more try in the second half. Luke Thompson produced a fair impression of Tommy Martyn when he capped a fine 133-metre performance (Walmsley racked up 115) with dummies to both Roby and Lachlan Coote before ghosting through the Leeds line to score. Yet Saints were still living on their nerves throughout a tense second half and were reliant on a couple of key decisions going their way to cement the win.
From my position at the back of the North a Stand it looked very much like Tui Lolohea had snatched victory for Leeds as he crashed over by the posts. However Hicks was less convinced and sent the decision up for review as ‘no try’. He had seen what I and probably many others hadn’t, namely Percival’s magnificent effort in keeping the Rhinos new stand-off recruit from grounding the ball. The Saints man somehow managed to get every conceivable body part under Lolohea as he attempted to force the ball down. Still replays seemed to suggest that some part of the ball had to have touched the ground. Percival can only cover so much of the turf. Yet since Hicks’ original decision had been ‘no try’ the lack of any conclusive video evidence meant that the call could not be overturned.
If that call was the right one according to the video review process there was less to support Hicks’ failure to restart the tackle count when Leeds were pressing near the Saints line soon after. The ball was offloaded out of a tackle and clearly played at by Knowles. It was a touch that went unseen by Hicks as Leeds saw what turned out to be their last real chance to attack the Saints line slip away. With 54 tackles, 14 of them at marker perhaps the young Welshman had earned his slice of luck. Leeds can feel aggrieved but you have to credit a Saints defence which had been tormented in the first 40 minutes but which held the Rhinos scoreless after half-time. Even McCarthy-Scarsbrook fared better after the break as Hurrell seemed to run out of gas. Part of that was undoubtedly down to Saints controlling the ball better in the second half and so forcing David Furner’s men to use more energy in defence.
Kicking Concerns
There was much talk about Saints kicking game going into and during this one. With Danny Richardson still out of favour Percival struggled with the goal-kicking responsibilities, while in general play Fages still doesn’t offer the variety and quality that a top side needs. But then neither did Richardson. Percival made two and missed two with the boot while Coote missed his only attempt.
The argument that Saints would have won more more comfortably had this percentage been higher is overly simplistic. Leeds missed a goal of their own so if every goal-kicker in this game operates at 100% in terms of success rate the game ends 33-24 to Saints. Slightly more convincing but not exactly a walkover. In addition, most fans’ idea of a solution to the problem is to have Richardson in the team ahead of Fages. But if you do that then everything in the game is different. You’ve all seen Sliding Doors. Does Richardson go over for the albeit dubious try that Fages scored in the early minutes? Does he make the 27 tackles that Fages made? Does he miss more or less than the two that the French captain botched? The smart money suggests more. Richardson is out of the team due to his pre-season injury but also due to his poor last tackle decisions and his suspect defence. You can’t keep a player in the side only because he’s good at kicking goals. That’s why Jamie Foster didn’t play as many games for Saints as his early performances suggested he might. So many other aspects of a game can change when you use one player versus another that it can never be boiled down to just whether or not he would have kicked a few goals. This isn’t the NFL where kickers do not get involved in any other facet of the game. There’s nowhere to hide in rugby league.
Lastly today another player who might make a different decision on his kicking game if he had his time again is Roby. The England hooker dropped his first goal for Saints in the last minute. A first in over 400 appearances of a remarkable career. Yet as he admitted himself afterwards the decision to take the one-pointer was probably not the right call. It offered Leeds an opportunity to get the ball back from a short kick-off. A firm grubber behind the Leeds line might have been a better option. Make them go 90 metres to score to get back into it rather than a potential 40 from a short kick-off. Thankfully Leeds didn’t get the ball back from the restart and Saints hung on. And with two try-assists, 114 metres gained and 47 tackles made the skipper can be rightly proud of his efforts once more. Perhaps he’s entitled to a brief moment of self-indulgence. He continues to drag his team-mates along with him to new heights. Yet the perfectionist in him means we probably won’t see the second drop-goal of his career if he’s ever faced with the same situation again.
Saints v Leeds Rhinos - Preview
Don’t you just hate rude interruptions? There we were, enjoying the start of the Super League season after four months of having the same circular argument about Brexit when along came that overblown pre-season friendly the World Club Challenge to force us all to put our collective ball away. We were forced to sit and wait while Wigan and Sydney Roosters fought over a title that even Jose Mourinho wouldn’t describe as major. Unless of course he happened to be the coach of the winning side in which case he would say it was absolutely major before reminding you that he had won it more times than the entire cast of Avenue Q put together.
Enough of the piffling friendlies, and on to more serious matters as Saints welcome Leeds Rhinos to their World Cup-hosting home this Friday night (February 22, kick-off 7.45pm). It’s a BetFred Super League Round 3 clash, so it is best not to think about the fact that Leeds went to Salford in Round 10 last week. That Saints Blog You Quite Like is no mathematician in any case.
What it can tell you is that Leeds, having started their 2019 campaign with defeats at both Warrington and Wigan, finally got a win on the board against Ian Watson’s Red Devils side last time out. And a convincing one at that. The Rhinos ran out 46-14 winners over the Salford side which had conned many pundits including this one into thinking they had a chance against David Furner’s men after early season wins over both Huddersfield Giants and London Broncos. The win will be a huge confidence boost to the Rhinos who had been palpably failing to gel in those visits to Warrington and Wigan. Not helping them is the fact that due to ongoing work at Headingley they have been forced to play their first four league games away from home, and it doesn’t get any easier for them with a trip to last season’s League Leaders Shield winners this week.
Justin Holbrook indicated early in the week that he would probably select the same squad that was on duty for the visit to Wakefield way back on February 10 when Saints last took the field. And the Australian coach is true to his word. Danny Richardson may have joined Matty Costello, Jack Ashworth and Aaron Smith on dual registration at Leigh last week along with the on-loan Luke Douglas but the young half is still in contention for a first appearance of 2019 for now. More likely though is that Theo Fages will continue in the role that he has made more than a decent fist of in Saints first two outings which could leave Richardson heading towards Leigh Sports Village once more. He won’t even get to play against former Saints skipper Jon Wilkin who is suspended for Toronto Wolfpack’s visit. Still with his fellow dual registration recruits as well as Douglas around there will be plenty of familiar faces around Richardson should he get the call from coach John Duffy. Or is it Holbrook who picks Leigh’s team? Oh I don’t know. It is confusing.
So if not Richardson then who apart from Fages will be in Saints colours this weekend? Lachlan Coote has received a lot of criticism from the knee-jerkers for failing to be Ben Barba, but his early showings in the red vee have been mostly assured with no little amount of creativity. With Barba gone and Jonny Lomax settled into the stand-off role Coote doesn’t have a realistic challenger for the fullback jersey. He’ll start behind a three-quarter line of Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival and Regan Grace. Adam Swift has not yet been sent to Leigh which is odd given that the dual registration agreement is there to try to get game time for players on the fringe who might be needed at a moment’s notice. Maybe it’s Swift’s turn this week.
Ahead of Lomax and Fages the front row will be led by the most terrifying prop duo in Super League in Luke Thompson and Alex Walmsley, with the incomparable James Roby unchallenged and in all probability therefore unrested at hooker. Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux are a solid enough second row partnership to see new signing Joe Batchelor sent back to York City Knights from whence he came only a few months ago and also to keep as good a talent as James Bentley out of the picture for now although the former Bradford Bulls man remains in the 19. Morgan Knowles has got the nod in the opening two games at loose forward and should do so again ahead of Joseph Paulo. On the bench look for Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, fresh from his game-winning four-pointer at Wakefield, Kyle Amor and Matty Lees to add impact along with Paulo.
Leeds have now settled their fullback argument, if they ever had one, with much fancied prospect Jack Walker in the role ahead of a soon to be on-loan or sold Ash Golding. Walker was slightly shaky at Warrington and Wigan but produced a dominant display to grab a hat-trick at Salford. His time is coming. The Rhinos three-quarter line no longer has Ryan Hall or Joel Moon as it did in its 2015 pomp but it still poses a real threat with the likes of Tom Briscoe and Ash Handley who has scored two hat-tricks against Saints in recent meetings, as well as interestingly-barneted battering ram Konrad Hurrell after his arrival from Gold Coast Titans. If Furner can find a way to use Hurrell in wider areas rather than as an auxiliary second rower the Rhinos could cause Saints edge defence some problems. Yet the real diamond in that group is Kallum Watkins, back from a lengthy injury lay-off and just starting to show signs of the form which made him the best centre in Super League and a certain starter for England.
Directing operations in midfield will be Marmite’s Richard Myler and another new signing in the shape of stand-off Tui Lolohea. The latter has not convinced yet since coming in from Wests Tigers. He's looked more like a front rower than a six or even a 13 at times, but if he can form a coherent link with Myler then good things may lie ahead for the 2017 champions. Their pack is full of experience and talent, with 2015 Man Of Steel nominee and serial off-loader Adam Cuthbertson joined by the likes of Matt Parcell, Brad Singleton, Stevie Ward and Brett Ferres. Trent Merrin has been brought in from Penrith Panthers to add further depth and quality. Brad Dwyer has been good enough to start ahead of Parcell in recent weeks while Nathaniel Peteru, Mikolaj Oledzki, Liam Sutcliffe, Harry Newman and the ominously named Cameron Smith will also hope to see action. Perhaps Ward is the key in that department for Leeds. He's a fantastic talent who has been injury prone but could be one of the best 13s in the game in years to come.
There have been some classic encounters between Saints and Leeds, not least of which is this gem which I just happened to write about from 2016. The last time Leeds visited Saints they left with the two competition points as an underwhelming home outfit went down to a 28-20 defeat in mid-March of 2018. Your writer spent that night in hospital with a leg infection and so was not in attendance so perhaps you have your scapegoat right there. Every effort will be made to attend this week. Three months later Saints avenged that loss at Headingley, squeaking home by the odd point in 45 thanks to a Richardson drop-goal. They may have to find another hero if the game is that close again this time around. That was the last meeting between the two sides as Leeds’ 2018 campaign nosedived and they found themselves in what turned out to be the last incarnation of the Middle 8 Qualifiers.
We can expect better from Leeds this season but a solitary victory over a schizophrenic Salford outfit is not enough to convince me that they can go to a solid-looking St.Helens side and emerge with a win. Saints by 12.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Danny Richardson, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 19. Matty Lees, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Leeds Rhinos;
1. Jack Walker, 2. Tom Briscoe, 3. Kallum Watkins (c), 4. Konrad Hurrell, 5. Ash Handley, 6. Tui Lolohea, 7. Richie Myler, 8. Adam Cuthbertson, 9. Matt Parcell, 10. Brad Singleton, 11. Trent Merrin, 13. Stevie Ward, 14. Brad Dwyer, 15. Liam Sutcliffe, 16. Brett Ferres, 18. Nathaniel Peteru, 19. Mikolaj Oledzki, 22. Cameron Smith, 29. Harry Newman
Referee: Robert Hicks
Enough of the piffling friendlies, and on to more serious matters as Saints welcome Leeds Rhinos to their World Cup-hosting home this Friday night (February 22, kick-off 7.45pm). It’s a BetFred Super League Round 3 clash, so it is best not to think about the fact that Leeds went to Salford in Round 10 last week. That Saints Blog You Quite Like is no mathematician in any case.
What it can tell you is that Leeds, having started their 2019 campaign with defeats at both Warrington and Wigan, finally got a win on the board against Ian Watson’s Red Devils side last time out. And a convincing one at that. The Rhinos ran out 46-14 winners over the Salford side which had conned many pundits including this one into thinking they had a chance against David Furner’s men after early season wins over both Huddersfield Giants and London Broncos. The win will be a huge confidence boost to the Rhinos who had been palpably failing to gel in those visits to Warrington and Wigan. Not helping them is the fact that due to ongoing work at Headingley they have been forced to play their first four league games away from home, and it doesn’t get any easier for them with a trip to last season’s League Leaders Shield winners this week.
Justin Holbrook indicated early in the week that he would probably select the same squad that was on duty for the visit to Wakefield way back on February 10 when Saints last took the field. And the Australian coach is true to his word. Danny Richardson may have joined Matty Costello, Jack Ashworth and Aaron Smith on dual registration at Leigh last week along with the on-loan Luke Douglas but the young half is still in contention for a first appearance of 2019 for now. More likely though is that Theo Fages will continue in the role that he has made more than a decent fist of in Saints first two outings which could leave Richardson heading towards Leigh Sports Village once more. He won’t even get to play against former Saints skipper Jon Wilkin who is suspended for Toronto Wolfpack’s visit. Still with his fellow dual registration recruits as well as Douglas around there will be plenty of familiar faces around Richardson should he get the call from coach John Duffy. Or is it Holbrook who picks Leigh’s team? Oh I don’t know. It is confusing.
So if not Richardson then who apart from Fages will be in Saints colours this weekend? Lachlan Coote has received a lot of criticism from the knee-jerkers for failing to be Ben Barba, but his early showings in the red vee have been mostly assured with no little amount of creativity. With Barba gone and Jonny Lomax settled into the stand-off role Coote doesn’t have a realistic challenger for the fullback jersey. He’ll start behind a three-quarter line of Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival and Regan Grace. Adam Swift has not yet been sent to Leigh which is odd given that the dual registration agreement is there to try to get game time for players on the fringe who might be needed at a moment’s notice. Maybe it’s Swift’s turn this week.
Ahead of Lomax and Fages the front row will be led by the most terrifying prop duo in Super League in Luke Thompson and Alex Walmsley, with the incomparable James Roby unchallenged and in all probability therefore unrested at hooker. Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux are a solid enough second row partnership to see new signing Joe Batchelor sent back to York City Knights from whence he came only a few months ago and also to keep as good a talent as James Bentley out of the picture for now although the former Bradford Bulls man remains in the 19. Morgan Knowles has got the nod in the opening two games at loose forward and should do so again ahead of Joseph Paulo. On the bench look for Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, fresh from his game-winning four-pointer at Wakefield, Kyle Amor and Matty Lees to add impact along with Paulo.
Leeds have now settled their fullback argument, if they ever had one, with much fancied prospect Jack Walker in the role ahead of a soon to be on-loan or sold Ash Golding. Walker was slightly shaky at Warrington and Wigan but produced a dominant display to grab a hat-trick at Salford. His time is coming. The Rhinos three-quarter line no longer has Ryan Hall or Joel Moon as it did in its 2015 pomp but it still poses a real threat with the likes of Tom Briscoe and Ash Handley who has scored two hat-tricks against Saints in recent meetings, as well as interestingly-barneted battering ram Konrad Hurrell after his arrival from Gold Coast Titans. If Furner can find a way to use Hurrell in wider areas rather than as an auxiliary second rower the Rhinos could cause Saints edge defence some problems. Yet the real diamond in that group is Kallum Watkins, back from a lengthy injury lay-off and just starting to show signs of the form which made him the best centre in Super League and a certain starter for England.
Directing operations in midfield will be Marmite’s Richard Myler and another new signing in the shape of stand-off Tui Lolohea. The latter has not convinced yet since coming in from Wests Tigers. He's looked more like a front rower than a six or even a 13 at times, but if he can form a coherent link with Myler then good things may lie ahead for the 2017 champions. Their pack is full of experience and talent, with 2015 Man Of Steel nominee and serial off-loader Adam Cuthbertson joined by the likes of Matt Parcell, Brad Singleton, Stevie Ward and Brett Ferres. Trent Merrin has been brought in from Penrith Panthers to add further depth and quality. Brad Dwyer has been good enough to start ahead of Parcell in recent weeks while Nathaniel Peteru, Mikolaj Oledzki, Liam Sutcliffe, Harry Newman and the ominously named Cameron Smith will also hope to see action. Perhaps Ward is the key in that department for Leeds. He's a fantastic talent who has been injury prone but could be one of the best 13s in the game in years to come.
There have been some classic encounters between Saints and Leeds, not least of which is this gem which I just happened to write about from 2016. The last time Leeds visited Saints they left with the two competition points as an underwhelming home outfit went down to a 28-20 defeat in mid-March of 2018. Your writer spent that night in hospital with a leg infection and so was not in attendance so perhaps you have your scapegoat right there. Every effort will be made to attend this week. Three months later Saints avenged that loss at Headingley, squeaking home by the odd point in 45 thanks to a Richardson drop-goal. They may have to find another hero if the game is that close again this time around. That was the last meeting between the two sides as Leeds’ 2018 campaign nosedived and they found themselves in what turned out to be the last incarnation of the Middle 8 Qualifiers.
We can expect better from Leeds this season but a solitary victory over a schizophrenic Salford outfit is not enough to convince me that they can go to a solid-looking St.Helens side and emerge with a win. Saints by 12.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Danny Richardson, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 19. Matty Lees, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Leeds Rhinos;
1. Jack Walker, 2. Tom Briscoe, 3. Kallum Watkins (c), 4. Konrad Hurrell, 5. Ash Handley, 6. Tui Lolohea, 7. Richie Myler, 8. Adam Cuthbertson, 9. Matt Parcell, 10. Brad Singleton, 11. Trent Merrin, 13. Stevie Ward, 14. Brad Dwyer, 15. Liam Sutcliffe, 16. Brett Ferres, 18. Nathaniel Peteru, 19. Mikolaj Oledzki, 22. Cameron Smith, 29. Harry Newman
Referee: Robert Hicks
Golden Tries - Jonny Lomax v Leeds 2016
After what seems like an eternity Saints get back into competitive action this weekend when they host Leeds Rhinos. We all love a bit of nostalgia so I thought it might be nice to look back on a classic Saints v Leeds encounter from 2016 and in particular, a quite glorious try by Jonny Lomax. It was one of two the Saints stand-off scored on the night as he capped his comeback game following yet another long term injury with a match-winning performance against the then defending champions.
Saints started the season with Keiron Cunningham in his second season in charge. Leeds had knocked Saints out of the race to Old Trafford in 2015 at the semi-final stage. There was a score to settle, and not just for that defeat but perhaps for the four Grand Final losses handed out to Saints by Leeds between 2007 and 2011. It would turn out to be a small measure of revenge in another season which ended in defeat at the last four stage. At least this time it was Warrington, rather than Leeds, who brought about Saints downfall. If you put me in a room with Ben Thaler for an afternoon he would still fail to convince me that Warrington scored a single fair try that night. But it was different, and variety is the spice of life after all.
Saints had opened their season in 2016 with four wins from their first five league games, but it was Leeds who ended that run with a 30-18 win at Headingley in mid March. Saints then suffered the indignity of a Good Friday home loss to Wigan, going down 24-12. From four wins out of five in the league it was now three defeats from seven. Inconsistency plagued Saints thereafter, with a 20-12 success at Widnes followed by a one-point defeat at home to Hull FC thanks to Marc Sneyd’s drop-goal. Saints then went to Warrington and earned a 25-22 win in a pulsating contest but the joy was not to last, Catalans Dragons sweeping into town and leaving with a 30-12 win in mid April.
By the time the Rhinos arrived at Langtree Park on April 22 Saints had 6 wins from 11 league matches, the very definition of inconsistency. Questions were starting to be asked about Cunningham’s leadership but most of all about his tactical acumen. A conservative, one-out style of rugby that the legendary hooker lovingly referred to weekly as ‘The Grind’ was driving fans to distraction. It was one thing to be inconsistent, but to be so in a style that had fans murmuring about how it was just like watching union was something different. Saints fans had been brought up on a high-risk style of entertaining rugby which they demanded win or lose. The pressure was on Cunningham to deliver entertainment in addition to a win that would keep his side among the challengers for a top four play-off spot.
Lucky for him then that he had Lomax returning from injury. Having debuted in 2009 Lomax had been out of the side since a 20-16 win at Wakefield Trinity on March 6 2015. More than a year had passed then since he last wore the red vee thanks to a recurrence of the knee troubles that plagued the early years of his career. Ordinarily a fullback at the time, Lomax slotted into the centres for this one alongside Mark Percival with Jack Owens and a pre-Jones Matty Dawson on the wings. Jordan Turner had been shifted around from his centre position in what was turn out to be his final season at Saints but was out injured in any case. Dominique Peyroux was yet to develop into the fans favourite that Cunningham told you he would be but was also an injury absentee. Those who spend furious hours bashing their keyboard with gripes about the current team under Justin Holbrook might also like to reflect that as well as Owens and Dawson Cunningham selected Shannon McDonnell at fullback, Lama Tasi at prop and celebrity Millwall fan Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook in the second row. Greg Richards and Atelea Vea waited on the bench for an opportunity to provide their own unique brand of havoc. It’s less than three years ago, but these were different times.
It took just four minutes for Lomax to make his mark. James Roby made a trademark dart from dummy half and as he was about to be tackled he twisted to look for support. He found it in Lomax, who took Roby’s offload and cruised through the gap as if he and knee injuries were absolute strangers. Heading towards the south east corner of the ground he found Ashton Golding had the angle to cut him off. No problem, Lomax simply jinked inside the Leeds man as well as the then reigning Man Of Steel Zak Hardaker and trotted in unopposed by the side of the post. In that moment the atmosphere was probably the best it had been since the move to Langtree Park in 2012, even taking into account the League Leaders Shield and Grand Final double of 2014. A local lad making his return from a lengthy spell on the side-lines was just the spark the fans needed to raise the roof. Had there been one. For that joyful moment all misty-eyed talk of the Knowsley Road atmosphere was forgotten and Langtree Park became a cauldron of excitement.
Just two minutes later Saints added to their lead when Luke Walsh cut the Rhinos defence to bits on the left edge before handing on to some bloke called Greenwood for Saints second try. Nobody knows what happened to Greenwood. It is believed he fell down a dark hole and was never spoken of again. But on that night he was all potential and no shortage of skill on Saints’ left edge. His try had given Saint a 10-0 lead against a Rhinos side whose confidence was already brittle following a start to the season which had seen them manage just three league wins from 11 outings. It was to be a long year for the defending champions, who finished outside the top eight by the end and had to suffer the indignity of playing for their Super League survival in the now defunct 'Middle Eight' qualifiers.
Yet there wasn't too much wrong with Leeds' morale on this night. They answered Saints early scores when Rob Burrow made one of 1746 breaks he made against Saints in his career. The move was finished off by Golding who got on the end of Liam Sutcliffe’s crossfield kick after a good offload from Jamie Jones-Buchanan. Golding was involved again in the try which levelled the scores at 10-10, weaving his way out of tackles on the right before the ball was shifted to the left where Burrow had an easy run-in. Saints inconsistencies were becoming a problem again, a 10-point lead obliterated in just over 20 minutes of a frantic first half. Leeds were in front seven minutes from half-time when Jimmy Keinhorst, last seen breaking black and white hearts with a try four seconds from the end of the Hull derby in early February, strolled in after more good work from Sutcliffe.
Saints needed a boost before half-time, and they found it thanks to Lomax once again. Kyle Amor had been held up 10 metres short of the line and when the ball was subsequently switched from Roby to Walsh there was Lomax to gather in the latter’s exquisite kick to the in-goal area. Saints were back level at 16-16 at half-time and it had largely been down to Lomax’s individual brilliance and opportunism.
A different kind of brilliance and opportunism was on show for Saints next try. Amor careered into Harkaker as the England fullback tried to bring the ball away from his own-goal line. Uncharacteristically Hardaker spilled the ball back towards his own in-goal area and it was Amor who reacted first to claim the four-pointer. No doubt Hardaker would not have let it go had it been a pint of Guinness. Nevertheless Saints now led 20-16 with six minutes gone by in the second half. Again Leeds responded, Ash Handley going 60 metres unopposed for what would have been the try of most other matches had we not witnessed Lomax’s early contribution. McDonnell and Owens were left in Handley’s wake but it was Amor who had missed the original tackle on him in the defensive line. From the sublime to the ridiculous. Down by two points at 22-20 Saints struck again as that Greenwood fellow claimed his second try following Roby’s incisive inside ball 12 minutes into a second half that was turning out to be every bit as incident-packed as the first. Five minutes later it was Theo Fages’ turn to take a Roby pass all the way to what NFL fans call ‘the house’, the Frenchman ghosting inside the Leeds cover in the manner of an actual stand-off. This was most unlike Cunningham’s side but everybody seemed to be having a good time of it.
Yet Leeds would not go away despite their now 10-point deficit at 32-22 as Anthony Mullally crashed through some very ordinary tackles close to the Saints line. That brought Leeds back to within four points at 32-28 with 14 minutes on the clock. Fages showed his class once more just three minutes later, first forcing Mitch Garbutt to lose the ball in a thunderous challenge before holding off a couple of Leeds defenders to go over by the posts for the second of his brace. It was a move that also included some powerful running by Atelea Vea down the Saints right-hand channel. Saints were now keeping the ball alive in the traditional style and it was paying dividends with the score now 38-28 with just 10 minutes left. Leeds had the last word when Keinhorst claimed his second but Saints hung on for a memorable 38-34 win.
In many ways the match was a microcosm of the seasons of the teams taking part. One minute they were brilliant, the next woeful as they meandered along. This loss to Saints was the first of a run of seven consecutive defeats in all competitions for Leeds, who would not taste victory again until an 8-0 squeak past Salford Red Devils. They finished the season with three straight wins, seeing off both Hull clubs and Wigan during that run, but it wasn't enough to secure them a place in the Super 8s. Instead they took on the likes of Featherstone, Batley and London Broncos throughout August, a huge embarrassment for a club that has won everything in sight just 12 months earlier.
Saints too struggled to find any momentum before their somewhat unjust semi-final debacle at Warrington. They scraped into the playoffs in fourth place. They won at Castleford a week after this Leeds classic, but were humiliatingly dumped out of the Challenge Cup at home to Hull FC. The black and whites, on their way to the first of back-to-back cup wins, demolished Saints 47-16 on their own patch in what has to go down as one of the lowest moments of the Cunningham tenure. That was the second of four defeats on the bounce for Saints as they had already been thrashed 48-20 by Huddersfield Giants at the Magic Weekend in Newcastle. That match was memorable for Cunningham's decision to start Calvin Wellington in the centres and then hastily remove him after he made an unfortunate handling error that led to a Giants try. Wellington was not seen in the first team again.
Defeats to Hull FC (again), Warrington and Catalans Dragons followed for Saints before they somehow sparked back into life with five wins in a row. Hull KR, Wakefield, Widnes, Huddersfield and most pleasingly Wigan were all dismissed over the last five weeks of the season. They had momentum going into the playoffs but were halted by Warrington in that controversial semi-final. Perhaps it was a blessing. A team as inconsistent as Saints were in 2016 would have been at serious risk of a hammering by a Wigan side that was, as many of the top sides do, just beginning to find its form on its way to a fourth Grand Final win.
Cunningham lasted barely another year following on from the win over Leeds. Statue or not, he was sacked in April 2017 following a dismal home draw with Huddersfield that had seen Saints take a 14-0 half-time lead only to see it evaporate after the break under a hail of Danny Brough bombs, grubbers and goal-kicks. Meanwhile Lomax has gone from strength to strength under the guidance of Holbrook, developing into one of the premier stand-offs in Super League when many had written of his ability to play in the halves early in his career. The acquisition of Ben Barba forced Lomax back into the six role but since the departure of truck-driving anti-hero Barba the England man has kept the role and excelled in the early part of 2019 in which he is enjoying a well deserved testimonial. So much so that Lachlan Coote has been recruited to replace Barba, which should mean that we will be treated to more of Lomax's performances at stand-off in years to come providing he can stay fit.
Should he do so he might just look back on this night in April 2016 as the moment his career turned around.
Saints started the season with Keiron Cunningham in his second season in charge. Leeds had knocked Saints out of the race to Old Trafford in 2015 at the semi-final stage. There was a score to settle, and not just for that defeat but perhaps for the four Grand Final losses handed out to Saints by Leeds between 2007 and 2011. It would turn out to be a small measure of revenge in another season which ended in defeat at the last four stage. At least this time it was Warrington, rather than Leeds, who brought about Saints downfall. If you put me in a room with Ben Thaler for an afternoon he would still fail to convince me that Warrington scored a single fair try that night. But it was different, and variety is the spice of life after all.
Saints had opened their season in 2016 with four wins from their first five league games, but it was Leeds who ended that run with a 30-18 win at Headingley in mid March. Saints then suffered the indignity of a Good Friday home loss to Wigan, going down 24-12. From four wins out of five in the league it was now three defeats from seven. Inconsistency plagued Saints thereafter, with a 20-12 success at Widnes followed by a one-point defeat at home to Hull FC thanks to Marc Sneyd’s drop-goal. Saints then went to Warrington and earned a 25-22 win in a pulsating contest but the joy was not to last, Catalans Dragons sweeping into town and leaving with a 30-12 win in mid April.
By the time the Rhinos arrived at Langtree Park on April 22 Saints had 6 wins from 11 league matches, the very definition of inconsistency. Questions were starting to be asked about Cunningham’s leadership but most of all about his tactical acumen. A conservative, one-out style of rugby that the legendary hooker lovingly referred to weekly as ‘The Grind’ was driving fans to distraction. It was one thing to be inconsistent, but to be so in a style that had fans murmuring about how it was just like watching union was something different. Saints fans had been brought up on a high-risk style of entertaining rugby which they demanded win or lose. The pressure was on Cunningham to deliver entertainment in addition to a win that would keep his side among the challengers for a top four play-off spot.
Lucky for him then that he had Lomax returning from injury. Having debuted in 2009 Lomax had been out of the side since a 20-16 win at Wakefield Trinity on March 6 2015. More than a year had passed then since he last wore the red vee thanks to a recurrence of the knee troubles that plagued the early years of his career. Ordinarily a fullback at the time, Lomax slotted into the centres for this one alongside Mark Percival with Jack Owens and a pre-Jones Matty Dawson on the wings. Jordan Turner had been shifted around from his centre position in what was turn out to be his final season at Saints but was out injured in any case. Dominique Peyroux was yet to develop into the fans favourite that Cunningham told you he would be but was also an injury absentee. Those who spend furious hours bashing their keyboard with gripes about the current team under Justin Holbrook might also like to reflect that as well as Owens and Dawson Cunningham selected Shannon McDonnell at fullback, Lama Tasi at prop and celebrity Millwall fan Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook in the second row. Greg Richards and Atelea Vea waited on the bench for an opportunity to provide their own unique brand of havoc. It’s less than three years ago, but these were different times.
It took just four minutes for Lomax to make his mark. James Roby made a trademark dart from dummy half and as he was about to be tackled he twisted to look for support. He found it in Lomax, who took Roby’s offload and cruised through the gap as if he and knee injuries were absolute strangers. Heading towards the south east corner of the ground he found Ashton Golding had the angle to cut him off. No problem, Lomax simply jinked inside the Leeds man as well as the then reigning Man Of Steel Zak Hardaker and trotted in unopposed by the side of the post. In that moment the atmosphere was probably the best it had been since the move to Langtree Park in 2012, even taking into account the League Leaders Shield and Grand Final double of 2014. A local lad making his return from a lengthy spell on the side-lines was just the spark the fans needed to raise the roof. Had there been one. For that joyful moment all misty-eyed talk of the Knowsley Road atmosphere was forgotten and Langtree Park became a cauldron of excitement.
Just two minutes later Saints added to their lead when Luke Walsh cut the Rhinos defence to bits on the left edge before handing on to some bloke called Greenwood for Saints second try. Nobody knows what happened to Greenwood. It is believed he fell down a dark hole and was never spoken of again. But on that night he was all potential and no shortage of skill on Saints’ left edge. His try had given Saint a 10-0 lead against a Rhinos side whose confidence was already brittle following a start to the season which had seen them manage just three league wins from 11 outings. It was to be a long year for the defending champions, who finished outside the top eight by the end and had to suffer the indignity of playing for their Super League survival in the now defunct 'Middle Eight' qualifiers.
Yet there wasn't too much wrong with Leeds' morale on this night. They answered Saints early scores when Rob Burrow made one of 1746 breaks he made against Saints in his career. The move was finished off by Golding who got on the end of Liam Sutcliffe’s crossfield kick after a good offload from Jamie Jones-Buchanan. Golding was involved again in the try which levelled the scores at 10-10, weaving his way out of tackles on the right before the ball was shifted to the left where Burrow had an easy run-in. Saints inconsistencies were becoming a problem again, a 10-point lead obliterated in just over 20 minutes of a frantic first half. Leeds were in front seven minutes from half-time when Jimmy Keinhorst, last seen breaking black and white hearts with a try four seconds from the end of the Hull derby in early February, strolled in after more good work from Sutcliffe.
Saints needed a boost before half-time, and they found it thanks to Lomax once again. Kyle Amor had been held up 10 metres short of the line and when the ball was subsequently switched from Roby to Walsh there was Lomax to gather in the latter’s exquisite kick to the in-goal area. Saints were back level at 16-16 at half-time and it had largely been down to Lomax’s individual brilliance and opportunism.
A different kind of brilliance and opportunism was on show for Saints next try. Amor careered into Harkaker as the England fullback tried to bring the ball away from his own-goal line. Uncharacteristically Hardaker spilled the ball back towards his own in-goal area and it was Amor who reacted first to claim the four-pointer. No doubt Hardaker would not have let it go had it been a pint of Guinness. Nevertheless Saints now led 20-16 with six minutes gone by in the second half. Again Leeds responded, Ash Handley going 60 metres unopposed for what would have been the try of most other matches had we not witnessed Lomax’s early contribution. McDonnell and Owens were left in Handley’s wake but it was Amor who had missed the original tackle on him in the defensive line. From the sublime to the ridiculous. Down by two points at 22-20 Saints struck again as that Greenwood fellow claimed his second try following Roby’s incisive inside ball 12 minutes into a second half that was turning out to be every bit as incident-packed as the first. Five minutes later it was Theo Fages’ turn to take a Roby pass all the way to what NFL fans call ‘the house’, the Frenchman ghosting inside the Leeds cover in the manner of an actual stand-off. This was most unlike Cunningham’s side but everybody seemed to be having a good time of it.
Yet Leeds would not go away despite their now 10-point deficit at 32-22 as Anthony Mullally crashed through some very ordinary tackles close to the Saints line. That brought Leeds back to within four points at 32-28 with 14 minutes on the clock. Fages showed his class once more just three minutes later, first forcing Mitch Garbutt to lose the ball in a thunderous challenge before holding off a couple of Leeds defenders to go over by the posts for the second of his brace. It was a move that also included some powerful running by Atelea Vea down the Saints right-hand channel. Saints were now keeping the ball alive in the traditional style and it was paying dividends with the score now 38-28 with just 10 minutes left. Leeds had the last word when Keinhorst claimed his second but Saints hung on for a memorable 38-34 win.
In many ways the match was a microcosm of the seasons of the teams taking part. One minute they were brilliant, the next woeful as they meandered along. This loss to Saints was the first of a run of seven consecutive defeats in all competitions for Leeds, who would not taste victory again until an 8-0 squeak past Salford Red Devils. They finished the season with three straight wins, seeing off both Hull clubs and Wigan during that run, but it wasn't enough to secure them a place in the Super 8s. Instead they took on the likes of Featherstone, Batley and London Broncos throughout August, a huge embarrassment for a club that has won everything in sight just 12 months earlier.
Saints too struggled to find any momentum before their somewhat unjust semi-final debacle at Warrington. They scraped into the playoffs in fourth place. They won at Castleford a week after this Leeds classic, but were humiliatingly dumped out of the Challenge Cup at home to Hull FC. The black and whites, on their way to the first of back-to-back cup wins, demolished Saints 47-16 on their own patch in what has to go down as one of the lowest moments of the Cunningham tenure. That was the second of four defeats on the bounce for Saints as they had already been thrashed 48-20 by Huddersfield Giants at the Magic Weekend in Newcastle. That match was memorable for Cunningham's decision to start Calvin Wellington in the centres and then hastily remove him after he made an unfortunate handling error that led to a Giants try. Wellington was not seen in the first team again.
Defeats to Hull FC (again), Warrington and Catalans Dragons followed for Saints before they somehow sparked back into life with five wins in a row. Hull KR, Wakefield, Widnes, Huddersfield and most pleasingly Wigan were all dismissed over the last five weeks of the season. They had momentum going into the playoffs but were halted by Warrington in that controversial semi-final. Perhaps it was a blessing. A team as inconsistent as Saints were in 2016 would have been at serious risk of a hammering by a Wigan side that was, as many of the top sides do, just beginning to find its form on its way to a fourth Grand Final win.
Cunningham lasted barely another year following on from the win over Leeds. Statue or not, he was sacked in April 2017 following a dismal home draw with Huddersfield that had seen Saints take a 14-0 half-time lead only to see it evaporate after the break under a hail of Danny Brough bombs, grubbers and goal-kicks. Meanwhile Lomax has gone from strength to strength under the guidance of Holbrook, developing into one of the premier stand-offs in Super League when many had written of his ability to play in the halves early in his career. The acquisition of Ben Barba forced Lomax back into the six role but since the departure of truck-driving anti-hero Barba the England man has kept the role and excelled in the early part of 2019 in which he is enjoying a well deserved testimonial. So much so that Lachlan Coote has been recruited to replace Barba, which should mean that we will be treated to more of Lomax's performances at stand-off in years to come providing he can stay fit.
Should he do so he might just look back on this night in April 2016 as the moment his career turned around.
The Theo-Danny Conundrum
Can you feel the love tonight? If Danny Richardson has been reading social media this week he may be doubting the extent of the affection in which he is held by Saints fans. Amid rumours of a loan spell at Leigh Centurions for the young half the fan base is immovably split. The debate on whether you are Team Theo or Team Danny is like Brexit without the economic meltdown, rise of the far right or Tommy fucking Robinson.
Everyone seems to have an opinion which they are not shy about sharing. So with nothing to do this Valentine’s Day but wade through the pile of mail which will no doubt prevent me from getting back into my house this evening, I’m joining the debate.
The first point to make is that we are not quite sure whether Richardson will go on loan, or whether that was ever part of the plan for him. Mike Critchley of the St Helens Star wrote a piece yesterday (Wednesday) suggesting that Richardson would only be available to Leigh on dual registration. However, Lasttackle.com countered today with their view that a month-long stay at Leigh Sports Village was still very much on the cards. Either way it seems likely that Richardson will turn out in Leigh colours at some point soon, possibly in their home game with Featherstone Rovers this weekend.
That’s because Theo Fages is now the man in possession of the first team shirt. Richardson played almost an entire season at halfback for Saints in 2018 as they romped to the League Leaders Shield before falling flat on their collective face in the Super League semi-final against Warrington. While that was happening, Fages couldn’t even make the bench as a relief option at hooker for the Duracell-sponsored James Roby. The Frenchman seemed frozen out and it did not appear beyond the realms that he would start 2019 somewhere other than at Saints. Yet by the time of the season opener against Wigan Fages was in the starting line-up at halfback and Richardson, who coach Justin Holbrook told us had been suffering from a groin injury in pre-season, was nowhere to be seen. It’s quite a turnaround in fortunes for the pair.
We can argue until Wigan get off zero points in the Super League table about the rights and wrongs of replacing Richardson with Fages. It is what it is. In Justin We Trust. The argument for dropping Fages is dealt a further blow when you consider that Saints have opened with two wins out of two. They followed their 22-12 victory over Adrian Lam’s side with a 24-18 win at Wakefield last weekend. Fages was instrumental in both wins, to the point where the main criticism of excluding Richardson from the fans appears to be that Mark Percival missed a couple of goals. But you can no more include Richardson for his goal-kicking than you can drop him for his defensive frailties.
He’s not really in the team for either. It’s not the NFL where you can have 53 players in your squad and each one can have a very specialised role. Nor is it the halfbacks job to do the bulk of the defensive work. Arguably it requires more defensive solidity than Richardson currently provides, but equally nobody cried too loud if Sean Long missed a tackle or six during his pomp, not when he was tearing a strip off opposition defences at the other end. Despite comparisons to Long Richardson has not convinced at the nuts and bolts of the role, creating space, attacking the line, putting team-mates through holes and kicking intelligently in a tactical sense.
Not that Fages is anywhere near Planet Long in those areas either. The key thing might just be the Richardson injury that Holbrook has alluded to. There is a reasonable argument that suggests that if Richardson is fit enough to play for Leigh then he is fit enough to play for Saints, but if the opportunity is there to get some games to improve his match fitness without jeopardising the prospects of the first team then why not take it? Far from the interpretation that turning out for Leigh could signal the end of Richardson’s days in the red vee it could actually be an indication that Holbrook wants him ready for first team action sooner rather than later.
That’s why dual registration, as ludicrous a concept as it is, would be a significantly more sensible option than any loan deal. A loan deal has to be for a minimum of one month (28 days) and if agreed it means that the loaned player cannot play for his parent club until that 28-day period has expired regardless of whether he is turning out for the loaning club. That represents too big a risk. If Fages were to get injured then the halfback slot would have to be covered by one of Jonny Lomax or Lachlan Coote, neither of whom scream seven at you unless you're thinking in terms of the way Len Goodman does it. Beyond those two we would be entering the realms of letting a so far underwhelming Joseph Paulo play in the halves. Nothing in this world smells more like Jon Wilkin under Keiron Cunningham than that. Spare us, Justin.
There would be no need for loans or dual registration if the Super League clubs could bash their heads together and come up with a viable reserves competition. At the last count only Leeds Rhinos were against that idea. That is has not materialised is perhaps an insight into the amount of power held by Gary Hetherington and the Leeds club within the corridors of power in rugby league. All the other sides in favour of a reserve competition should have started one and just left Leeds out if they didn’t want to play ball. Or better still, the RFL could have done what it is there for and governed. If one club out of 12 won’t fall in line then tell them they either do so or face the consequences. But the RFL don’t tend to want to impose that kind of authority. Even the increasingly vocal Super League body under new head honcho Robert Elstone aren’t pushing too much for a reserve competition at the moment, so we are where we are with some regret.
The situation doesn't particularly help the Championship either. How healthy is it for the future of our game that a club like Leigh - a Super League club themselves less than two years ago and one of many fancied to be in contention for promotion to the top flight this year - need to rely on Saints to make their squad competitive? What does it say about the integrity of the Championship and the concepts of promotion and relegation if Leigh rock up to an important regular season or even playoff game with a boatload of Super League stars in their ranks? Dual registration may offer playing time and opportunities to Super League players who aren’t quite making the grade at their own clubs for one reason or another, but as it does so it denies others an opportunity to gain Championship experience which could aid their development into stars of the future.
Saints are not in action this week thanks to the double whammy of some absurd Challenge Cup rules and a minor squabble going on at the DW Stadium on Sunday night (February 17). Their next game is at home to the reserves-fearing Leeds Rhinos. Of the happy couple Fages looks a certain starter in that one while it’s a wait and see on whether Richardson can play himself back into the affections of Holbrook by impressing for the Centurions.
If he does go to Leigh I’m sincerely hoping it is just for a fling and not a long-lasting, meaningful relationship. HappyCard Manufacturer's Paradise Valentine's Day
Everyone seems to have an opinion which they are not shy about sharing. So with nothing to do this Valentine’s Day but wade through the pile of mail which will no doubt prevent me from getting back into my house this evening, I’m joining the debate.
The first point to make is that we are not quite sure whether Richardson will go on loan, or whether that was ever part of the plan for him. Mike Critchley of the St Helens Star wrote a piece yesterday (Wednesday) suggesting that Richardson would only be available to Leigh on dual registration. However, Lasttackle.com countered today with their view that a month-long stay at Leigh Sports Village was still very much on the cards. Either way it seems likely that Richardson will turn out in Leigh colours at some point soon, possibly in their home game with Featherstone Rovers this weekend.
That’s because Theo Fages is now the man in possession of the first team shirt. Richardson played almost an entire season at halfback for Saints in 2018 as they romped to the League Leaders Shield before falling flat on their collective face in the Super League semi-final against Warrington. While that was happening, Fages couldn’t even make the bench as a relief option at hooker for the Duracell-sponsored James Roby. The Frenchman seemed frozen out and it did not appear beyond the realms that he would start 2019 somewhere other than at Saints. Yet by the time of the season opener against Wigan Fages was in the starting line-up at halfback and Richardson, who coach Justin Holbrook told us had been suffering from a groin injury in pre-season, was nowhere to be seen. It’s quite a turnaround in fortunes for the pair.
We can argue until Wigan get off zero points in the Super League table about the rights and wrongs of replacing Richardson with Fages. It is what it is. In Justin We Trust. The argument for dropping Fages is dealt a further blow when you consider that Saints have opened with two wins out of two. They followed their 22-12 victory over Adrian Lam’s side with a 24-18 win at Wakefield last weekend. Fages was instrumental in both wins, to the point where the main criticism of excluding Richardson from the fans appears to be that Mark Percival missed a couple of goals. But you can no more include Richardson for his goal-kicking than you can drop him for his defensive frailties.
He’s not really in the team for either. It’s not the NFL where you can have 53 players in your squad and each one can have a very specialised role. Nor is it the halfbacks job to do the bulk of the defensive work. Arguably it requires more defensive solidity than Richardson currently provides, but equally nobody cried too loud if Sean Long missed a tackle or six during his pomp, not when he was tearing a strip off opposition defences at the other end. Despite comparisons to Long Richardson has not convinced at the nuts and bolts of the role, creating space, attacking the line, putting team-mates through holes and kicking intelligently in a tactical sense.
Not that Fages is anywhere near Planet Long in those areas either. The key thing might just be the Richardson injury that Holbrook has alluded to. There is a reasonable argument that suggests that if Richardson is fit enough to play for Leigh then he is fit enough to play for Saints, but if the opportunity is there to get some games to improve his match fitness without jeopardising the prospects of the first team then why not take it? Far from the interpretation that turning out for Leigh could signal the end of Richardson’s days in the red vee it could actually be an indication that Holbrook wants him ready for first team action sooner rather than later.
That’s why dual registration, as ludicrous a concept as it is, would be a significantly more sensible option than any loan deal. A loan deal has to be for a minimum of one month (28 days) and if agreed it means that the loaned player cannot play for his parent club until that 28-day period has expired regardless of whether he is turning out for the loaning club. That represents too big a risk. If Fages were to get injured then the halfback slot would have to be covered by one of Jonny Lomax or Lachlan Coote, neither of whom scream seven at you unless you're thinking in terms of the way Len Goodman does it. Beyond those two we would be entering the realms of letting a so far underwhelming Joseph Paulo play in the halves. Nothing in this world smells more like Jon Wilkin under Keiron Cunningham than that. Spare us, Justin.
There would be no need for loans or dual registration if the Super League clubs could bash their heads together and come up with a viable reserves competition. At the last count only Leeds Rhinos were against that idea. That is has not materialised is perhaps an insight into the amount of power held by Gary Hetherington and the Leeds club within the corridors of power in rugby league. All the other sides in favour of a reserve competition should have started one and just left Leeds out if they didn’t want to play ball. Or better still, the RFL could have done what it is there for and governed. If one club out of 12 won’t fall in line then tell them they either do so or face the consequences. But the RFL don’t tend to want to impose that kind of authority. Even the increasingly vocal Super League body under new head honcho Robert Elstone aren’t pushing too much for a reserve competition at the moment, so we are where we are with some regret.
The situation doesn't particularly help the Championship either. How healthy is it for the future of our game that a club like Leigh - a Super League club themselves less than two years ago and one of many fancied to be in contention for promotion to the top flight this year - need to rely on Saints to make their squad competitive? What does it say about the integrity of the Championship and the concepts of promotion and relegation if Leigh rock up to an important regular season or even playoff game with a boatload of Super League stars in their ranks? Dual registration may offer playing time and opportunities to Super League players who aren’t quite making the grade at their own clubs for one reason or another, but as it does so it denies others an opportunity to gain Championship experience which could aid their development into stars of the future.
Saints are not in action this week thanks to the double whammy of some absurd Challenge Cup rules and a minor squabble going on at the DW Stadium on Sunday night (February 17). Their next game is at home to the reserves-fearing Leeds Rhinos. Of the happy couple Fages looks a certain starter in that one while it’s a wait and see on whether Richardson can play himself back into the affections of Holbrook by impressing for the Centurions.
If he does go to Leigh I’m sincerely hoping it is just for a fling and not a long-lasting, meaningful relationship. Happy
Why Should I Support Wigan?
Saints aren’t playing this weekend. None of last year’s Super League top eight are except for Wigan, who take on Sydney Roosters in the World Club Challenge. There are 101 reasons why this is a bad thing but the main thrust of the problem is that those top eight Super League sides enter the Challenge Cup at least one round too late. By the end of the 2020s Super League’s top two will no doubt get a bye to the semi-finals. But this is another story altogether, which I may or may not write at some point in the future. There will be plenty of time for it since Saints don’t play again competitively until February 22.
The planned meeting with the Roosters this Friday doesn’t count. It’s a practice match which Saints are quite happy to announce with some fanfare in the local press but not so happy to let you, the fan, in to see. Not that you’ll be missing much. Apparently they are only going to play at 70%. Who knows how you do that? Good luck telling Matty Lees, Morgan Knowles and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook to knock 30% off their effort level.
For now I’m going to focus on the World Club Challenge itself. There is some debate among our number on social media about whether or not our friends from the Pie Dome winning would be A Good Thing. I know, but there is. I’m not going to be supporting them. I wouldn’t support them if they were playing against a select XIII made up of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and nine of the most dangerous inmates from a bad Sky One documentary about Death Row. But I get that not everyone who supports Saints hates Wigan with quite the same level of vigour. Commitment I call it. It’s a virtue, but I understand that others may see it differently. I am sure that there was an age several eons ago when it was quite normal to roll up to watch Saints one week and then head down toTesco Central Park the next. But that was before The Dark Times. Before Wigan became the only professional club in the country and their fans started to learn the words to Simply The Best.
My problem is not that it is Wigan. Well, not only that. My problem is the argument that if Adrian Lam’s side win it will be somehow ‘good’ for the Super League and the game in the northern hemisphere. Why will it? To my dismay I have witnessed Wigan winning several World Club Challenges both here and in Australia and never have any of them changed the Australasian attitude to Super League or the international game. We’ve seen Saints, Leeds, Bradford and heck, even Widnes win the thing before now, but none of those could change antipodean minds either. Wigan could rack up 60 points against the Roosters on Sunday and the Australian view will still be that this is nothing more than a pre-season friendly and who cares anyway? Until we can beat the Australians to either a World Cup or during an Ashes series that will remain the Australian stance. Without those accolades we will remain inferior in their minds and no amount of World Club Challenge wins, sponsored by Dacia, BetFred or some pea manufacturer from Sheffield will change that.
Adding to the meh-ery of the event this year is that it is just possible that Latrell Mitchell, one of the Roosters and indeed the world’s better players, will not be gracing the World Club Challenge with his presence. Instead he could be turning out for the Indigenous All-Stars as they take on the New Zealand Maori side in Melbourne on Friday (February 15). That choice is one to which he is fully entitled and with which I have no particular beef but it is nevertheless a damning indictment on where the World Club Challenge stands in the minds of the best Australian players.
So there is no real reason to support Wigan this year. No tangible benefit to Super League or the world game as a whole. Perhaps if there were I could put my hostility towards them aside for 80 minutes and cheer them on. If it meant that the World Club Challenge could thrive and that one day a week without a Saints match would make some sort of logical sense. I might sacrifice it for the cause. Right now I feel like I am missing out this week. It seems like the Super League season has been brought to a crashing halt for no good reason other than so that the Aussies can sneer at us whatever the result on Sunday night at the DW. Or worse still, so that people who openly support Ben Flower can spend the next 12 months gloating at everyone while dusting off their Tina Turner wigs for another tuneless rendition.
No doubt, the pros of a Wigan win do not outweigh the cons. I’m slightly edgy that they will get it too. These are the sorts of games they win. When it really matters to them and they can see a golden age of gloating on the horizon. They are also the sorts of games that NRL teams lose, still a few weeks away from any competitive action at home and on the back of a flight almost as draining as Wigan’s tactics. I hope the Roosters can do it but you know what? Like them, I don’t really give too much of a shit.
The planned meeting with the Roosters this Friday doesn’t count. It’s a practice match which Saints are quite happy to announce with some fanfare in the local press but not so happy to let you, the fan, in to see. Not that you’ll be missing much. Apparently they are only going to play at 70%. Who knows how you do that? Good luck telling Matty Lees, Morgan Knowles and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook to knock 30% off their effort level.
For now I’m going to focus on the World Club Challenge itself. There is some debate among our number on social media about whether or not our friends from the Pie Dome winning would be A Good Thing. I know, but there is. I’m not going to be supporting them. I wouldn’t support them if they were playing against a select XIII made up of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and nine of the most dangerous inmates from a bad Sky One documentary about Death Row. But I get that not everyone who supports Saints hates Wigan with quite the same level of vigour. Commitment I call it. It’s a virtue, but I understand that others may see it differently. I am sure that there was an age several eons ago when it was quite normal to roll up to watch Saints one week and then head down to
My problem is not that it is Wigan. Well, not only that. My problem is the argument that if Adrian Lam’s side win it will be somehow ‘good’ for the Super League and the game in the northern hemisphere. Why will it? To my dismay I have witnessed Wigan winning several World Club Challenges both here and in Australia and never have any of them changed the Australasian attitude to Super League or the international game. We’ve seen Saints, Leeds, Bradford and heck, even Widnes win the thing before now, but none of those could change antipodean minds either. Wigan could rack up 60 points against the Roosters on Sunday and the Australian view will still be that this is nothing more than a pre-season friendly and who cares anyway? Until we can beat the Australians to either a World Cup or during an Ashes series that will remain the Australian stance. Without those accolades we will remain inferior in their minds and no amount of World Club Challenge wins, sponsored by Dacia, BetFred or some pea manufacturer from Sheffield will change that.
Adding to the meh-ery of the event this year is that it is just possible that Latrell Mitchell, one of the Roosters and indeed the world’s better players, will not be gracing the World Club Challenge with his presence. Instead he could be turning out for the Indigenous All-Stars as they take on the New Zealand Maori side in Melbourne on Friday (February 15). That choice is one to which he is fully entitled and with which I have no particular beef but it is nevertheless a damning indictment on where the World Club Challenge stands in the minds of the best Australian players.
So there is no real reason to support Wigan this year. No tangible benefit to Super League or the world game as a whole. Perhaps if there were I could put my hostility towards them aside for 80 minutes and cheer them on. If it meant that the World Club Challenge could thrive and that one day a week without a Saints match would make some sort of logical sense. I might sacrifice it for the cause. Right now I feel like I am missing out this week. It seems like the Super League season has been brought to a crashing halt for no good reason other than so that the Aussies can sneer at us whatever the result on Sunday night at the DW. Or worse still, so that people who openly support Ben Flower can spend the next 12 months gloating at everyone while dusting off their Tina Turner wigs for another tuneless rendition.
No doubt, the pros of a Wigan win do not outweigh the cons. I’m slightly edgy that they will get it too. These are the sorts of games they win. When it really matters to them and they can see a golden age of gloating on the horizon. They are also the sorts of games that NRL teams lose, still a few weeks away from any competitive action at home and on the back of a flight almost as draining as Wigan’s tactics. I hope the Roosters can do it but you know what? Like them, I don’t really give too much of a shit.
Wakefield Trinity v St Helens - Preview
At a fans forum on Tuesday night (February 5) host Alan Rooney joked with panel members and Saints new boys Joseph Paulo and Kevin Naiqama that having been part of a derby victory on their Super League debuts it did not matter if they failed win another game all season. He jested, of course. We all know that having beaten Adrian Lam’s Wigan side last time out the expectation on Saints is even higher as they prepare to visit the Mobile Rocket Stadium to face Wakefield Trinity in a BetFred Super League Round 2 clash on Sunday (February 10, kick-off 3.00pm).
You wouldn’t expect too many changes to a Saints side which is exceptionally pleased with itself after slaying the old enemy with something to spare last week. And you don’t get many. Justin Holbrook has made just the one alteration to the 19 who were on duty last week, with Jack Ashworth dropping out in favour of James Bentley. Ashworth was a surprise omission from the 17 against Wigan allowing Kyle Amor another opportunity to prolong his Saints career. Yet the 23-year-old Rochdale-born prop responded by starring for Leigh Centurions on dual registration in their 24-16 win over Toulouse on Sunday (February 3). He will get another chance to aid the Centurions effort for 2019 and keep his own match fitness when they visit Halifax at the same time that Saints face Wakefield on Sunday.
That will leave Bentley, who starred in the limited opportunities he was given by Holbrook in the first team towards the end of 2018, to fight to get into the match day 17. That will be no small task given the level of performance in Round 1. Amor surely deserves another chance and with Alex Walmsley, Luke Thompson, James Roby, Zeb Taia, Dominique Peyroux, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees, Morgan Knowles and Paulo all having strong cases for inclusion it is difficult to see where Bentley might squeeze in to the pack options. That is unless Holbrook takes an early opportunity to rest players, remembering that a lack of rotation was one of the most oft quoted reasons for Saints failure to progress beyond the semi-finals in 2018 having won the league at a canter.
Lachlan Coote made all talk of a return to Saints for troubled Ben Barba obsolete with an assured performance against the cherry and whites and should again be the last line of defence behind a three-quarter line featuring Tommy Makinson, Naiqama, Mark Percival and Regan Grace. The young Welshman looked fallible under the high ball in the season opener and could be targeted by wily rent-a-gob Danny Brough, newly acquired by Trinity from Huddersfield Giants in the offseason. Brough was sin-binned for opening his considerable trap late on in Wakefield’s opening weekend defeat by London Broncos but is still in possession of one of the finest kicking games in the competition if his discipline holds.
The newly appointed Steve Prescott Man Of Steel panel did not acknowledge it but Theo Fages was among the best players on show in the derby. He romped the WA12 Radio Rugby League Show poll for man of the match but was not among the three players given points towards the main individual gong for the season by the experts. Roby will likely get points every week but it was more surprising to see Thompson recognised ahead of Fages in what was one of the quieter performances from the prop by his own magnificent standards. Thompson has been linked with a move to the NRL in the past week, but the lack of any quotes indicating that he will go suggests that it was mischief making to stop us all getting carried away with the news that Roby, Makinson and Jonny Lomax have all signed new contracts with the club in the last fortnight. Too much of a good thing, and all of that. Lomax will partner Fages in the halves in all likelihood but Danny Richardson is named and could yet be restored to the line-up after a troubled pre-season. That would be harsh on Fages but far from the first time that he has been the victim of selection chicanery from Holbrook.
Wakefield come into this one knowing that things can only get better after they were humbled by the Broncos last week. Coach Chris Chester suggested that the 42-24 defeat was the worst performance he has been involved with during his time as boss of the Trinity outfit. In response he has made the sum total of zero tactical changes, with both alterations to his 19-man party forced upon him by injury. James Batchelor, brother of Saints forward Joe who has just re-joined York City Knights on loan for a month, misses out as well as hooker Tyler Randell. In come experienced campaigners Craig Huby and Danny Kirmond in their place. Randell's absence significantly weakens Wakefield in a key area and no doubt improves the chances of Roby having a major influence.
Ryan Hampshire should start at fullback with the pace of Ben Jones-Bishop and Tom Johnstone on the wings outside centre pairing Reece Lyne and the excellent Bill Tupou. Jacob Miller seems likeliest to partner Brough in the halves while former Saints Matty Ashurst should feature in the second row. Tinirau Arona, Craig Kopczak, Anthony England and David Fifita feature in a formidable and sizeable pack while Kyle Wood could be handed the difficult task of replacing Randell. George King has moved east from Warrington to offer his versatility also. Even without the injured pair and the also absent Pauli Pauli Chester is not short of quality options in his side. He will know that he must get at least a positive performance out of his side following the London defeat even if beating Saints looks a tall order.
History suggests it’s not an impossible job, however. Wakefield beat Saints 24-20 at the Mobile Rocket in April of last year and ran Saints close at the equally stupidly named stadium occupied by Saints in June, coming back from 20-6 down at half-time to eventually go down 34-30. Saints last visit to Wakefield was a less taxing affair as Holbrook’s men ran out 36-16 winners in August, scoring seven tries to three among which was a brace for Makinson. Both of these sides can rack up points in a hurry and it might just be that if Saints can conjure a repeat of their strong defensive display from a week ago that they will have enough to start the season two wins from two.
Squads;
Wakefield Trinity;
Tinirau Arona, Joe Arundel, Matty Ashurst, Danny Brough, Jordan Crowther, Anthony England, David Fifita, Ryan Hampshire, Justin Horo, Craig Huby, Tom Johnstone, Ben Jones-Bishop, George King, Danny Kirmond, Craig Kopczak, Reece Lyne, Jacob Miller, Bill Tupou, Kyle Wood
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Danny Richardson, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 19. Matty Lees, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Referee: Robert Hicks
You wouldn’t expect too many changes to a Saints side which is exceptionally pleased with itself after slaying the old enemy with something to spare last week. And you don’t get many. Justin Holbrook has made just the one alteration to the 19 who were on duty last week, with Jack Ashworth dropping out in favour of James Bentley. Ashworth was a surprise omission from the 17 against Wigan allowing Kyle Amor another opportunity to prolong his Saints career. Yet the 23-year-old Rochdale-born prop responded by starring for Leigh Centurions on dual registration in their 24-16 win over Toulouse on Sunday (February 3). He will get another chance to aid the Centurions effort for 2019 and keep his own match fitness when they visit Halifax at the same time that Saints face Wakefield on Sunday.
That will leave Bentley, who starred in the limited opportunities he was given by Holbrook in the first team towards the end of 2018, to fight to get into the match day 17. That will be no small task given the level of performance in Round 1. Amor surely deserves another chance and with Alex Walmsley, Luke Thompson, James Roby, Zeb Taia, Dominique Peyroux, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees, Morgan Knowles and Paulo all having strong cases for inclusion it is difficult to see where Bentley might squeeze in to the pack options. That is unless Holbrook takes an early opportunity to rest players, remembering that a lack of rotation was one of the most oft quoted reasons for Saints failure to progress beyond the semi-finals in 2018 having won the league at a canter.
Lachlan Coote made all talk of a return to Saints for troubled Ben Barba obsolete with an assured performance against the cherry and whites and should again be the last line of defence behind a three-quarter line featuring Tommy Makinson, Naiqama, Mark Percival and Regan Grace. The young Welshman looked fallible under the high ball in the season opener and could be targeted by wily rent-a-gob Danny Brough, newly acquired by Trinity from Huddersfield Giants in the offseason. Brough was sin-binned for opening his considerable trap late on in Wakefield’s opening weekend defeat by London Broncos but is still in possession of one of the finest kicking games in the competition if his discipline holds.
The newly appointed Steve Prescott Man Of Steel panel did not acknowledge it but Theo Fages was among the best players on show in the derby. He romped the WA12 Radio Rugby League Show poll for man of the match but was not among the three players given points towards the main individual gong for the season by the experts. Roby will likely get points every week but it was more surprising to see Thompson recognised ahead of Fages in what was one of the quieter performances from the prop by his own magnificent standards. Thompson has been linked with a move to the NRL in the past week, but the lack of any quotes indicating that he will go suggests that it was mischief making to stop us all getting carried away with the news that Roby, Makinson and Jonny Lomax have all signed new contracts with the club in the last fortnight. Too much of a good thing, and all of that. Lomax will partner Fages in the halves in all likelihood but Danny Richardson is named and could yet be restored to the line-up after a troubled pre-season. That would be harsh on Fages but far from the first time that he has been the victim of selection chicanery from Holbrook.
Wakefield come into this one knowing that things can only get better after they were humbled by the Broncos last week. Coach Chris Chester suggested that the 42-24 defeat was the worst performance he has been involved with during his time as boss of the Trinity outfit. In response he has made the sum total of zero tactical changes, with both alterations to his 19-man party forced upon him by injury. James Batchelor, brother of Saints forward Joe who has just re-joined York City Knights on loan for a month, misses out as well as hooker Tyler Randell. In come experienced campaigners Craig Huby and Danny Kirmond in their place. Randell's absence significantly weakens Wakefield in a key area and no doubt improves the chances of Roby having a major influence.
Ryan Hampshire should start at fullback with the pace of Ben Jones-Bishop and Tom Johnstone on the wings outside centre pairing Reece Lyne and the excellent Bill Tupou. Jacob Miller seems likeliest to partner Brough in the halves while former Saints Matty Ashurst should feature in the second row. Tinirau Arona, Craig Kopczak, Anthony England and David Fifita feature in a formidable and sizeable pack while Kyle Wood could be handed the difficult task of replacing Randell. George King has moved east from Warrington to offer his versatility also. Even without the injured pair and the also absent Pauli Pauli Chester is not short of quality options in his side. He will know that he must get at least a positive performance out of his side following the London defeat even if beating Saints looks a tall order.
History suggests it’s not an impossible job, however. Wakefield beat Saints 24-20 at the Mobile Rocket in April of last year and ran Saints close at the equally stupidly named stadium occupied by Saints in June, coming back from 20-6 down at half-time to eventually go down 34-30. Saints last visit to Wakefield was a less taxing affair as Holbrook’s men ran out 36-16 winners in August, scoring seven tries to three among which was a brace for Makinson. Both of these sides can rack up points in a hurry and it might just be that if Saints can conjure a repeat of their strong defensive display from a week ago that they will have enough to start the season two wins from two.
Squads;
Wakefield Trinity;
Tinirau Arona, Joe Arundel, Matty Ashurst, Danny Brough, Jordan Crowther, Anthony England, David Fifita, Ryan Hampshire, Justin Horo, Craig Huby, Tom Johnstone, Ben Jones-Bishop, George King, Danny Kirmond, Craig Kopczak, Reece Lyne, Jacob Miller, Bill Tupou, Kyle Wood
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Danny Richardson, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 19. Matty Lees, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Referee: Robert Hicks
5 Talking Points From Saints 22 Wigan Warriors 12
The Fages-Richardson Debate
Many observers, including this one, were surprised when Saints coach Justin Holbrook announced in the days leading up to the start of the season that Theo Fages would be likely to get the nod at halfback ahead of Danny Richardson. The latter saw off competition from Matty Smith throughout last season and seemed to have made the position his own as Saints stormed the League Leaders Shield before running out of steam in the playoffs. Few were putting the semi-final defeat on Richardson's shoulders. He's young, he will learn from it and we will all be better off for it in the long run seemed to be the popular view.
By contrast Fages spent the business end of 2018 out in the cold. Almost as cold as it was at the game on Thursday night. Alright, not quite that cold. But his role as a back-up hooker to James Roby was dispensed with completely by Holbrook as the games got bigger last year which was arguably one of the key reasons why Saints didn't quite have enough when it really mattered. A pre-season groin injury has apparently been troubling Richardson and with Smith now in the south of France Fages was given the opportunity to stake a claim. A home win over our bitterest rivals, coupled with a stunning defensive display might suggest that the argument is now leaning heavily in Fages favour and that Richardson will do well to displace the Frenchman when he regains full fitness.
Yet closer inspection shows that not only did Fages miss six of his 24 attempted tackles, he also failed to convince with ball in hand. Too many wrong decisions still blight Fages’ game. He's a busy, industrious player as his defensive stats show. Not too many halfbacks attempt 24 tackles in a game. Luke Walsh would have been happy with that figure by the end of June. But Fages' ability to choose the right pass particularly close to the opponents line when the opportunity to score presents itself leaves a lot to be desired. The same is true of Richardson, who last season often turned himself inside out and tied himself in knots looking for an option on the last play without consistently coming up with a good one. Perhaps the truth is that both Saints halfbacks are still learning the position and neither can truly command a game of this magnitude at this stage of their careers. Saints play at Wakefield in a week’s time and if Richardson is fit it will be fascinating to see if Holbrook persists with Fages in the role. Only when Richardson is fully fit will we have any real clues as to whether the decision to opt for Fages is a sign of things to come or a sticking plaster.
Amor Appears To Have A Future At Saints
Another player defiantly clinging on to a spot in the line-up is Kyle Amor. All winter there have been suggestions that the former Leeds and Wakefield man would be on his way out of Saints, with Salford and London rumoured to have been offered a chance to sign him. To his credit Amor decided to stay and fight for his place, a task which did not look easy with Alex Walmsley back in the mould alongside England star Luke Thompson. That frightening pair is backed up by the emerging talents of Matty Lees and Jack Ashworth, and with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook also able to operate in the middle things looked bleak for Amor. Yet Luke Douglas' loan move to Leigh Centurions took many by surprise and opened a door for Amor who was surprisingly named in the match day 17 for the derby.
His stat line is not amazing. Just five carries for 34 metres at a rate of 6.80 metres a carry. That is not going to have Wayne Bennett knocking on the door to enquire whether Amor might like to represent England instead of Ireland. But it wasn't a great night for individual metre-making in any case. Only Walmsley and Zeb Taia topped the 100-metre mark among Saints' pack men. The mere fact that Amor managed to fight through the off-season adversity to earn a place in the squad is a sign that his time at Saints might not be done just yet. Amor made 21 tackles, missing only two, playing his part in what was a huge defensive effort from Saints in the second half especially. Wigan had got back into the game at 12-12 just before half-time but they would not trouble the scorers again after the oranges. If Amor can bring that kind of defensive effort and stability to the party every week then he might well be able to delay the establishment of Lees and Jack Ashworth as regulars in the side. Which would represent a significant turnaround since Amor’s removal from the scene looked inevitable towards the end of 2018.
The New Boys
While familiar names were offered new beginnings Holbrook also introduced Saints three new signings for their Super League debuts. Kevin Naiqama didn’t take long to have an impact, opening his try-scoring account for Saints inside the first three minutes. The former Wests Tigers man looked a threat throughout, finally offering balance to the Saints attack. It has been somewhat left-sided in recent years as Saints have struggled to find a right-sided centre to match the strike power of Mark Percival on the other flank. They may have found one in Naiqama who, though well policed after his early score, certainly gave the Wigan defenders on that edge plenty to think about.
Many wondered whether fullback Lachlan Coote could really replace Ben Barba. The early signs are that he can, if not quite in the same way. Coote won’t go on too many 90-metre tears through the opposition defence but he has a fine passing game and what looks a pretty high rugby league IQ. Defensively he looks extremely confident and assured, sweeping up a lot of the danger with some excellent positional play. Where Barba’s speed and athleticism could help him defensively Coote looks to do much of the hard work in his head, anticipating what’s going to happen in enough time to get his body there to do something about it. The one blemish was the interception he threw which led to Liam Marshall’s try just before half-time. Yet this is Saints, a club where the taking of risks is celebrated and encouraged. We’d probably rather have that than a player who continually sticks the ball up his jumper so we can stay in The Grind. Coote’s pass was a fraction away from finding Naiqama in space and if it had then either the Fijian or Tommy Makinson outside of him would have strolled in and given Saints a double-digit lead at the break. That’s the gamble, as they used to say on Bullseye. There’s much more to come from Coote.
Perhaps the only slight disappointment among the trio was Joseph Paulo. The former Cronulla man came off the bench into the back row but was not as ubiquitous as Morgan Knowles who started the game. While the Welsh international racked up 39 tackles and carried the ball eight times Paulo had a more modest 25 tackles and only five carries. What is impressive about the former USA and Samoa man is that he didn’t miss any tackles. Paulo is seen as a direct replacement for Jon Wilkin so that defensive solidity is a vital part of the job description. Hopefully on warmer evenings than this we will see more of Paulo as a ball-playing forward too.
Shot-Clock...What Have We Learned?
Thursday night's game saw the first use of the new regulations brought in to Super League for 2019, chief among which is the introduction of a so-called 'shot-clock' at scrums and drop-outs. This has been in operation in the NRL for some time now and is aimed at preventing the tiresome time-wasting that goes on in these dead ball situations. For the last few years in particular Super League has been a place where any hint of a dead ball has been an instant cue for some opportunist player, feeling the pace a little after being under a bit of defensive pressure, to hit the deck and encourage some kind of treatment from the physio before the game restarts.
The ‘shot clock’ tag is a bit of a misnomer. In basketball teams have 24 seconds to get a shot off at their opponents basket otherwise they lose possession. There is no time limit on completing a possession in rugby league. It’s more like the ‘play clock’ used in the NFL whereby an offensive team has a set amount of time to restart the game at set plays or else face a penalty. The consensus is that rugby league’s version did help speed the game up. Both halves clocked in at under 45 minutes of real time whereas in the recent past it was not uncommon for halves in televised games to run on way past the 50-minute mark. Yet we should remember that there was only one occasion during the entire 80 minutes when the video referee was brought into play. This is an extraordinarily low mark compared with most games in recent seasons where you could expect five or six incidents to be reviewed. If, alongside the introduction of the ‘shot-clock’ referees are being encouraged to use technology less then we’ll be making some headway. If this game was the exception from what will continue to be the norm then don’t expect to get home early too often from the game if it is on TV.
No Way Back To Saints For Barba
Fans of schadenfreude will have smirked at the news that while Saints were busy winning this derby opener their former star Barba was blowing yet another chance at the NRL. Barba seemed to give the impression that he couldn’t get away from St Helens fast enough once North Queensland Cowboys showed their interest in him, yet before a ball has been kicked in the NRL in 2019 he has been sacked by the Cowboys following an incident at a Townsville casino. With the incident having been reported to the NRL’s integrity unit and legal proceedings possibly to follow it would seem that the only way for Barba to further his rugby league career might be a return to Super League.
Of course a prosecution could take that off the table but even in the best case scenario for Barba, a scenario in which he is cleared of the heinous acts he is alleged to have committed, he should not be bailed out again by Saints. Barba had no thought of playing for Saints until his drugs ban and very likely no thought of returning once he left. If he’s considering it now it’s far too late. Saints should not be here to rescue the careers of wayward stars who have talked the talk but demonstrably failed to walk the walk in terms of loyalty. Let’s remember that Barba didn’t even see fit to see out his contract at Saints despite the fact that he constantly wittered on about how happy and settled he was in England. I would stop short of rewriting history as some have, claiming that he stopped trying in July and was not a deserved winner of the Steve Prescott Man Of Steel Award. That title is based on what you do on the field. It isn’t the NFL’s Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award which takes into account off-field behaviour and community work. From that point of view Barba was the only choice in 2018. We can’t take that away from him just as we can’t take Zak Hardaker’s 2015 title away from him on account of his subsequent behaviour. But we can and should move on from Barba. Coote has been brought in as a replacement and looks a safer pair of hands in every respect. Let’s get behind him now and leave the memories of Barba in the past.
Many observers, including this one, were surprised when Saints coach Justin Holbrook announced in the days leading up to the start of the season that Theo Fages would be likely to get the nod at halfback ahead of Danny Richardson. The latter saw off competition from Matty Smith throughout last season and seemed to have made the position his own as Saints stormed the League Leaders Shield before running out of steam in the playoffs. Few were putting the semi-final defeat on Richardson's shoulders. He's young, he will learn from it and we will all be better off for it in the long run seemed to be the popular view.
By contrast Fages spent the business end of 2018 out in the cold. Almost as cold as it was at the game on Thursday night. Alright, not quite that cold. But his role as a back-up hooker to James Roby was dispensed with completely by Holbrook as the games got bigger last year which was arguably one of the key reasons why Saints didn't quite have enough when it really mattered. A pre-season groin injury has apparently been troubling Richardson and with Smith now in the south of France Fages was given the opportunity to stake a claim. A home win over our bitterest rivals, coupled with a stunning defensive display might suggest that the argument is now leaning heavily in Fages favour and that Richardson will do well to displace the Frenchman when he regains full fitness.
Yet closer inspection shows that not only did Fages miss six of his 24 attempted tackles, he also failed to convince with ball in hand. Too many wrong decisions still blight Fages’ game. He's a busy, industrious player as his defensive stats show. Not too many halfbacks attempt 24 tackles in a game. Luke Walsh would have been happy with that figure by the end of June. But Fages' ability to choose the right pass particularly close to the opponents line when the opportunity to score presents itself leaves a lot to be desired. The same is true of Richardson, who last season often turned himself inside out and tied himself in knots looking for an option on the last play without consistently coming up with a good one. Perhaps the truth is that both Saints halfbacks are still learning the position and neither can truly command a game of this magnitude at this stage of their careers. Saints play at Wakefield in a week’s time and if Richardson is fit it will be fascinating to see if Holbrook persists with Fages in the role. Only when Richardson is fully fit will we have any real clues as to whether the decision to opt for Fages is a sign of things to come or a sticking plaster.
Amor Appears To Have A Future At Saints
Another player defiantly clinging on to a spot in the line-up is Kyle Amor. All winter there have been suggestions that the former Leeds and Wakefield man would be on his way out of Saints, with Salford and London rumoured to have been offered a chance to sign him. To his credit Amor decided to stay and fight for his place, a task which did not look easy with Alex Walmsley back in the mould alongside England star Luke Thompson. That frightening pair is backed up by the emerging talents of Matty Lees and Jack Ashworth, and with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook also able to operate in the middle things looked bleak for Amor. Yet Luke Douglas' loan move to Leigh Centurions took many by surprise and opened a door for Amor who was surprisingly named in the match day 17 for the derby.
His stat line is not amazing. Just five carries for 34 metres at a rate of 6.80 metres a carry. That is not going to have Wayne Bennett knocking on the door to enquire whether Amor might like to represent England instead of Ireland. But it wasn't a great night for individual metre-making in any case. Only Walmsley and Zeb Taia topped the 100-metre mark among Saints' pack men. The mere fact that Amor managed to fight through the off-season adversity to earn a place in the squad is a sign that his time at Saints might not be done just yet. Amor made 21 tackles, missing only two, playing his part in what was a huge defensive effort from Saints in the second half especially. Wigan had got back into the game at 12-12 just before half-time but they would not trouble the scorers again after the oranges. If Amor can bring that kind of defensive effort and stability to the party every week then he might well be able to delay the establishment of Lees and Jack Ashworth as regulars in the side. Which would represent a significant turnaround since Amor’s removal from the scene looked inevitable towards the end of 2018.
The New Boys
While familiar names were offered new beginnings Holbrook also introduced Saints three new signings for their Super League debuts. Kevin Naiqama didn’t take long to have an impact, opening his try-scoring account for Saints inside the first three minutes. The former Wests Tigers man looked a threat throughout, finally offering balance to the Saints attack. It has been somewhat left-sided in recent years as Saints have struggled to find a right-sided centre to match the strike power of Mark Percival on the other flank. They may have found one in Naiqama who, though well policed after his early score, certainly gave the Wigan defenders on that edge plenty to think about.
Many wondered whether fullback Lachlan Coote could really replace Ben Barba. The early signs are that he can, if not quite in the same way. Coote won’t go on too many 90-metre tears through the opposition defence but he has a fine passing game and what looks a pretty high rugby league IQ. Defensively he looks extremely confident and assured, sweeping up a lot of the danger with some excellent positional play. Where Barba’s speed and athleticism could help him defensively Coote looks to do much of the hard work in his head, anticipating what’s going to happen in enough time to get his body there to do something about it. The one blemish was the interception he threw which led to Liam Marshall’s try just before half-time. Yet this is Saints, a club where the taking of risks is celebrated and encouraged. We’d probably rather have that than a player who continually sticks the ball up his jumper so we can stay in The Grind. Coote’s pass was a fraction away from finding Naiqama in space and if it had then either the Fijian or Tommy Makinson outside of him would have strolled in and given Saints a double-digit lead at the break. That’s the gamble, as they used to say on Bullseye. There’s much more to come from Coote.
Perhaps the only slight disappointment among the trio was Joseph Paulo. The former Cronulla man came off the bench into the back row but was not as ubiquitous as Morgan Knowles who started the game. While the Welsh international racked up 39 tackles and carried the ball eight times Paulo had a more modest 25 tackles and only five carries. What is impressive about the former USA and Samoa man is that he didn’t miss any tackles. Paulo is seen as a direct replacement for Jon Wilkin so that defensive solidity is a vital part of the job description. Hopefully on warmer evenings than this we will see more of Paulo as a ball-playing forward too.
Shot-Clock...What Have We Learned?
Thursday night's game saw the first use of the new regulations brought in to Super League for 2019, chief among which is the introduction of a so-called 'shot-clock' at scrums and drop-outs. This has been in operation in the NRL for some time now and is aimed at preventing the tiresome time-wasting that goes on in these dead ball situations. For the last few years in particular Super League has been a place where any hint of a dead ball has been an instant cue for some opportunist player, feeling the pace a little after being under a bit of defensive pressure, to hit the deck and encourage some kind of treatment from the physio before the game restarts.
The ‘shot clock’ tag is a bit of a misnomer. In basketball teams have 24 seconds to get a shot off at their opponents basket otherwise they lose possession. There is no time limit on completing a possession in rugby league. It’s more like the ‘play clock’ used in the NFL whereby an offensive team has a set amount of time to restart the game at set plays or else face a penalty. The consensus is that rugby league’s version did help speed the game up. Both halves clocked in at under 45 minutes of real time whereas in the recent past it was not uncommon for halves in televised games to run on way past the 50-minute mark. Yet we should remember that there was only one occasion during the entire 80 minutes when the video referee was brought into play. This is an extraordinarily low mark compared with most games in recent seasons where you could expect five or six incidents to be reviewed. If, alongside the introduction of the ‘shot-clock’ referees are being encouraged to use technology less then we’ll be making some headway. If this game was the exception from what will continue to be the norm then don’t expect to get home early too often from the game if it is on TV.
No Way Back To Saints For Barba
Fans of schadenfreude will have smirked at the news that while Saints were busy winning this derby opener their former star Barba was blowing yet another chance at the NRL. Barba seemed to give the impression that he couldn’t get away from St Helens fast enough once North Queensland Cowboys showed their interest in him, yet before a ball has been kicked in the NRL in 2019 he has been sacked by the Cowboys following an incident at a Townsville casino. With the incident having been reported to the NRL’s integrity unit and legal proceedings possibly to follow it would seem that the only way for Barba to further his rugby league career might be a return to Super League.
Of course a prosecution could take that off the table but even in the best case scenario for Barba, a scenario in which he is cleared of the heinous acts he is alleged to have committed, he should not be bailed out again by Saints. Barba had no thought of playing for Saints until his drugs ban and very likely no thought of returning once he left. If he’s considering it now it’s far too late. Saints should not be here to rescue the careers of wayward stars who have talked the talk but demonstrably failed to walk the walk in terms of loyalty. Let’s remember that Barba didn’t even see fit to see out his contract at Saints despite the fact that he constantly wittered on about how happy and settled he was in England. I would stop short of rewriting history as some have, claiming that he stopped trying in July and was not a deserved winner of the Steve Prescott Man Of Steel Award. That title is based on what you do on the field. It isn’t the NFL’s Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award which takes into account off-field behaviour and community work. From that point of view Barba was the only choice in 2018. We can’t take that away from him just as we can’t take Zak Hardaker’s 2015 title away from him on account of his subsequent behaviour. But we can and should move on from Barba. Coote has been brought in as a replacement and looks a safer pair of hands in every respect. Let’s get behind him now and leave the memories of Barba in the past.
St Helens v Wigan Warriors - Preview
The month of a January is not yet out but Super League is back in your life. And with something of a loud bang. Grand Final winners Wigan are the visitors to League Leaders Shield holders Saints as the 2019 season begins on Thursday night (January 31, kick-off 7.45pm).
Saints and Wigan will be the first two sides to experience Super League’s new rule amendments in a competitive match. From this season only eight interchanges will be allowed from your four substitutes instead of 10, while so-called ‘shot-clocks’ will be used to attempt to speed the game up by eliminating time-wasting at scrums and drop-outs. The absurd free play rule has been given the kick into touch it has been longing for for years now, while if the two local rivals are level at the end of 80 minutes we will see the first period of Golden Point extra-time in a regular season game. It could be a late one. A late, snowy one.
There have been several changes in the Saints squad during the off season and that is reflected in coach Justin Holbrook’s first 19-man selection of the new campaign. Lachlan Coote, Kevin Naiqama and Joseph Paulo are all included and look set to make their Super League debuts for Saints. Coote replaces Ben Barba after he predictably cut short his stay at a Saints, taking the 2018 Steve Prescott Man Of Steel Award with him as he returned to the NRL with North Queensland Cowboys. Paulo looks a direct replacement for former skipper Jon Wilkin who has joined Toronto Wolfpack, while Naiqama will slot in at right centre ahead of Ryan Morgan who will spend this year on loan with newly-promoted London Broncos.
Ahead of Coote and alongside Naiqama the three-quarter line has a more home-grown feel to it. Tommy Makinson was linked with a move to the NRL after winning the Golden Boot for his outstanding performances in the autumn test series with New Zealand. The winger has thankfully agreed to delay fulfilling his NRL ambitions and remains. He will link up with a Naiqama on the right edge to try and offer the side more balance in attack. Mark Percival and Regan Grace have their moments of miss-communication but are a formidable prospect on the opposite side.
So far, so samey then. Yet in a recent interview building up to the derby clash Holbrook declared it ‘likely’ that Theo Fages will start at scrum half ahead of Danny Richardson. This represented the kind of u-turn that would look far fetched in Westminster given that Fages was left out of the 17 regularly towards the end of last season. When he did play it was not in the halves but as a relief option at hooker for the ageing but still brilliant James Roby. With Aaron Smith also emerging it seemed that Fages could be on his way out of the club, yet the Frenchman now seems set to be the one charged with guiding the team around the park alongside Jonny Lomax.
A pre-season groin injury suffered by Richardson appears to have guided Holbrook in this direction but Fages will be desperate to show that he can be trusted to keep the shirt. Richardson is now fit and also makes the squad. If he’s not selected it will be interesting to see how he responds having seemingly made the role his own last term. Holbrook may be playing mind games with his young half. He may be reacting purely to the fact that Richardson has been hampered by injury. Or the coach may be implementing the first steps towards a real change in the role. It’s an intriguing situation going into the first game of the season, especially given the identity of the opponents.
Alex Walmsley isn’t a new signing but his presence will feel like one for a while. The ex-Batley man missed almost the whole of last season with a neck injury suffered at Warrington in March. In his absence Luke Thompson emerged as the premier front rower in the country, making his England debut and sweeping all before him at the club’s annual awards bash. The prospect of both Walmsley and Thompson in the front row alongside Roby is a frightening one for other Super League clubs, although we should probably expect Walmsley to start on the bench with either Matty Lees or Jack Ashworth getting the run-on now that Luke Douglas is on loan at Leigh Centurions for a month. With Paulo to lock the scrum Morgan Knowles still has to bide his time, while Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux are a dynamic pair of second rowers even if they are advancing in years.
Knowles looks set to start on the bench alongside Walmsley and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, leaving Holbrook to decide whether to fill the remaining slot with either Ashworth, Lees or Kyle Amor from the pack options or else go with the extra back in Richardson. The latter is something that Holbrook went away from towards the end of last season despite then having Matty Smith on the payroll. With some apocalyptically awful weather forecast it might not be the night for returning to that philosophy.
Change has been a theme at Wigan too. Shaun Wane surprisingly announced his departure before the end of last season to take up a role in Scottish rugby union, a move which may or may not have been influenced by the club’s decision to let Sam Tomkins head for Catalans Dragons to spend more time with Mickey McIlorum. Or was the arrival of ticking time-bomb Zak Hardaker at the DW Stadium the straw that broke coach Wane’s silver back? Either way he’s out, with former half Adrian Lam keeping the hot-seat.....er.......hot before the planned arrival of Shaun Edwards in 2020. It’s a risk by the Wigan hierarchy who must hope that if things get tough the players stay on message with Lam rather than electing to kill time before he is replaced. Lam could become a bit of a lame duck.
Meanwhile Hardaker could take Barba’s role as the league’s best fullback but for a limited time only in all likelihood. The former Leeds and Castleford man had not yet returned from his drugs ban before he found himself answering awkward questions from people in uniform about drink-driving. Yet this being early in the season he’s expected to behave himself long enough to give Saints significant problems, though it could yet be at centre rather than the fullback role we are used to seeing him fill. Dom Manfredi made a triumphant return to action to score twice in the Grand Final victory over Warrington in 2018 but looks set to miss the opener with fluid on his knee. That will allow Liam Marshall another opportunity on the wing opposite Tom Davies, with Oliver Gildart at centre alongside Hardaker or maybe Dan Sarginson or Willie Isa.
In the halves the loss of Tomkins could offer an opportunity to Morgan Escare. The Frenchman can also operate at fullback which would leave George Williams to partner one of Sam Powell or Thomas Leuleua in the scheming room. New signing Jarrod Sammutt is not in contention having picked up a two-game ban for getting a bit handsy with the referee in a recent friendly with Salford Red Devils.
Wigan’s pack will be missing the niggly, pest-like awfulness of John Bateman after he joined Canberra Raiders at the end of last term. He’s joined there by the rather less longed for Ryan Sutton and with Joel Tomkins having taken his pub banter to Kingston-Upon-Hull it could be up to veterans Liam Farrrell and Sean O’Loughlin along with former Saint Joe Greenwood to provide a spark in the back row. Tony Clubb and Ben Flower will be their despicable selves in the front row with perhaps Powell at hooker. Gabe Hamlin, Taulima Tautai, Romain Navarrette and new signing Joe Bullock complete Lam’s first Super League squad selection.
It’s always so hard to predict the outcome of a derby but the degree of difficulty goes up when it’s the opening game of a new season. Both sides will have key personnel to bed in and consequently some adaptations to make before they hit full tilt. Ideally you wouldn’t schedule the league’s marquee fixture on the opening day when both teams are likely to be a little under done. You can see the thinking behind it, and some of the promotion around the new season has been more noticeable with this match, the Hull derby and Warrington versus Leeds all on the first weekend. Yet I can’t help but feel we will get lower quality versions of these match-ups than we might see when they meet later in the season. Saints v Wigan will be intense, but expect a high error count especially if the forecasted wintry conditions materialise.
All that said I can’t possibly start the season by suggesting a home loss in a derby so I’m going for Saints to edge it by six. Hopefully without the need for a Golden Point. There’s nothing wrong with a draw and anyway, it’s absolutely blue out there.
Squads;
St Helens;
Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival, Regan Grace, Theo Fages, Danny Richardson, Alex Walmsley, James Roby, Luke Thompson, Zeb Taia, Joseph Paulo, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Morgan Knowles, Dominique Peyroux, Matty Lees, Jack Ashworth, Lachlan Coote.
Wigan Warriors;
Joe Bullock, Tony Clubb, Tom Davies, Morgan Escare, Liam Farrell, Ben Flower, Oliver Gildart, Joe Greenwood, Gabe Hamlin, Zak Hardaker, Willie Isa, Thomas Leuleuai, Liam Marshall, Romain Navarrete, Sean O’Loughlin, Sam Powell, Dan Sarginson, Talima Tautai, George Williams.
Referee: Robert Hicks
Saints and Wigan will be the first two sides to experience Super League’s new rule amendments in a competitive match. From this season only eight interchanges will be allowed from your four substitutes instead of 10, while so-called ‘shot-clocks’ will be used to attempt to speed the game up by eliminating time-wasting at scrums and drop-outs. The absurd free play rule has been given the kick into touch it has been longing for for years now, while if the two local rivals are level at the end of 80 minutes we will see the first period of Golden Point extra-time in a regular season game. It could be a late one. A late, snowy one.
There have been several changes in the Saints squad during the off season and that is reflected in coach Justin Holbrook’s first 19-man selection of the new campaign. Lachlan Coote, Kevin Naiqama and Joseph Paulo are all included and look set to make their Super League debuts for Saints. Coote replaces Ben Barba after he predictably cut short his stay at a Saints, taking the 2018 Steve Prescott Man Of Steel Award with him as he returned to the NRL with North Queensland Cowboys. Paulo looks a direct replacement for former skipper Jon Wilkin who has joined Toronto Wolfpack, while Naiqama will slot in at right centre ahead of Ryan Morgan who will spend this year on loan with newly-promoted London Broncos.
Ahead of Coote and alongside Naiqama the three-quarter line has a more home-grown feel to it. Tommy Makinson was linked with a move to the NRL after winning the Golden Boot for his outstanding performances in the autumn test series with New Zealand. The winger has thankfully agreed to delay fulfilling his NRL ambitions and remains. He will link up with a Naiqama on the right edge to try and offer the side more balance in attack. Mark Percival and Regan Grace have their moments of miss-communication but are a formidable prospect on the opposite side.
So far, so samey then. Yet in a recent interview building up to the derby clash Holbrook declared it ‘likely’ that Theo Fages will start at scrum half ahead of Danny Richardson. This represented the kind of u-turn that would look far fetched in Westminster given that Fages was left out of the 17 regularly towards the end of last season. When he did play it was not in the halves but as a relief option at hooker for the ageing but still brilliant James Roby. With Aaron Smith also emerging it seemed that Fages could be on his way out of the club, yet the Frenchman now seems set to be the one charged with guiding the team around the park alongside Jonny Lomax.
A pre-season groin injury suffered by Richardson appears to have guided Holbrook in this direction but Fages will be desperate to show that he can be trusted to keep the shirt. Richardson is now fit and also makes the squad. If he’s not selected it will be interesting to see how he responds having seemingly made the role his own last term. Holbrook may be playing mind games with his young half. He may be reacting purely to the fact that Richardson has been hampered by injury. Or the coach may be implementing the first steps towards a real change in the role. It’s an intriguing situation going into the first game of the season, especially given the identity of the opponents.
Alex Walmsley isn’t a new signing but his presence will feel like one for a while. The ex-Batley man missed almost the whole of last season with a neck injury suffered at Warrington in March. In his absence Luke Thompson emerged as the premier front rower in the country, making his England debut and sweeping all before him at the club’s annual awards bash. The prospect of both Walmsley and Thompson in the front row alongside Roby is a frightening one for other Super League clubs, although we should probably expect Walmsley to start on the bench with either Matty Lees or Jack Ashworth getting the run-on now that Luke Douglas is on loan at Leigh Centurions for a month. With Paulo to lock the scrum Morgan Knowles still has to bide his time, while Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux are a dynamic pair of second rowers even if they are advancing in years.
Knowles looks set to start on the bench alongside Walmsley and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, leaving Holbrook to decide whether to fill the remaining slot with either Ashworth, Lees or Kyle Amor from the pack options or else go with the extra back in Richardson. The latter is something that Holbrook went away from towards the end of last season despite then having Matty Smith on the payroll. With some apocalyptically awful weather forecast it might not be the night for returning to that philosophy.
Change has been a theme at Wigan too. Shaun Wane surprisingly announced his departure before the end of last season to take up a role in Scottish rugby union, a move which may or may not have been influenced by the club’s decision to let Sam Tomkins head for Catalans Dragons to spend more time with Mickey McIlorum. Or was the arrival of ticking time-bomb Zak Hardaker at the DW Stadium the straw that broke coach Wane’s silver back? Either way he’s out, with former half Adrian Lam keeping the hot-seat.....er.......hot before the planned arrival of Shaun Edwards in 2020. It’s a risk by the Wigan hierarchy who must hope that if things get tough the players stay on message with Lam rather than electing to kill time before he is replaced. Lam could become a bit of a lame duck.
Meanwhile Hardaker could take Barba’s role as the league’s best fullback but for a limited time only in all likelihood. The former Leeds and Castleford man had not yet returned from his drugs ban before he found himself answering awkward questions from people in uniform about drink-driving. Yet this being early in the season he’s expected to behave himself long enough to give Saints significant problems, though it could yet be at centre rather than the fullback role we are used to seeing him fill. Dom Manfredi made a triumphant return to action to score twice in the Grand Final victory over Warrington in 2018 but looks set to miss the opener with fluid on his knee. That will allow Liam Marshall another opportunity on the wing opposite Tom Davies, with Oliver Gildart at centre alongside Hardaker or maybe Dan Sarginson or Willie Isa.
In the halves the loss of Tomkins could offer an opportunity to Morgan Escare. The Frenchman can also operate at fullback which would leave George Williams to partner one of Sam Powell or Thomas Leuleua in the scheming room. New signing Jarrod Sammutt is not in contention having picked up a two-game ban for getting a bit handsy with the referee in a recent friendly with Salford Red Devils.
Wigan’s pack will be missing the niggly, pest-like awfulness of John Bateman after he joined Canberra Raiders at the end of last term. He’s joined there by the rather less longed for Ryan Sutton and with Joel Tomkins having taken his pub banter to Kingston-Upon-Hull it could be up to veterans Liam Farrrell and Sean O’Loughlin along with former Saint Joe Greenwood to provide a spark in the back row. Tony Clubb and Ben Flower will be their despicable selves in the front row with perhaps Powell at hooker. Gabe Hamlin, Taulima Tautai, Romain Navarrette and new signing Joe Bullock complete Lam’s first Super League squad selection.
It’s always so hard to predict the outcome of a derby but the degree of difficulty goes up when it’s the opening game of a new season. Both sides will have key personnel to bed in and consequently some adaptations to make before they hit full tilt. Ideally you wouldn’t schedule the league’s marquee fixture on the opening day when both teams are likely to be a little under done. You can see the thinking behind it, and some of the promotion around the new season has been more noticeable with this match, the Hull derby and Warrington versus Leeds all on the first weekend. Yet I can’t help but feel we will get lower quality versions of these match-ups than we might see when they meet later in the season. Saints v Wigan will be intense, but expect a high error count especially if the forecasted wintry conditions materialise.
All that said I can’t possibly start the season by suggesting a home loss in a derby so I’m going for Saints to edge it by six. Hopefully without the need for a Golden Point. There’s nothing wrong with a draw and anyway, it’s absolutely blue out there.
Squads;
St Helens;
Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival, Regan Grace, Theo Fages, Danny Richardson, Alex Walmsley, James Roby, Luke Thompson, Zeb Taia, Joseph Paulo, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Morgan Knowles, Dominique Peyroux, Matty Lees, Jack Ashworth, Lachlan Coote.
Wigan Warriors;
Joe Bullock, Tony Clubb, Tom Davies, Morgan Escare, Liam Farrell, Ben Flower, Oliver Gildart, Joe Greenwood, Gabe Hamlin, Zak Hardaker, Willie Isa, Thomas Leuleuai, Liam Marshall, Romain Navarrete, Sean O’Loughlin, Sam Powell, Dan Sarginson, Talima Tautai, George Williams.
Referee: Robert Hicks
Widdop Joins The Wire
Yesterday saw the announcement that England half or fullback Gareth Widdop will be joining Warrington for the start of the 2020 season on a three-year deal. All of which has caused the kind of hysteria you would expect from Wolves fans who live in a perpetual state of optimism.
Irrespective of how many knocks they take Wire fans have absolute conviction that the next year will be their year. Some have a self-mocking charm about them while others are off the scale delusional. The latter group will be worse than ever when Widdop rocks up at the Haliwell Jones Stadium in a year’s time. It was almost their year in 2018 but the poor bleeders had to look on helplessly as Catalans Dragons spoiled their Challenge Cup dreams at Wembley before Wigan edged them out 12-4 in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford. Warrington have lost four of the last six major finals, twice losing both major finals in the same season in the last three campaigns It is never their year.
Whether he plays as a fullback, stand-off or scrum-half for Warrington Widdop is likely to be the best in his position in Super League in 2020. Yet having just spent the last 12 months witnessing Ben Barba fail to lift either the Challenge Cup or a Super League title we Saints fans can assure our Wire friends that having the best player in the competition guarantees nothing. Especially in our system in which you are required to gamble a whole season’s work on one night in October.
Before he arrives in England Widdop has the 2019 season to get through in the NRL with St.George-Illawarra. He has just had major shoulder surgery which kept him out of England’s test series with New Zealand in the autumn. The shoulder needs to hold up through the rigours of a tough campaign if he is to have the impact that we think he might. While it is great to see top NRL stars choosing to play in England without first having failed a drugs test or interfered with an animal, the idea that Widdop is Super League’s biggest ever signing is hyperbole. He’s not even the biggest name to sign for Warrington even if some Wire fans appear to have forgotten all about Alfie Langer and Andrew Johns. Others throughout Super League history like Barba, Steve Renouf, Trent Barrett and Danny Buderus were all equally if not more star-sprinkled than Widdop.
The hysteria is fuelled by the rugby league journalists. Yet it’s hard to criticise them for someone like me who spends far too much time advising them on Twitter that they should stop talking the game down. And while they’re at it stop blowing smoke up the arse of rugby union. So while it is nice to see a little rooftop-shouting from our game’s media it should come with a note of caution for Wire fans. This isn’t the most seismic thing to happen in the Super League era. No doubt Widdop will raise attendances at the Haliwell Jones and provide as many memorable moments as Barba did at Saints. In his own style. He’s not one for scoring from 90 metres while appearing to jog. But if you want playoffs as opposed to a first past the post system then you have to take on board the idea that signing Widdop doesn’t improve Warrington’s chances of breaking their finals hoodoo very much at all. They’re still Warrington. It’s probably not going to be their year.
Irrespective of how many knocks they take Wire fans have absolute conviction that the next year will be their year. Some have a self-mocking charm about them while others are off the scale delusional. The latter group will be worse than ever when Widdop rocks up at the Haliwell Jones Stadium in a year’s time. It was almost their year in 2018 but the poor bleeders had to look on helplessly as Catalans Dragons spoiled their Challenge Cup dreams at Wembley before Wigan edged them out 12-4 in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford. Warrington have lost four of the last six major finals, twice losing both major finals in the same season in the last three campaigns It is never their year.
Whether he plays as a fullback, stand-off or scrum-half for Warrington Widdop is likely to be the best in his position in Super League in 2020. Yet having just spent the last 12 months witnessing Ben Barba fail to lift either the Challenge Cup or a Super League title we Saints fans can assure our Wire friends that having the best player in the competition guarantees nothing. Especially in our system in which you are required to gamble a whole season’s work on one night in October.
Before he arrives in England Widdop has the 2019 season to get through in the NRL with St.George-Illawarra. He has just had major shoulder surgery which kept him out of England’s test series with New Zealand in the autumn. The shoulder needs to hold up through the rigours of a tough campaign if he is to have the impact that we think he might. While it is great to see top NRL stars choosing to play in England without first having failed a drugs test or interfered with an animal, the idea that Widdop is Super League’s biggest ever signing is hyperbole. He’s not even the biggest name to sign for Warrington even if some Wire fans appear to have forgotten all about Alfie Langer and Andrew Johns. Others throughout Super League history like Barba, Steve Renouf, Trent Barrett and Danny Buderus were all equally if not more star-sprinkled than Widdop.
The hysteria is fuelled by the rugby league journalists. Yet it’s hard to criticise them for someone like me who spends far too much time advising them on Twitter that they should stop talking the game down. And while they’re at it stop blowing smoke up the arse of rugby union. So while it is nice to see a little rooftop-shouting from our game’s media it should come with a note of caution for Wire fans. This isn’t the most seismic thing to happen in the Super League era. No doubt Widdop will raise attendances at the Haliwell Jones and provide as many memorable moments as Barba did at Saints. In his own style. He’s not one for scoring from 90 metres while appearing to jog. But if you want playoffs as opposed to a first past the post system then you have to take on board the idea that signing Widdop doesn’t improve Warrington’s chances of breaking their finals hoodoo very much at all. They’re still Warrington. It’s probably not going to be their year.
Shuffling The Pack
It’s been a quiet winter at Saints. Much of the recruitment for the 2019 season had been done well before I was forced to hold hands and sing auld lang syne. Though not before Jools Holland recorded the hootenanny. Kevin Naiqama, Lachlan Coote and Joseph Paulo have arrived from the NRL with Joe Batchelor coming in from York City Knights. Jon Wilkin, Ben Barba and Matty Smith have all moved on while Ryan Morgan will spend the season on loan at London Broncos.
So the only business that remained was to tie up existing players on extended contracts or else offload those who may not be part of Justin Holbrook’s plans. It was persistently suggested that Kyle Amor would leave the club after four years and a Grand Final win to add to last season’s League Leaders Shield. London and Salford were touted as possible destinations for the former Wakefield man. Yet he remains, preferring to fight for his place rather than uproot his family.
Amor’s mission just got that bit more difficult as we swing around wildly to the point of this piece. Saints announced this week that they had given contract extensions to two of Amor’s direct competitors for a place in the front row. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook will now be a Saint until the end of 2020 while Matty Lees has signed a deal running to the end of 2021. They join Jack Ashworth, Luke Douglas and fit-again Alex Walmsley in a group of front row forwards that offers as much if not more depth than that of any other a Super League club.
Both new deals will be widely welcomed I’m sure, though it remains a mystery to me how McCarthy Scarsbrook can be entering into a deal which will see him complete 10 years at the club. The former London man managed to mention the prospect of receiving a testimonial before that of winning some more silverware with Saints, though he did regather himself enough to point out that the latter aim was the more important one. Like Amor, that 2014 double of League Leaders Shield and Grand Final are the only medals that McCarthy-Scarsbrook has collected since his debut in 2011. That he has been offered a new deal ahead of Amor is what old fashioned speakers might call much of a muchness to me. Amor might consider himself a little unfortunate. Perhaps McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s ability to operate at loose forward or as a wide running second row have got him the nod over Amor, whose approach to the defensive line with ball in hand was never reminiscent of Adrian Morley’s, but which seems to have slowed even further in recent years. McCarthy-Scarsbrook will run in harder, though in truth you’d be forgiven for thinking that the main difference between the two Irish internationals is their hairstyles. McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s histrionics, high-fives and propensity to swear in front of a camera have made him a crowd favourite, while a Amor’s unspectacular workhorse approach is less popular.
Now here’s something we can all agree on. Keeping Lees at the club for at least the next three seasons is a very good, if rather obvious move. Lees broke into the Saints first team in 2017 and became a squad regular in 2018 under Holbrook. With Walmsley injured Lees and Ashworth showed that they can be counted on to be part of the prop rotation on a regular basis in a Super League. Lees has only made 20 appearances for the first team but could become a key man in the pack in 2019 even with the return of a Walmsley and what we all hope will be the continuation of Luke Thompson’s world class form.
Lees will be 21 just a few days after Wigan come to town for the opening game of the 2019 Super a League season and alongside Thompson and Ashworth should be the future of the Saints front row. No less a figure than Saints legend Paul Sculthorpe named Lees as the best player on and off the pitch on the recent England Knights tour to Papua New Guinea. This could be the year that Lees follows Thompson and Walmsley into the full England side, especially if he can stay disciplined without losing the aggression that characterises his game. He was heavily criticised for a red card he received at Salford last term but under the guidance of Holbrook there is every reason to believe that those sorts of flaws can be eradicated from his game.
So the only business that remained was to tie up existing players on extended contracts or else offload those who may not be part of Justin Holbrook’s plans. It was persistently suggested that Kyle Amor would leave the club after four years and a Grand Final win to add to last season’s League Leaders Shield. London and Salford were touted as possible destinations for the former Wakefield man. Yet he remains, preferring to fight for his place rather than uproot his family.
Amor’s mission just got that bit more difficult as we swing around wildly to the point of this piece. Saints announced this week that they had given contract extensions to two of Amor’s direct competitors for a place in the front row. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook will now be a Saint until the end of 2020 while Matty Lees has signed a deal running to the end of 2021. They join Jack Ashworth, Luke Douglas and fit-again Alex Walmsley in a group of front row forwards that offers as much if not more depth than that of any other a Super League club.
Both new deals will be widely welcomed I’m sure, though it remains a mystery to me how McCarthy Scarsbrook can be entering into a deal which will see him complete 10 years at the club. The former London man managed to mention the prospect of receiving a testimonial before that of winning some more silverware with Saints, though he did regather himself enough to point out that the latter aim was the more important one. Like Amor, that 2014 double of League Leaders Shield and Grand Final are the only medals that McCarthy-Scarsbrook has collected since his debut in 2011. That he has been offered a new deal ahead of Amor is what old fashioned speakers might call much of a muchness to me. Amor might consider himself a little unfortunate. Perhaps McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s ability to operate at loose forward or as a wide running second row have got him the nod over Amor, whose approach to the defensive line with ball in hand was never reminiscent of Adrian Morley’s, but which seems to have slowed even further in recent years. McCarthy-Scarsbrook will run in harder, though in truth you’d be forgiven for thinking that the main difference between the two Irish internationals is their hairstyles. McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s histrionics, high-fives and propensity to swear in front of a camera have made him a crowd favourite, while a Amor’s unspectacular workhorse approach is less popular.
Now here’s something we can all agree on. Keeping Lees at the club for at least the next three seasons is a very good, if rather obvious move. Lees broke into the Saints first team in 2017 and became a squad regular in 2018 under Holbrook. With Walmsley injured Lees and Ashworth showed that they can be counted on to be part of the prop rotation on a regular basis in a Super League. Lees has only made 20 appearances for the first team but could become a key man in the pack in 2019 even with the return of a Walmsley and what we all hope will be the continuation of Luke Thompson’s world class form.
Lees will be 21 just a few days after Wigan come to town for the opening game of the 2019 Super a League season and alongside Thompson and Ashworth should be the future of the Saints front row. No less a figure than Saints legend Paul Sculthorpe named Lees as the best player on and off the pitch on the recent England Knights tour to Papua New Guinea. This could be the year that Lees follows Thompson and Walmsley into the full England side, especially if he can stay disciplined without losing the aggression that characterises his game. He was heavily criticised for a red card he received at Salford last term but under the guidance of Holbrook there is every reason to believe that those sorts of flaws can be eradicated from his game.
Great Saints Moments - 2014 Super League Title
For the majority of rugby league clubs, even those in the Super League, four years is not a particularly long time between championships. Yet as we crashed out to Warrington in the race to Old Trafford on that early October night in 2018 it began to feel like our 2014 Grand Final victory was a lifetime ago.
Nine weeks on from that 18-13 defeat to a Warrington side we all knew full well would bottle it against Wigan in the big one the wait for that title now feels interminable. So to numb the pain of it just that little bit before Wigan come to town for the first match of our 2019 campaign on January 31 let’s look back on our last success and in particular, one glorious moment from it.
In 2014 Nathan Brown was entering his second and what would turn out to be his final season as Head Coach at Saints. His first had been a difficult one, Saints finishing fifth in the table before crashing out in the second round of what was then a gruelling four-week playoff series by just a single point to Leeds Rhinos. If that system seemed taxing, the powers that be compounded the problems by expanding the number of playoff teams to eight for 2014 and declaring that the highest ranked winner from the first week of the playoffs would then be able to select its semi-final opponent after a week off. ‘Club Cal’l they called it, which evoked memories of premium rate phone-lines specifically set up to rip off football fans desperate for news about their team in the days before the internet. So even the name wasn’t new. They called it innovative. On a scale of one to ten it was batshit crazy.
To boost his squad Brown had brought in scrum-half Luke Walsh from Penrith Panthers. The same club provided Mose Masoe, a giant of a prop-forward with equally mountainous hair. Mose became a cult hero with some fans on the basis that he wasn’t frightened of Micky McIlorum, but his all-around contribution was questionable. There were times when he would have five minute stints in which he would not carry the ball once, almost as if he had been thrown in there to intimidate but not actually be used, the nuclear deterrent of rugby league. More promising was Kyle Amor, brought in on a four-year deal from Wakefield Trinity Wildcats after starting out at Leeds Rhinos. Matty Dawson was a three-quarter who had worked with Brown before at Huddersfield Giants while Richard Beaumont represented something of a gamble from Hull KR. The then 26-year-old prop had played for Rovers in Super League in 2011 but ended up on loan to Gateshead in 2013 from where he joined Saints. He never made a first team appearance for the Red Vee.
Six players left Saints ahead of the 2014 season, with once-prolific if accident prone three-quarter Francis Meli joining Salford along with prop/second row Tony Puletua, while locally-produced halfback Lee Gaskell found his way to Bradford. Josh Perry, who had joined Saints with a big reputation as a one-time State Of Origin and Australian Test forward, retired after a string of injuries limited him to 44 underwhelming appearances in three seasons. Youngsters Dom Speakman and Nathan Ashe also headed for the exit before the opening game of the 2014 campaign at Warrington on February 13.
Walsh starred in that game, and it looked at last as though Saints had found a half who could adequately fill the boots of the great Sean Long. Walsh conducted the orchestra beautifully, scoring himself and kicking seven goals from seven attempts. Amor got a try on his Saints Super League debut and there were others for Adam Swift, Anthony Laffranchi, Tommy Makinson and James Roby. Warrington could only reply with a brace from Joel Monaghan as Saints ran out 38-8 winners at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. They had laid down a marker.
Their good form continued as they won their first eight league games and knocked Huddersfield out of the Challenge Cup at the John Smith’s Stadium thanks to a Walsh drop-goal. Defeat was only tasted on Good Friday when a Sam Tomkins-led Wigan came to Langtree Park and left with a 33-14 triumph. It was the first of three defeats in a row as the ship began to list a little. The third loss in that run saw them ousted from the Challenge Cup by Leeds Rhinos, going down 32-12 at Headingley. Brown was having trouble finding a suitable halfback partner for Walsh, pressing Jon Wilkin into action there having lost Gary Wheeler through injury. He’d also tried Paul Wellens who at 34 had been removed from his fullback position by Jonny Lomax. When Lomax wasn’t available Lance Hohaia took the berth, while the New Zealand World Cup-winner had also been among those who Brown had tried to pair up with Walsh in the halves.
Wins against the league’s whipping boys London and Bradford followed the Leeds defeat but there was other setback on May 18 when Saints travelled to Manchester’s Etihad Stadium for the Magic Weekend clash with Warrington. They were handed a 41-24 defeat by Tony Smith’s side. Monaghan scored twice more while Rhys Evans added a brace of his own to add to efforts from Ryan Atkins, Chris Hill, Gene Ormsby and Matty Russell. Dawson, Hohaia, Jordan Turner and Alex Walmsley crossed for Saints while Walsh kicked four goals. Yet by now Saints early season form had turned decidedly flakey. They were thrashed 42-0 by Catalans Dragons in Perpignan on June 14 and walloped 40-10 by Hull KR at KC Lightstream just three weeks later. A gentle run against Bradford, London and Widnes kept Brown’s side in the running for the League Leaders Shield and it was Castleford Tigers, rather than the traditional powerhouses of Wigan or Leeds who seemed to be offering the greatest challenge. However, that Widnes win came at a cost and would complicate Brown’s problems at halfback even further. Walsh suffered an horrific double ankle break which would keep him out of action until the following April. In fact he was never quite the player who had impressed so much in the early part of his first season at Saints. He always seemed reluctant to take on the line after the injury and though he stuck around until the end of the 2016 season he was moved on to Catalans Dragons before retiring a month before his 31st birthday. He had made only 32 appearances in two seasons for the Dragons.
Despite losing three of their last five regular season games against Hull FC, Warrington (again) and Huddersfield who gained revenge for that cup defeat by winning the league encounter by exactly the same score (17-16) the Walsh-less Saints limped over the line to collect the League Leaders Shield as Castleford failed to beat Catalans in their final game. The top four had been a close run affair to the extent that that loss meant that Castleford, the last team to be ruled out of the race for the Shield would end up finishing fourth and provide Saints first opponents in the playoff series.
Come play-off time Daryl Powell’s side were burned out. They were hammered 41-0 at Langtree Park. Saints scored seven unanswered tries with Roby grabbing a couple and Amor, Makinson, Masoe Swift and Turner also crossing. In Walsh’s absence Mark Percival had become the first choice goal-kicker and landed six shots as Saints ran out 41-0 winners. Castleford were a coming force but this was not quite their time.
Saints moved on to face the Dragons in the semi-final. The Dragons had scraped into the playoffs in seventh place having won 14 and lost 12 of their 27 regular season games with one draw. That a team with that kind of record found themselves in a semi-final shone a light on the folly of the system but they had beaten both Leeds and Huddersfield in the finals series to earn themselves a crack at the League Leaders. They held their own in the first half, trailing only 12-6 at the break but Saints ran out 30-12 winners despite the fact that their injury problems now meant that they were using former Wests and Wigan utility forward Mark Flanagan as a scrum-half. It would never work at Old Trafford, where defending champions Wigan sought a third title in four years.
Saints stuttering second half of 2014 had almost let Wigan in to steal the League Leaders Shield from their grasp. Shock defeats to Bradford and Widnes in the last month of the regular season kiboshed those ambitions for Shaun Wane’s men but they were coming into the Old Trafford Grand Final on the back of four consecutive wins. Leeds and Warrington had been their last two regular season victims as they fell just a point short of Saints at the top of the table, while a 57-4 shellacking of Huddersfield in the first play-off round was followed by a thrilling 16-12 semi-final win over Warrington at the DW Stadium. With Walsh, Wilkin, Lomax and of course Wheeler all injured a Wigan side containing Josh Charnley, Anthony Gelling, Joe Burgess, Blake Green, Matty Smith and Sean O’Loughlin were heavily fancied. Even if they did have to carry Eddie Pettybourne.
It took just two minutes for the bookmakers to start frantically adjusting the odds on the destination of the Super League trophy. As Wigan launched an early attack on the Saints line Green sent a crossfield bomb arching towards Tommy Makinson. The winger flapped at the ball and Wigan regained possession. It was still the last tackle and things became a little frantic, with Wigan looking to keep the ball alive. Behind the play Ben Flower and Hohaia clashed. Soon, all the players on both side were coming together in a bout of push and shove. Hohaia lay prostrate on the ground as the Saints physios attempted to tend to him. Watching from inside the ground but at the other end of the stadium I hadn’t seen what had transpired between Flower and Hohaia. The presence of big screen replays at rugby league is something I never tire of criticising, but it certainly added to the experience in this one. Along with the tens of thousands of other fans on both sides I watched open mouthed as the evidence showed not only that Flower had landed a knockout blow on Hohaia, but that he had then crouched down over his stricken victim and planted another hammer blow into his face. Hohaia was already unconscious. It was the most sickening thing I have seen on a sports field and led to red card and a six-month hiatus from the game for the Welsh forward. It should have been longer. He should never have played again. Six months sounds like a lot but this was the last game of the season and there would be nothing for another three or four months. In reality Flower missed 10 games, the most preposterous non-punishment since Harold Schumacher in ’82.
If the fans, who are hardly the best of friends anyway, were not up for it at the beginning the Flower/Hohaia incident lit the torch. The atmosphere was raucous, bordering on sinister the rest of the way. We felt a real injustice at the way we had lost one of the few players we still had who could play in the halves while they revelled in their shithousery. Even for Wigan the Flower crime was outrageous. Yet the Wigan fans surrounding my place in the stands had the temerity to cast Flower as the victim of the injustice. Hohaia had struck first, they protested, as if that warranted the reaction from Flower.
Our anger simmered when Wigan took the lead through Burgess. The ball was shifted to the left wing by Smith via Green before Burgess squeezed in at the left hand corner. There were only seconds to go to half-time and although Smith’s conversion failed it meant that the Warriors would go to the break with a 6-2 lead. Yet just 13 minutes into the second half Saints were back in it. Roby moved into his familiar dummy half position with Saints close to the line before feeding Sia Soliola who crashed through the defenders to score Saints first try of the night. Soliola was playing his last game for Saints after a five-year spell. He would be joining Canberra Raiders in the NRL for 2015 and beyond and had possibly handed Saints the ideal leaving gift.
Three minutes later, with Saints now leading 8-6 following Soliola’s score, Makinson made the first of two hugely telling contributions to proceedings. Liam Farrell made a powerful break on the left hand channel and was suddenly faced with only Makinson to beat. However, the man recently named 2018 Golden Boot winner, filling in at full-back after Wellens had switched to the halves to replace Hohaia, got his angles spot on before executing the perfect cover tackle on the England second rower. Even at that point, playing against 12-men and just ahead on the scoreboard, it felt like a defining moment in this Grand Final. Yet Makinson wasn’t finished with defining moments of this Grand Final.
Less than 12 minutes remained when Saints worked the ball to the right wing on the last tackle. The ball found Wellens who by now was popping up everywhere. In this instance he was out on the right edge. Not that his positioning at that moment caused him to forget any of his halfback skills. Wellens had burst into the Saints team as an 18-year-old halfback back in 1998 and showed that he had lost none of that game intelligence with a towering kick back across to the centre of the field but close to the Wigan line. Makinson soared above the Wigan defence, timing his leap to absolute perfection before clutching the ball out of the air and plonking it down over the line in one glorious, Wigan-repelling movement. The try sparked wild celebrations, including from certain members of the broadcasting crew who failed miserably to hide their allegiances. Percival’s conversion sewed up the win. There were only eight points between the sides but in a game this tight, and with one man less on the field, Wigan never really looked likely to get the two scores they needed in the time that remained. Smith had missed a relatively simple penalty shot earlier on which, had he landed it, might just have been the spur his side needed to push for another score to tie the game, but with a two-score deficit there was no way back. Saints were champions for the first time in eight years, almost wiping away the pain of five consecutive Grand Final defeats during that spell. Wellens fell to his knees in a mixture of joy, relief and fatigue. It would be his last title with Saints as he retired in 2015.
The hope is that it won’t be Makinson’s last with Saints. His performances with England in the Test series with New Zealand have not only earned him the Golden Boot but also alerted several NRL clubs to his presence. It is widely thought that he might fancy a crack at the Australian competition once his Saints contract runs out. If he does, we will be losing one of the finest wingers in the world, a man who crossed for 29 tries in that last title season of 2014. But we’ll always have the memory of his flight above the Wigan defence and the spectacular touchdown that followed.
Nine weeks on from that 18-13 defeat to a Warrington side we all knew full well would bottle it against Wigan in the big one the wait for that title now feels interminable. So to numb the pain of it just that little bit before Wigan come to town for the first match of our 2019 campaign on January 31 let’s look back on our last success and in particular, one glorious moment from it.
In 2014 Nathan Brown was entering his second and what would turn out to be his final season as Head Coach at Saints. His first had been a difficult one, Saints finishing fifth in the table before crashing out in the second round of what was then a gruelling four-week playoff series by just a single point to Leeds Rhinos. If that system seemed taxing, the powers that be compounded the problems by expanding the number of playoff teams to eight for 2014 and declaring that the highest ranked winner from the first week of the playoffs would then be able to select its semi-final opponent after a week off. ‘Club Cal’l they called it, which evoked memories of premium rate phone-lines specifically set up to rip off football fans desperate for news about their team in the days before the internet. So even the name wasn’t new. They called it innovative. On a scale of one to ten it was batshit crazy.
To boost his squad Brown had brought in scrum-half Luke Walsh from Penrith Panthers. The same club provided Mose Masoe, a giant of a prop-forward with equally mountainous hair. Mose became a cult hero with some fans on the basis that he wasn’t frightened of Micky McIlorum, but his all-around contribution was questionable. There were times when he would have five minute stints in which he would not carry the ball once, almost as if he had been thrown in there to intimidate but not actually be used, the nuclear deterrent of rugby league. More promising was Kyle Amor, brought in on a four-year deal from Wakefield Trinity Wildcats after starting out at Leeds Rhinos. Matty Dawson was a three-quarter who had worked with Brown before at Huddersfield Giants while Richard Beaumont represented something of a gamble from Hull KR. The then 26-year-old prop had played for Rovers in Super League in 2011 but ended up on loan to Gateshead in 2013 from where he joined Saints. He never made a first team appearance for the Red Vee.
Six players left Saints ahead of the 2014 season, with once-prolific if accident prone three-quarter Francis Meli joining Salford along with prop/second row Tony Puletua, while locally-produced halfback Lee Gaskell found his way to Bradford. Josh Perry, who had joined Saints with a big reputation as a one-time State Of Origin and Australian Test forward, retired after a string of injuries limited him to 44 underwhelming appearances in three seasons. Youngsters Dom Speakman and Nathan Ashe also headed for the exit before the opening game of the 2014 campaign at Warrington on February 13.
Walsh starred in that game, and it looked at last as though Saints had found a half who could adequately fill the boots of the great Sean Long. Walsh conducted the orchestra beautifully, scoring himself and kicking seven goals from seven attempts. Amor got a try on his Saints Super League debut and there were others for Adam Swift, Anthony Laffranchi, Tommy Makinson and James Roby. Warrington could only reply with a brace from Joel Monaghan as Saints ran out 38-8 winners at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. They had laid down a marker.
Their good form continued as they won their first eight league games and knocked Huddersfield out of the Challenge Cup at the John Smith’s Stadium thanks to a Walsh drop-goal. Defeat was only tasted on Good Friday when a Sam Tomkins-led Wigan came to Langtree Park and left with a 33-14 triumph. It was the first of three defeats in a row as the ship began to list a little. The third loss in that run saw them ousted from the Challenge Cup by Leeds Rhinos, going down 32-12 at Headingley. Brown was having trouble finding a suitable halfback partner for Walsh, pressing Jon Wilkin into action there having lost Gary Wheeler through injury. He’d also tried Paul Wellens who at 34 had been removed from his fullback position by Jonny Lomax. When Lomax wasn’t available Lance Hohaia took the berth, while the New Zealand World Cup-winner had also been among those who Brown had tried to pair up with Walsh in the halves.
Wins against the league’s whipping boys London and Bradford followed the Leeds defeat but there was other setback on May 18 when Saints travelled to Manchester’s Etihad Stadium for the Magic Weekend clash with Warrington. They were handed a 41-24 defeat by Tony Smith’s side. Monaghan scored twice more while Rhys Evans added a brace of his own to add to efforts from Ryan Atkins, Chris Hill, Gene Ormsby and Matty Russell. Dawson, Hohaia, Jordan Turner and Alex Walmsley crossed for Saints while Walsh kicked four goals. Yet by now Saints early season form had turned decidedly flakey. They were thrashed 42-0 by Catalans Dragons in Perpignan on June 14 and walloped 40-10 by Hull KR at KC Lightstream just three weeks later. A gentle run against Bradford, London and Widnes kept Brown’s side in the running for the League Leaders Shield and it was Castleford Tigers, rather than the traditional powerhouses of Wigan or Leeds who seemed to be offering the greatest challenge. However, that Widnes win came at a cost and would complicate Brown’s problems at halfback even further. Walsh suffered an horrific double ankle break which would keep him out of action until the following April. In fact he was never quite the player who had impressed so much in the early part of his first season at Saints. He always seemed reluctant to take on the line after the injury and though he stuck around until the end of the 2016 season he was moved on to Catalans Dragons before retiring a month before his 31st birthday. He had made only 32 appearances in two seasons for the Dragons.
Despite losing three of their last five regular season games against Hull FC, Warrington (again) and Huddersfield who gained revenge for that cup defeat by winning the league encounter by exactly the same score (17-16) the Walsh-less Saints limped over the line to collect the League Leaders Shield as Castleford failed to beat Catalans in their final game. The top four had been a close run affair to the extent that that loss meant that Castleford, the last team to be ruled out of the race for the Shield would end up finishing fourth and provide Saints first opponents in the playoff series.
Come play-off time Daryl Powell’s side were burned out. They were hammered 41-0 at Langtree Park. Saints scored seven unanswered tries with Roby grabbing a couple and Amor, Makinson, Masoe Swift and Turner also crossing. In Walsh’s absence Mark Percival had become the first choice goal-kicker and landed six shots as Saints ran out 41-0 winners. Castleford were a coming force but this was not quite their time.
Saints moved on to face the Dragons in the semi-final. The Dragons had scraped into the playoffs in seventh place having won 14 and lost 12 of their 27 regular season games with one draw. That a team with that kind of record found themselves in a semi-final shone a light on the folly of the system but they had beaten both Leeds and Huddersfield in the finals series to earn themselves a crack at the League Leaders. They held their own in the first half, trailing only 12-6 at the break but Saints ran out 30-12 winners despite the fact that their injury problems now meant that they were using former Wests and Wigan utility forward Mark Flanagan as a scrum-half. It would never work at Old Trafford, where defending champions Wigan sought a third title in four years.
Saints stuttering second half of 2014 had almost let Wigan in to steal the League Leaders Shield from their grasp. Shock defeats to Bradford and Widnes in the last month of the regular season kiboshed those ambitions for Shaun Wane’s men but they were coming into the Old Trafford Grand Final on the back of four consecutive wins. Leeds and Warrington had been their last two regular season victims as they fell just a point short of Saints at the top of the table, while a 57-4 shellacking of Huddersfield in the first play-off round was followed by a thrilling 16-12 semi-final win over Warrington at the DW Stadium. With Walsh, Wilkin, Lomax and of course Wheeler all injured a Wigan side containing Josh Charnley, Anthony Gelling, Joe Burgess, Blake Green, Matty Smith and Sean O’Loughlin were heavily fancied. Even if they did have to carry Eddie Pettybourne.
It took just two minutes for the bookmakers to start frantically adjusting the odds on the destination of the Super League trophy. As Wigan launched an early attack on the Saints line Green sent a crossfield bomb arching towards Tommy Makinson. The winger flapped at the ball and Wigan regained possession. It was still the last tackle and things became a little frantic, with Wigan looking to keep the ball alive. Behind the play Ben Flower and Hohaia clashed. Soon, all the players on both side were coming together in a bout of push and shove. Hohaia lay prostrate on the ground as the Saints physios attempted to tend to him. Watching from inside the ground but at the other end of the stadium I hadn’t seen what had transpired between Flower and Hohaia. The presence of big screen replays at rugby league is something I never tire of criticising, but it certainly added to the experience in this one. Along with the tens of thousands of other fans on both sides I watched open mouthed as the evidence showed not only that Flower had landed a knockout blow on Hohaia, but that he had then crouched down over his stricken victim and planted another hammer blow into his face. Hohaia was already unconscious. It was the most sickening thing I have seen on a sports field and led to red card and a six-month hiatus from the game for the Welsh forward. It should have been longer. He should never have played again. Six months sounds like a lot but this was the last game of the season and there would be nothing for another three or four months. In reality Flower missed 10 games, the most preposterous non-punishment since Harold Schumacher in ’82.
If the fans, who are hardly the best of friends anyway, were not up for it at the beginning the Flower/Hohaia incident lit the torch. The atmosphere was raucous, bordering on sinister the rest of the way. We felt a real injustice at the way we had lost one of the few players we still had who could play in the halves while they revelled in their shithousery. Even for Wigan the Flower crime was outrageous. Yet the Wigan fans surrounding my place in the stands had the temerity to cast Flower as the victim of the injustice. Hohaia had struck first, they protested, as if that warranted the reaction from Flower.
Our anger simmered when Wigan took the lead through Burgess. The ball was shifted to the left wing by Smith via Green before Burgess squeezed in at the left hand corner. There were only seconds to go to half-time and although Smith’s conversion failed it meant that the Warriors would go to the break with a 6-2 lead. Yet just 13 minutes into the second half Saints were back in it. Roby moved into his familiar dummy half position with Saints close to the line before feeding Sia Soliola who crashed through the defenders to score Saints first try of the night. Soliola was playing his last game for Saints after a five-year spell. He would be joining Canberra Raiders in the NRL for 2015 and beyond and had possibly handed Saints the ideal leaving gift.
Three minutes later, with Saints now leading 8-6 following Soliola’s score, Makinson made the first of two hugely telling contributions to proceedings. Liam Farrell made a powerful break on the left hand channel and was suddenly faced with only Makinson to beat. However, the man recently named 2018 Golden Boot winner, filling in at full-back after Wellens had switched to the halves to replace Hohaia, got his angles spot on before executing the perfect cover tackle on the England second rower. Even at that point, playing against 12-men and just ahead on the scoreboard, it felt like a defining moment in this Grand Final. Yet Makinson wasn’t finished with defining moments of this Grand Final.
Less than 12 minutes remained when Saints worked the ball to the right wing on the last tackle. The ball found Wellens who by now was popping up everywhere. In this instance he was out on the right edge. Not that his positioning at that moment caused him to forget any of his halfback skills. Wellens had burst into the Saints team as an 18-year-old halfback back in 1998 and showed that he had lost none of that game intelligence with a towering kick back across to the centre of the field but close to the Wigan line. Makinson soared above the Wigan defence, timing his leap to absolute perfection before clutching the ball out of the air and plonking it down over the line in one glorious, Wigan-repelling movement. The try sparked wild celebrations, including from certain members of the broadcasting crew who failed miserably to hide their allegiances. Percival’s conversion sewed up the win. There were only eight points between the sides but in a game this tight, and with one man less on the field, Wigan never really looked likely to get the two scores they needed in the time that remained. Smith had missed a relatively simple penalty shot earlier on which, had he landed it, might just have been the spur his side needed to push for another score to tie the game, but with a two-score deficit there was no way back. Saints were champions for the first time in eight years, almost wiping away the pain of five consecutive Grand Final defeats during that spell. Wellens fell to his knees in a mixture of joy, relief and fatigue. It would be his last title with Saints as he retired in 2015.
The hope is that it won’t be Makinson’s last with Saints. His performances with England in the Test series with New Zealand have not only earned him the Golden Boot but also alerted several NRL clubs to his presence. It is widely thought that he might fancy a crack at the Australian competition once his Saints contract runs out. If he does, we will be losing one of the finest wingers in the world, a man who crossed for 29 tries in that last title season of 2014. But we’ll always have the memory of his flight above the Wigan defence and the spectacular touchdown that followed.
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