I am sure many of you share my sadness at the news of the passing of former Saints coach Mike McClennan at the age of 75. McClennan was Saints coach from 1990-93, arguably laying the foundations for a decade and more of success when the old first division morphed into Super League in 1996.
The early 90s were a time of Wigan dominance. They were in the midst of their run of eight successive Challenge Cup final wins between 1988-95, adding eight first division titles in the decade before summer rugby. Yet was Saints who were as close as anyone to breaking down that dominance until the advent of full-time professionalism across the league finally levelled the playing field.
Among the highlights of the McClennan reign were the run to the 1991 Challenge Cup Final in which Saints were beaten 13-8 by Wigan in a tense Wembley encounter, and the 1992-93 first division title race. That saw Saints lose out to the cherry and whites again but only by virtue of Wigan's superior points difference after both teams finished level at the top of the table. The Good Friday draw at Central Park was one of the epic derby encounters of the winter era as the teams drew 8-8. The game saw Kevin Ward suffer a career-ending injury and also meant that Saints would ultimately come up just short in their quest to win a first title for what was 18 years at that time.
That they only had another three years to wait is down in no small part to the work of McClennan. His Saints sides were not only regular contenders but they were probably the most entertaining side to watch in the UK at that time also. George Mann, one of several of McClennan’s fellow Kiwis who underpinned the side along with the brilliant Tea Ropati and the equally masterful Shane Cooper, once scored a try after rangy forward John Harrison headed the ball into the in-goal area. The practice was outlawed soon after by the killjoys in suits but it was a sublime moment that still sticks in the mind and proves what an innovator McClennan really was. His solitary trophy with Saints was the 1992 Lancashire Cup as Saints beat Rochdale in the final, but his approach to the game and his hard work in trying circumstances deserved much richer rewards.
It is slightly speculative, but perhaps if Saints had been able to compete with Wigan financially at the time as they do now, McClennan could have ended their title drought. Shortly after the end of that thrilling 1992-93 season Wigan came along with a large sack of cash which they exchanged for the services of Gary Connolly. Then only in his early 20s, Connolly had been starring for Saints at both fullback and centre for five years by that point and was probably the side's outstanding performer. Logic dictates that if you have two equally matched teams and you take the best player from one and put him in the other then a gap will open up. Sure enough Saints made a bit of a dog’s dinner of the 1993-94 season, limping home in eighth place as Wigan marched off with another title. The gap was still miniscule between them and the rest, however, with both Warrington and Bradford Northern (remember them?) matching Wigan in terms of points on the table as Wigan claimed the prize on points difference for a second consecutive season. Their grip was loosening.
By then McClennan was gone, replaced eventually by Eric Hughes whose two year spell was followed by that of Shaun McRae as the inaugural Super League crown finally arrived. It had been 21 years since Saints last title at that point. Men like Alan Hunte and Steve Prescott were still a part of the set-up at that time having also been involved under McClennan. Not only did Saints win the Super League and Challenge Cup double in 1996 but they did so with a philosophy that was not very far removed from the off-the-cuff style favoured by McClennan. Where once there was Connolly and Hunte teaming up to cause havoc on the edge, by 1996 it was Paul Newlove and Anthony Sullivan who terrorised opposition defences.
After he left Saints McClennan coached Tonga at the 1995 World Cup before enjoying a spell as an assistant at Auckland Warriors alongside fellow Kiwi and former Wigan coach Graham Lowe. Mike's son Brian went on to coach Leeds Rhinos between 2008-10, beating his dad’s old club in two Super League Grand Finals. Yet Mike remained a Saint, with chairman Eamonn McManus this week remembering how Mike would call from New Zealand to wish his former club well ahead of a big game. Once a Saint, always a Saint, McClennan will always have a place in the hearts of Saints fans who spent many a heart-stopping Sunday afternoon watching his side play.
Weekly comment and analysis on all things Saints with perhaps the merest hint of bias...
Danny Does One
Forget about Brexit with its warring factions, the issue that is dividing opinion the most among Saints fans this week is the departure of Danny Richardson.
The 23-year-old half has signed a three-year deal with Castleford Tigers which brings to an end a promising but some might say all too brief stay at St Helens. Richardson was an ever-present in 2018, enjoying a superb breakthrough season which culminated in his selection for the Super League Dream Team. It was a consolation prize given that Saints fell in the semi-finals of both the Challenge Cup and the Super League but it was what it promised for the future which stirred the imagination. Some got totally carried away, wittering on about the second coming of Sean Long, but there was no doubt that the potential was there for a successful career.
Fast forward to the start of 2019 and the picture changed somewhat. Coach Justin Holbrook cited a pre-season groin injury as the reason for leaving Richardson out of the opening Super League encounter at home to Wigan. At that point it was felt that a few weeks rehabilitation would see Richardson return to the fold. The form of Theo Fages and the fact that the team kept winning in the absence of Richardson rather poked a spanner in the works. As Richardson toiled to regain his place in the team speculation grew that his attitude might not be what you would expect from a player at the highest level. When he was fit he invariably found himself shipped out to Leigh Centurions on dual registration.
This sort of shit never happened to Sean Long. Actually it did. Released by Wigan in 1997 Long had to play nine games for Widnes in the Championship before Saints snapped him up and set him on his path towards legendary status. We will never know now whether Richardson could have made the same transition from Championship cast-off to Saints immortality. Many fans have already claimed that the loss of Richardson could come back to haunt Saints, but in truth recent history is not littered with examples of players who have left the club and become greats of the game elsewhere. Lee Briers is the closest, but although Warrington managed to win the Challenge cup three times during the former Welsh international's time with the Wolves it was not enough to stop Saints picking up a few pots of their own. We still managed to win four Super League Grand Finals and five Challenge Cups during Briers' 15 years at Warrington. If we have to suffer a couple of Castleford Challenge Cup victories between now and 2034 I will take it if it means we increase our Super League title tally to 11 and our Challenge Cup haul to 17 then that will be just fine with me.
In any case, can we be certain that the decision to let Richardson move to the Tigers was made by the club? Along with the criticism of his attitude from certain quarters there were also murmurings about his disquiet about having been left out of the first team squad during the majority of Saints' Grand Final winning 2019 campaign. Richardson played just 12 times for Saints in 2019, bringing his total with the club to 59 appearances in which he scored 10 tries and kicked 175 goals. That is just not enough for him to properly develop or to fulfil the potential that he obviously believes he has, and that Daryl Powell has identified to the extent that he now sees Richardson as a quality replacement for Leeds-bound Luke Gale. It is not inconceivable that Richardson is the one who has driven the move, though whether or not he discussed it with incoming coach Kristian Woolf first is another unknowable factor in all of this.
Arguably Richardson's most memorable contribution to the Saints cause was the 50 metre penalty goal that he landed to help Saints beat Warrington 14-12 in July of 2018. This was enough to persuade some fans that Richardson should be included in the team ahead of Fages irrespective of who was the better all-around player. The theory was that goal-kicking is becoming ever more important but this was probably based on the painful memory of losing the 2017 Super League semi-final at Castleford on a night when Mark Percival got the rugby league goal-kicker’s equivalent of the yips. In reality Richardson did not fully convince. Perhaps it is something to do with the Holbrook style of play in which the scrum-half tends to play second fiddle to the stand-off and fullback at times in terms of playmaking, but games would often pass Richardson by.
Fages has had that problem too at times but the key difference which might have compelled Holbrook to stick with the Frenchman at Richardson’s expense is defence. Fages can and will tackle anything or anyone, whereas Richardson is often targeted by opposition coaches who see his defence as a major weakness in not only his game but the entire Saints team when Richardson is in it. It only takes one weak link to open up opportunities at the highest level. Countering this argument we return to Long, who was never the best defender, often shifting out to the wing when the opposition had the ball. If he could be hidden, why not Richardson? The key is that Long’s all around brilliance at half-back, his speed, his guile, the masterful kicking game he developed, were all things that no coach could ignore. Richardson was and is a fine player, he’s just not so good that you can tolerate the weaknesses in his defence or justify his selection above Fages because he can land goals from half way.
If we can agree that letting Richardson go is a fair enough call from the club thoughts turn to what will happen now in terms of competition for places in the halves. Richardson’s exit leaves only Fages and Jonny Lomax as experienced first team halfbacks with Jack Welsby having impressed more at fullback than in the halves when he has got his chances this year. There is a lot of talk about Lewis Dodd from the academy side breaking into the first team over the coming year or two. It might be that Woolf will try to get by with what he has in the meantime while slowly introducing Dodd to first team action as Holbrook has with Welsby. Certainly there don’t seem to be too many obvious candidates to replace Richardson that are ready made. If you are a first choice half at another Super League club are you going to Saints to back up Fages and Lomax and with the threat of Dodd emerging behind you? It would be a hard sell.
Richardson showcased his ability in England Knights' win over Jamaica at the weekend and he may yet go on to make the senior England and GB 7 shirt his own over the next decade. His partnership with Jake Trueman at the Tigers will never be dull, but Cas fans must have reservations about whether two younger guys are quite the right blend to lead the team around the park in the short term. Saints will march on regardless. This isn't like losing Gary Connolly or Andy Platt in the pre-Super League days. I wish Richardson the best of luck in West Yorkshire while also looking forward to the next chapter for Saints without him.
The 23-year-old half has signed a three-year deal with Castleford Tigers which brings to an end a promising but some might say all too brief stay at St Helens. Richardson was an ever-present in 2018, enjoying a superb breakthrough season which culminated in his selection for the Super League Dream Team. It was a consolation prize given that Saints fell in the semi-finals of both the Challenge Cup and the Super League but it was what it promised for the future which stirred the imagination. Some got totally carried away, wittering on about the second coming of Sean Long, but there was no doubt that the potential was there for a successful career.
Fast forward to the start of 2019 and the picture changed somewhat. Coach Justin Holbrook cited a pre-season groin injury as the reason for leaving Richardson out of the opening Super League encounter at home to Wigan. At that point it was felt that a few weeks rehabilitation would see Richardson return to the fold. The form of Theo Fages and the fact that the team kept winning in the absence of Richardson rather poked a spanner in the works. As Richardson toiled to regain his place in the team speculation grew that his attitude might not be what you would expect from a player at the highest level. When he was fit he invariably found himself shipped out to Leigh Centurions on dual registration.
This sort of shit never happened to Sean Long. Actually it did. Released by Wigan in 1997 Long had to play nine games for Widnes in the Championship before Saints snapped him up and set him on his path towards legendary status. We will never know now whether Richardson could have made the same transition from Championship cast-off to Saints immortality. Many fans have already claimed that the loss of Richardson could come back to haunt Saints, but in truth recent history is not littered with examples of players who have left the club and become greats of the game elsewhere. Lee Briers is the closest, but although Warrington managed to win the Challenge cup three times during the former Welsh international's time with the Wolves it was not enough to stop Saints picking up a few pots of their own. We still managed to win four Super League Grand Finals and five Challenge Cups during Briers' 15 years at Warrington. If we have to suffer a couple of Castleford Challenge Cup victories between now and 2034 I will take it if it means we increase our Super League title tally to 11 and our Challenge Cup haul to 17 then that will be just fine with me.
In any case, can we be certain that the decision to let Richardson move to the Tigers was made by the club? Along with the criticism of his attitude from certain quarters there were also murmurings about his disquiet about having been left out of the first team squad during the majority of Saints' Grand Final winning 2019 campaign. Richardson played just 12 times for Saints in 2019, bringing his total with the club to 59 appearances in which he scored 10 tries and kicked 175 goals. That is just not enough for him to properly develop or to fulfil the potential that he obviously believes he has, and that Daryl Powell has identified to the extent that he now sees Richardson as a quality replacement for Leeds-bound Luke Gale. It is not inconceivable that Richardson is the one who has driven the move, though whether or not he discussed it with incoming coach Kristian Woolf first is another unknowable factor in all of this.
Arguably Richardson's most memorable contribution to the Saints cause was the 50 metre penalty goal that he landed to help Saints beat Warrington 14-12 in July of 2018. This was enough to persuade some fans that Richardson should be included in the team ahead of Fages irrespective of who was the better all-around player. The theory was that goal-kicking is becoming ever more important but this was probably based on the painful memory of losing the 2017 Super League semi-final at Castleford on a night when Mark Percival got the rugby league goal-kicker’s equivalent of the yips. In reality Richardson did not fully convince. Perhaps it is something to do with the Holbrook style of play in which the scrum-half tends to play second fiddle to the stand-off and fullback at times in terms of playmaking, but games would often pass Richardson by.
Fages has had that problem too at times but the key difference which might have compelled Holbrook to stick with the Frenchman at Richardson’s expense is defence. Fages can and will tackle anything or anyone, whereas Richardson is often targeted by opposition coaches who see his defence as a major weakness in not only his game but the entire Saints team when Richardson is in it. It only takes one weak link to open up opportunities at the highest level. Countering this argument we return to Long, who was never the best defender, often shifting out to the wing when the opposition had the ball. If he could be hidden, why not Richardson? The key is that Long’s all around brilliance at half-back, his speed, his guile, the masterful kicking game he developed, were all things that no coach could ignore. Richardson was and is a fine player, he’s just not so good that you can tolerate the weaknesses in his defence or justify his selection above Fages because he can land goals from half way.
If we can agree that letting Richardson go is a fair enough call from the club thoughts turn to what will happen now in terms of competition for places in the halves. Richardson’s exit leaves only Fages and Jonny Lomax as experienced first team halfbacks with Jack Welsby having impressed more at fullback than in the halves when he has got his chances this year. There is a lot of talk about Lewis Dodd from the academy side breaking into the first team over the coming year or two. It might be that Woolf will try to get by with what he has in the meantime while slowly introducing Dodd to first team action as Holbrook has with Welsby. Certainly there don’t seem to be too many obvious candidates to replace Richardson that are ready made. If you are a first choice half at another Super League club are you going to Saints to back up Fages and Lomax and with the threat of Dodd emerging behind you? It would be a hard sell.
Richardson showcased his ability in England Knights' win over Jamaica at the weekend and he may yet go on to make the senior England and GB 7 shirt his own over the next decade. His partnership with Jake Trueman at the Tigers will never be dull, but Cas fans must have reservations about whether two younger guys are quite the right blend to lead the team around the park in the short term. Saints will march on regardless. This isn't like losing Gary Connolly or Andy Platt in the pre-Super League days. I wish Richardson the best of luck in West Yorkshire while also looking forward to the next chapter for Saints without him.
Grand Final 2019 - Verdict
We’ve paid our dues. Time after time. We’ve done our sentence, but committed no crime. It’s been no bed of roses. No pleasure cruise. But we are the champions, my friend.
All of which Queenly sentiments are another way of telling you that the monkey has been catapulted from the back of the Saints. The bottlers and chokers that everyone said couldn’t win big games finally brought one home as Justin Holbrook’s side ran out 23-6 winners over Ian Watson’s Salford outfit. It is a sixth Super League Grand Final win for Saints and a seventh title since the summer competition started in 1996. Saints have now won more Grand Finals than they have lost, which when you consider that they lost five in a row from 2007-2011 is a pretty firm indicator of the regularity with which they reach Old Trafford.
This one arrives after a five-year lean period. Seven of the 17 on duty that day made it through to Holbrook’s selection in 2019 with two more on the Salford side in the shape of Josh Jones and Mark Flanagan. For Saints all of Tommy Makinson, Mark Percival, Alex Walmsley, Luke Thompson, James Roby, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Kyle Amor were part of the side both here and on the day when Ben Flower’s thuggery, Matty Smith’s wayward goal-kicking and Makinson’s ability to sniff out a try from nothing secured a 14-6 win over the old enemy of Wigan.
It was a different opponent and a different type of victory this time. Saints were almost totally dominant in the first 30 minutes. Right from the moment that Lee Mossop coughed up possession in Salford’s first set Saints swarmed all over their opponents. When they turned that pressure into possession near the opponents’ goal-line there appeared to be a definite and deliberate policy of running the ball on the last tackle. Old Trafford has unusually small in-goal areas making it hard not to kick the ball dead. To do so under the current rules results in a seven-tackle set so it made sense to turn the ball over on the last if necessary and back the defence. Withered cynics might have been wondering whether the ploy spoke of a lack of faith in the short kicking game of Lachlan Coote and Theo Fages but I prefer the positive spin. Holbrook knew he had the best defensive team in the competition. Why not back that defence to help win the territorial battle? Especially if it means sparing them the need to make that extra tackle that comes from a ball having been kicked dead.
It took 15 minutes for Saints’ early dominance to translate into points. Roby shot out of dummy half to feed Walmsley. With everyone expecting the big prop to try to barge his own way towards the line Walmsley surprised everyone with a beautifully timed deft pass to Morgan Knowles which took George Griffin out of the game and allowed the young Welshman to open the scoring. Robert Hicks was thankfully not on hand to spoil Knowles’ moment this time. Coote’s kicking was a feature of his excellent all-round display and the first of his five goals gave Saints a 6-0 lead.
Eight minutes later Saints second try was a thing of real beauty. Ken Sio had fumbled a cross-field kick and from the resultant scrum Fages peeled away to the short side and looked certain to receive the ball from Roby with a good chance to score. Instead Roby performed a stunning pirouette to plant a wonderful reverse pass straight on to the chest of Zeb Taia running a great line inside Roby. It was such a well designed play, no doubt straight from the training ground judging from the reaction of Holbrook and his assistant Richard Marshall. There were dissenters claiming that Fages was offside having not retreated to the back of the scrum but referee Chris Kendall and his touch judges were happy. Coote’s second conversion made it 12-0 to Saints.
That was one of several allegedly scandalous decisions in what some knicker-wetting and frankly desperate fans of rival clubs called the worst refereeing performance they had ever seen. That is about as hysterical as it gets and for us should do nothing to detract from the fact that the best team in 2019 has tootled off with the title. I’ll address some of the more debatable calls along the way but even if Kendall had turned up with a red vee tattooed on his face Saints would still be worthy and deserving champions. That we were here at all is down to a sportingly perverse, media driven system which exists only to wring much needed cash out of supporters and sate the appetite for manufactured drama of the broadcaster. Doubt about Saints as a credible champion team left the building when they won 26 of their 29 regular season games and topped the table by a record 16 points. Playoffs look silly when a team is this dominant.
Perhaps the most squeal-inducing decision arrived just four minutes after Taia’s try. Salford had been caught in the RL equivalent of a typhoon in that first 25 minutes but thought they were on the board when Tui Lolohea went over. However the try was ruled out by Kendall for obstruction. Now, I hate the modern interpretation of the obstruction rule in RL as much as the next fan but this was textbook obstruction and would always have been interpreted that way. The TV replay clearly showed that Lolohea stopped dead behind Logan Tomkins, creating just enough of a shield from the tacklers to find the space to score. You just can’t do that and that’s not Kendall’s fault. Sure, he could have been more thorough and referred it to video referee Ben Thaler. We all remember what happened to Hicks at Wembley when he had the temerity to back his own judgement. The difference here is that the evidence supported the on-field call. Had it been handed on to Thaler he could not have justified overturning the decision.
The truth that has been somewhat glossed over in all that is that Lolohea actually wasted a great chance to score. If he had shifted the ball left to Jones they had numbers on that edge. In turning back inside he hit all the defensive traffic and had to use Tomkins illegally to plot a route through. Yet if anyone thought Salford heads would drop after that disappointment, that Watson’s side would fade away quietly, they were in for a jolt. Salford were much the better side in the last 15 minutes of the first half and got some reward for that shortly after Lolohea’s disallowed effort.
Again the former Leeds stand off was involved, switching the play back left towards the short side and Jackson Hastings. The Wigan-bound half was fantastic in his final appearance for the Salford club and he used the space well to send fellow future-pie Jake Bibby in for the score. Krisnan Inu gaoled to send Salford in at half-time with a reasonable sniff of glory. They trailed by just six points at 12-6. The next score would be decisive, you felt.
Before it arrived there was a moment of unwanted drama for Saints as Makinson was slow to get up after running into Lolohea and Kris Welham. For a while there it looked as if Makinson may not get up unaided much less continue. He was looking like Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire. It turned out that he had dislocated his shoulder and experienced a bit of trouble getting it to return to its intended location. Which makes the fact that he not only got up and played the last 38 minutes with one good arm but also landed a game-sealing drop-goal - the first drop-goal of his career - all the more remarkable.
The bitter nay-sayers have suggested it was an unnecessary bit of trolling (to use modern parlance) given that there were only two minutes left at the time and Saints were already 22-6 to the good. But we should not concern ourselves with such talk. I am certain the rest of the RL community will come around to that way of thinking when the clip is being replayed on Sky Sports Grand Final Gold in years to come. A man with a potentially serious injury potting over the first one-pointer of his career to cap a Grand Final win is storybook stuff from where I am sitting. If anyone wishes to take issue with it they should direct their focus to Salford’s failure to target Makinson in defence. Watson has barely put a foot wrong in what has been a sensational season for him and his team but I feel he missed a trick there. With a bit more thought Salford should have been able to force Holbrook into withdrawing Makinson and so force a tactical reshuffle. If that sounds brutal and harsh just remember it is the Grand Final. Do or die. You have to be ruthless and Salford were not in that regard. If a Salford player had been similarly stricken we would have been screaming for someone in a Saints shirt to run straight at them with as much force as possible.
Those same naysayers will point to a few incidents which took place over the next 10 minutes or to back up their criticisms of Kendall and try to take credit away from Saints. Just a minute after the collective and audible exhale let out by the crowd as Makinson was resurrected, concerns turned to Jack Ashworth. The prop went in heavily on Inu who was in no hurry to get up and get on with it. Ashworth hadn’t used his arms very much in making the tackle, and first contact was suspiciously high. As Inu had fallen Ashworth had toppled forwards on to him, effecting a head movement which was reminiscent of Alan Pardew’s method of dealing with Hull City’s David Meyler in 2014 when the human dance-gif was manager of Newcastle United. Kendall saw no intent, which is perhaps fortunate for Ashworth but hardly the greatest officiating cock-up since the Hand Of God as it was painted by some later. My only issue with it is that Ashworth was the fourth man in on that tackle which is teetering awfully close to overkill. When Wigan send four men into the tackle and use the head to ‘get in tight’ (to use Kendall’s explanation) I slaughter them for shithousing. We paint the image that our players don’t resort to that sort of chicanery so I’m not going to defend it here.
Inconsistencies are one of the fans’ biggest bug-bears so anyone not of a Saints persuasion would have been riled by two other calls during that spell that went in Saints favour. First George Griffin was penalised for a ball steal during a challenge on Coote, while moments later a very similar looking incident saw former Saint Adam Walker whistled for a knock-on despite the dishonourable intentions of Thompson. Yet even these were not terrible decisions. Both could have gone either way and you could make a case for the referee just the same. The problem is that at the moment the rules around what constitutes a ball steal and/or a knock-on at the play-the-ball are still a lottery. Some you get and some you don’t and it was ever thus. Nothing really to see here for the conspiracy theorists.
It is somewhat ironic given Saints general aversion to short-kicking that the try that put them firmly in command and arguably saw off Salford’s resistance came via exactly that route. Percival is often accused by other members of the squad of being a couple of stops short of barking. Game intelligence is not his strength, let’s say. So who else but he would disregard the game plan by dabbing a little kick in-goal at the end of what looked like an otherwise fruitless sideways jaunt across the defensive line? But he knows something the rest of us don’t, because it was an inch-perfect piece of execution allowing him to race past a static line to touch down. The nearest threat to Percival’s ambition to get to the ball first was Amor. The desire and then combined delight etched on the faces of the pair as they successfully hunted the ball down typified Saints under Holbrook. Having the most talented players isn’t enough. You have to work harder than everybody else too. A third Coote conversion of the night put Saints 18-6 up with half an hour to play. Within touching distance of putting the exclamation mark on their season’s work.
There were a couple more big calls that Kendall had to make which, had they gone the way some demanded, could have hauled Salford back into something like contention. Naiqama’s tackle on Inu was armless but also harmless. It should have been a penalty to Salford but there was no contact with the head and therefore no reason for Kendall to get all card-y about it. Nor was there much call for the furore when Dodson was deemed to have knocked on close to the Saints line soon after. Probably a penalty for interference by Aaron Smith who seemed to be holding Dudson as he tried to regain his feet. A lost opportunity for Watson’s side but hardly enough to bridge the gap between the two sides. As Hastings was honest enough to say in his post-match interview with same-as-Angela-but-a-bit-younger Jenna Brooks these were not game changing decisions. They didn’t help Salford who might have had a bit more luck on the night, but the best team are champions.
By the time of the Dudson incident he had already clonked Thompson around the neck in front of the Salford sticks to put them in a 20-6 hole, while there was little doubt that Griffin was offside when he played at a ball knocked forward by Niall Evalds following a Fages bomb. Coote again obliged and Saints led by 16 points at 22-6. There would have been a nice symmetry (for nerds anyway) about winning the Grand Final by 16 points having topped the league by 16 at the end of the regular season. But Makinson wasn’t having any of that as he had the last word for himself with that audacious one-pointer.
We’ve taken our bows and our curtain calls. We are the champions, my friend.
All of which Queenly sentiments are another way of telling you that the monkey has been catapulted from the back of the Saints. The bottlers and chokers that everyone said couldn’t win big games finally brought one home as Justin Holbrook’s side ran out 23-6 winners over Ian Watson’s Salford outfit. It is a sixth Super League Grand Final win for Saints and a seventh title since the summer competition started in 1996. Saints have now won more Grand Finals than they have lost, which when you consider that they lost five in a row from 2007-2011 is a pretty firm indicator of the regularity with which they reach Old Trafford.
This one arrives after a five-year lean period. Seven of the 17 on duty that day made it through to Holbrook’s selection in 2019 with two more on the Salford side in the shape of Josh Jones and Mark Flanagan. For Saints all of Tommy Makinson, Mark Percival, Alex Walmsley, Luke Thompson, James Roby, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Kyle Amor were part of the side both here and on the day when Ben Flower’s thuggery, Matty Smith’s wayward goal-kicking and Makinson’s ability to sniff out a try from nothing secured a 14-6 win over the old enemy of Wigan.
It was a different opponent and a different type of victory this time. Saints were almost totally dominant in the first 30 minutes. Right from the moment that Lee Mossop coughed up possession in Salford’s first set Saints swarmed all over their opponents. When they turned that pressure into possession near the opponents’ goal-line there appeared to be a definite and deliberate policy of running the ball on the last tackle. Old Trafford has unusually small in-goal areas making it hard not to kick the ball dead. To do so under the current rules results in a seven-tackle set so it made sense to turn the ball over on the last if necessary and back the defence. Withered cynics might have been wondering whether the ploy spoke of a lack of faith in the short kicking game of Lachlan Coote and Theo Fages but I prefer the positive spin. Holbrook knew he had the best defensive team in the competition. Why not back that defence to help win the territorial battle? Especially if it means sparing them the need to make that extra tackle that comes from a ball having been kicked dead.
It took 15 minutes for Saints’ early dominance to translate into points. Roby shot out of dummy half to feed Walmsley. With everyone expecting the big prop to try to barge his own way towards the line Walmsley surprised everyone with a beautifully timed deft pass to Morgan Knowles which took George Griffin out of the game and allowed the young Welshman to open the scoring. Robert Hicks was thankfully not on hand to spoil Knowles’ moment this time. Coote’s kicking was a feature of his excellent all-round display and the first of his five goals gave Saints a 6-0 lead.
Eight minutes later Saints second try was a thing of real beauty. Ken Sio had fumbled a cross-field kick and from the resultant scrum Fages peeled away to the short side and looked certain to receive the ball from Roby with a good chance to score. Instead Roby performed a stunning pirouette to plant a wonderful reverse pass straight on to the chest of Zeb Taia running a great line inside Roby. It was such a well designed play, no doubt straight from the training ground judging from the reaction of Holbrook and his assistant Richard Marshall. There were dissenters claiming that Fages was offside having not retreated to the back of the scrum but referee Chris Kendall and his touch judges were happy. Coote’s second conversion made it 12-0 to Saints.
That was one of several allegedly scandalous decisions in what some knicker-wetting and frankly desperate fans of rival clubs called the worst refereeing performance they had ever seen. That is about as hysterical as it gets and for us should do nothing to detract from the fact that the best team in 2019 has tootled off with the title. I’ll address some of the more debatable calls along the way but even if Kendall had turned up with a red vee tattooed on his face Saints would still be worthy and deserving champions. That we were here at all is down to a sportingly perverse, media driven system which exists only to wring much needed cash out of supporters and sate the appetite for manufactured drama of the broadcaster. Doubt about Saints as a credible champion team left the building when they won 26 of their 29 regular season games and topped the table by a record 16 points. Playoffs look silly when a team is this dominant.
Perhaps the most squeal-inducing decision arrived just four minutes after Taia’s try. Salford had been caught in the RL equivalent of a typhoon in that first 25 minutes but thought they were on the board when Tui Lolohea went over. However the try was ruled out by Kendall for obstruction. Now, I hate the modern interpretation of the obstruction rule in RL as much as the next fan but this was textbook obstruction and would always have been interpreted that way. The TV replay clearly showed that Lolohea stopped dead behind Logan Tomkins, creating just enough of a shield from the tacklers to find the space to score. You just can’t do that and that’s not Kendall’s fault. Sure, he could have been more thorough and referred it to video referee Ben Thaler. We all remember what happened to Hicks at Wembley when he had the temerity to back his own judgement. The difference here is that the evidence supported the on-field call. Had it been handed on to Thaler he could not have justified overturning the decision.
The truth that has been somewhat glossed over in all that is that Lolohea actually wasted a great chance to score. If he had shifted the ball left to Jones they had numbers on that edge. In turning back inside he hit all the defensive traffic and had to use Tomkins illegally to plot a route through. Yet if anyone thought Salford heads would drop after that disappointment, that Watson’s side would fade away quietly, they were in for a jolt. Salford were much the better side in the last 15 minutes of the first half and got some reward for that shortly after Lolohea’s disallowed effort.
Again the former Leeds stand off was involved, switching the play back left towards the short side and Jackson Hastings. The Wigan-bound half was fantastic in his final appearance for the Salford club and he used the space well to send fellow future-pie Jake Bibby in for the score. Krisnan Inu gaoled to send Salford in at half-time with a reasonable sniff of glory. They trailed by just six points at 12-6. The next score would be decisive, you felt.
Before it arrived there was a moment of unwanted drama for Saints as Makinson was slow to get up after running into Lolohea and Kris Welham. For a while there it looked as if Makinson may not get up unaided much less continue. He was looking like Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire. It turned out that he had dislocated his shoulder and experienced a bit of trouble getting it to return to its intended location. Which makes the fact that he not only got up and played the last 38 minutes with one good arm but also landed a game-sealing drop-goal - the first drop-goal of his career - all the more remarkable.
The bitter nay-sayers have suggested it was an unnecessary bit of trolling (to use modern parlance) given that there were only two minutes left at the time and Saints were already 22-6 to the good. But we should not concern ourselves with such talk. I am certain the rest of the RL community will come around to that way of thinking when the clip is being replayed on Sky Sports Grand Final Gold in years to come. A man with a potentially serious injury potting over the first one-pointer of his career to cap a Grand Final win is storybook stuff from where I am sitting. If anyone wishes to take issue with it they should direct their focus to Salford’s failure to target Makinson in defence. Watson has barely put a foot wrong in what has been a sensational season for him and his team but I feel he missed a trick there. With a bit more thought Salford should have been able to force Holbrook into withdrawing Makinson and so force a tactical reshuffle. If that sounds brutal and harsh just remember it is the Grand Final. Do or die. You have to be ruthless and Salford were not in that regard. If a Salford player had been similarly stricken we would have been screaming for someone in a Saints shirt to run straight at them with as much force as possible.
Those same naysayers will point to a few incidents which took place over the next 10 minutes or to back up their criticisms of Kendall and try to take credit away from Saints. Just a minute after the collective and audible exhale let out by the crowd as Makinson was resurrected, concerns turned to Jack Ashworth. The prop went in heavily on Inu who was in no hurry to get up and get on with it. Ashworth hadn’t used his arms very much in making the tackle, and first contact was suspiciously high. As Inu had fallen Ashworth had toppled forwards on to him, effecting a head movement which was reminiscent of Alan Pardew’s method of dealing with Hull City’s David Meyler in 2014 when the human dance-gif was manager of Newcastle United. Kendall saw no intent, which is perhaps fortunate for Ashworth but hardly the greatest officiating cock-up since the Hand Of God as it was painted by some later. My only issue with it is that Ashworth was the fourth man in on that tackle which is teetering awfully close to overkill. When Wigan send four men into the tackle and use the head to ‘get in tight’ (to use Kendall’s explanation) I slaughter them for shithousing. We paint the image that our players don’t resort to that sort of chicanery so I’m not going to defend it here.
Inconsistencies are one of the fans’ biggest bug-bears so anyone not of a Saints persuasion would have been riled by two other calls during that spell that went in Saints favour. First George Griffin was penalised for a ball steal during a challenge on Coote, while moments later a very similar looking incident saw former Saint Adam Walker whistled for a knock-on despite the dishonourable intentions of Thompson. Yet even these were not terrible decisions. Both could have gone either way and you could make a case for the referee just the same. The problem is that at the moment the rules around what constitutes a ball steal and/or a knock-on at the play-the-ball are still a lottery. Some you get and some you don’t and it was ever thus. Nothing really to see here for the conspiracy theorists.
It is somewhat ironic given Saints general aversion to short-kicking that the try that put them firmly in command and arguably saw off Salford’s resistance came via exactly that route. Percival is often accused by other members of the squad of being a couple of stops short of barking. Game intelligence is not his strength, let’s say. So who else but he would disregard the game plan by dabbing a little kick in-goal at the end of what looked like an otherwise fruitless sideways jaunt across the defensive line? But he knows something the rest of us don’t, because it was an inch-perfect piece of execution allowing him to race past a static line to touch down. The nearest threat to Percival’s ambition to get to the ball first was Amor. The desire and then combined delight etched on the faces of the pair as they successfully hunted the ball down typified Saints under Holbrook. Having the most talented players isn’t enough. You have to work harder than everybody else too. A third Coote conversion of the night put Saints 18-6 up with half an hour to play. Within touching distance of putting the exclamation mark on their season’s work.
There were a couple more big calls that Kendall had to make which, had they gone the way some demanded, could have hauled Salford back into something like contention. Naiqama’s tackle on Inu was armless but also harmless. It should have been a penalty to Salford but there was no contact with the head and therefore no reason for Kendall to get all card-y about it. Nor was there much call for the furore when Dodson was deemed to have knocked on close to the Saints line soon after. Probably a penalty for interference by Aaron Smith who seemed to be holding Dudson as he tried to regain his feet. A lost opportunity for Watson’s side but hardly enough to bridge the gap between the two sides. As Hastings was honest enough to say in his post-match interview with same-as-Angela-but-a-bit-younger Jenna Brooks these were not game changing decisions. They didn’t help Salford who might have had a bit more luck on the night, but the best team are champions.
By the time of the Dudson incident he had already clonked Thompson around the neck in front of the Salford sticks to put them in a 20-6 hole, while there was little doubt that Griffin was offside when he played at a ball knocked forward by Niall Evalds following a Fages bomb. Coote again obliged and Saints led by 16 points at 22-6. There would have been a nice symmetry (for nerds anyway) about winning the Grand Final by 16 points having topped the league by 16 at the end of the regular season. But Makinson wasn’t having any of that as he had the last word for himself with that audacious one-pointer.
We’ve taken our bows and our curtain calls. We are the champions, my friend.
Saints v Salford Red Devils - Grand Final Preview
It all comes down to this. Eighty minutes to decide the Super League champions of 2019 as Saints take on Salford Red Devils at Old Trafford on Saturday night (October 12, kick-off 6.00pm).
If you are not travelling to Manchester to see Super League Coach Of The Year Justin Holbrook try to round off his time at Saints with the biggest prize in the domestic game then you might want to find a safe place to hide behind your sofa. Any time Saints are involved in big knockout games it is usually a fairly terrifying experience. Their obvious superiority over all of the other Super League sides tends to go flying out of the nearest window as nerves jangle, fray, shred and do whatever else it is that all the cool nerves do these days. If, like this writer, you will be at Old Trafford then my advice would be to purchase as much liquid nerve-settler as you can throughout the afternoon, but not so much that you attempt to resolve the dispute physically with the hordes of Salfordians who have sprung up from behind their own sofas upon being reminded that they do have a rugby league team to support.
That memory jog is down in no small part to the brilliance of coach Ian Watson and the miracles performed by his on-field general Jackson Hastings. The former Manly halfback is on his way to humourless dark art merchants Wigan next season and, like Holbrook, will be desperate to leave with a title under his belt. Hastings has been sensational for the Red Devils this season on his way to winning the Steve Prescott Man Of Steel Award. He has displayed a level of skill and humility that will probably be coached out of him before the end of the 2020 pre-season. As much as you might admire Hastings now, get set to absolutely detest him as he makes the transition from good to evil faster than Michael Corleone, Anakin Skywalker or Bernard Hill in Lord Of The Rings. He has been all charm in the build-up, first remarking that our own Jonny Lomax is the best player in Super League and then expressing a desire to get hold of Lomax’s headgear as a souvenir following the hostilities. Best of pals now then, but wait for it to go all Rooney-Vardy once they are on opposite sides of the lump next year.
All of which warring wags doesn’t bring me anywhere near to the team news. Saints have named an unchanged 19 to the one which thumped Wigan out of sight in the Qualifying Semi-Final a fortnight. Similarly, Salford have named an unchanged 19 to the one which thumped Wigan out of sight in the Elimination Final last week. We gain no insight into who might win this one by looking at how they got on against Adrian Lam’s side as both Saints and Salford dismissed them with the minimum of fuss to make it this far through the playoffs. So where else will the game be won and lost?
Saints are formidable almost everywhere on the field. Lachlan Coote has returned to form at fullback after a late-summer wobble, while Tommy Makinson led the league in try-scoring this year with 23. Regan Grace was only a couple behind on the opposite flank and centres Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama are among the most exciting to watch anywhere. Lomax is partnered in the halves by Theo Fages who has escaped a ban for a dangerous tackle during that victory over Wigan, so Danny Richardson looks to have played his last game for Saints amid suggestions that he will be heading east to fill the Luke Gale-shaped hole in the Castleford Tigers squad after the England half moved to Leeds Rhinos for 2020.
It is in the pack where Saints are expected to really dominate. Luke Thompson is in a class of his own in Super League in 2019, while Alex Walmsley has had another stellar year after recovering from the neck injury which saw him miss most of 2018. James Roby is at hooker, but the fact that Aaron Smith has been included casts some doubt about whether he is fit to go for the full eighty minutes. Holbrook recently alluded to this when he was quizzed on whether there would be any changes to the 17 for the Grand Final. He admitted that if there were any reservations about Roby’s fitness that Smith would play, and if not then James Bentley would probably come in. If Bentley does not make it then it would be unfortunate for him after a fantastic breakthrough year, but would represent a fabulous opportunity for Smith to perform on the very biggest stage when Roby takes his breathers.
The back row picks itself also, with Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux in the second row and Morgan Knowles locking the scrum. All of which leaves Smith or Bentley on the bench with in all probability props Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Kyle Amor and Jack Ashworth. Joseph Paulo has missed out on selection while Adam Swift misses out on a farewell appearance before his impending move to Hull FC. Matty Costello, Joe Batchelor and Jack Welsby have all made an impact when required this season but will need to wait for another opportunity to play at Old Trafford. Time is on their side in a developing side which should give them heart, as well as Matty Lees who would have been a certain inclusion but for the perforated bowel he suffered in the run-up to the Wembley defeat by Warrington.
Notwithstanding Phil Clarke’s wayward remarks about the quality of the Salford team before their humbling of Wigan, Watson has assembled a very capable group. Yes there is a reliance on Hastings for creativity along with stand-off Tui Lolohea after he was acquired from Leeds in a deal that saw long-time talisman Robert Lui leave the AJ Bell Stadium, but the support cast is full of solid Super League performers who have had every last drop of quality rung from them by the skilled Watson. Niall Evalds is a fine fullback who is unfortunate not to be included in Wayne Bennett’s Great Britain squad for the forthcoming trip to New Zealand, while former Saints Josh Jones and Mark Flanagan are unflashy, consistent performers who won’t be taking any steps in a backward direction.
A pack featuring previously unwanted souls like Greg Burke, Adam Walker, Gil Dudson and Lee Mossop has performed way above expectations this year especially during the playoff run and will need to do so again if the Red Devils are to emulate Warrington and pull off a knockout shock. Oh and Catalans. And Warrington again. Actually, would it be a shock? Ask any bookmaker they will tell you that it would. Ask anyone who has lived through five consecutive Grand Final defeats and umpteen semi-final disappointments as a Saints fan and nothing would surprise them. This system is quite the leveller.
Apart from the halves and Evalds the rest of the Salford back-line does not strike you as comparable to that of Saints. Krisnan Inu is capable of brilliance and madness in equal measure, while Kris Welham is another who was discarded elsewhere on several occasions before enjoying something of a renaissance with Watson and the Red Devils. Jake Bibby will join Hastings at Wigan next year while on the other wing Ken Sio is an experienced campaigner but not one who would strike fear into the hearts of a side containing such talents as Makinson and Grace in that area. Man for man Saints have it, but this is a team game and Salford have been greater than the sum of their parts for almost the entire campaign. I was one of those tipping them to struggle this year before a ball was kicked, but I doubt whether they will let the fact that it has already been a fairy tale season for them distract them from their mission to go one better and lift the trophy. It may be their one and only shot with this group of players, with not only Hastings and Bibby but also Jones and George Griffin already having agreed deals to play elsewhere next year. If this team are going to achieve immortality then it has to be now.
Previous encounters between the two in 2019 are intriguing. Saints won fairly routinely at the AJ Bell to the tune of 26-4, but trailed 30-16 going into the latter part of the home encounter only to pull off one of those Saintsy comebacks for which they are infamous. Three late tries, including a highly dubious one awarded to Bentley by the video referee, gave Saints the win. Nobody pushed Saints that close on home soil throughout 2019 and that might just be a message that Watson will be reinforcing with his players in the build-up to this one.
So we’re all set then for what is in many ways a classic match-up with a big story waiting at the end of either outcome. A Saints win completes a dominant season in which they have set all kinds of new records and benchmarks and have been truly unstoppable at their best, while a Salford win would make David’s win over Goliath look like a humdrum affair. Not just because they will have beaten the team that everyone perceives to be the best this year, but because they will have overcome incalculable odds to become Super League champions.
How are your nerves?
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. LMS, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 20. Jack Ashworth, 21, Aaron Smith, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Salford Red Devils
Niall Evalds. Kris Welham, Jake Bibby, Lee Mossop, Josh Wood, Gil Dudson, Josh Jones, George Griffin, Mark Flanagan, Joey Lussick, Adam Walker, Greg Burke, Tyrone McCarthy, Logan Tomkins, Ken Sio, Krisnan Inu, Tui Lolohea, Jackson Hastings, Josh Johnson
Referee: Chris Kendall
If you are not travelling to Manchester to see Super League Coach Of The Year Justin Holbrook try to round off his time at Saints with the biggest prize in the domestic game then you might want to find a safe place to hide behind your sofa. Any time Saints are involved in big knockout games it is usually a fairly terrifying experience. Their obvious superiority over all of the other Super League sides tends to go flying out of the nearest window as nerves jangle, fray, shred and do whatever else it is that all the cool nerves do these days. If, like this writer, you will be at Old Trafford then my advice would be to purchase as much liquid nerve-settler as you can throughout the afternoon, but not so much that you attempt to resolve the dispute physically with the hordes of Salfordians who have sprung up from behind their own sofas upon being reminded that they do have a rugby league team to support.
That memory jog is down in no small part to the brilliance of coach Ian Watson and the miracles performed by his on-field general Jackson Hastings. The former Manly halfback is on his way to humourless dark art merchants Wigan next season and, like Holbrook, will be desperate to leave with a title under his belt. Hastings has been sensational for the Red Devils this season on his way to winning the Steve Prescott Man Of Steel Award. He has displayed a level of skill and humility that will probably be coached out of him before the end of the 2020 pre-season. As much as you might admire Hastings now, get set to absolutely detest him as he makes the transition from good to evil faster than Michael Corleone, Anakin Skywalker or Bernard Hill in Lord Of The Rings. He has been all charm in the build-up, first remarking that our own Jonny Lomax is the best player in Super League and then expressing a desire to get hold of Lomax’s headgear as a souvenir following the hostilities. Best of pals now then, but wait for it to go all Rooney-Vardy once they are on opposite sides of the lump next year.
All of which warring wags doesn’t bring me anywhere near to the team news. Saints have named an unchanged 19 to the one which thumped Wigan out of sight in the Qualifying Semi-Final a fortnight. Similarly, Salford have named an unchanged 19 to the one which thumped Wigan out of sight in the Elimination Final last week. We gain no insight into who might win this one by looking at how they got on against Adrian Lam’s side as both Saints and Salford dismissed them with the minimum of fuss to make it this far through the playoffs. So where else will the game be won and lost?
Saints are formidable almost everywhere on the field. Lachlan Coote has returned to form at fullback after a late-summer wobble, while Tommy Makinson led the league in try-scoring this year with 23. Regan Grace was only a couple behind on the opposite flank and centres Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama are among the most exciting to watch anywhere. Lomax is partnered in the halves by Theo Fages who has escaped a ban for a dangerous tackle during that victory over Wigan, so Danny Richardson looks to have played his last game for Saints amid suggestions that he will be heading east to fill the Luke Gale-shaped hole in the Castleford Tigers squad after the England half moved to Leeds Rhinos for 2020.
It is in the pack where Saints are expected to really dominate. Luke Thompson is in a class of his own in Super League in 2019, while Alex Walmsley has had another stellar year after recovering from the neck injury which saw him miss most of 2018. James Roby is at hooker, but the fact that Aaron Smith has been included casts some doubt about whether he is fit to go for the full eighty minutes. Holbrook recently alluded to this when he was quizzed on whether there would be any changes to the 17 for the Grand Final. He admitted that if there were any reservations about Roby’s fitness that Smith would play, and if not then James Bentley would probably come in. If Bentley does not make it then it would be unfortunate for him after a fantastic breakthrough year, but would represent a fabulous opportunity for Smith to perform on the very biggest stage when Roby takes his breathers.
The back row picks itself also, with Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux in the second row and Morgan Knowles locking the scrum. All of which leaves Smith or Bentley on the bench with in all probability props Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Kyle Amor and Jack Ashworth. Joseph Paulo has missed out on selection while Adam Swift misses out on a farewell appearance before his impending move to Hull FC. Matty Costello, Joe Batchelor and Jack Welsby have all made an impact when required this season but will need to wait for another opportunity to play at Old Trafford. Time is on their side in a developing side which should give them heart, as well as Matty Lees who would have been a certain inclusion but for the perforated bowel he suffered in the run-up to the Wembley defeat by Warrington.
Notwithstanding Phil Clarke’s wayward remarks about the quality of the Salford team before their humbling of Wigan, Watson has assembled a very capable group. Yes there is a reliance on Hastings for creativity along with stand-off Tui Lolohea after he was acquired from Leeds in a deal that saw long-time talisman Robert Lui leave the AJ Bell Stadium, but the support cast is full of solid Super League performers who have had every last drop of quality rung from them by the skilled Watson. Niall Evalds is a fine fullback who is unfortunate not to be included in Wayne Bennett’s Great Britain squad for the forthcoming trip to New Zealand, while former Saints Josh Jones and Mark Flanagan are unflashy, consistent performers who won’t be taking any steps in a backward direction.
A pack featuring previously unwanted souls like Greg Burke, Adam Walker, Gil Dudson and Lee Mossop has performed way above expectations this year especially during the playoff run and will need to do so again if the Red Devils are to emulate Warrington and pull off a knockout shock. Oh and Catalans. And Warrington again. Actually, would it be a shock? Ask any bookmaker they will tell you that it would. Ask anyone who has lived through five consecutive Grand Final defeats and umpteen semi-final disappointments as a Saints fan and nothing would surprise them. This system is quite the leveller.
Apart from the halves and Evalds the rest of the Salford back-line does not strike you as comparable to that of Saints. Krisnan Inu is capable of brilliance and madness in equal measure, while Kris Welham is another who was discarded elsewhere on several occasions before enjoying something of a renaissance with Watson and the Red Devils. Jake Bibby will join Hastings at Wigan next year while on the other wing Ken Sio is an experienced campaigner but not one who would strike fear into the hearts of a side containing such talents as Makinson and Grace in that area. Man for man Saints have it, but this is a team game and Salford have been greater than the sum of their parts for almost the entire campaign. I was one of those tipping them to struggle this year before a ball was kicked, but I doubt whether they will let the fact that it has already been a fairy tale season for them distract them from their mission to go one better and lift the trophy. It may be their one and only shot with this group of players, with not only Hastings and Bibby but also Jones and George Griffin already having agreed deals to play elsewhere next year. If this team are going to achieve immortality then it has to be now.
Previous encounters between the two in 2019 are intriguing. Saints won fairly routinely at the AJ Bell to the tune of 26-4, but trailed 30-16 going into the latter part of the home encounter only to pull off one of those Saintsy comebacks for which they are infamous. Three late tries, including a highly dubious one awarded to Bentley by the video referee, gave Saints the win. Nobody pushed Saints that close on home soil throughout 2019 and that might just be a message that Watson will be reinforcing with his players in the build-up to this one.
So we’re all set then for what is in many ways a classic match-up with a big story waiting at the end of either outcome. A Saints win completes a dominant season in which they have set all kinds of new records and benchmarks and have been truly unstoppable at their best, while a Salford win would make David’s win over Goliath look like a humdrum affair. Not just because they will have beaten the team that everyone perceives to be the best this year, but because they will have overcome incalculable odds to become Super League champions.
How are your nerves?
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. LMS, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 20. Jack Ashworth, 21, Aaron Smith, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Salford Red Devils
Niall Evalds. Kris Welham, Jake Bibby, Lee Mossop, Josh Wood, Gil Dudson, Josh Jones, George Griffin, Mark Flanagan, Joey Lussick, Adam Walker, Greg Burke, Tyrone McCarthy, Logan Tomkins, Ken Sio, Krisnan Inu, Tui Lolohea, Jackson Hastings, Josh Johnson
Referee: Chris Kendall
Saints 40 Wigan Warriors 10 - Reflections
What a night. Saints breezed into the 2019 Super League Grand Final with a 40-10 walloping of their local rivals. The Stadium That Dare Not Speak Its Name buzzed and bounced with the excitement of it all. Memories of the few heavy defeats we have inflicted on Wigan were brought to the fore. Boxing Day 1992. The 2005 Challenge Cup tie. It was one to savour.
A late-season surge had transformed Adrian Lam’s Wigan side from relegation candidates into Saints’ nearest challengers at the top of the table. Yet they were no match for Justin Holbrook’s side who ran in seven tries courtesy of six different scorers. Saints were totally dominant throughout. After topping the league standings by 16 points and dismissing the next best team for a fourth time this season they deserve more recognition than they are going to get. The job is not done. They may have to vanquish Wigan for a fifth time should the cherry and whites take advantage of their second chance to reach Old Trafford by beating Salford Red Devils at the DW Stadium on Friday (October 4).
That’s not a given with they way Ian Watson has his side playing but Wigan are nothing if not resilient. Despite the repeated beatings they have taken from Saints this year the Warriors will relish another opportunity at Old Trafford should they get there. All of which seems like naivety and folly. Why would you want to face down a team that has repeatedly routed you? The system dictates that however much you have been dominated by an opponent before the Grand Final it is only the result on the big night that brings the real rewards of the Super League trophy and the champions tag. It’s absurd, but Saints may yet end the year as a runner-up on two fronts. At the same time Wigan’s underwhelming defence of their Super League crown still has life in it.
This was a victory which looked inevitable from the opening minutes. One of Wigan’s greatest weapons is their ability to mix it physically with their opponents. To not let the opposition play. Slow the play-the-ball, win collision in defence and don’t give up ground. Frustrate them and force errors on which you capitalise on the scoreboard. Others have had success with this method against Saints under Holbrook. Catalans Dragons bullied Saints into submission in last year’s Challenge Cup semi-final while at Wembley this year similar solidity helped Warrington win the trophy. This time Saints did not allow that to happen.
Led by the outstanding Luke Thompson Saints were in destructive mood up front. They would not be stopped, gaining metres in every collision which allowed them to speed the game up and bring their impressive backs into play. All of Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Lachlan Coote, Jonny Lomax and Mark Percival made over 100 metres with ball in hand. Makinson delivered an eye-popping 224 even on a night when most of the scoring opportunities arrived on the opposite side of the field.
Thompson played for less than an hour, but that was time enough to rack up 180 metres in 23 carries. He got over for a try also, strolling through a massive gap in the Wigan goal-line defence to put Saints 20-6 up less than 15 minutes before half-time. Theo Fages had opened the scoring when he latched on to Coote’s clever grubber, and it was 12-0 when the departing George Williams tried to switch the play wide to the left and only found Naiqama. The Fijian strolled over, leaving Williams to start reflecting on the fact that at least he will get one more game in front of the Wigan fans before his move to Canberra Raiders.
Wigan got on the board when Percival probably tried to solve a problem that wasn’t there in defence, jamming in hastily to allow Chris Hankinson to send Liam Marshall streaking over. The conversion from Zak Hardaker reduced the arrears to 14-6 but then Thompson cruised over to take the game away from Wigan again.
If it wasn’t Thompson coming at Wigan at a thousand miles an hour it was any number of others. Alex Walmsley was and is massive, proving too much for Lam’s men to handle. The former Batley prop reeled off 122 metres on 16 carries and was a constant threat. Morgan Knowles and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook were the other Saints forwards to smash through the 100-metre barrier, ably assisted by Zeb Taia with 90, Jack Ashworth with 79 and Kyle Amor with 77. Ashworth’s performance was particularly heartening. He was much closer to the bright and dangerous player we saw in spells last year. With Matty Lees gone for the year it could be important that Ashworth steps up one more time in Manchester.
Contrast Saints’ forwards collective display with the efforts of Wigan’s battered pack. Suspension’s Tony Clubb could only grunt his way to a sorrowful 11 metres on two carries, while 2014 Grand Final villain Ben Flower was held to 45. I travelled further than these two ageing bullies when I made my way from the bedroom to the bathroom this morning. And it wasn’t just the old guys who suffered. Wigan’s young trio of Oliver Partington, Liam Byrne and Morgan Smithies have been the subject of much chatter and hype in recent weeks but were suddenly and comprehensively found out of their depth. They combined for a total of 100 metres between them with Smithies doing the bulk of that work with 61. They will learn and get better but for now they look short of the standard being set by their Saints counterparts.
Even Sean O’Loughlin, for so long the extravagantly gifted talisman of this side, looked uncomfortable. He has become a shadow of his former self. He was a non-factor really, managing just over four metres per carry for his 46 metres on 11 hit-ups. It was something of a surprise to see him start the game in truth. Smithies had started in last week’s win over Salford but the experience of O’Loughlin was Lam’s preference here. It turned out to be akin to deck-chair rearrangement on a famously ill-fated ship as neither Wigan’s new breed nor its old guard could halt Saints’ march to the Grand Final. Liam Farrell was probably the pick of the Wigan pack with 76 metres on 10 carries and 33 tackles in defence. Yet even he only broke free of the shackles for one clean break, thanks in no small part to the defensive efforts of the excellent Dominique Peyroux who bagged 36 tackles, missing just two. Wigan had two defenders who could better that tally in Smithies (45) and Sam Powell (42) but that is perhaps indicative of how well Saints dominated both possession and territory all night long. Saints made only six handling errors and though Wigan were almost as careful with just eight it was what each side did with that possession which told the story. That Farrell break was one of four for Wigan while Saints almost trebled that with 11.
By half-time the game was over as a contest. Lomax stepped and scooted his way over, with Coote’s conversion pushing Saints’ advantage out to 20 points at 26-6. It had been one of the best periods of 40 minutes that Saints or any other side has produced this season. The promise of more lingered. If we are to meet Wigan again the psychological blow of really turning the screw could have been significant. Fifty points didn’t seem fanciful. It never really materialised, with errors starting to creep in during the second half. In particular Saints started to struggle to maintain possession while playing the ball as the game wore on. Referee Chris Kendall could have been more generous to Saints at times as Wigan started to spoil and interfere but he decided on a policy of placing responsibility on the ball carriers for the messy rucks. It was almost a sympathy vote from the whistle-blower who - given Robert Hicks’ recent tribulations - looks a good bet to get the nod to take charge at Old Trafford.
Despite the drop-off in quality there were moments to enjoy after the break. Taia took Coote’s pass to score five minutes after the restart but we then had to wait another 15 minutes for the first of Percival’s brace. His second came six minutes from time but it was not the last word. New recruit Bevan French marked his first derby appearance with a try as Saints’ left edge defence dozed a little. It served to at least take Wigan into double figures for the night but will have offered precious little comfort to a side that was outclassed.
On which subject, there has been much talk from Wigan fans on social media of the score line blowing out due to a bad Wigan performance. That somehow there was an unacceptable level of effort and application from Lam’s side. Let’s nip that in the bud right now. Wigan, though far short of spectacular, were not terrible here. They were just blown away, especially in the first 40 minutes, by a superior and highly motivated Saints side. A side faultlessly prepared and fully focused on the mission. They offered Wigan nothing to work with. The idea that Wigan were the architects of their own downfall sounds very much to me like something they would tell themselves to cling on to belief that they can buck the trend of derby defeats if these teams meet again in the Grand Final. In reality, if Saints turn in another display like this one at Old Trafford there will be very little that Wigan or Salford can do to stop the juggernaut. The problem is that, as we have seen, Saints under Holbrook haven’t turned up for the very biggest games.
It was an emotional Holbrook who addressed the crowd at the end of what we now know was his last game in charge on home soil. Defeat here would have meant one more home assignment next week before he takes charge of Gold Coast Titans at the start of 2020. Yet that was never on the cards with his side in this mood. He remarked afterwards that this was the most relaxed he’s ever felt coming into a game because of the way his side had used the week off to prepare. Can they use the week off to the same effect before Old Trafford? While Wigan and Salford battle for the other Grand Final slot Saints and Holbrook will again have a watching brief. There are those who would prefer to keep playing to stay battle hardened ahead of the Grand Final. Yet the week off didn’t do Saints any harm ahead of this one and could prove vital in allowing any knocks, bumps and bruises to heal. Lomax picked up a nasty-looking facial injury early in the game and will need to take a careful approach while you can’t help but feel that the forwards, in particular the ageing James Roby, will benefit from a longer preparation period if they are to replicate this level of intensity and standard of execution.
Confidence is high then going into the Grand Final whoever provides the opposition. Sure, we’ve been here before only to see Saints blow it on the big night. Chairman Eamonn McManus has already highlighted 2008 when Saints beat Leeds 38-10 in the Qualifying Semi-Final only to lose to the Rhinos when it mattered most. In this sort of form, and with Wigan looking like a full-page advert for mediocrity at the moment, it can’t happen again.
Can it?
A late-season surge had transformed Adrian Lam’s Wigan side from relegation candidates into Saints’ nearest challengers at the top of the table. Yet they were no match for Justin Holbrook’s side who ran in seven tries courtesy of six different scorers. Saints were totally dominant throughout. After topping the league standings by 16 points and dismissing the next best team for a fourth time this season they deserve more recognition than they are going to get. The job is not done. They may have to vanquish Wigan for a fifth time should the cherry and whites take advantage of their second chance to reach Old Trafford by beating Salford Red Devils at the DW Stadium on Friday (October 4).
That’s not a given with they way Ian Watson has his side playing but Wigan are nothing if not resilient. Despite the repeated beatings they have taken from Saints this year the Warriors will relish another opportunity at Old Trafford should they get there. All of which seems like naivety and folly. Why would you want to face down a team that has repeatedly routed you? The system dictates that however much you have been dominated by an opponent before the Grand Final it is only the result on the big night that brings the real rewards of the Super League trophy and the champions tag. It’s absurd, but Saints may yet end the year as a runner-up on two fronts. At the same time Wigan’s underwhelming defence of their Super League crown still has life in it.
This was a victory which looked inevitable from the opening minutes. One of Wigan’s greatest weapons is their ability to mix it physically with their opponents. To not let the opposition play. Slow the play-the-ball, win collision in defence and don’t give up ground. Frustrate them and force errors on which you capitalise on the scoreboard. Others have had success with this method against Saints under Holbrook. Catalans Dragons bullied Saints into submission in last year’s Challenge Cup semi-final while at Wembley this year similar solidity helped Warrington win the trophy. This time Saints did not allow that to happen.
Led by the outstanding Luke Thompson Saints were in destructive mood up front. They would not be stopped, gaining metres in every collision which allowed them to speed the game up and bring their impressive backs into play. All of Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Lachlan Coote, Jonny Lomax and Mark Percival made over 100 metres with ball in hand. Makinson delivered an eye-popping 224 even on a night when most of the scoring opportunities arrived on the opposite side of the field.
Thompson played for less than an hour, but that was time enough to rack up 180 metres in 23 carries. He got over for a try also, strolling through a massive gap in the Wigan goal-line defence to put Saints 20-6 up less than 15 minutes before half-time. Theo Fages had opened the scoring when he latched on to Coote’s clever grubber, and it was 12-0 when the departing George Williams tried to switch the play wide to the left and only found Naiqama. The Fijian strolled over, leaving Williams to start reflecting on the fact that at least he will get one more game in front of the Wigan fans before his move to Canberra Raiders.
Wigan got on the board when Percival probably tried to solve a problem that wasn’t there in defence, jamming in hastily to allow Chris Hankinson to send Liam Marshall streaking over. The conversion from Zak Hardaker reduced the arrears to 14-6 but then Thompson cruised over to take the game away from Wigan again.
If it wasn’t Thompson coming at Wigan at a thousand miles an hour it was any number of others. Alex Walmsley was and is massive, proving too much for Lam’s men to handle. The former Batley prop reeled off 122 metres on 16 carries and was a constant threat. Morgan Knowles and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook were the other Saints forwards to smash through the 100-metre barrier, ably assisted by Zeb Taia with 90, Jack Ashworth with 79 and Kyle Amor with 77. Ashworth’s performance was particularly heartening. He was much closer to the bright and dangerous player we saw in spells last year. With Matty Lees gone for the year it could be important that Ashworth steps up one more time in Manchester.
Contrast Saints’ forwards collective display with the efforts of Wigan’s battered pack. Suspension’s Tony Clubb could only grunt his way to a sorrowful 11 metres on two carries, while 2014 Grand Final villain Ben Flower was held to 45. I travelled further than these two ageing bullies when I made my way from the bedroom to the bathroom this morning. And it wasn’t just the old guys who suffered. Wigan’s young trio of Oliver Partington, Liam Byrne and Morgan Smithies have been the subject of much chatter and hype in recent weeks but were suddenly and comprehensively found out of their depth. They combined for a total of 100 metres between them with Smithies doing the bulk of that work with 61. They will learn and get better but for now they look short of the standard being set by their Saints counterparts.
Even Sean O’Loughlin, for so long the extravagantly gifted talisman of this side, looked uncomfortable. He has become a shadow of his former self. He was a non-factor really, managing just over four metres per carry for his 46 metres on 11 hit-ups. It was something of a surprise to see him start the game in truth. Smithies had started in last week’s win over Salford but the experience of O’Loughlin was Lam’s preference here. It turned out to be akin to deck-chair rearrangement on a famously ill-fated ship as neither Wigan’s new breed nor its old guard could halt Saints’ march to the Grand Final. Liam Farrell was probably the pick of the Wigan pack with 76 metres on 10 carries and 33 tackles in defence. Yet even he only broke free of the shackles for one clean break, thanks in no small part to the defensive efforts of the excellent Dominique Peyroux who bagged 36 tackles, missing just two. Wigan had two defenders who could better that tally in Smithies (45) and Sam Powell (42) but that is perhaps indicative of how well Saints dominated both possession and territory all night long. Saints made only six handling errors and though Wigan were almost as careful with just eight it was what each side did with that possession which told the story. That Farrell break was one of four for Wigan while Saints almost trebled that with 11.
By half-time the game was over as a contest. Lomax stepped and scooted his way over, with Coote’s conversion pushing Saints’ advantage out to 20 points at 26-6. It had been one of the best periods of 40 minutes that Saints or any other side has produced this season. The promise of more lingered. If we are to meet Wigan again the psychological blow of really turning the screw could have been significant. Fifty points didn’t seem fanciful. It never really materialised, with errors starting to creep in during the second half. In particular Saints started to struggle to maintain possession while playing the ball as the game wore on. Referee Chris Kendall could have been more generous to Saints at times as Wigan started to spoil and interfere but he decided on a policy of placing responsibility on the ball carriers for the messy rucks. It was almost a sympathy vote from the whistle-blower who - given Robert Hicks’ recent tribulations - looks a good bet to get the nod to take charge at Old Trafford.
Despite the drop-off in quality there were moments to enjoy after the break. Taia took Coote’s pass to score five minutes after the restart but we then had to wait another 15 minutes for the first of Percival’s brace. His second came six minutes from time but it was not the last word. New recruit Bevan French marked his first derby appearance with a try as Saints’ left edge defence dozed a little. It served to at least take Wigan into double figures for the night but will have offered precious little comfort to a side that was outclassed.
On which subject, there has been much talk from Wigan fans on social media of the score line blowing out due to a bad Wigan performance. That somehow there was an unacceptable level of effort and application from Lam’s side. Let’s nip that in the bud right now. Wigan, though far short of spectacular, were not terrible here. They were just blown away, especially in the first 40 minutes, by a superior and highly motivated Saints side. A side faultlessly prepared and fully focused on the mission. They offered Wigan nothing to work with. The idea that Wigan were the architects of their own downfall sounds very much to me like something they would tell themselves to cling on to belief that they can buck the trend of derby defeats if these teams meet again in the Grand Final. In reality, if Saints turn in another display like this one at Old Trafford there will be very little that Wigan or Salford can do to stop the juggernaut. The problem is that, as we have seen, Saints under Holbrook haven’t turned up for the very biggest games.
It was an emotional Holbrook who addressed the crowd at the end of what we now know was his last game in charge on home soil. Defeat here would have meant one more home assignment next week before he takes charge of Gold Coast Titans at the start of 2020. Yet that was never on the cards with his side in this mood. He remarked afterwards that this was the most relaxed he’s ever felt coming into a game because of the way his side had used the week off to prepare. Can they use the week off to the same effect before Old Trafford? While Wigan and Salford battle for the other Grand Final slot Saints and Holbrook will again have a watching brief. There are those who would prefer to keep playing to stay battle hardened ahead of the Grand Final. Yet the week off didn’t do Saints any harm ahead of this one and could prove vital in allowing any knocks, bumps and bruises to heal. Lomax picked up a nasty-looking facial injury early in the game and will need to take a careful approach while you can’t help but feel that the forwards, in particular the ageing James Roby, will benefit from a longer preparation period if they are to replicate this level of intensity and standard of execution.
Confidence is high then going into the Grand Final whoever provides the opposition. Sure, we’ve been here before only to see Saints blow it on the big night. Chairman Eamonn McManus has already highlighted 2008 when Saints beat Leeds 38-10 in the Qualifying Semi-Final only to lose to the Rhinos when it mattered most. In this sort of form, and with Wigan looking like a full-page advert for mediocrity at the moment, it can’t happen again.
Can it?
Is Tonight's Game Worth Winning? - A Short History
Anyone who has been following the blog’s Twitter account (or even my own personal account if you are that desperate) will be aware that I have grave reservations about tonight’s Qualifying Semi-Final between Saints and Wigan. That is what it is called, by the way. A Qualifying Semi-Final. As opposed to the Elimination Semi-Final which was last night between Salford and Castleford. Or the Final Eliminator which is next week when the loser of tonight’s derby clash will host Salford. Crystal clear. Eye roll.
Anyway my reservations are born of the fact that I cannot believe that we are going to beat Wigan five times in one season. We are more than half way to that having already dismissed this bang average bunch of spoilers three times in 2019, but there is something about derby games that leads me to believe that a surprise result is in the offing somewhere. In addition, I have to grudgingly admit that Wigan have improved significantly from the absolute state they were in at the start of the season. Oh how we chuckled when they were docked two points for salary cap breaches and then given them back almost immediately because well….they’re Wigan. The hilarity ramped up when Wigan legend Shaun Edwards reneged on his promise to take over the coaching reins from Adrian Lam, preferring instead to continue with the lucrative tedium that is rugby union. Since those halcyon days they have put together a fine run towards the end of the season. Lam's men overhauled seven or eight clubs stuck in reverse to finish a creditable second in the Super League table at the end of the regular season. They still ended it 16 points behind Saints but from where they had been it was a massive improvement and one which makes them a dangerous playoff opponent.
Which brings me back to my fears. Perceived wisdom suggests that a win tonight, which would put us straight into the Old Trafford Grand Final on October 12, is the best way to go about our business. Get the week off while Wigan have to battle it out with an improving Salford Red Devils, then simply repeat the trick if Lam’s team come through that. But is it that simple? What is the likelihood, ignoring my paranoia about the prospects of winning five straight against Wigan, of beating the same team twice to win the title?
Well, quite good actually. I got to thinking about my theory and thought I would do a little digging. Is there any evidence that winning the game tonight will be A Bad Thing, and set us on a course towards Grand Final misery? Not much is the answer. The current top five playoff system, known as the McIntyre system, was re-introduced for 2019 but was also used for the first four seasons in which playoffs and a Grand Final were present in Super League from 1998-2001. During that time the side winning the Qualifying Semi-Final has only lost in the Grand Final on one occasion. That was in 1999 when Bradford Bulls walloped Saints 40-4 at Odsal only to find themselves on the end of an 8-6 defeat in Manchester.
The first playoff series of the Super League era came in 1998 when Wigan, who had topped the table by four points, nevertheless found themselves having to slog it out with Leeds Rhinos on two occasions before they could lift the trophy which would have been their by rights 12 months earlier. They were tight affairs, but the League Leaders won 17-4 in the Qualifying Semi-Final and then 10-4 in the Grand Final thanks to Jason Robinson’s much-played scoot across the Rhinos defensive line.
After Saints’ victory in 1999 the following year saw a precedent for what we all hope will happen in 2019. Saints again played Wigan in the Qualifying Semi-Final and gave them a 54-16 shellacking on their own patch. Sean Long ran riot, which the natives particularly enjoyed. I remember driving home from the JJB as it was that night thinking that there was no way imaginable that Wigan would recover from that absolute towelling to beat Saints in the Grand Final. They did not. They made it to Old Trafford courtesy of a 40-12 win over Bradford a week later, but went down 29-16 to Saints with Long again instrumental. In my mind’s eye I can still see Tim Jonkers striding away for the try that capped the win.
The following year did not provide a vintage playoff series for Saints. A 38-30 win over Leeds set up an Elimination Semi-Final at Hull which Ian Millward’s side scraped through 24-20. Yet they would go no further as the old enemy blew them away 44-10 in the Final Eliminator. Lam scored two tries for Wigan that night, but he couldn’t help his side win the title as the rule around Qualifying Semi-Final winners bringing home the bacon held true. Wigan had been beaten 24-18 by League Leaders Bradford to set up that meeting with Saints and then when they progressed to the big one they suffered an even more convincing defeat to the Bulls who ran out 37-6 winners.
I don’t know about you but at the end of all this I am feeling slightly better about our chances at Old Trafford should we pull off what I expect to be a victory on home soil tonight. The prospect of a last home game for coach Justin Holbrook makes it a special occasion so perhaps there is still much to look forward to. I still don’t like the fact that the winners of the league have to slum it in a trumped up playoff series, but history suggests that winning at the first attempt to get to Old Trafford is not necessarily a kiss of death. Even if it does mean that we will have won five derbies in a row in 2019. These are just numbers, right?
Eye roll.
Anyway my reservations are born of the fact that I cannot believe that we are going to beat Wigan five times in one season. We are more than half way to that having already dismissed this bang average bunch of spoilers three times in 2019, but there is something about derby games that leads me to believe that a surprise result is in the offing somewhere. In addition, I have to grudgingly admit that Wigan have improved significantly from the absolute state they were in at the start of the season. Oh how we chuckled when they were docked two points for salary cap breaches and then given them back almost immediately because well….they’re Wigan. The hilarity ramped up when Wigan legend Shaun Edwards reneged on his promise to take over the coaching reins from Adrian Lam, preferring instead to continue with the lucrative tedium that is rugby union. Since those halcyon days they have put together a fine run towards the end of the season. Lam's men overhauled seven or eight clubs stuck in reverse to finish a creditable second in the Super League table at the end of the regular season. They still ended it 16 points behind Saints but from where they had been it was a massive improvement and one which makes them a dangerous playoff opponent.
Which brings me back to my fears. Perceived wisdom suggests that a win tonight, which would put us straight into the Old Trafford Grand Final on October 12, is the best way to go about our business. Get the week off while Wigan have to battle it out with an improving Salford Red Devils, then simply repeat the trick if Lam’s team come through that. But is it that simple? What is the likelihood, ignoring my paranoia about the prospects of winning five straight against Wigan, of beating the same team twice to win the title?
Well, quite good actually. I got to thinking about my theory and thought I would do a little digging. Is there any evidence that winning the game tonight will be A Bad Thing, and set us on a course towards Grand Final misery? Not much is the answer. The current top five playoff system, known as the McIntyre system, was re-introduced for 2019 but was also used for the first four seasons in which playoffs and a Grand Final were present in Super League from 1998-2001. During that time the side winning the Qualifying Semi-Final has only lost in the Grand Final on one occasion. That was in 1999 when Bradford Bulls walloped Saints 40-4 at Odsal only to find themselves on the end of an 8-6 defeat in Manchester.
The first playoff series of the Super League era came in 1998 when Wigan, who had topped the table by four points, nevertheless found themselves having to slog it out with Leeds Rhinos on two occasions before they could lift the trophy which would have been their by rights 12 months earlier. They were tight affairs, but the League Leaders won 17-4 in the Qualifying Semi-Final and then 10-4 in the Grand Final thanks to Jason Robinson’s much-played scoot across the Rhinos defensive line.
After Saints’ victory in 1999 the following year saw a precedent for what we all hope will happen in 2019. Saints again played Wigan in the Qualifying Semi-Final and gave them a 54-16 shellacking on their own patch. Sean Long ran riot, which the natives particularly enjoyed. I remember driving home from the JJB as it was that night thinking that there was no way imaginable that Wigan would recover from that absolute towelling to beat Saints in the Grand Final. They did not. They made it to Old Trafford courtesy of a 40-12 win over Bradford a week later, but went down 29-16 to Saints with Long again instrumental. In my mind’s eye I can still see Tim Jonkers striding away for the try that capped the win.
The following year did not provide a vintage playoff series for Saints. A 38-30 win over Leeds set up an Elimination Semi-Final at Hull which Ian Millward’s side scraped through 24-20. Yet they would go no further as the old enemy blew them away 44-10 in the Final Eliminator. Lam scored two tries for Wigan that night, but he couldn’t help his side win the title as the rule around Qualifying Semi-Final winners bringing home the bacon held true. Wigan had been beaten 24-18 by League Leaders Bradford to set up that meeting with Saints and then when they progressed to the big one they suffered an even more convincing defeat to the Bulls who ran out 37-6 winners.
I don’t know about you but at the end of all this I am feeling slightly better about our chances at Old Trafford should we pull off what I expect to be a victory on home soil tonight. The prospect of a last home game for coach Justin Holbrook makes it a special occasion so perhaps there is still much to look forward to. I still don’t like the fact that the winners of the league have to slum it in a trumped up playoff series, but history suggests that winning at the first attempt to get to Old Trafford is not necessarily a kiss of death. Even if it does mean that we will have won five derbies in a row in 2019. These are just numbers, right?
Eye roll.
Saints v Wigan Warriors - Preview
Two of rugby league’s greatest rivals are only one step away from Old Trafford as Saints host Wigan in the Super League playoff semi-final on Friday night (September 27, kick-off 7.45pm).
The winner of this one books their place in the Super League Grand Final on October 12 while for the loser there is another chance to make it in next week’s final eliminator against the winner of Thursday night’s meeting between Salford and Castleford. Sound complicated? It’s not really, it’s just a tad wearying when you have virtually lapped the rest of the field in the regular season and are still tasked with beating Britain’s most autumnal sporting entity twice in the space of three weeks to claim your rightful prize. Such is modern sport.
Anyone not totally turned off by this charade might be interested to know that Saints coach Justin Holbrook has made just the one change to his 19-man squad for what he hopes will be his last home game as Saints Head Coach. Holbrook jets off to Australia to take charge of Gold Coast Titans at the end of the season to be replaced by former Tonga boss Kristian Woolf. That one alteration sees Aaron Smith come back into the reckoning having not featured since picking up a two-game suspension a week before the ill-fated Challenge Cup Final at Wembley. He replaces Matty Costello, so it is to be hoped that no stroke of cursed luck befalls either of Mark Percival or Kevin Naiqama before Friday night. Then again we get another chance next week, so…..
Clearly Holbrook wants to take the most straightforward route to Old Trafford and that means winning this one. That despite the fact that the statistical likelihood of beating Wigan five times in a row in 2019 (for that is then what it would likely take to claim the title) is chillingly uncertain. I’m fully aware that if you roll a dice five times the likelihood of getting a six is the same on each occasion, but that doesn’t take into account the possibility of having your eyes gouged out by Tony Clubb or being flopped on by Genkle Benny Flower. All in all I would rather we didn’t bother.
Luckily for you and for the broadcasters hoping for a classic Holbrook doesn’t have such fears. Expect Lachlan Coote to continue his climb back to top form with a start at fullback behind regular wing pairing of Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace and the centre duo of Percival and Naiqama. Rumours abound that Danny Richardson is about to take up a contract with Castleford Tigers next year and he is again absent from the reckoning here with Jonny Lomax set to partner Theo Fages in the halves. Lomax is the best player in Super League yet is not nominated for the Steve Prescott Man Of Steel nor did he make the Super League Dream Team. He won’t worry about that so long as the Grand Final winners ring comes his way in a few weeks’ time.
In the pack Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Luke Thompson will attempt to get on top of the spoilers and hatchet-men that make up the Wigan front row, while Zeb Taia, Dominique Peyroux and Morgan Knowles form a formidable back row. It is widely believed that Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Kyle Amor will make the bench which leaves Smith to battle it out with James Bentley and Jack Ashworth for a spot.
And so to the bit where it falls upon me to tell you something about the Wigan squad. Sam Powell was the major doubt following last week’s 18-12 win over Salford Red Devils but seems to have made an Andy Pipkin-esque recovery from an arm injury, so he will be one of those front row hatchet men probably alongside finger-jabbing cheap-shooter Clubb and the new grub on the block Ollie Partington. Behind them the classy Liam Farrell should start alongside the altogether less desirable Willie Isa with much heralded tackling machine Morgan Smithies at loose forward. Smithies made 72 tackles in the win over Salford, a Super League record. It’s only when you give the kid that egg shaped thing and ask him to do something with it that his troubles will start.
Wigan’s backs have quality in the shape of former Great Britain fullback Zak Hardaker and Oliver Gildart, who I can grudgingly accept is one of the best centres in the game at the moment. His battle with Percival will be one of the keys in this game and its likely sequel at Old Trafford. Liam Marshall and Joe Burgess have express pace on the wings, while Brett French is no slouch coming off the bench to add impact also. Unlike Lomax George Williams is a Steve Prescott Man Of Steel nominee, and he won’t be thinking about the fact that a loss here would give him one more game at the DW Stadium in Wigan colours before he moves to Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He will be partnered in the halves by the ageless Thomas Leuluai.
Among those likely to be in contention for a bench spot are veteran perm-meister Sean O’Loughlin, the aforementioned Flower as well as youngster Liam Byrne, Frenchman Romain Navarrete, centre Chris Hankinson and a man for whom the grass is currently distinctly less green on the other side of Billinge Lump Joe Greenwood.
Push me for a prediction and I will maintain that I really am not too troubled by the outcome. We all know it is the game under the Manchester lights in mid-October that counts. This is just a mechanism to get what might be a much-needed week off next week, but even that has the look of a double-edged sword about it. Remember how poorly Saints played after several key players were out of action in the weeks leading up to Wembley? In all likelihood Saints will win this one just because they are several acres better than this limited Wigan side. If they don’t I won’t be dialling the Samaritans. A defeat here and the Super League trophy is as good as ours.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. LMS, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 20. Jack Ashworth, 21, Aaron Smith, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Wigan Warriors;
4. Oliver Gildart 5. Joe Burgess 6. George Williams 7. Tommy Leuluai 8. Tony Clubb 9. Sam Powell 10. Ben Flower 11. Joe Greenwood 12. Liam Farrell 13. Sean O’Loughlin 14. Romain Navarrete 15. Willie Isa 17. Liam Marshall 20. Zak Hardaker 23. Chris Hankinson 24. Ollie Partington 36. Liam Byrne 38. Morgan Smithies 43. Bevan French
Referee: Chris Kendall
The winner of this one books their place in the Super League Grand Final on October 12 while for the loser there is another chance to make it in next week’s final eliminator against the winner of Thursday night’s meeting between Salford and Castleford. Sound complicated? It’s not really, it’s just a tad wearying when you have virtually lapped the rest of the field in the regular season and are still tasked with beating Britain’s most autumnal sporting entity twice in the space of three weeks to claim your rightful prize. Such is modern sport.
Anyone not totally turned off by this charade might be interested to know that Saints coach Justin Holbrook has made just the one change to his 19-man squad for what he hopes will be his last home game as Saints Head Coach. Holbrook jets off to Australia to take charge of Gold Coast Titans at the end of the season to be replaced by former Tonga boss Kristian Woolf. That one alteration sees Aaron Smith come back into the reckoning having not featured since picking up a two-game suspension a week before the ill-fated Challenge Cup Final at Wembley. He replaces Matty Costello, so it is to be hoped that no stroke of cursed luck befalls either of Mark Percival or Kevin Naiqama before Friday night. Then again we get another chance next week, so…..
Clearly Holbrook wants to take the most straightforward route to Old Trafford and that means winning this one. That despite the fact that the statistical likelihood of beating Wigan five times in a row in 2019 (for that is then what it would likely take to claim the title) is chillingly uncertain. I’m fully aware that if you roll a dice five times the likelihood of getting a six is the same on each occasion, but that doesn’t take into account the possibility of having your eyes gouged out by Tony Clubb or being flopped on by Genkle Benny Flower. All in all I would rather we didn’t bother.
Luckily for you and for the broadcasters hoping for a classic Holbrook doesn’t have such fears. Expect Lachlan Coote to continue his climb back to top form with a start at fullback behind regular wing pairing of Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace and the centre duo of Percival and Naiqama. Rumours abound that Danny Richardson is about to take up a contract with Castleford Tigers next year and he is again absent from the reckoning here with Jonny Lomax set to partner Theo Fages in the halves. Lomax is the best player in Super League yet is not nominated for the Steve Prescott Man Of Steel nor did he make the Super League Dream Team. He won’t worry about that so long as the Grand Final winners ring comes his way in a few weeks’ time.
In the pack Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Luke Thompson will attempt to get on top of the spoilers and hatchet-men that make up the Wigan front row, while Zeb Taia, Dominique Peyroux and Morgan Knowles form a formidable back row. It is widely believed that Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Kyle Amor will make the bench which leaves Smith to battle it out with James Bentley and Jack Ashworth for a spot.
And so to the bit where it falls upon me to tell you something about the Wigan squad. Sam Powell was the major doubt following last week’s 18-12 win over Salford Red Devils but seems to have made an Andy Pipkin-esque recovery from an arm injury, so he will be one of those front row hatchet men probably alongside finger-jabbing cheap-shooter Clubb and the new grub on the block Ollie Partington. Behind them the classy Liam Farrell should start alongside the altogether less desirable Willie Isa with much heralded tackling machine Morgan Smithies at loose forward. Smithies made 72 tackles in the win over Salford, a Super League record. It’s only when you give the kid that egg shaped thing and ask him to do something with it that his troubles will start.
Wigan’s backs have quality in the shape of former Great Britain fullback Zak Hardaker and Oliver Gildart, who I can grudgingly accept is one of the best centres in the game at the moment. His battle with Percival will be one of the keys in this game and its likely sequel at Old Trafford. Liam Marshall and Joe Burgess have express pace on the wings, while Brett French is no slouch coming off the bench to add impact also. Unlike Lomax George Williams is a Steve Prescott Man Of Steel nominee, and he won’t be thinking about the fact that a loss here would give him one more game at the DW Stadium in Wigan colours before he moves to Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He will be partnered in the halves by the ageless Thomas Leuluai.
Among those likely to be in contention for a bench spot are veteran perm-meister Sean O’Loughlin, the aforementioned Flower as well as youngster Liam Byrne, Frenchman Romain Navarrete, centre Chris Hankinson and a man for whom the grass is currently distinctly less green on the other side of Billinge Lump Joe Greenwood.
Push me for a prediction and I will maintain that I really am not too troubled by the outcome. We all know it is the game under the Manchester lights in mid-October that counts. This is just a mechanism to get what might be a much-needed week off next week, but even that has the look of a double-edged sword about it. Remember how poorly Saints played after several key players were out of action in the weeks leading up to Wembley? In all likelihood Saints will win this one just because they are several acres better than this limited Wigan side. If they don’t I won’t be dialling the Samaritans. A defeat here and the Super League trophy is as good as ours.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. LMS, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 20. Jack Ashworth, 21, Aaron Smith, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote.
Wigan Warriors;
4. Oliver Gildart 5. Joe Burgess 6. George Williams 7. Tommy Leuluai 8. Tony Clubb 9. Sam Powell 10. Ben Flower 11. Joe Greenwood 12. Liam Farrell 13. Sean O’Loughlin 14. Romain Navarrete 15. Willie Isa 17. Liam Marshall 20. Zak Hardaker 23. Chris Hankinson 24. Ollie Partington 36. Liam Byrne 38. Morgan Smithies 43. Bevan French
Referee: Chris Kendall
Hull FC v Saints - Preview
Saints wrap up their 2019 regular season campaign with a trip to the KCom Stadium to face Hull FC on Friday night (September 13, kick-off 7.45pm).
It’s the final act of what has been a dominant regular season for Saints. Last week’s 48-6 stroll over Huddersfield Giants ensured that Justin Holbrook’s side remained unbeaten at home in Super League, the first time Saints had achieved that since 2002. They have suffered just three defeats on their travels, two of those with somewhat weakened sides at London Broncos (one of which was a draw in old money), and a third at that notoriously Difficult Place To Go - Perpignan - at the hands of the Catalans Dragons.
The mission now is to extend that form for long enough to reach and win the Grand Final on October 12 at Old Trafford. Holbrook’s men need to win just one of a possible two home playoff games to reach the Super League’s showpiece game. The visit to Hull represents a final opportunity to tune up before the cut-throat business of the playoffs gets into gear.
To do so Holbrook has made just one change to the 19-man squad he selected for duty last week. Joseph Paulo returns to action at the expense of Danny Richardson, while Mark Percival is included despite exiting the Giants game in the early minutes with a head knock and subsequently failing the concussion protocol.
Holbrook picked what most would consider to be his strongest starting 13 last week to face Simon Woolford’s side a week ago and could do so again if Percival is sufficiently recovered to take his place at left centre. Matty Costello is in the squad and is the natural alternative. James Bentley filled the role in the emergency circumstances following Percival’s injury and Dominique Peyroux and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook have experience there also but Costello should be the next cab off the rank if Percival isn’t risked.
The rest of the side looks settled should Holbrook choose to go full strength again. Lachlan Coote made a welcome return to form at fullback a week ago and he should operate behind wingers Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace with Kevin Naiqama completing the three-quarter line. Richardson’s omission looks to have left the halfback pairing of Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages unchallenged.
Matty Lees continues to recover from a perforated bowel so Saints’ formidable front three of Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Luke Thompson will be backed up by McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Kyle Amor, Jack Ashworth and Bentley who is likely to spell Roby with Aaron Smith still not included. Smith hasn’t played since picking up a two-game suspension in the win at Leeds on August 16 and faces a fight to get back into Holbrook’s plans before the Head Coach is replaced by Kristian Woolf at the end of the season. The former Tongan national coach has penned a two-year deal from the start of 2020 with the club having an option for a further year. How he views the futures of the likes of Smith and Richardson is one of the key questions to be answered once he takes over the reins. Saints’ back three isn’t something which requires too much thinking time at present, with Peyroux partnering Zeb Taia in the second row and Morgan Knowles packing down at loose forward behind them.
A month ago if you had told Hull FC coach Lee Redford that his side would need to beat Saints to have any chance of a playoff place he might have given you a distinctly sideways glance. Yet that is the reality, and even that opportunity will disappear if Castleford Tigers end Wigan’s six-game winning run on Thursday night (September 12). Hull find themselves in this grim predicament after a run which has seen them win just three of their last nine league outings. From looking nailed on to finish in the top three and securing a second chance in the playoffs the black and whites now look favourites to be the ones with their noses pressed up against the glass watching the top five sides battle it out for the trophy.
Radford has made two changes to his 19-man squad from last week’s probably season-defining 44-12 towelling at Castleford. Jordan Lane comes back in along with former Saint Andre Savelio. The latter has tried to kick-start his career with spells at Castleford, Warrington and Brisbane Broncos since it all went south for him at Saints but has not played for two months due to injury. A foot problem is the latest obstacle in Savelio’s path to the world dominance he seems to envisage for himself. Perhaps the opportunity to prove a point against his old club is just what he needs to get his career back on track. No. Me neither. Savelio and Lane replace Sika Manu and Jack Logan, both of whom may have played their last games for FC as the winds of change look set to sweep through the club for 2020.
Elsewhere in Radford’s squad the only real injury absentees are Dean Hadley and Joe Westerman. Fullback Jamie Shaul has somehow beaten Wigan’s Zak Hardaker and Salford’s Niall Evalds to a spot in Wayne Bennett’s 29-man Great Britain squad announced last week, and he is joined there by professional nuisance Jake Connor and former Wigan prop Scott Taylor. Josh Griffin, Ratu Nailago, Bureta Fairamo and Carlos Tuimavave are dangerous presences in the back line while as ever for Hull much depends on the halfback combination of Albert Kelly and Marc Sneyd. If those two click FC are a match for anyone but the recent trend has been a series of disappointing performances hence their slide to the brink of playoff elimination.
Taylor is a key up front as is hooker Danny Houghton but whether those two have the support cast to challenge Saints’ pack is questionable. Josh Bowden and Mark Miniciello will need to bring their A-games with perhaps some impact from Masi Matongo. Veterans Gareth Ellis and Mickey Paea offer great experience and no little skill should Radford choose to call upon them.
This will be the third meeting between these two in this loop-fixture-infested regular season. Saints won 40-12 in Hull on July 5 while the black and white’s Easter Monday visit to St Helens ended in a chastening 62-16 larruping. If Radford’s side are not on top form they may suffer a similar fate against a Saints side slowly regaining their early season form. A lot may depend on the Tigers’ result on Thursday evening. A win for Daryl Powell’s side eliminates Hull and probably leads to a comfortable Saints win in this one. However if, as I expect, Wigan win that game Hull might have a final opportunity to save their season. I’m not convinced that they’re good enough. Saints by 12.
Squads;
Hull FC;
1. Jamie Shaul 2. Bureta Fairamo. 3. Carlos Tuimavave 4. Josh Griffin 6. Albert Kelly 7. Marc Sneyd 8. Scott Taylor 9. Danny Houghton 10. Josh Bowden 12. Mark Minichiello 14. Jake Connor 19. Masi Matongo 20. Brad Fash 22. Jordan Lane 23. Mickey Paea 33. Ratu Naulago 34. Gareth Ellis 35. Andre Savelio 39. Tevita Satae
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax. 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 6. Theo Fages 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. Dominique Peyroux 20. Jack Ashworth 22. James Bentley 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello.
Referee: Liam Moore
It’s the final act of what has been a dominant regular season for Saints. Last week’s 48-6 stroll over Huddersfield Giants ensured that Justin Holbrook’s side remained unbeaten at home in Super League, the first time Saints had achieved that since 2002. They have suffered just three defeats on their travels, two of those with somewhat weakened sides at London Broncos (one of which was a draw in old money), and a third at that notoriously Difficult Place To Go - Perpignan - at the hands of the Catalans Dragons.
The mission now is to extend that form for long enough to reach and win the Grand Final on October 12 at Old Trafford. Holbrook’s men need to win just one of a possible two home playoff games to reach the Super League’s showpiece game. The visit to Hull represents a final opportunity to tune up before the cut-throat business of the playoffs gets into gear.
To do so Holbrook has made just one change to the 19-man squad he selected for duty last week. Joseph Paulo returns to action at the expense of Danny Richardson, while Mark Percival is included despite exiting the Giants game in the early minutes with a head knock and subsequently failing the concussion protocol.
Holbrook picked what most would consider to be his strongest starting 13 last week to face Simon Woolford’s side a week ago and could do so again if Percival is sufficiently recovered to take his place at left centre. Matty Costello is in the squad and is the natural alternative. James Bentley filled the role in the emergency circumstances following Percival’s injury and Dominique Peyroux and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook have experience there also but Costello should be the next cab off the rank if Percival isn’t risked.
The rest of the side looks settled should Holbrook choose to go full strength again. Lachlan Coote made a welcome return to form at fullback a week ago and he should operate behind wingers Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace with Kevin Naiqama completing the three-quarter line. Richardson’s omission looks to have left the halfback pairing of Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages unchallenged.
Matty Lees continues to recover from a perforated bowel so Saints’ formidable front three of Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Luke Thompson will be backed up by McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Kyle Amor, Jack Ashworth and Bentley who is likely to spell Roby with Aaron Smith still not included. Smith hasn’t played since picking up a two-game suspension in the win at Leeds on August 16 and faces a fight to get back into Holbrook’s plans before the Head Coach is replaced by Kristian Woolf at the end of the season. The former Tongan national coach has penned a two-year deal from the start of 2020 with the club having an option for a further year. How he views the futures of the likes of Smith and Richardson is one of the key questions to be answered once he takes over the reins. Saints’ back three isn’t something which requires too much thinking time at present, with Peyroux partnering Zeb Taia in the second row and Morgan Knowles packing down at loose forward behind them.
A month ago if you had told Hull FC coach Lee Redford that his side would need to beat Saints to have any chance of a playoff place he might have given you a distinctly sideways glance. Yet that is the reality, and even that opportunity will disappear if Castleford Tigers end Wigan’s six-game winning run on Thursday night (September 12). Hull find themselves in this grim predicament after a run which has seen them win just three of their last nine league outings. From looking nailed on to finish in the top three and securing a second chance in the playoffs the black and whites now look favourites to be the ones with their noses pressed up against the glass watching the top five sides battle it out for the trophy.
Radford has made two changes to his 19-man squad from last week’s probably season-defining 44-12 towelling at Castleford. Jordan Lane comes back in along with former Saint Andre Savelio. The latter has tried to kick-start his career with spells at Castleford, Warrington and Brisbane Broncos since it all went south for him at Saints but has not played for two months due to injury. A foot problem is the latest obstacle in Savelio’s path to the world dominance he seems to envisage for himself. Perhaps the opportunity to prove a point against his old club is just what he needs to get his career back on track. No. Me neither. Savelio and Lane replace Sika Manu and Jack Logan, both of whom may have played their last games for FC as the winds of change look set to sweep through the club for 2020.
Elsewhere in Radford’s squad the only real injury absentees are Dean Hadley and Joe Westerman. Fullback Jamie Shaul has somehow beaten Wigan’s Zak Hardaker and Salford’s Niall Evalds to a spot in Wayne Bennett’s 29-man Great Britain squad announced last week, and he is joined there by professional nuisance Jake Connor and former Wigan prop Scott Taylor. Josh Griffin, Ratu Nailago, Bureta Fairamo and Carlos Tuimavave are dangerous presences in the back line while as ever for Hull much depends on the halfback combination of Albert Kelly and Marc Sneyd. If those two click FC are a match for anyone but the recent trend has been a series of disappointing performances hence their slide to the brink of playoff elimination.
Taylor is a key up front as is hooker Danny Houghton but whether those two have the support cast to challenge Saints’ pack is questionable. Josh Bowden and Mark Miniciello will need to bring their A-games with perhaps some impact from Masi Matongo. Veterans Gareth Ellis and Mickey Paea offer great experience and no little skill should Radford choose to call upon them.
This will be the third meeting between these two in this loop-fixture-infested regular season. Saints won 40-12 in Hull on July 5 while the black and white’s Easter Monday visit to St Helens ended in a chastening 62-16 larruping. If Radford’s side are not on top form they may suffer a similar fate against a Saints side slowly regaining their early season form. A lot may depend on the Tigers’ result on Thursday evening. A win for Daryl Powell’s side eliminates Hull and probably leads to a comfortable Saints win in this one. However if, as I expect, Wigan win that game Hull might have a final opportunity to save their season. I’m not convinced that they’re good enough. Saints by 12.
Squads;
Hull FC;
1. Jamie Shaul 2. Bureta Fairamo. 3. Carlos Tuimavave 4. Josh Griffin 6. Albert Kelly 7. Marc Sneyd 8. Scott Taylor 9. Danny Houghton 10. Josh Bowden 12. Mark Minichiello 14. Jake Connor 19. Masi Matongo 20. Brad Fash 22. Jordan Lane 23. Mickey Paea 33. Ratu Naulago 34. Gareth Ellis 35. Andre Savelio 39. Tevita Satae
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax. 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 6. Theo Fages 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. Dominique Peyroux 20. Jack Ashworth 22. James Bentley 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello.
Referee: Liam Moore
Hungry Like The Woolf? - Saints Appoint New Boss
A new chapter will begin for Saints in 2020 with the appointment of Kristian Woolf as Head Coach. The club announced the deal today (September 10) which is initially for a two-year period with the option of a third in favour of the club. Woolf replaces Justin Holbrook who will join Gold Coast Titans at the end of the current campaign after two seasons in charge. Holbrook will be a hard act to follow having won the League Leaders Shield by a distance in both of his full seasons in charge at Saints. He still has the opportunity to add a Super League Grand Final title to his CV should Saints manage to win at Old Trafford on October 12.
So what do we know about the new man with the lupine moniker? Woolf is currently an interim Head Coach at Newcastle Knights having taken over from former Saints head honcho Nathan Brown who departed at the end of August. In his two games in charge of the Knights Woolf has overseen a 38-10 walloping of the Titans but also felt the pain of a 54-10 shellacking by the Penrith Panthers. An assistant to Brown at Newcastle since the start of 2019, the pair have seen their side hobble into 11th place in the 16-team NRL table, missing the playoffs. If that doesn’t sound all that promising it is Woolf’s work as Head Coach of the Tongan national team that really catches the eye.
When Woolf took over the reins at Tonga in 2014 they were ranked 14 in the world. Who even knew there were 14 teams playing international rugby league? Reports that Thatto Heath's reserves were ranked 15th at that time remain unconfirmed. During his tenure Woolf has improved the Tongans beyond all measure. They have risen as high as fourth in the world rankings, famously beating New Zealand in the 2017 World Cup before losing out in the semi-finals to Wayne Bennett’s England. Woolf has worked with some of the best players in the world including Jason Taumololo and Will Tupou. As well as his role assisting Brown at Newcastle he has also been the number two at Brisbane Broncos during his storied career and, like Holbrook, has a history of working well with younger players and junior squads.
All of which suggests that Woolf will not fail due to lack of experience. It seems clear that the Saints hierarchy have decided to stick with the model which saw Holbrook arrive in 2017. Identify a young, hungry NRL assistant and hand him the opportunity to be the main man in the slightly more forgiving environment of Super League. At 44 Woolf fits that bill. There have been calls among some of the fan base for the appointment of an English coach, with Salford Red Devils’ Ian Watson uppermost in the thinking of many. Watson has worked relative miracles in 2019 to lead the Salford side to the brink of a playoff appearance but is still largely unproven at the very top end of the Super League table. In sticking with the method which worked last time the club are playing it as safe as possible, even if there is always an element of risk in any coaching appointment. The obvious flaw in the plan is that in going back to the NRL well Saints are in danger of becoming nothing more than a stepping stone for ambitious Australians. There is no guarantee that we will not all be sat here in two or three years time lamenting the loss of another coach who has been offered an opportunity to lead one of the NRL's behemoths. If that happens there will be frustration but it will also likely mean that Woolf has been successful during his time in St.Helens.
There will be extra expectation on Woolf as the top man at Saints in comparison to most NRL jobs. The Australian league is fiercely competitive with any one of half a dozen or more clubs in contention for the top prize when each season gets under way. Here, Saints are expected to win most weeks. Anything less than a top two finish in the league and at least an appearance in one of the two major finals will be considered a bit of a let-down among the majority of the support. This is a club and a fan base, this writer included, who felt that two fourth-placed finishes under Keiron Cunningham represented something of a crisis in need of immediate action. And that was during the rein of a club legend, a local man steeped in the traditions and history of the club. Woolf will need to hit the ground running and his honeymoon period will be short.
It is not only results where Woolf will be judged. It is hard to believe that the need to uphold a certain style of play wasn’t discussed when the club’s decision makers held talks with their new man. Tonga is a team renowned for playing an exciting, open brand of rugby league and that could have been one of the keys to identifying Woolf as the new man. As well as improving the results Holbrook has made Saints much more entertaining to watch than they were during the two years of toil under Cunningham. The latter’s results, though not spectacular, were not awful either which highlights the need not only to win but to do it with a certain swagger. If you come here and play five drives and a kick or shuttle rugby from dummy half then you had better have a team as good as the one Daniel Anderson had in 2006. The harsh truth of the matter is that for all their qualities and for all that they have been so much better than anyone else over the last two seasons, this Saints side is not blessed with that sort of talent.
You can only concentrate on the here and now and play what is put in front of you. What Woolf does have is one of the strongest squads currently knocking about in Super League. Jonny Lomax is the best player in the competition in 2019 while the front three of Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Luke Thompson are the envy of any side anywhere in the world. There’s pace and guile in wingers Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace, craft and experience in Lachlan Coote at fullback, and dynamism at centre in the shape of Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama. Morgan Knowles is seen as a future international loose forward and has earned his first call-up to a Great Britain squad this week, while veteran back rowers Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux still have plenty to offer Woolf as he bids to pick up where from where Holbrook will leave off.
If any surgery to the squad is required it is perhaps in the depth in the pack. Kyle Amor and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook each have another year after which a decision probably should be made on both, particularly if Matty Lees returns to full fitness after his bowel perforation and keeps improving at the rate he has so far in his career. Jack Ashworth has stalled slightly in 2019 but will perhaps benefit from the arrival of a new man with new ideas on how to best utilise the skills he has. If not, his future may be under threat too while there are question marks about whether Matty Costello is a genuine quality centre at Super League level. The salary cap means that you can't have superstars in every position as was the case during Anderson's pomp, but at the same time Woolf may feel that there are one or two areas where the depth could be better. On a more positive note James Bentley, Joe Batchelor and Aaron Smith are exciting projects for Woolf to work with as he looks to mould his own team to follow on from Holbrook’s good work.
Yet perhaps the most fascinating decision Woolf takes will be around the scrum-half position. In the space of a year Danny Richardson has gone from Dream Team halfback to water-carrier as Theo Fages has usually been preferred to partner Lomax. Will Woolf be the man to finally help Richardson realise the potential he showed in 2018 or will he take the decision to move on from the Widnesian product and put all his eggs in the Fages basket? Is there such thing as a Fages basket? Both should see the arrival of Woolf as a clean slate, a new opportunity to stake their claim to be the man around whom the attack can be built. If there is one thing that has been underwhelming under the stewardship of Holbrook it has been the lack of a really dominant number seven through whom everything flows. Largely that void has been filled by Coote, Lomax and company but if this side could develop a genuine field general at halfback with a bit of pace to boot then they could go up another notch even from the level that they have shown over the last two years.
Saints were at pains in their statement on Woolf’s appointment to point out that they would not be making any further comment on it until the man himself arrives for his first press conference as boss in November. That is to allow Holbrook and the squad to be fully focused on the task in hand for the remainder of 2019, which is reaching and then winning the Grand Final. It is right that the matter is put to bed for now to allow that, but these should be exciting times for Saints fans albeit with just that little smidgeon of jeopardy that will always come from appointing a new man at the helm.
So what do we know about the new man with the lupine moniker? Woolf is currently an interim Head Coach at Newcastle Knights having taken over from former Saints head honcho Nathan Brown who departed at the end of August. In his two games in charge of the Knights Woolf has overseen a 38-10 walloping of the Titans but also felt the pain of a 54-10 shellacking by the Penrith Panthers. An assistant to Brown at Newcastle since the start of 2019, the pair have seen their side hobble into 11th place in the 16-team NRL table, missing the playoffs. If that doesn’t sound all that promising it is Woolf’s work as Head Coach of the Tongan national team that really catches the eye.
When Woolf took over the reins at Tonga in 2014 they were ranked 14 in the world. Who even knew there were 14 teams playing international rugby league? Reports that Thatto Heath's reserves were ranked 15th at that time remain unconfirmed. During his tenure Woolf has improved the Tongans beyond all measure. They have risen as high as fourth in the world rankings, famously beating New Zealand in the 2017 World Cup before losing out in the semi-finals to Wayne Bennett’s England. Woolf has worked with some of the best players in the world including Jason Taumololo and Will Tupou. As well as his role assisting Brown at Newcastle he has also been the number two at Brisbane Broncos during his storied career and, like Holbrook, has a history of working well with younger players and junior squads.
All of which suggests that Woolf will not fail due to lack of experience. It seems clear that the Saints hierarchy have decided to stick with the model which saw Holbrook arrive in 2017. Identify a young, hungry NRL assistant and hand him the opportunity to be the main man in the slightly more forgiving environment of Super League. At 44 Woolf fits that bill. There have been calls among some of the fan base for the appointment of an English coach, with Salford Red Devils’ Ian Watson uppermost in the thinking of many. Watson has worked relative miracles in 2019 to lead the Salford side to the brink of a playoff appearance but is still largely unproven at the very top end of the Super League table. In sticking with the method which worked last time the club are playing it as safe as possible, even if there is always an element of risk in any coaching appointment. The obvious flaw in the plan is that in going back to the NRL well Saints are in danger of becoming nothing more than a stepping stone for ambitious Australians. There is no guarantee that we will not all be sat here in two or three years time lamenting the loss of another coach who has been offered an opportunity to lead one of the NRL's behemoths. If that happens there will be frustration but it will also likely mean that Woolf has been successful during his time in St.Helens.
There will be extra expectation on Woolf as the top man at Saints in comparison to most NRL jobs. The Australian league is fiercely competitive with any one of half a dozen or more clubs in contention for the top prize when each season gets under way. Here, Saints are expected to win most weeks. Anything less than a top two finish in the league and at least an appearance in one of the two major finals will be considered a bit of a let-down among the majority of the support. This is a club and a fan base, this writer included, who felt that two fourth-placed finishes under Keiron Cunningham represented something of a crisis in need of immediate action. And that was during the rein of a club legend, a local man steeped in the traditions and history of the club. Woolf will need to hit the ground running and his honeymoon period will be short.
It is not only results where Woolf will be judged. It is hard to believe that the need to uphold a certain style of play wasn’t discussed when the club’s decision makers held talks with their new man. Tonga is a team renowned for playing an exciting, open brand of rugby league and that could have been one of the keys to identifying Woolf as the new man. As well as improving the results Holbrook has made Saints much more entertaining to watch than they were during the two years of toil under Cunningham. The latter’s results, though not spectacular, were not awful either which highlights the need not only to win but to do it with a certain swagger. If you come here and play five drives and a kick or shuttle rugby from dummy half then you had better have a team as good as the one Daniel Anderson had in 2006. The harsh truth of the matter is that for all their qualities and for all that they have been so much better than anyone else over the last two seasons, this Saints side is not blessed with that sort of talent.
You can only concentrate on the here and now and play what is put in front of you. What Woolf does have is one of the strongest squads currently knocking about in Super League. Jonny Lomax is the best player in the competition in 2019 while the front three of Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Luke Thompson are the envy of any side anywhere in the world. There’s pace and guile in wingers Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace, craft and experience in Lachlan Coote at fullback, and dynamism at centre in the shape of Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama. Morgan Knowles is seen as a future international loose forward and has earned his first call-up to a Great Britain squad this week, while veteran back rowers Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux still have plenty to offer Woolf as he bids to pick up where from where Holbrook will leave off.
If any surgery to the squad is required it is perhaps in the depth in the pack. Kyle Amor and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook each have another year after which a decision probably should be made on both, particularly if Matty Lees returns to full fitness after his bowel perforation and keeps improving at the rate he has so far in his career. Jack Ashworth has stalled slightly in 2019 but will perhaps benefit from the arrival of a new man with new ideas on how to best utilise the skills he has. If not, his future may be under threat too while there are question marks about whether Matty Costello is a genuine quality centre at Super League level. The salary cap means that you can't have superstars in every position as was the case during Anderson's pomp, but at the same time Woolf may feel that there are one or two areas where the depth could be better. On a more positive note James Bentley, Joe Batchelor and Aaron Smith are exciting projects for Woolf to work with as he looks to mould his own team to follow on from Holbrook’s good work.
Yet perhaps the most fascinating decision Woolf takes will be around the scrum-half position. In the space of a year Danny Richardson has gone from Dream Team halfback to water-carrier as Theo Fages has usually been preferred to partner Lomax. Will Woolf be the man to finally help Richardson realise the potential he showed in 2018 or will he take the decision to move on from the Widnesian product and put all his eggs in the Fages basket? Is there such thing as a Fages basket? Both should see the arrival of Woolf as a clean slate, a new opportunity to stake their claim to be the man around whom the attack can be built. If there is one thing that has been underwhelming under the stewardship of Holbrook it has been the lack of a really dominant number seven through whom everything flows. Largely that void has been filled by Coote, Lomax and company but if this side could develop a genuine field general at halfback with a bit of pace to boot then they could go up another notch even from the level that they have shown over the last two years.
Saints were at pains in their statement on Woolf’s appointment to point out that they would not be making any further comment on it until the man himself arrives for his first press conference as boss in November. That is to allow Holbrook and the squad to be fully focused on the task in hand for the remainder of 2019, which is reaching and then winning the Grand Final. It is right that the matter is put to bed for now to allow that, but these should be exciting times for Saints fans albeit with just that little smidgeon of jeopardy that will always come from appointing a new man at the helm.
Saints 48 - Huddersfield Giants 6 - The Verdict
Saints 48 Huddersfield Giants 6 - The Verdict
It was a good night’s work for Saints as they showed something like their best form at times during this 48-6 pounding of Huddersfield Giants.
The win was Saints’ 25th from 28 regular season Super League game’s assuring that they hit the 50-point mark on the league table and remained unbeaten at home throughout the campaign. It is the first time that Saints have gone unbeaten at home in the regular season since 2002. It bodes well for an appearance at Old Trafford for this year’s Grand Final as Justin Holbrook’s side only need to win one of a possible two playoff games at home to get there.
This was a useful and much-needed tune-up. Doubts had crept in around Saints’ form with the catastrophic defeat to Warrington at Wembley followed by what the coach would no doubt call a ‘scratchy’ 4-0 success over Castleford Tigers last week. This was much more like the Saints we have seen throughout the bulk of 2019 with eight tries run in by seven different scorers and only one allowed in reply. Saints have now conceded only two tries in two and a half games - that’s 200 minutes - since that fraught first half at Wembley. Defence will be key to determining which team lifts the Super League trophy on October 12 and there doesn’t look to be too much wrong with how the back-to-back League Leaders have defended their line recently.
Offensively the fun started early as Alex Walmsley put Luke Thompson over inside the first few minutes. For all the flair and razzle-dazzle on show from Saints’ backs in 2019 it was heartening to see the two props combine for a neat score. Thompson was monstrous all night for Saints, racking up 165 metres on 17 carries, scoring two tries and making only one error. The tries were a highlight but a first half clean break in which he twisted several Giants defenders inside out before having the ball knocked from his grasp got the fans out of their seats. He and Walmsley are going to be huge for Saints in the latter part of the season, even more so because of the sad news that Matty Lees will miss the rest of the season with a perforated bowel. The club statement on Lees was vague about a possible return date so we wish him all the best for a speedy recovery. Getting back out there is one thing but the priority for Lees right now is his general health after a fairly invasive surgical procedure. He can take inspiration from Walmsley who has returned to his best form after missing the majority of 2018 with a freak neck injury suffered at Warrington.
Regan Grace was next on the scoresheet, benefiting from Theo Fages’ long ball to stroll in. The Frenchman was involved again as he, James Roby and Jonny Lomax combined to put Dominique Peyroux over for Saints’ third try. The fourth was both brilliant and slightly fortuitous as Morgan Knowles executed a perfect show and go to Lomax before racing 50 metres untouched to go over under the posts. The fortunate aspect was that the Welshman - one of eight Saints called into Wayne Bennett’s Great Britain squad this week - very probably dropped the ball in the act of scoring at the west end of the ground. No TV coverage meant no video referee and so none of the debate which erupted when Robert Hicks failed to use the technology for a Knowles effort at Wembley. Marcus Griffiths had to make a decision there and then, but to be fair to him his in-goal judges were about as much use as an English top order batsman.
The one bleak spot for Saints during that first half was the early loss of Mark Percival. The centre is another who has been selected for Great Britain this week but he didn’t last long in this one, running into the immovable object that is Jermaine McGillvary. Percival went for an HIA from which he did not return and now must be doubtful for the trip to Hull FC which rounds off Saints’ regular season campaign next weekend. Percival had looked threatening in the few minutes he spent on the field but had to be replaced by James Bentley, a man whose versatility is currently earning him game time even if I have a slight fear that it will work against him from time to time. He has played in the centre for Leigh Centurions in the Championship while on dual registration but lacks the pace and the hands to mix it with Super League’s best in that position. Nevertheless he again let nobody down, carrying the ball 11 times for 72 metres and getting through 24 tackles in defence.
Saints started the second half sloppily and should be concerned about an error count of 18 which matched the total which did so much damage to their hopes of winning at Wembley. On this occasion it was Coote who spilled possession and from the next set the Giants got their only score of the night when Michael Lawrence barged his way over from close range. It was a rare lapse for Saints’ goal-line defence on a night when they cut their missed tackle count from a whopping 51 in the win over Castleford last week to just 21 this week. It is a curious anomaly that they managed to shut the Tigers out in that game while conceding a try this week. Still, Holbrook will be pleased with how his team is defending as we get to the business end of the season.
It took 15 minutes after the break for Saints to kick their attack back into gear. Errors on three consecutive sets by Walmsley, Taia and Kyle Amor held them back before the Cumbrian forward took Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s pass to plunge over to give Saints a 30-6 lead. It was McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s second assist having put Knowles away for his try earlier and capped a quality performance from the Londoner. He doesn’t get many plaudits in this column but you have to tip your hat to a performance which included 108 metres on 10 carries, a couple of offloads to go with those two assists as well as 22 tackles on defence. Only some desperate gang-tackling from the Giants stopped McCarthy-Scarsbrook from adding a try of his own just two minutes after Amor’s effort. The former Bronco embarked on a seemingly never-ending, winding run to the line only to be hauled down inches short of the line.
Seven minutes later Thompson completed his double thanks to Fages pass, one of two assists on the night for the former Salford and Catalans man who was his usual industrious self on defence with 15 tackles and only one miss. That seems to be the difference between he and Danny Richardson right now in the battle to hold down that starting role at seven alongside the incomparable Lomax. The latter has just been crowned the winner of the Rugby Leaguer and League Express Albert Goldthorpe medal, a kind of Man Of Steel of the rugby league press. After the Express’ decision to snub Saints' League Leaders Shield celebrations in the aftermath of Eamonn McManus’ ill-timed complaints about refereeing standards perhaps this is not something to get too excited about, but there can be no doubt that Lomax is a deserving winner of any individual accolade that comes his way in 2019. It was Lomax who added Saints next try, their seventh, when he scooped up Roby’s unusually wayward pass from dummy half which had been mishandles by Fages. In the moment of confusion Lomax cruised through the Giants defence to notch his 16th try of a season that has also yielded 21 assists, more than any other Super League player bar Jackson Hastings.
Saints’ final try was a refereeing disaster to rival that which allowed Knowles’ effort in the first half. McManus is no doubt furiously scribbling his angry disapproval as I write. Fages was involved again sending Kevin Naiqama tearing away down the south stand touchline only for the cover to reel him in. As he fell to the ground he threw a speculator inside to Tommy Makinson that was so far forward it is unlucky not to have made the cut for the highlights on the various NFL shows that get under way this week with the start of the new season. Makinson was not standing around waiting for the outcome of a committee meeting, plonking it down superbly for his 20th try of the season. It is a measure of how balanced Saints attack has now become with the additions of Coote and Naiqama that Makinson is Saints' top try scorer in 2019. Over on the opposite wing Grace is only one behind on 19.
Amid all the talk from a certain other club about their lot sneaking up on the rails and nicking the title as they did a year ago this was a much needed performance from Saints. A well-timed reminder to those of a cherry and white or primrose and blue persuasion that we are not going away. The only reasons to believe that a repeat of last year could happen are psychological. The defence is as solid as it has been at any time during their imperious march to the League Leaders Shield and on this evidence the attack is not too far away either. The error count will still be a worry for Holbrook but he will also know that if his side play anything like between now and the middle of October then he will finally break the cycle of coming up short in the big knockout games.
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It was a good night’s work for Saints as they showed something like their best form at times during this 48-6 pounding of Huddersfield Giants.
The win was Saints’ 25th from 28 regular season Super League game’s assuring that they hit the 50-point mark on the league table and remained unbeaten at home throughout the campaign. It is the first time that Saints have gone unbeaten at home in the regular season since 2002. It bodes well for an appearance at Old Trafford for this year’s Grand Final as Justin Holbrook’s side only need to win one of a possible two playoff games at home to get there.
This was a useful and much-needed tune-up. Doubts had crept in around Saints’ form with the catastrophic defeat to Warrington at Wembley followed by what the coach would no doubt call a ‘scratchy’ 4-0 success over Castleford Tigers last week. This was much more like the Saints we have seen throughout the bulk of 2019 with eight tries run in by seven different scorers and only one allowed in reply. Saints have now conceded only two tries in two and a half games - that’s 200 minutes - since that fraught first half at Wembley. Defence will be key to determining which team lifts the Super League trophy on October 12 and there doesn’t look to be too much wrong with how the back-to-back League Leaders have defended their line recently.
Offensively the fun started early as Alex Walmsley put Luke Thompson over inside the first few minutes. For all the flair and razzle-dazzle on show from Saints’ backs in 2019 it was heartening to see the two props combine for a neat score. Thompson was monstrous all night for Saints, racking up 165 metres on 17 carries, scoring two tries and making only one error. The tries were a highlight but a first half clean break in which he twisted several Giants defenders inside out before having the ball knocked from his grasp got the fans out of their seats. He and Walmsley are going to be huge for Saints in the latter part of the season, even more so because of the sad news that Matty Lees will miss the rest of the season with a perforated bowel. The club statement on Lees was vague about a possible return date so we wish him all the best for a speedy recovery. Getting back out there is one thing but the priority for Lees right now is his general health after a fairly invasive surgical procedure. He can take inspiration from Walmsley who has returned to his best form after missing the majority of 2018 with a freak neck injury suffered at Warrington.
Regan Grace was next on the scoresheet, benefiting from Theo Fages’ long ball to stroll in. The Frenchman was involved again as he, James Roby and Jonny Lomax combined to put Dominique Peyroux over for Saints’ third try. The fourth was both brilliant and slightly fortuitous as Morgan Knowles executed a perfect show and go to Lomax before racing 50 metres untouched to go over under the posts. The fortunate aspect was that the Welshman - one of eight Saints called into Wayne Bennett’s Great Britain squad this week - very probably dropped the ball in the act of scoring at the west end of the ground. No TV coverage meant no video referee and so none of the debate which erupted when Robert Hicks failed to use the technology for a Knowles effort at Wembley. Marcus Griffiths had to make a decision there and then, but to be fair to him his in-goal judges were about as much use as an English top order batsman.
The one bleak spot for Saints during that first half was the early loss of Mark Percival. The centre is another who has been selected for Great Britain this week but he didn’t last long in this one, running into the immovable object that is Jermaine McGillvary. Percival went for an HIA from which he did not return and now must be doubtful for the trip to Hull FC which rounds off Saints’ regular season campaign next weekend. Percival had looked threatening in the few minutes he spent on the field but had to be replaced by James Bentley, a man whose versatility is currently earning him game time even if I have a slight fear that it will work against him from time to time. He has played in the centre for Leigh Centurions in the Championship while on dual registration but lacks the pace and the hands to mix it with Super League’s best in that position. Nevertheless he again let nobody down, carrying the ball 11 times for 72 metres and getting through 24 tackles in defence.
Saints started the second half sloppily and should be concerned about an error count of 18 which matched the total which did so much damage to their hopes of winning at Wembley. On this occasion it was Coote who spilled possession and from the next set the Giants got their only score of the night when Michael Lawrence barged his way over from close range. It was a rare lapse for Saints’ goal-line defence on a night when they cut their missed tackle count from a whopping 51 in the win over Castleford last week to just 21 this week. It is a curious anomaly that they managed to shut the Tigers out in that game while conceding a try this week. Still, Holbrook will be pleased with how his team is defending as we get to the business end of the season.
It took 15 minutes after the break for Saints to kick their attack back into gear. Errors on three consecutive sets by Walmsley, Taia and Kyle Amor held them back before the Cumbrian forward took Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s pass to plunge over to give Saints a 30-6 lead. It was McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s second assist having put Knowles away for his try earlier and capped a quality performance from the Londoner. He doesn’t get many plaudits in this column but you have to tip your hat to a performance which included 108 metres on 10 carries, a couple of offloads to go with those two assists as well as 22 tackles on defence. Only some desperate gang-tackling from the Giants stopped McCarthy-Scarsbrook from adding a try of his own just two minutes after Amor’s effort. The former Bronco embarked on a seemingly never-ending, winding run to the line only to be hauled down inches short of the line.
Seven minutes later Thompson completed his double thanks to Fages pass, one of two assists on the night for the former Salford and Catalans man who was his usual industrious self on defence with 15 tackles and only one miss. That seems to be the difference between he and Danny Richardson right now in the battle to hold down that starting role at seven alongside the incomparable Lomax. The latter has just been crowned the winner of the Rugby Leaguer and League Express Albert Goldthorpe medal, a kind of Man Of Steel of the rugby league press. After the Express’ decision to snub Saints' League Leaders Shield celebrations in the aftermath of Eamonn McManus’ ill-timed complaints about refereeing standards perhaps this is not something to get too excited about, but there can be no doubt that Lomax is a deserving winner of any individual accolade that comes his way in 2019. It was Lomax who added Saints next try, their seventh, when he scooped up Roby’s unusually wayward pass from dummy half which had been mishandles by Fages. In the moment of confusion Lomax cruised through the Giants defence to notch his 16th try of a season that has also yielded 21 assists, more than any other Super League player bar Jackson Hastings.
Saints’ final try was a refereeing disaster to rival that which allowed Knowles’ effort in the first half. McManus is no doubt furiously scribbling his angry disapproval as I write. Fages was involved again sending Kevin Naiqama tearing away down the south stand touchline only for the cover to reel him in. As he fell to the ground he threw a speculator inside to Tommy Makinson that was so far forward it is unlucky not to have made the cut for the highlights on the various NFL shows that get under way this week with the start of the new season. Makinson was not standing around waiting for the outcome of a committee meeting, plonking it down superbly for his 20th try of the season. It is a measure of how balanced Saints attack has now become with the additions of Coote and Naiqama that Makinson is Saints' top try scorer in 2019. Over on the opposite wing Grace is only one behind on 19.
Amid all the talk from a certain other club about their lot sneaking up on the rails and nicking the title as they did a year ago this was a much needed performance from Saints. A well-timed reminder to those of a cherry and white or primrose and blue persuasion that we are not going away. The only reasons to believe that a repeat of last year could happen are psychological. The defence is as solid as it has been at any time during their imperious march to the League Leaders Shield and on this evidence the attack is not too far away either. The error count will still be a worry for Holbrook but he will also know that if his side play anything like between now and the middle of October then he will finally break the cycle of coming up short in the big knockout games.
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Saints v Huddersfield Giants - Preview
It will be nice to get back to something like normality when Saints host Huddersfield Giants on Friday night (September 6, kick-off 7.45pm).
It has been a wretched couple of weeks for Saints. First there was the shattering defeat to Warrington at Wembley in the Challenge Cup Final, swiftly followed by the furore surrounding Eamonn McManus’ programme notes ahead of last week’s 4-0 home win over Castleford Tigers. McManus was critical of the decision to appoint Robert Hicks as the cup final referee despite having not raised any concerns about it prior to the game. It all smelled a bit sour. If there was any good will towards Saints from fans of other clubs for the style of rugby that has seen Saints top the Super League table two years in a row it has all been evaporated at a stroke. A siege mentality now prevails with most non-Saints fans now desperate to see us fall so that they can unveil their repertoire of hugely amusing bottle and choke gags.
On top of all that, and something that has not received the attention that it perhaps should have until now, Saints confirmed today (September 5) that Matty Lees will miss the rest of the season due to the perforated bowel he suffered during the win at Leeds on August 16. Saints’ Open Sewer account was worryingly vague about a timeline for Lees’ return to action. His health is the main thing right now. All we can do is wish him a speedy recovery and hope that we see him wearing the red vee, or whatever God-awful variation of the design we see next, as soon as possible.
Against the backdrop of all this drama coach Justin Holbrook has to try to remain focused on making his final weeks at the club a success. He will be joining Gold Coast Titans at the end of the season and so these next few weeks represent his final opportunity to snare one of the so-called ‘big’ trophies. Many feel that he needs to do that to secure any kind of legacy despite the back-to-back League Leaders Shields. In many ways the last two regular season games are a lap of honour for the second of those successes, but the pressure is about to get ramped up once the playoffs begin.
Holbrook has made two changes to his 19-man squad this week. Lachlan Coote and Dominique Peyroux missed out last week but both return to the fold for the visit of Simon Woolford’s men. Jack Welsby and Joseph Paulo are the unfortunate souls to miss out, although the make-up of the 17 could be markedly different from that which took on the Tigers a week ago. Kevin Naiqama did not feature while Theo Fages also made way to give Danny Richardson another opportunity at scrum half. Matty Costello retains his place in the 19 but will do well to see off the challenge of Naiqama for a starting berth this week while Richardson again failed to convince that he should be the man to partner Jonny Lomax in the halves when the serious business begins again. Coote had a head injury which kept him out of action following his uncharacteristically bad performance at Wembley but is surely an absolute must at fullback if he is to rediscover his form in time for the playoffs. Coote and Tommy Makinson are among the eight Saints named in Wayne Bennett’s 29-man Great Britain squad ahead of the autumn test matches and the latter will likely line-up in his usual right-wing berth opposite the less fortunate Regan Grace. The Welshman has been sensational for Saints this season but Bennett has nevertheless seen fit to select Ash Handley of Leeds Rhinos instead. Mark Percival will again be responsible for supplying the ammunition to Grace.
Without Lees Saints will probably go in with all of Kyle Amor, Jack Ashworth andDuke Caboom Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook in the 17. James Bentley looks like the only viable back-up to hooker James Roby since Aaron Smith has not earned a recall despite being available again after suspension. Roby is another of Saints' Great Britain contingent along with his front-row colleagues Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson. Ashworth partnered Zeb Taia in the second row against Castleford but he will likely revert to the bench to make way for Peyroux with Morgan Knowles at loose forward.
Holbrook might not be the only coach involved in this game who isn’t around in 2020. Giants boss Simon Woolford has spoken this week about the pressure he is under to avoid relegation, accepting that failure to do so would likely mean the end of not only his tenure but could lead to job losses right through the club. His side earned a surprising but absolutely massive win last week when they saw off schizophrenic Hull FC, and now find themselves two points better off than bottom club London Broncos. Yet with the Broncos having very winnable fixtures against Hull KR and Wakefield in the regular season run-in the Giants need to scrap for every point they can get if they are to avoid slipping into the Championship.
Woolford’s squad has been under-performing all year and does not look, on paper at least, capable of getting on top of a Saints side that is still formidable despite their recent troubles. They have young stars like Darnell McIntosh, the Senior brothers and Matty English all capable of great things but with their youth comes inconsistency. A week before beating Hull FC they were pounded 24-0 at home by a Castleford side which could not find a way to score a single point against this Saints defence.
English is currently out injured while of the Senior brothers only Louis makes the 19 which has two changes from the one which got that vital win over Hull FC. Matt Frawley is out injured along with Aaron Murphy, so Tom Holmes and Adam Walne return to the fold. Experienced England star Jermaine McGillvary will be a key for the Huddersfield side as will former Saints Lee Gaskell and Paul Clough, back rowers Alex Mellor and Michael Lawrence and hooker Kruise Leeming. Their experience is vital if they are to help coax a performance out of the developing stars. You feel that the Giants are not far away from becoming as competitive in Super League as Wakefield and Salford have been in recent seasons but they need to avoid that drop to the second tier in the here and now in order to see that potential realised. As much as Woolford sees his future elsewhere if the Giants go down, several of those young assets may also be sacrificed if the Giants end up having to cut their cloth.
What may yet save the Giants is the inability of those below them, namely Hull KR and London as we go into Round 28, to earn the points they need. That still seems the most likely route to survival for the Giants who for all their youthful exuberance and ability to spring a surprise on any given day do not appear to be good enough to go to St Helens and beat a champion side still striving to silence the remaining doubters. For that reason I expect Saints to be a little more dominant than they were against the Tigers and to come out of this one with a win margin somewhere in the region of 20 points.
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, 13. LMS, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 20. Jack Ashworth, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote, 24. Matty Costello.
Huddersfield Giants;
1. Darnell McIntosh 2. Jermaine McGillvary 6. Lee Gaskell 8. Paul Clough 9. Kruise Leeming 10. Suaia Matagi 12. Alex Mellor 13. Michael Lawrence 14. Adam O'Brien 17. Ukuma Ta'ai 20. Jake Wardle 24. 26. Sebastine Ikahihifo 27. Adam Walne 29. Sam Hewitt 30. Jon Luke Kirby 31. Louis Senior 36. Oliver Wilson 38. Chester Butler
Referee: Marcus Griffiths
It has been a wretched couple of weeks for Saints. First there was the shattering defeat to Warrington at Wembley in the Challenge Cup Final, swiftly followed by the furore surrounding Eamonn McManus’ programme notes ahead of last week’s 4-0 home win over Castleford Tigers. McManus was critical of the decision to appoint Robert Hicks as the cup final referee despite having not raised any concerns about it prior to the game. It all smelled a bit sour. If there was any good will towards Saints from fans of other clubs for the style of rugby that has seen Saints top the Super League table two years in a row it has all been evaporated at a stroke. A siege mentality now prevails with most non-Saints fans now desperate to see us fall so that they can unveil their repertoire of hugely amusing bottle and choke gags.
On top of all that, and something that has not received the attention that it perhaps should have until now, Saints confirmed today (September 5) that Matty Lees will miss the rest of the season due to the perforated bowel he suffered during the win at Leeds on August 16. Saints’ Open Sewer account was worryingly vague about a timeline for Lees’ return to action. His health is the main thing right now. All we can do is wish him a speedy recovery and hope that we see him wearing the red vee, or whatever God-awful variation of the design we see next, as soon as possible.
Against the backdrop of all this drama coach Justin Holbrook has to try to remain focused on making his final weeks at the club a success. He will be joining Gold Coast Titans at the end of the season and so these next few weeks represent his final opportunity to snare one of the so-called ‘big’ trophies. Many feel that he needs to do that to secure any kind of legacy despite the back-to-back League Leaders Shields. In many ways the last two regular season games are a lap of honour for the second of those successes, but the pressure is about to get ramped up once the playoffs begin.
Holbrook has made two changes to his 19-man squad this week. Lachlan Coote and Dominique Peyroux missed out last week but both return to the fold for the visit of Simon Woolford’s men. Jack Welsby and Joseph Paulo are the unfortunate souls to miss out, although the make-up of the 17 could be markedly different from that which took on the Tigers a week ago. Kevin Naiqama did not feature while Theo Fages also made way to give Danny Richardson another opportunity at scrum half. Matty Costello retains his place in the 19 but will do well to see off the challenge of Naiqama for a starting berth this week while Richardson again failed to convince that he should be the man to partner Jonny Lomax in the halves when the serious business begins again. Coote had a head injury which kept him out of action following his uncharacteristically bad performance at Wembley but is surely an absolute must at fullback if he is to rediscover his form in time for the playoffs. Coote and Tommy Makinson are among the eight Saints named in Wayne Bennett’s 29-man Great Britain squad ahead of the autumn test matches and the latter will likely line-up in his usual right-wing berth opposite the less fortunate Regan Grace. The Welshman has been sensational for Saints this season but Bennett has nevertheless seen fit to select Ash Handley of Leeds Rhinos instead. Mark Percival will again be responsible for supplying the ammunition to Grace.
Without Lees Saints will probably go in with all of Kyle Amor, Jack Ashworth and
Holbrook might not be the only coach involved in this game who isn’t around in 2020. Giants boss Simon Woolford has spoken this week about the pressure he is under to avoid relegation, accepting that failure to do so would likely mean the end of not only his tenure but could lead to job losses right through the club. His side earned a surprising but absolutely massive win last week when they saw off schizophrenic Hull FC, and now find themselves two points better off than bottom club London Broncos. Yet with the Broncos having very winnable fixtures against Hull KR and Wakefield in the regular season run-in the Giants need to scrap for every point they can get if they are to avoid slipping into the Championship.
Woolford’s squad has been under-performing all year and does not look, on paper at least, capable of getting on top of a Saints side that is still formidable despite their recent troubles. They have young stars like Darnell McIntosh, the Senior brothers and Matty English all capable of great things but with their youth comes inconsistency. A week before beating Hull FC they were pounded 24-0 at home by a Castleford side which could not find a way to score a single point against this Saints defence.
English is currently out injured while of the Senior brothers only Louis makes the 19 which has two changes from the one which got that vital win over Hull FC. Matt Frawley is out injured along with Aaron Murphy, so Tom Holmes and Adam Walne return to the fold. Experienced England star Jermaine McGillvary will be a key for the Huddersfield side as will former Saints Lee Gaskell and Paul Clough, back rowers Alex Mellor and Michael Lawrence and hooker Kruise Leeming. Their experience is vital if they are to help coax a performance out of the developing stars. You feel that the Giants are not far away from becoming as competitive in Super League as Wakefield and Salford have been in recent seasons but they need to avoid that drop to the second tier in the here and now in order to see that potential realised. As much as Woolford sees his future elsewhere if the Giants go down, several of those young assets may also be sacrificed if the Giants end up having to cut their cloth.
What may yet save the Giants is the inability of those below them, namely Hull KR and London as we go into Round 28, to earn the points they need. That still seems the most likely route to survival for the Giants who for all their youthful exuberance and ability to spring a surprise on any given day do not appear to be good enough to go to St Helens and beat a champion side still striving to silence the remaining doubters. For that reason I expect Saints to be a little more dominant than they were against the Tigers and to come out of this one with a win margin somewhere in the region of 20 points.
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, 13. LMS, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 20. Jack Ashworth, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote, 24. Matty Costello.
Huddersfield Giants;
1. Darnell McIntosh 2. Jermaine McGillvary 6. Lee Gaskell 8. Paul Clough 9. Kruise Leeming 10. Suaia Matagi 12. Alex Mellor 13. Michael Lawrence 14. Adam O'Brien 17. Ukuma Ta'ai 20. Jake Wardle 24. 26. Sebastine Ikahihifo 27. Adam Walne 29. Sam Hewitt 30. Jon Luke Kirby 31. Louis Senior 36. Oliver Wilson 38. Chester Butler
Referee: Marcus Griffiths
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