Saints v Wigan - Preview

It’s not often that both Saints and Wigan come into a derby on the back of a defeat but that is exactly where we find ourselves as the two prepare to clash at the DW Stadium on Friday night (August 20, kick-off 7.45pm). 

Losing isn’t a particularly unfamiliar experience for Wigan in 2021. Last week’s 26-14 loss at Hull KR was their seventh in 19 outings this term. At one point during this Covid-ravaged campaign Adrian Lam’s side reeled off an impressive five defeats on the bounce. It was the kind of run that would have led to the rolling of heads in their pomp of my youth, but which now raises little more than a shrug and still doesn’t deter journalists from predicting another title is on its way over the lump. At least Lam has the decency to be be miserable about things, speaking again this week about last season’s Grand Final which Saints won through Jack Welsby’s improbable try at the death. Lam says the memory of it will never go away, which is good to know.

Meanwhile Saints suffered only their third defeat of the season when they went down 20-10 to Castleford Tigers last time out. The hubris in the preview on these pages feels like it is at least partly responsible so I will endeavour to do better here. Defeat to Daryl Powell’s underwhelming Tigers outfit was not something I’d seriously considered. That’s because until that point Kristian Woolf’s side had been flattening everything in its path with its relentless mix of tedious grinding and strangling defence. Something went awry with the formula against the Tigers, though even then Saints could have escaped with a win had Lachlan Coote’s late pass to Kevin Naiqama found its target rather than the grateful arms of Greg Eden. Overall, it was not the sort of defeat that makes you rethink everything you’ve seen so far this term. For now we can put it down as a mere blip.

In his attempt to ensure that is stays in The Blip Files  Woolf has made a couple of changes to his 21-man squad. Tommy Makinson was red carded against Castleford and though his ban has been reduced to two matches from three on appeal he will be unavailable until Saints face Warrington on August 30. Balancing that loss somewhat is the news that Morgan Knowles is included after he missed the Tigers loss, and that Regan Grace should be fit again after a slight shoulder problem forced him out last week. That could mean Jack Welsby switching wings to cover Makinson while Knowles’ return should help shore up a defence that has been virtually impregnable all year but showed slight signs of vulnerability against Cas. 

Jake Wingfield also returns from injury - replacing Ben Davies - but will do well to feature in what is now a fairly crowded back row area. James Bentley made his first team return last week albeit in a slightly frazzled, brain-mushed manner, while Joe Batchelor, Sione Mata’utia and Joel Thompson can all make a case for a start along with Knowles. 

The big news off the field this week is that James Roby has agreed a new one-year deal. He and Alex Walmsley are the mainstays of a front row which is no longer particularly scary elsewhere. Matty Lees, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Agnatius Paasi and Kyle Amor will share playing time but none of them appear currently capable of preventing Saints level from dropping when Walmsley leaves the field. The same could be said of Aaron Smith when Roby takes his rests, despite the fact that the legendary hooker is no longer the force of old. Roby is an all-time great, but there is a reason why Woolf has been making eyes at Joey Lussick in the last couple of weeks. Lussick must have impressed Woolf to attract such interest without having to be Tongan, and if Smith is not to the coach’s liking then the need is clear.

Grace for Makinson will hopefully be the only change in the backs where Coote pulls the strings along with Jonny Lomax and the exciting if slightly underused Lewis Dodd. Naiqama and Mark Percival will join Grace and Welsby in aspiring to one day get a pass outside their own 20m zone and after tackle three. You’ve got to dream big. 

The most recent absentee for Wigan is Sam Powell. The hooker sustained a head knock in the early stages of the defeat to Rovers and subsequently failed his HIA. He joins Bevan French and Thomas Leuluai on the sidelines but John Bateman is expected to feature. Zak Hardaker and Jai Field returned from injury recently and Oliver Partington is also restored to Lam’s selection after missing out at Rovers. What I’m saying is that you should not let anybody con you with any Wigan injury crisis narrative if Lam’s side ends up having it’s backside handed to it. If - not when - you’ll note. Easy on the hubris this week. 

In the likes of Hardaker, Bateman, Oliver Gildart, Jackson Hastings and Liam Farrell Wigan have plenty of threat if the Saints defence is not at its best. They’ll also still be their usual unlovable, overly physical selves as long as the likes of Willie Isa and Morgan Smithies are around. This game is probably going to be a fairly ugly one. Let’s be honest, the first 79 minutes of last season’s Grand Final remain an unwatchable five-drive-a-thon masquerading as a titanic defensive struggle. Even Lam only remembers one moment of it. Expect more of the same I’m afraid. It is simply the chosen method of both coaches. Woolf just happens to be slightly better at it and with indisputably better tools at his disposal. 

For that reason it is no surprise to note that I’m tipping Saints, though with a healthy dollop of caution following last week’s unwelcome surprise. Saints by 18.

Squads;

 

Wigan Warriors;

3. Zak Hardaker 4. Oliver Gildart 5. Liam Marshall 6. Jai Field 10. Joe Bullock 11. Willie Isa 12. Liam Farrell 13. John Bateman 14. Oliver Partington 15. Morgan Smithies 17. Tony Clubb 19. Liam Byrne 20. Harry Smith 21. Ethan Havard 22. Jake Bibby 23. Mitch Clark 25. Joe Shorrocks 27. Kai Pearce-Paul 28. Sam Halsall 31. Jackson Hastings 33. Amir Bourouh

St Helens;

1. Lachlan Coote, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5, Regan Grace, 6, Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Joel Thompson, 12, James Bentley, 13, Morgan Knowles, 14. Sione Mata’utia, 15. LMS, 16. Kyle Amor, 17, Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jack Welsby, 19, Aaron Smith, 20, Joe Batchelor, 21. Lewis Dodd, 22, Josh Simm, 23, Jake Wingfield.

Referee: Chris Kendall

Saints 10 Castleford Tigers 20 - Review

Well, I got that one wrong, didn’t I? In the preview of Saints v Castleford on these pages it is just possible that I was guilty of a scintilla of hubris. I was as certain as you can be that Kristian Woolf’s Saints outfit would have no trouble seeing off the Tigers at home. The logic was sound. After all, Saints had lost just twice all season coming into this one while Castleford have only really turned up in cup games. Their league form is such that even after a first win in St Helens for almost 30 years they still have plenty to do to secure a playoff place. 

Of course the great thing about sport is that it cares little for my logic or anyone else’s. Every now and again it can make you look a bit silly. And a good thing too. It is this capacity to surprise which makes sport worth watching. If we knew the outcome every time there would be no need for anyone to get muddy playing the actual games. 

If we are looking for reasons for this logic-defying shock result then Saints discipline has to be pretty high up the list. Or should I say lack of discipline. Woolf’s side were playing with 11 men at one point during the second half - albeit against 12 at that stage - after James Bentley was sent to the sin-bin along with Castleford’s Peter Mata’utia and Tommy Makinson was red carded for a high shoulder on Niall Evalds. Yet in addition to that Saints conceded 12 penalties and afforded the Tigers set restarts on six more occasions. 

Some of these calls led to the usual myopic howls of derision from fans especially on social media. The six again rule is one which for me has not worked but that is principally because the offending team often doesn’t suffer any real consequences. This has led to most top sides - including Saints - quite happily conceding set restarts in the knowledge that making one or two extra tackles in defence is better than allowing a play-the-ball when your defence is not set. 

Where it gets cloudy is that ruck interference is incredibly difficult to judge even for an experienced official. Almost every quick play-the-ball could result in a penalty against the attack while every slow play-the-ball could conceivably be ruled a set restart. In reality if referees were strict on these at all times and fans got the consistency that they think they want there would be no game. Not for a while anyway until players learned to play the ball correctly and to roll away immediately after making a tackle. Coaches ensure that neither of these things will ever happen. For now those accusing referee Ben Thaler of bias might like to reflect that Saints were awarded seven set restarts of their own and that Castleford - who won this game despite their own shambolic discipline - conceded 10 penalties. 

There wasn’t much doubt about any of the cards issued though I was expecting Makinson’s challenge to look a lot worse. That’s because I’d seen the comments on social media before having an opportunity to watch the game. When the majority of Saints fans are accepting that it is a red card it usually means there is something in it. In these circumstances you start to worry that the only people defending it must be the types who think rugby league players should be allowed to carry shotguns on to the field with them. 

It was red, no doubt. Makinson made no attempt to wrap his arms to effect a tackle and his shoulder made contact with Evalds’ head. Under the current rules - which are there to protect players from head injury and maybe even long term degenerative brain conditions and not to spoil your enjoyment of violence - that is a straight red card. What surprised me is that there wasn’t as much force behind it as I had expected. Play went on afterwards for several seconds while nobody in the Sky commentary box seemed to have noticed there had been a high shot. The whole thing felt a bit like an afterthought but it was unquestionably the right decision.

Before that Bentley - playing his first game since breaking his leg in April and subsequently signing for Leeds for 2022 - was invited to sit down for his part in the final instalment of a long-running battle with Peter Mata’utia. That had started when Mata’utia rushed in to express his opinion on a late hit by Bentley on Gareth O’Brien as he sent a kick downfield. It escalated when Bentley was guilty of a lazy, high slap on the head of a Cas player before offering a second sly dig as the pair tumbled to the ground. Mata’utia again took exception and piled in so the pair of them were sent to cool down. No real complaints. 

Bentley didn’t have one of his better nights all round and has been the subject of a lot of criticism.  This is in stark contrast to the near hero-worship he has received over the last couple of years. Crucially before he made the decision to join Leeds for next year. Certainly his stat line for this one doesn’t blow you away. Nine carries for just 36 metres at only four metres per carry. Even in Woolf’s defence focused system that is not enough attacking output. Defensively Bentley worked hard enough, making 30 tackles, but if you’re not going to contribute much offensively then you better not concede three penalties and get yourself needlessly yellow carded. Still, it hasn’t changed my opinion of the former Bradford man. He was an honest grafter with some potential before and he’s an honest grafter with some potential now. For what it’s worth I do not believe he has downed tools and I still think he will have better days in the red vee before he makes the switch to Headingley.

When social media wasn’t howling at Thaler it was busy accusing the Tigers players of gamesmanship and - whisper it - cheating. As Saints tried to fight their way back into the game late on they had some good spells of possession near the Castleford line. At times these were broken up by apparent injuries to Tigers players. O’Brien was down for a while during one lengthy delay while one or two other Cas bodies were slow to get up at times. Only the players involved will really know how severe their injuries were at the time and whether they took longer than was necessary to regain their feet. However it is a big call to accuse someone like O’Brien of cheating. 

If O’Brien or anyone else is guilty of gamesmanship then it is not a huge surprise. We have seen how the exaggeration of contact and subsequent injury has influenced other sports. It does so because professionalism has brought with it a win at all costs mentality. In many ways you can’t have the increased skill, quality and athleticism that comes with professionalism without having to endure some of its dark arts. 

It has been suggested that Saints would never stoop to these levels. That may be true but it is worth noting that such has been their dominance in recent years we have rarely seen them faced with a sustained period of pressure on their own line. To suggest a team coached by win-at-all-costs Woolf would not do it if the need arose strikes me as a touch naive. Either way, complaining about it is futile. It’s like when Arsene Wenger used to complain about opponents refusing to take Arsenal on with fluent, fast passing football. If they had done so they would have been clubbed out of sight. 

Teams - including Saints - use whatever strategies are most likely to bring success and it is up to officials to decide whether any gamesmanship is at play. But as we have seen it is very difficult for them to judge. Who other than O’Brien really knows what the story was? There may be ways around it. Woolf has suggested that injured players should have to leave the field to be treated or else be made to stay off the field for a spell if they are injured but then recover enough to be able to go off unaided. In the first instance it is not always possible to help a player off the field while the game continues depending on the seriousness of the injury. In the second, if a player was forced to sit out for a spell a coach may accept that if he felt there was genuine benefit in delaying the restart. That is provided he is able to send on a replacement. If he is not then you risk punishing teams who suffer genuine injuries while defending goal-line situations. Just because you can walk off doesn’t necessarily mean you can play on. There are no easy answers. 

And yet as much as we look to our own indiscipline, the referee or the opposition’s tactics the game was still there for Saints if they’d had a bit more spark about them. This was a perfect illustration of what happens when a conservative style of play doesn’t get you the result. It looks awful, and you’re left feeling like your team has had the stinker to end all stinkers. Yet tactically this was a performance that differed little from any of the others under Woolf. It’s fair to say that much of the good work done by our outside backs was done in our own territory. Saints had only four clean breaks all night.  But these characteristics are not unusual for Saints under Woolf. 

The difference here is that Saints failed to execute when they did have the ball in good areas and that there were one or two uncharacteristic defensive lapses. Most notably, Lachlan Coote makes that tackle on Oliver Holmes before his key try 999 times out of 1,000. Saints handling error count was a below average 10 and in any case was more than matched by the Tigers 15. Daryl Powell’s side had six inside the first 20 minutes and were completing at 50% at that juncture. They offered up more than enough opportunities for Saints to win this one. Even at the death Saints could and probably should have snatched it as Coote’s pass was intercepted by Greg Eden who went the full length on the game’s last play. Had Coote timed it better and found Kevin Naiqama on his outside - or even dummied and tried to get there himself - then Saints would have escaped with the win despite all of the chaos.

As they did not it leaves our League Leaders Shield hopes hanging by a thread. Catalans Dragons held off Hull FC 31-16 on Friday (August 13) and now have 16 wins from 18 to Saints 12 wins from 15. Having got themselves into a position of strength by beating the Dragons last week Saints now face a difficult task to overhaul Steve McNamara’s side. Yet those who remember the kids losing at Salford at a similar stage of last season will know that Woolf isn’t overly concerned with topping the table. His eyes are fixed firmly on a second consecutive Grand Final success. I don’t think this defeat damages those prospects particularly. It may even serve as a useful reminder to Woolf and his troops that they are not as invincible as preview writers like this one once thought. 

The methods won’t change. This was not confirmation that conservatism won’t work. It was confirmation that - like any system - if you implement it badly it will fail. As much as I might dislike watching it Woolf’s approach has worked in the past and will no doubt work again. Woolf will not change course. He will just need to address the discipline of his side and ensure they sharpen up when they get their chances in the bigger games to come. 

Saints v Castleford Tigers - Preview

The 2021 season chugs on as Saints host Castleford Tigers on Thursday night (August 12, kick-off 7.45pm).

Unlike many other sides we could mention but are far too polite to, Saints have not allowed their Covid tribulations to scupper their form. They have claimed wins over Hull FC and Catalans Dragons in the last 10 days. Kristian Woolf’s side are veering dangerously close to the threshold of 18 completed fixtures which will very likely signal the end of the world for the other Super League sides. Only some arbitrary Covid-based technicality seems even remotely likely to stop Saints who - despite disregarding any need to entertain - are miles ahead of the competition at present. That may change in 2022 with key players leaving and recruitment never an exact science. Yet if Saints do not win the Grand Final this year (assuming it takes place in this shit show of a season) it will be the biggest surprise in sport since Lionel Messi paid his tax bill.

But if you thought things were getting predictable then think again. Woolf has pulled a rabbit out of his huge hat with the inclusion of James Bentley in the 21-man squad for this one. Bentley was last seen pole-axed on the turf at Leigh Sports Village having broken his leg during Saints win over the Centurions at the end of April. It is not quite a resurrection of George Burgess proportions but it is certainly a faster recovery than might have been anticipated. 

Since his injury Bentley has announced that playing for the leading force in Super League beyond 2021 is not for him and that instead he will become one of the key pieces in another Leeds Rhinos rebuild. The more level headed among our fan base have accepted this with the indifference that befits a fairly decent player opting to play for his boyhood club, probably for a higher wage. Yet there will be those for whom Bentley’s decision is the ultimate betrayal. It will be interesting to see if there is any shift in attitude towards Bentley from the terraces should he make the 17.

His chances of doing so are increased by the absence of Morgan Knowles. Not much chance of the Cumbrian-born former Welshman giving up the chance to add to his medal collection and instead lace up for his boyhood club given the state of rugby league in that part of the world. But he misses out here, leaving Bentley to battle it out for a back row spot along with Joe Batchelor, Sione Mata’utia and Joel Thompson. Matty Lees suffered a head knock at Hull so missed the win over Catalans Dragons but returns here. He will compete for game time in the front row alongside Alex Walmsley, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Kyle Amor and Agnatius Paasi. 

James Roby’s future has been a popular topic of discussion in recent days with reports linking Saints with a move for Parramatta’s former Salford hooker Joey Lussick. For now Roby is backed up by Aaron Smith but the understudy must be feeling less secure about his position at the club given that it seems clear that Woolf is looking to recruit in that area. Smith can’t be one for the future much longer as he will turn 25 in October. He is only 10 months younger than Lussick who has already starred for Salford and found his way into the NRL. If Woolf’s mind is not already made up then you get a sense that Smith is running out of chances to change it. 

Over in the backs department there doesn’t seem too much need for change. You could always find a place in the starting line-up for Jack Welsby and nobody would grumble, but who do you leave out? Lachlan Coote is still one of Saints most influential players despite his impending departure, while none of Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival or Regan Grace have done anything to warrant losing their place. The most likely outcome is that Welsby will start on the bench where he can adequately cover any of the backs including the halfback pairing of Lewis Dodd and Jonny Lomax. Welsby can even do a turn at loose forward if the need arises. We will see him, it is just a question of when and in what role. 

Castleford’s eggs were all in the Challenge Cup final basket before their 26-12 Wembley loss to Saints. They now find themselves trying to pick up whatever scraps are left of their season. Yet we should not completely rule out their playoff hopes given the uncomfortably high likelihood that something about the playoff structure will be changed and blamed on Covid between now and mid-September. The Tigers were convincing winners over an improving Leeds Rhinos outfit in their last outing and currently sit seventh in what is still as I write a race for the top six, just one win behind Richard Agar’s side. If they could shock Saints here it would surely force Agar into some sort of dark mutterings about a top 7 or 8 playoff structure. Yet as ifs go it’s pretty sizeable.

Tigers boss Daryl Powell does welcome back some of his leading men for this one. Liam Watts, George Griffin and Cheyse Blair all return to the squad while Brad Graham, Jimmy Keinhorst and Alex Foster make way. However the news is not all positive for Powell this week as it emerged that Jake Trueman requires back surgery and will not play again this season. All of which means he won’t play for Powell again either, unless the young stand-off pitches up at Warrington in the near future. That seems less likely than it once did after Warrington signed George Williams. In Trueman’s absence former Saint Danny Richardson will play a vital creative role. He will have another chance to get one over on the club who did not consider him a better option than either Dodd or Theo Fages. 

Jordan Turner is another former Saint and while he spent the fag end of his time with the champions slugging away at loose forward he has moved back into the three-quarters at Castleford and has nine Super League tries to his name this term. That is as many as Grace and considerably more than Makinson’s four, but that stat tells you more about the width with which the Tigers attack (and Saints don’t) than it does about the merits of those individuals.  Castleford do not do The Grind, which is one of the reasons why they probably won’t win. Grimly, conservatism is king in the self-styled best game in the world right now. 

Another ex-Saint in Castleford’s back division is their skipper Michael Shenton while Gareth O’Brien also had a spell at Saints on loan from Warrington back in 2013. That was when Nathan Brown began building the most unlikely Grand Final winning side in history which took the goods a year later. Things are rather different now which you suspect Castleford may discover to their cost. Yet they remain dangerous on their day and in Grant Millington, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Greg Eden and Paul McShane they still retain some key members of their 2017 League Leaders Shield winning side which lost to Leeds in the Grand Final. 

Those Cas fans still nostalgic about that run to Old Trafford might have had their interest peaked this week by talk of a return to the Jungle for Zak Hardaker. Now at Wigan, Hardaker defecated on the Tigers 2017 Grand Final hopes when news that he had failed a drugs test broke in the days before the big game. Yet if he can behave for long enough he still possesses the quality to improve a Cas side that despite its great cup run has seemed to drift in the league since the announcement of Powell’s move to Warrington for next year. 

It is hard to see anything other than a Saints win in this one. Which is great. Who doesn’t want to keep on winning and add another Grand Final and maybe - if Woolf decides to go for it - a League Leaders Shield? But the diminishing amounts of jeopardy in Saints games are another reason why they are not very exciting to watch. I don’t want us to lose but please..won’t somebody force us to do something different? 

Probably not Cas. Saints by 18.

Squads;

St Helens;

1. Lachlan Coote, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5, Regan Grace, 6, Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Joel Thompson, 12, James Bentley, 14. Sione Mata’utia, 15. LMS, 16. Kyle Amor, 17, Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jack Welsby, 19, Aaron Smith, 20, Joe Batchelor, 21. Lewis Dodd, 22, Josh Simm, 29, Ben Davies.

Castleford Tigers;

1. Niall Evalds 2. Derrell Olpherts 3. Peter Mata’utia 7. Danny Richardson 8. Liam Watts 9. Paul McShane 10. Grant Millington 11. Oliver Holmes 12. Cheyse Blair 13. Adam Milner 14. Nathan Massey 15. George Griffin 19. Tyla Hepi 20. James Clare 21. Jesse Sene-Lefao 22. Daniel Smith 23. Greg Eden 24. Suaia Matagi 25. Jordan Turner 26. Lewis Bienek 31. Gareth O’Brien

Referee: Ben Thaler

Saints 34 Catalans Dragons 12 - Review

Billed as a potential League Leaders Shield decider, the meeting of the top two turned out to be something of a phoney war. 

Saints were barely tested by an under strength Catalans Dragons side which had won 12 league games in a row prior to this one. On a wet day it was all a bit of a damp squib for any neutrals hoping to see the two form sides lay it all on the line in pursuit of top spot. 

Catalans coach Steve McNamara protested his innocence, citing injuries as the reason for the absence of a sizeable chunk of his first team. Already set to be without Sam Kasiano, Matt Whitley, Josh Drinkwater and Tom Davies, McNamara then revealed on game day that ex-Wigan pair and professional crowd-antagonisers Sam Tomkins and Mickey McIlorum would also miss out. 

Tomkins looked the biggest loss on paper but the Dragons had managed to beat Saints in Perpignan in May without him. In fact, Tomkins quite often finds a reason to be elsewhere when the name of Saints appears on the fixture calendar. Yet added to the other losses in personnel it always looked a tough ask for the French side. Despite their recent winning run they would be second favourite to win at Saints with a full deck. They were never getting over Kristian Woolf’s relentless grind machine with half a team sitting it out.

The easy thing would be too take McNamara’s sick note on behalf of his players at face value. It has been a busy period recently in a season congested by the complications which Covid still creates. It may well be the case that he just ran out of troops at the wrong time. On the other hand you wouldn’t put it past the Alan Partridge tribute act to have hatched some grand psychological plan. The League Leaders Shield is treated with such distain by the leading clubs that it’s easy to believe that McNamara isn’t wholly invested in winning it. It’s not just him. Last year Woolf handed it to Wigan on a silver platter when he chose to play a clutch of academy stars in a pivotal game at Salford. Fans won’t even remember as long as you win the Grand Final.

By contrast Woolf did not consider this to be the right time to be tinkering with the line-up. A recent outbreak of Covid in the camp following the Challenge Cup final has left Saints with a little work still to do to guarantee a favourable seeding going into the playoffs. Only Matty Lees and long term absentees Theo Fages and James Bentley missed out, with Regan Grace and Agnatius Paasi back in the fold having missed the win at Hull FC five days previously. It all meant that the star of that show - Jack Welsby - had to start this one on the bench. He was joined there by Sione Mata’utia as Woolf resisted the temptation to restore the skull-capped former  Australian international to the starting line-up. Instead he stuck with Joe Batchelor who after a long spell struggling on the fringes of the squad is now starting to establish himself as a regular. Perhaps Mr McManus will not need to write any cheques to replace Bentley when he heads to Leeds for next year.  Bentley has been named in the 21-man squad for this week’s home clash with Castleford while Morgan Knowles has not so it will be interesting to see how Woolf’s back row shapes up in that one. 

Mata’utia has only just come back from a suspension and when he came off the bench he found himself on the end of another debatable decision. Debatable but not the outrageous injustice that it has been labelled. The former Newcastle man was one of two players sent for a 10-minute breather by referee Liam Moore, the other being Catalans young back rower Joe Chan. Mata’utia went after being judged guilty of a late hit on Benjamin Jullien, and that after he had himself been the victim of a hit off the ball which got Chan in trouble. Both were yellows in the current climate. There is little debate about Chan’s as the ball was not even in the vicinity when he hit Mata’utia, while the Saints man was only a step late but enough to leave himself open to exactly the interpretation that he got from Moore. The authorities are cracking down on any physical infringements regardless of intent. Most fans don’t like that but it’s up to the players to learn the lessons. Besides, the modern game has become so structured and stale tactically that it only opens up when players start disappearing from each side. If nothing else yellow cards can sometimes aid the level of entertainment on show, but that is probably not a reason to increase their use. Player safety should be the primary concern.

There was quite a bit of entertainment early on in this one from a Saints point of view. They raced into an 18-0 inside the first 16 minutes and at that point were threatening to run up a big score. Tommy Makinson - who has found his try scoring touch again recently after a lean spell - was first to get over after an expert looping pass from Jonny Lomax. Makinson hasn’t had nearly enough of this kind of service in Saints middle of the field orientated attack, but showed again why he remains one the classiest wingers anywhere in the rugby world. Lachlan Coote’s first conversion put Saints 6-0 up and the lead was doubled when Lewis Dodd demonstrated more of his natural gifts to score Saints second. The build up was ugly, with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s pass knocked backwards by Alex Walmsley, but there was Dodd to make a difficult pick up and grounding in the sodden conditions look decidedly easy. 

Next to score was Grace on his return to the side. Coote was the main architect, shifting the ball left to the Welshman who jinked inside some pretty flimsy Dragons defence to touch down. Grace’s combination of speed and balance was too much for the Catalans edge defenders who flapped and flailed ineffectively at his ankles.

From that point on things got a bit more disjointed. The cohesion was lacking between Makinson and Grace when the former’s crab-like run and ill-advised pass forced the former into touch with the help of a couple of grateful Dragons defenders. Knowles was then pinged for a high shot which set up the position from which the French side were able to register their first points. Teenage half Cesar Rouge was filling in for Drinkwater and it was his pass which sent Mathieu Laguerre through the Kevin Naiqama-shaped hole in the Saints defence. We will miss what the Fijian brings offensively when he leaves the club at the end of the season. Perhaps not so much his penchant for flying out of the line and leaving the kind of gaping holes in the rearguard which allowed Laguerre to sneak over. James Maloney had also been involved in the build-up and his conversion pulled the Dragons back to 18-6 on the scoreboard.

Six minutes later things got a bit tetchy, with players running in from both sides to engage in some bog-standard and fruitless push and shove after a dubious challenge by Joel Thompson on Rouge. There wasn’t a lot of arm wrapping involved in Thompson’s effort which relied heavily on his shoulders and was arguably too high. Yet Moore chose not to send Thompson to the sin bin primarily on the basis that Rouge was falling which caused the contact to be higher than it might otherwise have been. Which is confusing when you consider that he did not take intent into account when sin-binning Mata’utia for his challenge on Jullien 25 minutes later. Before then it was Chan who was marched for 10, with Coote extending Saints lead to 20-6 from the resultant penalty. 

The closest either side to scoring again before the break was when Batchelor’s errant pass fell kindly for Fouad Yaha only for the Dragons winger to suffer a calamitous brain fart and meekly prod the ball into touch with his boot. Had he kept the ball in play he might have taken some stopping, but you got the feeling even at that point that the Dragons didn’t have what it was going to take to stop Saints taking the win. 

That eventuality was all but confirmed 10 minutes into the second half when Batchelor added his name to the scoresheet. Saints short kicking game has been a real feature of the attack since Dodd replaced Fages but this time it was Lomax dabbing through for the former York City Knights back rower to touch down. Another Coote goal pushed Saints advantage out to 20 points at 26-6 and the argument was pretty much settled. 

Mata’utia’s yellow card arrived soon after and the Dragons took immediate advantage. Alrix Da Costa scooted out from dummy half close to the line and released a well timed pass for Mickael Goudemand to cross for his side’s second try of the afternoon. Maloney again converted but at 26-12 with just over 25 minutes remaining there still wasn’t too much for Saints to be alarmed about. Coote added another penalty goal five minutes later after Da Costa went high on Dodd. Though it grates a little that this Saints side kicks for goal more often than your average rugby union side, the effect is often that edging further away knocks a little more of the stuffing out of their opponents. It can be a slow death if you lose your discipline against this Saints side.

The final say went to Coote, whose sixth try of the season and 32nd of his Saints career was laid on by a quite stunning offload from Dodd. The youngster had also found time to notch his first Super League 40/20 before capping another promising display with a great bit of vision, finding Coote when the defence looked to have averted the danger. It was a similar heads up play to the one which allowed Welsby to complete his hat-trick at Hull on Monday (August 2). Added to the variety in his kicking game it is clear already that Dodd offers the attack a new dimension. What is worrying is that Woolf talked after the game about improving his game management. It is to be hoped that this does not mean coaching the imagination out of his game.

So with the phoney war won Saints can look forward to a Challenge Cup final rematch with a seemingly improving Castleford Tigers this Thursday (August 12). Get that one out of the way and we’ll only need to complete three more to reach the threshold of 18 required to qualify for the playoffs. Trips to Wigan and Warrington await to end August, with a rather gentler home assignment against winless Leigh sandwiched in between. A season that has largely felt chaotic and directionless may just be about to get serious. 

Just don’t expect the coaches to worry too much about the destination of the League Leaders Shield.

 

Saints v Catalans Dragons - Preview

The bonkers, shapeless 2021 Super League season continues as Saints welcome Catalans Dragons for a top of the table get-together on Saturday afternoon (August 7, kick-off 2.30pm).

As things stand Saints still need to fit in five fixtures between now and the middle of September to meet the minimum of 18 required to qualify for the playoffs. It starts here with the first of a scheduled eight games in little over five weeks. It’s hardly a gentle start either, with Steve McNamara’s league-leading Dragons in town on the back of a run of 12 straight league wins. One of those came against Saints in Perpignan in May. Another here over Kristian Woolf’s men would put the French side in a commanding position in the race for the League Leaders Shield.

Unlike last week when Woolf could only call on 20 players ahead of the win over Hull FC, the Saints boss has named a full compliment of 21 for this one. Regan Grace and Agnatius Paasi return for what would be a first run out for them since the Wembley win over Castleford. Grace should be an automatic choice on the left wing and with Mark Percival, Kevin Naiqama, Lachlan Coote and Tommy Makinson all named we may see Jack Welsby once again left out of the starting line-up. That would be harsh on Welsby after his heroics at Hull but it would not be the first time he has produced a stellar performance one week and found himself kicking his heels on the bench the next. Yet with Coote Hull KR-bound for 2022 Welsby’s time is coming.

One man whose time may just have arrived a little earlier than expected is Lewis Dodd. The young half should continue to start in the absence of the unfortunate Theo Fages. The latter’s season and in all likelihood his time as a Saint was ended by the shoulder injury he sustained in the cup final. All of which means Dodd and Jonny Lomax will have to develop their understanding quickly for the regular season run-in and the playoff games which are hopefully to come.

Paasi probably won’t start but will be a useful addition to the bench - not least because Matty Lees is out. The academy product picked up a head knock at Hull as he tried to knock an opponent into December, and misses out due to concussion protocols. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook has been getting the start alongside Alex Walmsley at prop while James Roby goes on and on and on at hooker. Aaron Smith made a rare appearance off the bench at Hull so it will be interesting to see if Woolf hands him another chance. Kyle Amor looks a certainty for the bench as he looks for a third try in as many games.

The only choice in the back row is which two of Joel Thompson, Joe Batchelor and Sione Mata’utia take the second row slots ahead of loose forward Morgan Knowles. Batchelor has started the last two since Mata’utia missed Wembley through suspension and has a decent claim to a continued run in the shirt. Yet Mata’utia was the preferred choice prior to his ban and I’d expect him to work his way back into the starting line-up sooner rather than later.

The Dragons arrive without one or two key players. Tom Davies made his England debut in the Combined Nations game in June but he is out along with former Widnes back rower Matt Whitley and French stars Julian Bousquet, Benjamin Garcia and Jason Baitieri. McNamara was resigned to playing without those but has been dealt further blows this week with the loss of halfback Josh Drinkwater and mountainous prop Sam Kasiano. 

Yet Catalans did not shoot to the Super League summit by relying on a small group of quality players. In Sam Tomkins they have a genuine star performer who is arguably playing as well now as at any time of his career. James Maloney has played State Of Origin and even turned out for the Kangaroos back when they considered international rugby league worthy of their time. After an iffy first season in France Maloney is returning to something like his best. Were the World Cup going ahead Mike McMeeken would have a strong case for a second row berth with England even if all of Shaun Wane’s NRL talent was available. And perhaps most exciting of all for Dragons fans is Arthur Morgue, a dynamic and elusive speedster with a nasty habit of making Super League defenders looking foolish. 

Added to their star quality Catalans have an increasingly annoying but highly effective band of experienced, gnarled club doorman types who they hope will be able to stand up to Saints imposing physicality. Micky McIlorum would cause trouble in an empty house, as would Leigh-bound Wigan bar staff-botherer Joel Tomkins and another ex-Wiganer Gil Dudson, twice a major finalist with Salford Red Devils. Expect these two sides to knock 17 bells out of each other up front and just keep your fingers crossed that a game of rugby league might break out in the predicted stormy deluge.

If Woolf wants to complete his UK domestic trophy collection before he enters the third year of his spell he probably needs a win here. From that standpoint his need is greater, but McNamara will also be keen to avoid a loss that might hand Saints a psychological edge going into the season’s denouement. However they end up resolving it. As I write Leeds have just gone down to defeat against Castleford, so expect some dark mutterings from Richard Agar about how the playoff structure needs another late season re-jig. 

Saints probably have too much even for a Dragons side on a 12-game winning run. Woolf’s side defend on a different level and it is that - rather than any dazzling handling skills - which is likely to see them through and set up what in the old days would have been a nerve-shredding run-in. Saints by 16.

Squads;

St Helens;

1. Lachlan Coote, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 5, Regan Grace, 6, Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 11. Joel Thompson, 13, Morgan Knowles, 14. Sione Mata’utia, 15. LMS, 16. Kyle Amor, 17, Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jack Welsby, 19, Aaron Smith, 20, Joe Batchelor, 21. Lewis Dodd, 22, Josh Simm, 25. Dan Norman, 30. Sam Royle.

Catalans Dragons;

1. Arthur Morgue 3. Samisoni Langi 4. Dean Whare 5. Fouad Yaha 6. James Maloney 8. Gil Dudson 9. Micky McIlorum 12. Mike McMeeken 14. Alrix Da Costa 15. Benjamin Jullien 16. Paul Seguier 17. Mickael Goudemand 20. Matthieu Laguerre 21. Corentin Le Cam 22. Joel Tomkins 23. Mathieu Cozza 27. Joe Chan 29. Sam Tomkins 30. Jordan Dezaria 31. César Rouge 32. Romain Franco

Referee: Liam Moore

Hull FC 10 Saints 42 - Review

Saints returned to action for first time since their Wembley triumph over Castleford Tigers with a statement 42-10 win over Hull FC. Sixteen days of inactivity is nothing compared to the prolonged nothingness of the early months of the pandemic, but it had still felt like a long hiatus at this time of the year. In many ways - and unlike several other Saints performances you could bring to mind in 2021 - it was worth waiting for.

Saints were not quite at full strength. The recent Covid outbreak at the club has clearly been disruptive. Regan Grace missed out, while the build-up to the game this week also brought the news of Theo Fages season-ending - and very probably Saints career-ending shoulder injury. Agnatius Paasi was another who was not available following the outbreak which saw league fixtures with Hull KR and Huddersfield Giants postponed. Those losses offered opportunities to others. Jack Welsby came in to Grace’s left wing slot while Lewis Dodd began his quest to show that he can become the regular choice at halfback for 2022 and beyond.

Welsby in particular was simply sensational. The stadium at Hull may have changed its name in the intervening months since the 2020 Grand Final but it again felt like home for Welsby. Last time he appeared there he scored a barely credible last-gasp winner to slay the Wigan Dragon Of Shithousery. This time he notched a hat-trick of tries and saved two at the other end. Coach Kristian Woolf made a point of highlighting the fact that Welsby was out of position and out-jumped by Bureta Fairamo for the try that got Hull back into the game at 16-10 early in the second half.  Yet even the perfectionist coach and enemy of flair acknowledged the quality of Welsby’s contribution and his incredible ability to adapt to the demands of whichever role he is thrust into. 

Woolf has promised that Welsby will play regularly at fullback next year when Lachlan Coote moves on to Hull KR. Still, you get the feeling that Welsby’s versatility will continue to be a massive asset for Saints as the inevitable injuries and suspensions crop up throughout the season. I’m wary of getting too carried away about our young stars so if even I am excited about Welsby you know we’ve got something special emerging. 

Comparisons have even been made with the great but universally disliked Gary Connolly. Welsby probably can’t put away as many watered down lagers in Martine’s as the Billinge Lump-hopping rugby league legend, but if he has half of Connolly’s ability then the rest of the league is in a fair amount of trouble. Woolf’s habit for reminding both the fans and Welsby of the areas where he can improve may well be a clever strategy aimed at keeping Welsby grounded and focused. On the other hand that could just be the Woolf psyche, always looking for what didn’t go so well and what could be improved. Maybe he needs that to drive himself as much as his team.

Welsby had already crossed for the first of his tries when the game reached the closest it got to a momentum change in Hull’s favour. Dodd’s clever kick had been scooped up by Coote and he found Welsby who stepped inside the cover to score. That had taken Saints out to a 16-0 lead after earlier tries from Joel Thompson and Tommy Makinson. It should have been 20-0 with a chance to make it 22-0 when Kevin Naiqama went over following what looked like a backwards tap by Makinson as he challenged for a high ball with FC’s Adam Swift. 

There didn’t seem too much cause for alarm when referee James Child chose to send the incident up for review. These types of tries are almost always reviewed. Yet it was more than a bit surprising when the try was ruled out for a tackle in the air by Makinson on Swift. Makinson wasn’t even looking at his former Saints team mate. His eyes were fixed on the ball the whole time. If that is not a try then what we are basically saying is that an attacking player can no longer challenge a defender for a high ball. It is very difficult to do so without making some contact. While there is a need to protect players there surely has to be room for a bit of common sense. But then again this is rugby league. A place where World Cups are called off because because self-interested blurts withdraw, and where Castleford Tigers devise a cunning plan to combat their  recent staffing issues by inventing an 8 a-side version of the game.

The decision may have been abject but the lucky break was all the inspiration Hull needed to get themselves a foothold in the game before half time. Marc Sneyd sent an innocuous looking kick skyward and as it came down it somehow squirmed out of the grasp of Coote. The Scottish international hasn’t dropped one like that since the Wembley defeat to Warrington in 2019. The thing is that when a high ball is dropped it is usually costly, and there was Swift to pick up the pieces and score the try.

Saints still seemed well in control but five minutes into the second half things got a little bit squeakier. The moment that Woolf had alluded to in his appraisal of Welsby’s performance. Another Sneyd aerial assault and this time it was Fairamo benefitting from Saints failure to snuff out the danger. 

It was 16-10 at that point, but that was as close as Hull got. Fairamo narrowly failed to touch down a Josh Reynolds grubber on 52 minutes and the black and whites did not create a chance of that quality again. Saints reasserted themselves, aided by the sin-binning of Jordan Johnstone five minutes after Fairamo’s near miss. Johnstone came in late on Dodd after the ball had gone leaving Child with no option given the recent crackdown in that area. Initially the only damage was a Coote penalty which stretched the lead out to two scores at 18-10. Yet within five minutes of that Kyle Amor pounced on another creative dab from the boot of Roby to score his second try in consecutive games following his game-sealing effort at Wembley. Amor has hardly been a prolific try scorer for Saints, crossing just 20 tries since joining from Wakefield Trinity in 2014. Yet he will have again enjoyed the moment on the occasion of his 200th Saints appearance.

Next to cross was Naiqama, and again it was Saints short kicking game doing the damage. You can call it a coincidence that Saints scored all but two of their seven tries from short kicks without Fages in the side but I reckon Poirot would come to a different conclusion. Naiqama announced this week that he will leave Saints at the end of the season after a three-year spell which has so far brought two Grand Final wins and a Challenge Cup success. He has come in for some criticism from some quarters for some moments of eccentricity in defence but if the game is all about entertainment then we have had reasonable value from the Fijiian. He has notched 35 tries in 68 Saints appearances to date. He can create too. The way he froze his defender then fired out a flicked pass for Makinson’s first half try was one of the highlights of this match. Naiqama will head back home with my best wishes. He might not be remembered as an all-time great import in the Meninga/Lyon/Barba class but he compares favourably to most others. Damien Smith, anyone? Michael O’Connor? Count your blessings with Naiqama.

By now Saints were cruising and Hull were steadily losing it. Prop Ligi Sao - who along with the impressive Chris Satae had given us all we could handle for a spell -  was the second FC player to be invited to take a 10-minute rest by Child. Sao was caught off balance by Coote’s neat step inside which contrary to the claims of Barrie Energy Battle McDermott on commentary is not a green light for Sao to then whack the Saints fullback around the head. In Sao’s absence Welsby grabbed his second try, taking Jonny Lomax’s smart pass out wide before running around and needlessly flirting with the dead ball line. Perhaps he was trying to recreate his Grand Final try on this ground in his very own Baddiel & Skinner Phoenix From The Flames tribute. 

There was still time for game star Welsby to complete his hat-trick. Dodd hacked on a loose Hull pass and had the presence of mind to keep the ball alive from the floor to find the supporting Welsby. Coote’s conversion rounded off the scoring and a pretty satisfactory night’s work for Woolf’s men. It also gave them the honour of lifting the Steve Prescott Cup, the prize played for by these two clubs in tribute to their former player. Prescott helped raise huge amounts of money and awareness for cancer charities after being diagnosed with the disease and finally, tragically leaving us in 2013. Yet the great work of his foundation continues and it is fitting that these two clubs should remember him each time they meet.

And so to this week, when Covid-permitting Saints are on course for a head-to-head clash with the other occupants of a Super League top two spot, the league-leading Catalans Dragons. The French side are on a run of 12 straight victories and have dropped only one league game all season when losing to Warrington back in April. That run includes a four-point victory over Saints in Perpignan in May. If there is a game in Super League which presents a challenge to Woolf’s currently dominant charges it is this one. Home advantage will help, though there is the pressure of knowing that in this basket case of a season defeat for Saints would probably end hopes of winning the League Leaders Shield. 

Which may not worry the ‘youf’ of today who don’t seem to value winning a league. But it is after all the only thing Woolf hasn’t won domestically at Saints now.  He’ll hate that.

Hull FC v Saints - Preview

Saints return to action for the first time since their Wembley triumph when they visit Hull FC on Monday night (August 2, kick-off 7.45pm).

It seems a long time since Kristian Woolf’s side ended their 13-year wait for Challenge Cup success by beating Castleford on a scorching July day beneath the arch. In the days immediately after it emerged that there were multiple positive Covid tests within the first team squad and staff, leading to the postponement of games against Hull KR and Huddersfield Giants. Cynics have pointed to the open top bus parade through the town which followed the cup final as a possible spreader event. We may never really know, but at the speed that bus was travelling it could have caught anything, including Covid. Saints had a pretty good record of avoiding infections to that point. Given the way the league has consistently invited teams to call fixtures off with its handling of the pandemic it is tough to point the finger at Saints if the celebrations lacked the requisite social distancing.  

League leaders Catalans Dragons have picked up wins over Hull KR and Wakefield Trinity during Saints period of inactivity. All of which means that Saints - who still need to complete six fixtures before the end of September to meet the minimum of 18 required to be eligible for the playoffs, could do with a win. Meanwhile Hull have suffered convincing defeats to both Huddersfield and Leeds since they returned from a month-long Covid-related absence of their own. Brett Hodgson’s side have played only one more game than Saints and sit fifth in the table ahead of Leeds’ clash with Warrington Wolves on Sunday night (August 1). They need this win just as much, if not more.

Woolf kept himself in our minds during Saints layoff by announcing that he would be staying on for a third season in 2022. As much as this irks those of us who value the concept of entertainment it was really the only decision to be made unless the man himself had designs on being elsewhere. The rugby is uninspiring and hard to watch but it is impossible to criticise him on the basis of results. Woolf was already a Grand Final winner with Saints and in adding the Challenge Cup success to his CV he now has a trophy-winning record that compares with anything achieved by any other Saints coach in their first two seasons. Letting him go now would have made no sense competitively and would arguably have made Saints a basket case. This isn’t bloody Chelsea. That said, I don’t have to like the methods.

Woolf will be excited to get his team back on the field but he doesn’t quite have everyone on deck. The other big news since the Challenge Cup final concerned Theo Fages, who was ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury picked up in his error-strewn first half performance at Wembley. With a move to the Giants looking on the cards for next season the Frenchman has probably played his last game in Saints colours. There will be some dialling the helplines for support over this but I’m not among them. Often hamstrung by Woolf’s obsessive conservatism, Fages has nevertheless flattered to deceive during much of his time at Saints. He can show you his medals and he has certainly played his part over the last few years, but with Lewis Dodd coming through and Woolf employing a system that is anti-halfback in any case it makes little sense to move the Earth to keep Fages. I wish him well. Perhaps he is one Keiron Cunningham signing that the former coach and legendary player can say didn’t work out too badly.

Fages is not the only one to miss out this week. Regan Grace has featured in every game since a 12-10 defeat at Salford last October in which Woolf saw fit to rest almost the entire first team, but is one of those who hasn’t made it this week. Joining him are prop forward Agnatius Paasi and centre Josh Simm as Woolf is only able to name a 20-man squad as opposed to the usual 21-strong party. With Grace out Jack Welsby must start favourite to fill in. He has already played on the wing in the absence of Tommy Makinson earlier in the season and is the sort of player you can pretty much rely on wherever you ask him to play. Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama should then be unchallenged in the centres ahead of fullback Lachlan Coote.

Dodd looks to be the chief beneficiary of Fages’ misfortune and should slot in alongside Jonny Lomax in the halves for only his second Super League start. The young half was left out of the Wembley 17 just a week after making his first Super League start in a 30-14 win at Wakefield. He should now get a run of games and is about to become one of the keys to Saints chances of success somewhat sooner than might have been anticipated. 

With Paasi out some impact is lost off the bench but it is an experienced group charged with providing the go-forward. Alex Walmsley is still one of the most dominant props in world rugby while Kyle Amor and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook still have key roles to play despite their Saints careers seemingly winding down in what is an era of change for Saints personnel-wise. Matty Lees provides a more youthful energy while at hooker James Roby has started to drop hints about going around again in 2022. Aaron Smith is named and might finally get a spot on the bench. He has often been ousted by one or both of Welsby and Dodd but they now look likely to start which may open up a door for Smith. 

The back row sees the return of Sione Mata’utia. The former Newcastle Knight was desperately unlucky to pick up a suspension which ruled him out of the cup final and should be primed for a charge towards Old Trafford through this latter part of the season. Joel Thompson hasn’t been here long but is fast running out of time having opted to retire at the end of year. Motivation should not be an issue for him either. Behind them workaholic Morgan Knowles offers defensive solidity and that extra 1% in areas that get less attention. 

Hodgson has his problems after a promising start with the black and whites but at least consistency of selection will not be one of them this week. He has been able to name the same 21-man squad which was on duty for the defeat to the Rhinos last time out but that does still leave him without some of his best talent. Jake Connor, Josh Griffin, Scott Taylor and Jamie Shaul are all still sidelined. In addition, Andre Savelio won’t face his former club as he serves the second game of his suspension for a rather public disagreement with Josh Jones in the loss to Huddersfield.

Without that group FC can still call on an array of talent. Former Saint Adam Swift has as many Super League tries this term as Grace and Makinson combined, which perhaps says more about the Woolf philosophy than it does about the Saints wide men. Elsewhere in the backs Carlos Tuimavave is an impressive performer and there is pace and power in the shape of Mahe Fonua and Bureta Fairamo. The thinking is done by the halfback duo of Marc Sneyd and Josh Reynolds, the latter in particular seeming to turn Hull into an entirely different proposition when he is there to orchestrate. 

Like most sides Hull will need to control Saints up front and win ground themselves against that stellar front row duo of Walmsley and Roby as well as the ever solid Knowles. Chris Satae and Ligi Sao looked like dominating early against Leeds but seemed to fade as the game wore on. They will need more consistency if Hull are to prosper. In all likelihood they just won’t have quite enough. The one concern would be that - as Hull have found recently - it is sometimes tough to get going again after an unusually long layoff during the season. Expect Saints to edge it but with very few marks for artistic impression.

Squads;

Hull FC;

 

       2. Bureta Faraimo 3. Carlos Tuimavave 5. Mahe Fonua 6. Josh Reynolds 7.Marc Sneyd 9. Danny Houghton 10. Chris Satae 12. Manu          Ma’u 13. Ligi Sao 14. Jordan Johnstone 15. Joe Cator 16. Jordan Lane 17. Brad Fash 19. Ben McNamara 20. Jack Brown 21. Adam Swift 22. Josh Bowden 23. Connor Wynne 24. Cameron Scott 27. Mitieli Vulikijapani 30. Jack Logan

St Helens;

1. Lachlan Coote, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 6, Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Joel Thompson, 13, Morgan Knowles, 14. Sione Mata’utia, 15. LMS, 16. Kyle Amor, 18. Jack Welsby, 19, Aaron Smith, 20, Joe Batchelor, 21. Lewis Dodd, 24. Josh Eaves, 25. Dan Norman, 27. Matty Foster.

Referee:  James Child