Saints 12 Catalans Dragons 14 - Review

Saints missed the chance to get within striking distance of top spot as they went down narrowly at home to the league leading Dragons.

The loss was Saints’ seventh of the season - their second against Steve McNamara’s side - and saw the champions slip down a place in the table after Wigan’s win over Warrington on Friday night (July 14). Meanwhile the Dragons restored a four-point lead over second placed Leigh Leopards ahead of their game at Salford on Sunday (July 16).

Paul Wellens was able to name an unchanged side for the third consecutive match. It was a 17 which had been good enough to shut out Castleford Tigers a fortnight ago and to win a close one at Warrington last time out. However, it is not just hindsight which leads me to believe that Wellens would have liked to have been able to make one or two changes. He was still without the influential Tommy Makinson and Joe Batchelor while Tee Ritson was not ready to return either. Curtis Sironen had been named in the initial 21-man squad offering the promise of at least one change. Unfortunately the former Manly second rower suffered a setback with his hamstring injury and remained absent.

Will Hopoate and Jon Bennison occupied the wing spots in relief of Makinson and Ritson while James Bell continued in the second row alongside Sione Mata’utia with both regular starters in the second row sidelined.

McNamara was able to welcome back former New South Wales State Of Origin halfback Mitchell Pearce. The last time Saints faced the Dragons Pearce was again reintroduced after a period on the sidelines. It made a huge difference then and we saw a similar story here. Pearce partnered fellow NRL Grand Final winner Tyrone May in the halves which allowed Adam Keighran to switch back to a more familiar centre role. Sam Tomkins also returned to the fullback role in place of the injured Artur Mourgue. 

We’ll come to the detail of how it unfolded but the headline is the damage this loss may have done to Saints’ bid for a top two spot. A win here would even have had Wellens’ men well placed to defend the League Leaders Shield. Still, they are not completely out of the running by any means. All of the sides in the top six and beyond seem capable of suffering a surprise defeat. Even the Dragons are not immune having managed to lose at home to Huddersfield Giants leading into this one. But a top two slot - let alone the League Leaders Shield - is now out of Saints hands which could yet prove decisive. 

A place in the top two provides the opportunity to play one home playoff game for a place at Old Trafford. Finish outside those places and you are going to have to win on the road at some point to reach the big dance. And irrespective of all that, it would be nice for the old fashioned types among us to again be able to celebrate the undervalued achievement of finishing top of the pile. That honour is the Dragons’ to lose now as they seek to win it for a second time in three seasons.

Predictably there has been oodles of hyperbole about the quality of this contest. Your modern day fan loves a good energy battle. Hearing the coaches talk in terms of semi-final football ramps up the giddiness even further. From where I was sat - on the North platform 30 metres out from the East Stand and then again on my sofa in front of my TV - this was a hard fought but ultimately conservative and risk averse spectacle. The sort of game you wouldn’t choose to rewatch even if we’d won it. Unless you have to so you can knock up 3,000 words about it. It’s entire appeal was in its tightness and the tension that creates. There’s a lot of talk about a lack of jeopardy in regular season games much of which rings true. But judging by the tactics on show from both sides nobody has told Wellens or McNamara. Both sides appeared very worried indeed about losing. Semi-final football.

Of course most fans don’t care how the opponents play. Many of them appear unable to see the opposition at all judging by some of the post-game comments on social media. So let’s concentrate on the Saints approach. After three years of Kristian Woolf getting away with calling the attack ‘clunky’ by continually winning matches and trophies, people are now starting to notice that Saints might not be the entertainers of old. 

It’s tough to judge Wellens tactically in his first season but the evidence suggests that like Woolf he likes to keep everything close to the ruck. Set completion and controlling where you turn the ball over when you have to are the priorities. In this one there was also a resurgence of that fan-baiting staple of the Keiron Cunningham era - the inside drop off pass. It all added up to a predictable attacking game plan. Saints hardly looked like scoring even when they secured the field position they had been playing so carefully for. It was a genuine surprise when Mark Percival and Lewis Dodd did get over. 

The one feature of their play which contradicts all of this was the number of offloads they attempted. Saints averaged 9.1 offloads per game coming in yet they came up with no fewer than 16 in this game. Alex Walmsley alone had six, which is two more than the entire Dragons team managed. To put that into context the Saints prop had previously only managed 14 in as many appearances in Super League in 2023. There was a distinct plan to play off the big man. As if we are the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Of course, you can be as conservative as you want to be as long as you win. Only the likes of me dared rail against Woolf’s methods during his glorious stint in charge. And even then I stopped short of ever suggesting that we would be better off without him. Unfortunately for Wellens his side didn’t win this one and have had several similarly disappointing outcomes during his short reign. 

That creates extra scrutiny and sees somewhat lazy comparisons to Cunningham dusted off. If Wellens has two full seasons in charge and Saints don’t make it past a semi-final in either Super League or the Challenge Cup during that time then those comparisons will have some validity. It’s too early to judge his suitability to the Head Coach’s role. But not too soon to point out that at the moment the plan of attack is not an exciting one and that here it relied far too heavily on the Walmsley offload and the imagination of Jack Welsby and Jonny Lomax. Even Dodd plays like he has been given a script to learn. Like a fading celeb in a terrible pantomime.

Flying in the face of the general air of conservatism was the Saints policy on what to do with penalties awarded within goal-kicking distance. There were three occasions on which Wellens’ side could have chosen to get the scoreboard ticking over. All of these came when the deficit was eight points. Taking an easy two at any of those points would have reduced the arrears to a converted try. A one score game in modern parlance. That at the very least has a psychological effect on the team being chased and could even have a visible effect on their decision making and overall strategy.

Two of these opportunities arrived in the last quarter of the game, by which time it had become abundantly clear that try scoring opportunities were going to be scarce. The easy argument to make for taking those cheap points is that given the final margin of the defeat they could have made all the difference to the result. Goal-kicking may not be a strength right now - particularly with Makinson out - but you would still expect Percival and later Joey Lussick to have added to the points tally on each occasion. But still it isn’t the no brainer that it appears.

Kicking at goal on any of those occasions changes everything that happens in the game thereafter. These decisions are sliding doors moments. A successful penalty goal means receiving possession from the kick-off deep in your own territory. Straight away the battle for field position - so coveted by both sides in a game like this one - is flipped in the opponents’ favour. What if you then make an error in your own quarter? Tapping and running at these situations may look like the bold choice but it may also be seen as a safeguard against anything which might lead to suddenly defending on your own goal-line.

This was not a loss that could be attributed fully to either the uninspiring attacking play or the consistent refusal to take shots at goal. There were other mitigating factors. Not excuses, mitigating factors. Chief among these was some fairly fetid luck with injuries. You can cope with these if you know about them in advance of kick-off. That’s what you have a squad for. It gets more difficult when you lose a couple during the game. 

After Keighran booted an early penalty (no qualms about that from the pragmatic McNamara) Saints went 8-0 behind to a length of the field Tom Johnstone try. Almost immediately one of the red vee’s most important players left the scene for the night. First, Lomax’s attempted lob to the right corner was dealt with by Keighran who quicky slipped the ball wide to Johnstone. This caught all of Saints’ potential defenders still facing the Dragons goal-line as the ex-Wakefield winger streaked away down the North touchline. Dodd gave chase but was never seriously in the race. Like everyone in the Tour De France except Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegard. Johnstone now has 22 tries in Super League in his first season as a Dragon. Only Leigh’s Josh Charnley has as many as that. 

Keighran added the extras but worse news was to come. James Roby was being looked at by the medical staff having got his head in the wrong place trying to bring down Paul Seguier. He was whisked away for a head injury assessment. Which he subsequently failed and so did not return to the game. That also rules him out of the forthcoming Challenge Cup semi-final against Leigh at Warrington next week. 

It’s tough to lose any player in this way. It severely limits your interchange options. It left Lussick - a man Wellens has considered surplus to requirements in one or two games of late - having to put in an unbroken shift of almost an hour at hooker. If the club really were considering letting him return to Parramatta Eels as has been suggested this week then they need to have a serious rethink. It was already pretty barmy to think we could leave the 37 year-old Roby as the only option at nine for the rest of the season. This was a reminder of the fact that even legends are fallible. Lussick is arguably one of the most important pieces of the Saints puzzle. His importance swells immeasurably for as long as Roby remains out.

The human resource issues doubled when Percival picked up a similar injury early in the second half. He had got Saints back into it with his sixth try of the season and his third in as many games just seven minutes before the break. Dodd took a much needed breather from launching the last tackle kick into the clouds, instead placing an intelligent dab behind the Dragons line where Percival was able to gather and touch down. It was smart play from Dodd who had recognised that the Dragons had been extremely keen to get off their defensive line and into the faces of the Saints playmakers. They had done it very effectively too, even if many of their efforts flirted shamelessly with the offside rule. Percival converted his own try to pull Saints to within two points at 8-6 as the teams turned around.

Yet within a few minutes of the start of the second half Percival followed Roby away from this one and out of the semi-final. He collided with May in the build up to the Matt Ikuvalu try which restored the French outfit’s eight point lead. Pearce and May combined with Ikuvalu on the Dragons right before the former Roosters man held off the attentions of Welsby, Bennison and Morgan Knowles to touch down. He ended up reversing over the line. It was sent up for review as a try by referee Liam Moore and rightly confirmed despite Ikuvalu landing close to the whitewash. Keighran landed a difficult conversion and the visitors led 14-6. 

Yet it was the loss of Percival, following on from that of Roby which threatened to do the most damage. It reduced Saints to just 15 fit players in what is now indisputably a 17 man game and has been for some time. You can name an 18th player as a so-called concussion substitute but that player can only be activated after a team suffers it’s third head injury casualty. It’s obviously far too convenient for me to call for this rule to be looked at in the wake of my team suffering from its effects. But I’m going to do it anyway. Let those named in the initial 21 but who are left out of the match day 17 act as emergency concussion subs only to be used in the event of a failed HIA. The fact that failing an HIA rules a player out of his side’s next game should allay any fears about clubs conjuring up bogus head knocks. 

Despite these losses this was a game that Saints could and should have won. Both in terms of territory and possession in the second half and in terms of the tangible currency of scoring chances. They got back into it seven minutes from the end when Dodd capitalised on good work from Lomax and Welsby and a neat inside pass from Hopoate to score for a second consecutive week. Lussick added the goal and at 14-12 thoughts of kickable penalty opportunities spurned started to loom large. 

Dominant by that stage, Saints created one more golden chance on the very last play of the night. Again Lomax, Welsby and Hopoate combined but this time the Tongan could not find the killer pass. There was some irony in the fact that having subjected us to endless predictable inside balls Saints chose not to produce one when it was required. As Hurrell cut back on Hopoate’s inside with not much between him and the game winner Hopoate went outside with the pass and only found touch as the hooter sounded. And that was that.

If you’re looking for evidence of Saints’ domination it can be seen in the stats. Only Johnstone, Keighran and Tom Davies made more than 100 metres for the visitors. Admittedly the two wingers made more than 200 (Johnstone’s 215 and Davies’ 201) but after you add in Keighran’s contribution of 140 metres there is little else to write back to France about.

Meanwhile Saints had no fewer than six players over the century mark. Led again by Hopoate on 183 Saints also had contributions from Walmsley (174), Mata’utia (133), Hurrell (126), Welsby (116) and Agnatius Paasi (103). 

Knowles was the hardest working Saints defender with 44 tackles while Matty Lees weighed in with 33. It’s a good thing too as with ball in hand this much trumpeted pair managed to make only 88 metres between them. Lees only had four carries. Surely a front line prop for a champion team has to be producing more in attack. It is not the NFL. You can’t just play defence and go home. 

Benjamin Garcia made 43 stops for the Dragons while one-time (and current?) Saints target Matt Whitley came up with 40. The 38 managed by Mickey McIlorum had the Usual Suspects in the Sky commentary box feeling all tingly. 

What is perhaps more interesting than the tackle count is the incredible number of missed tackles by both sides. Saints botched 40 attempts while the Dragons fared even worse in this department with 46. These mind blowing figures look terrible but they are - in a funny sort of way - testament to the powers of recovery of both defences. For only 26 points to be scored in a game with that many defensive mishaps is remarkable. It’s not even as if errors got defences off the hook. Saints only came up with seven handling mistakes despite the Walmsley offload-athon, while the Dragons were only guilty of an average looking 10.

And so - inevitably - to next week. When the draw for the semi-finals was made there was an argument that a pairing with Leigh was the best possible outcome. Yet the Leopards have lost only one of their last 10 league games and that was a narrow reverse to the Dragons in Perpignan. Adrian Lam’s team are currently the closest threat to Catalans’ League Leaders Shield ambitions. And they’ve already beaten Saints once this season. 

So it was never going to be easy. It has been made harder by the loss of two key figures in Roby and Percival. If Lussick can’t go for the full 80 then the spectre of another stint in the hooking role for Knowles is already giving me shivers. If Makinson and Ritson are still unavailable then Ben Davies is likely to be promoted from that never to be used 18th man role which he fulfilled in this one. It would take more boldness than I believe Wellens is capable of to hand a debut to Wesley Bruines in a Challenge Cup semi-final. It is more likely that Mata’utia could feature in the backs especially if one of Sironen or Batchelor can be involved.

Saints are bidding to reach a third Challenge Cup final in five seasons. Leigh haven’t visited Wembley in the famous competition since they beat Leeds in the 1971 final. They might never have a better chance than they have next week.

Saints;

Welsby, Hopoate, Hurrell, Percival, Bennison, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Mata’utia, Bell, Knowles. Interchanges: Paasi, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Lussick, Delaney.

Catalans Dragons;

Tomkins, Davies, Ikuvalu, Keighran, Johnstone, May, Pearce, McMeeken, McIlorum, Navarrete, Whitley, Seguier, Garcia. Interchanges: Ma’u, Bousquet, Chan, Dezaria

Referee: Liam Moore

 

Saints v Catalans Dragons - Preview

A potentially pivotal game in the race for the League Leaders Shield crops up when Catalans Dragons visit Saints on Thursday night (July 13). 

Quietly, stealthily, Saints have crept up on to the shoulder of the table-topping Dragons. Should Paul Wellens’ side win this one they will move to within two points of the league leaders with a crucial game in hand at home to Huddersfield Giants still to come. 

It was Ian Watson’s side who helped present this opportunity to the champions by pulling off an unlikely 22-14 win in Perpignan last time out. That was the Giants’ first win since beating Castleford on May 26. For the Dragons it ended a seven-game winning streak and pulled them back to within spitting distance of the chasing pack. 

Wellens named an unchanged side for last week’s win at Warrington. The exact same 17 who earned a 24-20 win at the Halliwell Jones Stadium had captured a 22-0 home win over Castleford the previous week. Wellens could conceivably name an unchanged 17 again, but has made two changes to his initial 21-man selection. Curtis Sironen returns from a hamstring injury while Dan Norman is back from a loan spell at Leigh. Quite what we are doing loaning players to teams who currently sit above us in the league I don’t know. The men to make way from the 21 are Tee Ritson and Lewis Baxter, neither of whom featured against Warrington.

Sironen’s inclusion suggests he will be involved if fit enough. He was in impressive form before he picked up a hamstring injury in the 34-6 hammering at Hull FC on June 22. Joe Batchelor is still out so Sironen will either start on the bench (most likely at the expense of either Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook or George Delaney) or he will replace one of Sione Mata’utia or James Bell in the line-up from the kick-off. Sironen usually operates on the left which would seem to make Mata’utia more vulnerable, but often it has been Bell who has missed out whenever there has been a difficult decision to make among the back row options. Morgan Knowles’ improved form in recent weeks seems to have been enough to make him the automatic choice at 13 once more.

Mata’utia has potentially given Wellens this problem for a little while longer. There had been a lot of talk of the ex-Newcastle Knight heading back to the NRL next year. However, he revealed this week that he is close to extending his stay at Saints which began in 2021 and which has so far yielded two Grand Final winners rings. 

The front row has been pretty much unchanged whenever props Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees and hooker James Roby are fit. That should be the case for this one with Agnatius Paasi and one of McCarthy-Scarsbrook or Delaney on the bench and Joey Lussick backing up Roby. Lussick has been the subject of speculation linking him with a move back to Parramatta Eels. And not just at the end of the season but with immediate effect. The Eels need cover because Josh Hodgson has another problematic injury which could keep him out for the remainder of the season. So what else is new?

It is hard to believe that this - if it is true - is a plan initiated by Wellens. Roby may have secured his place in the pantheon of the greats of the game but that doesn’t mean that you would want the 37 year-old to be your only option at nine. No, Knowles doesn’t count. It would be less surprising if it had come from Lussick. He can’t be all that happy with the 15 or 20 minutes per game he is currently being offered. Nor will he have been too thrilled to have been left out altogether once or twice in recent weeks, necessitating the positional switch we saw with Knowles. If Lussick is angling for an immediate release and if there is nothing the club can do to prevent it then we could find ourselves in a very tricky predicament for the run-in and the playoffs. 

Things are more settled in the backs but Wellens still has to do without Ritson and Tommy Makinson. Jon Bennison is making a case to be selected ahead of Ritson when he returns but the same cannot be said of Will Hopoate in relief of Makinson. His edge combination with Konrad Hurrell was exposed defensively time and time again at Warrington last week. Matt Ikuvalu and one of Super League’s top try scorers Tom Johnstone will be foaming at the mouth at the prospect of facing the Tongan pair. Batchelor’s absence exacerbates this problem so Bell may face a difficult task in trying to help the men outside him plug the holes on that side.

Offensively Hurrell is still playing a massive part along with centre partner Mark Percival and the creative spine of fullback Jack Welsby and halves Jonny Lomax and Lewis Dodd.

There are a couple of key names returning for the Dragons as they bid to banish the memory of that woeful home loss to the Giants. Mitchell Pearce is back from suspension while Sam Tomkins is also included in coach Steve McNamara’s 21. Artur Mourgue was injured against Huddersfield so misses out. Tomkins may step in at fullback allowing Tyrone May to partner Pearce in the halves. Adam Keighran has been linked with a move to Wigan but for now could operate at right centre inside another ex-Wiganer Tom Davies on the wing. With Pearce restored Keighran will be relieved to switch back to a more familiar role after filling in at scrum half in the defeat to Watson’s side.

Romain Navarrete is yet another former Warrior in the ranks as he also comes back in. He’ll challenge for one of the prop roles along with Julian Bousquet and Jordan Dezaria. England international Mike McMeeken played in the front row against the Giants but is more well known as a second rower along with Matt Whitley. The ex-Widnes man was rumoured to be on his way to Saints earlier in the year but that could be on the back burner if Mata’utia has agreed to stay.  Ben Garcia, Paul Seguier and Mane M’au offer further pack options. Completing the Wigan tribute act for McNamara is hooker Mickey McIlorum, most likely to be backed up by Alrix Da Costa.

The teams have already met once this season. Saints’ early May visit to Perpignan was at the very peak of their 2023 schizophrenia. The 24-12 loss suffered by the champions was not therefore a massive surprise. Tries from Welsby and Walmsley were not enough as. Mourgue, Ikuvalu and a Davies double got the Dragons home.

Going back further the two most famous clashes occurred in 2007 and 2021. Sixteen years ago Wellens shared the Lance Todd Trophy with Leon Pryce as Daniel Anderson’s side won the second of three consecutive Challenge Cups under the Kiwi coach. Two years ago the Dragons provided the opposition in the Super League Grand Final. Kevin Naiqama crossed twice as Saints edged a tight one 12-10. It was the third of their current run of four successive Grand Final victories. Eleven of the Saints’ 17 that night have a chance of featuring this week while only eight of those who played at Old Trafford for the Dragons are in McNamara’s latest selection.

This looks like a genuinely tough assignment. Only Leeds have won at the home of Saints this year but of all of those yet to visit the Dragons look best equipped for the job. The Giants loss shows their vulnerabilities but there’s every chance it will provide the proverbial kick up the behind they may need. If finishing top means anything then both sides should be desperate. Yet with second place offering exactly the same advantage in the playoffs and Leigh also in the mix it is Saints who will be most vulnerable to being tangibly affected should they lose. For that reason I am backing them to edge it. That could be more heart than head.

Squads;

Saints; 

1. Jack Welsby, 3. Will Hopoate, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Joey Lussick, 15. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 16. Curtis Sironen, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 19. James Bell, 20. Dan Norman, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 30. George Delaney

Catalans Dragons;

2. Tom Davies 3. Adam Keighran 6. Tyrone May 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Mike McMeeken 9. Micky McIlorum 10. Julian Bousquet 11. Matt Whitley 12. Paul Seguier 13. Benjamin Garcia 14. Alrix Da Costa 15. Mickael Goudemand 16. Romain Navarrete 18. Tiaki Chan 19. Arthur Romano 21. Matt Ikuvalu 23. Jordan Dezaria 24. Tom Johnstone 26. Manu Ma’u 29. Sam Tomkins 31. Tanguy Zenon
 

Referee: Liam Moore

Warrington Wolves 20 Saints 24 - Review

Some things just keep happening over and over. Television presenters getting involved in scandals. Jonny Bairstow getting out brainlessly. Saints winning at Warrington.

It was close - and this wasn’t vintage Saints by any means - but Paul Wellens side still found a way to come out on the right side of the scoreboard at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. It extended an unbeaten run which goes back four years to a time before home working was perfectly normal, when I used actual cash to pay for things and when Jeremy Kyle was still getting air time. 

More importantly it elevated the champions to third place in the league table having spent most of the season outside the top four and parts of it outside a top six playoff spot. With other results going their way - we’re not laughing at you Wigan honestly - Saints could get within two points of league leaders Catalans Dragons if they get the better of Steve McNamara’s side at home on Thursday night (July 13). And with a game in hand. That follows the French side’s surprise loss to Chris McQueen Try Machine’s Huddersfield Giants on Saturday (July 8). Suddenly, top spot and another League Leaders Shield is back on the agenda. 

Meanwhile, poor old Wire are slumping alarmingly, if not unpredictably. This defeat was their seventh in their last 10 league outings after starting the campaign with eight wins in a row. It’s looking increasingly likely that this might not be their year. If coach Daryl Powell doesn’t find a way to turn around their miserable form they may yet struggle to cling on to a spot inside that top six where end of season knockout football lies. They face what is sure to be an embarrassed and consequently highly motivated Wigan next. 

Back to this one where Wellens achieved a feat rare among rugby league coaches in the modern game in being able to name an unchanged 17. All the same players who had slugged out a 22-0 win over Castleford in the sideways rain a week previously were on duty again. Which meant Sione Mata’utia and James Bell starting in the second row in place of the injured Curtis Sironen and Joe Batchelor, and Will Hopoate and Jon Bennison occupying the wings in the absence of Tommy Makinson and Tee Ritson. Joey Lussick made his 50th appearance for the club but did so from the bench as James Roby started in game number 539 for him.

Powell’s squad announcement two days before the game threatened the reintroduction of George Williams. The ex-Wigan and Canberra halfback had not played since the cup defeat by Wigan and was ruled out again with his hamstring problem. Having experimented with Matt Dufty in the halves in a loss at his old club Castleford, Powell turned back to Peter Mata’utia to partner Josh Drinkwater in the halves. That sent Stef Ratchford back to centre. With forwards Sam Kasiano and James Harrison suspended Powell had to put his faith in youngsters Adam Holroyd, Lucas Green and Thomas Whitehead. It also meant a start for Gil Dudson which was always going to end badly but should have ended much worse than it did for the former Wigan grub.

Early in the proceedings a clearly highly motivated and fresh Wire outfit started targeting Saints’ flakey right edge defence. With a Makinson shaped hole in it that area of the team haemorraghed metres from the outset. Just five minutes had gone by when Dufty waltzed between Konrad Hurrell and Hopoate on a 45 metre burst into Saints territory. He was brought down by Mark Percival and blatantly flopped on by Jack Welsby before a retreating Saints were all caught offside on the next play. Bang in front of the posts so early in the game it seemed reasonable to take the two which is exactly what Ratchford did. 

Saints would have slipped further behind five minutes later were it not for the effort of Jonny Lomax. Again it was the right side of defence which was shredded, and again it was Dufty doing much of the shredding. Taking another predictable Lewis Dodd skyscraper on the full the fullback tore down that side of the field, reaching halfway before spotting the possibly even faster Matty Ashton on his inside. It looked all over until Lomax hustled back to drive the Wolves winger to the turf. 

A couple of things went Saints way to swing things in their favour on the scoreboard. First a wayward pass by Whitehead skewed back into the Warrington half where Joe Philbin failed to secure it on the ground. It bobbled instead into the path of Dodd who scooped it up to give his side great field position. 

Referee Jack Smith then saw no infringement when Matty Lees carried the ball in and hit Whitehead in the head with his shoulder. Whether there was any intent is arguable but often largely irrelevant in these days of strict liability. If you can’t make head contact using your shoulder - deliberately or not - when you are defending then it follows that you can’t do it when you are carrying the ball. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the infamous Match Review Panel will take a look. 

Whitehead left the scene for an HIA just before Saints took the lead. When the try came it was slick. Roby found Dodd on the left and he handed on to Welsby. The quick hands of the Saints fullback found Percival in space and the centre stepped inside the grasping Dufty to score. Pacy and buccaneering going forward Dufty wears the look of a man who would rather be anywhere else than in one on one defence. The Saints centre converted the try himself to put Saints four points up at 6-2.

Welsby has had his own more jittery moments in defence in recent times which have clearly induced a change of philosophy. When Drinkwater sent a raking kick into the Saints in-goal Welsby had no thought of trying to run it back into the field of play. Instead he hacked it dead and prepared for the dropout. While that might be preferable to making a mistake which could lead directly to a try it did invite more pressure from which Wire again exploited Saints on their right flank. Daryl Clark - a man constantly linked with a move to Saints for next season after the impending retirement of Roby - linked with Dufty, Drinkwater and finally Ben Currie who put Ashton in at the corner. Ratchford couldn’t add the extras but things were all tied up at 6-6.

For about three minutes, that is. Saints’ second try was controversial. Which is a nice way of saying that referee Smith and his touch judges made what Eddie used to call a porridge of it. Dodd was probing on the left about 35 metres from the Wire line where he found Welsby with a pass which could most generously be described as a bit on the forward side. It allowed Welsby to cause mayhem in the Wolves defensive line, combining with Lomax who found James Bell to his right for a walk-in. Percival was spot on with the conversion again and Saints lead 12-6. 

Saints’ very own mix of frazzled discipline and outstanding defence was to the fore as the Super League’s dominant force preserved their six-point advantage before the break. An offside call was swiftly followed by high shots by Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Sione Mata’utia on Joe Bullock and Drinkwater respectively. That had Warrington camped out inside the Saints 10 metre line but each of the home side’s unimaginative raids were repelled. The danger finally passed when Drinkwater took the eccentric decision to lob the ball across the field towards Ashton early in what turned out to be the final repeat set of a sustained attack. The Saints right edge had a fraught evening but they played their part here and were deservedly let off the hook when Ashton couldn’t haul in Drinkwater’s effort. 

Three minutes into the second half it was Saints’ turn to pitch the tent within spitting distance of the opposing try-line. Wire hung on for a while but looked busted when the ball arrived in Welsby’s hands on the right. Hindsight genius tells me that a simple ball to Hurrell may have produced the desired effect. But that’s not Welsby’s style. He very rarely gets it wrong so it is hard to criticise him too much for choosing instead to try to find Hopoate with a long ball. 

He paid a price for his choice though as Ashton plucked it out of the air and raced 90 metres for his second try of the evening. It was his 15th of the Super League season. Only Leigh’s Josh Charnley and Tom Johnstone of Catalans Dragons have more in 2023. Nobody in Super League has scored more goals than Ratchford either. His latest effort levelled the scores again at 12-12.

His next one followed soon after. Warrington were trying to launch another attack in the Saints half when the ball squirmed away from Clark at the play-the-ball. He didn’t regain his feet to play it, instead trying to get it back into play as quickly as possible. Quick play-the-balls are all the rage these days. This one was a bit of a mess, but Warrington were fortunate that Smith saw the position of Lees at marker as the first offence. The Saints prop wasn’t square and was making Clark’s job more difficult as a result. 

So here we have two players on opposite sides who are both flouting the rules. What does a referee do? This is one of the areas of the game which is most in need of urgent repair and especially now that it has been made even more complex by the nefarious persistence with the six again rule. Survey the fans on which offences carry a full penalty and which invoke another six tackles and I suspect you’ll get a mixed bag of answers. Offside at marker is still a full penalty and the execution of it by Ratchford nudged the home side out to a 14-12 advantage.

Having scored two tries Ashton then arguably saved one when he got a hand to Bell’s attempted pass to Hurrell on the Saints right. The numbers were there in attack and the Tongan would probably have strolled in. Instead it was Warrington who scored next, conjuring up a flowing move covering 85 metres through some floundering defence in the usual location. Currie made the initial break before finding Drinkwater. He handed on to Ratchford who had Dufty in support. He may not be the man to lead your team around from halfback but if you give him possession in space 40 metres from the try line the outcome is usually four points with a chance of six. He was able to dot it down near enough to the posts to allow Ratchford to slot his 64th goal of the season and give his side a 20-12 lead. For the first time the margin was more than a converted try. 

Time to get to work, then. Wellens is paid to make decisions in sticky situations such as this. So it was then that shortly after Dufty crossed the Saints boss threw Alex Walmsley and Morgan Knowles back into proceedings. The whole feeling of the game changed. Saints began to dominate in both attack and defence. Opportunities for Wire to get the ball out left to run at Saints’ beleaguered right edge defenders dried up a little. 

Within two minutes of their reintroduction Knowles’ powerful surge scattered the Wire defenders enough to create space for Lomax to work a little magic. He sliced between Currie and Philbin before exchanging passes with Welsby and scoring beside the posts. It was his seventh try of the season and his 128th in 313 Saints appearances. It was also crucial as Percival’s conversion dragged Saints back to within two points at 20-18. 

Anything Knowles could do Walmsley could match. Seven minutes after Lomax’s try the big prop started the chain of events which put Saints ahead to stay with a typically damaging run. With Wolves defenders backing away Dodd looked left and found Welsby. As he had with Lomax on the previous try Welsby returned the gesture, finding Dodd with a pass which allowed him to stoop low and stretch over to score. There was again a hint of some forward travel about Welsby’s pass but if Smith and his officiating colleagues hadn’t seen the one in the build-up to the Bell try they weren’t about to give this one. It was very marginal in any case. The kind you might have seen given but probably not as often as you have seen it let go. Percival’s fourth goal of the night gave Saints a four-point cushion at 24-20. They still had 12 minutes to play.

That was time enough for Hurrell to flirt with a little disciplinary trouble. He caught Ashton high as the winger was trying to work the ball out from his own end. Smith explained to Hurrell that he had not issued a yellow card only because Ashton was already losing height from contact from another tackler. The penalty was sufficient on the night then, but you pays your money and takes your choice when trying to work out what the MRP will make of it.

Of more immediate concern was holding out defensively as the game entered its final throes. The hosts claimed a repeat set when Welsby batted another Drinkwater grubber dead ahead of Currie.  When it mattered the Saints defence - including its rickety right edge - held firm. A penalty for a ball steal on Saints next set was a huge help. They were backed up near their own line when the ball came free from Hurrell under pressure from Currie and Danny Walker. Debaters on both sides have assured me that the ball was stolen from/knocked on by Hurrell but I am yet to see a television angle which proves either theory. One of them must be right of course but it is another area in which all too often similar looking scenarios produce different outcomes to the bewilderment of fans in the stadium and at home. Video reviews will never end arguments over decisions. That’s really not what they’re there for.

Dudson almost completed an entire game without showing us the weapons grade shithousery he learned in his Wigan days. Almost, but not quite. And when he snapped it relieved a lot of pressure on Saints with just minutes remaining. He was busy with some unnecessary wrestling of an already grounded Lees when he then hit upon the not very bright idea of pushing his knee into Lees’ head as the Saints man lay on the floor. How Smith did not consider this deserving of a yellow card is quite the mystery. One which will hopefully be put to bed by our friends at the MRP. It could be a busy week for them but then…what else is new?

When Connor Wrench spilled the ball at the end of a flowing move involving Matty Russell and Peter Mata’utia the jig looked up for Wire and Saints looked safe. It only remained for the champs’ prospective new recruit Clark to fumble at the play-the-ball in the last act of the contest. 

Stats tell you a lot of things but sometimes they lie in your face. For example, the fact that Hopoate led Saints in metres made with 160 might make you think he was a standout player. And while he did a good job of returning kicks to set up good field position he was also part of a defensive edge that was not so much turnstile or wet paper towel as gaping canyon. Warrington continually went around them rather than through them owing to the speed of Ashton and Dufty. They combined for 362 metres with most of it emerging from that side of the field. That also tells a story.

Other than Hopoate Saints’ best go-forward men were Sione Mata’utia (129 metres), Walmsley (117), Lomax (105) and Percival (102). Besides Ashton and Dufty Vaughan (139), Bullock (115) and Russell (100) made solid contributions. 

Clark topped Warrington’s tackle count with 34 with both Vaughan and Currie just a couple behind on 32. For Saints Lees weighed in with 40 stops, Knowles had 32 and Roby 31. 

Next up Saints face what could be a pivotal assignment when the Dragons visit. It represents an opportunity to get into an excellent position in the face for the League Leaders Shield. A race which Saints have hardly looked like being involved in this year. Yet it’s a realistic prospect, which is testament to the resilience they have shown under Wellens when their top form has eluded them. 

I must confess to being a tad concerned about what havoc Johnstone and Matt Ikuvalu might wreak against Hurrell and Hopoate. The return of Batchelor would help but with the Challenge Cup semi-final nine days later it seems a long shot. We might just have to take heart from the fact that if they can’t beat Huddersfield then Catalans can’t be all that and a bag of chips.

Warrington: Dufty, Russell, Minikin, Ratchford, Ashton, Mata’utia, Drinkwater, Dudson, Clark, Vaughan, Currie, Whitehead, Philbin. Interchanges: Walker, Bullock, Holroyd, Green

Saints: Welsby, Hopoate, Hurrell, Percival, Bennison, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Roby. Lees, Mata’utia, Bell, Knowles. Interchanges: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Delaney, Paasi, Lussick

Referee: Jack Smith

Saints v Warrington Wolves - Preview

The jockeying for places in the top six continues when Saints visit Warrington on Friday night (July 7, kick-off 8.00pm).

The champions lie fifth in the current standings following last week’s rain soaked 22-0 home win over Castleford Tigers. If that position seems underwhelming it should not be forgotten that Paul Wellens’ side have a game in hand on all of the other sides in the mix for a playoff berth. Victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium will see Saints climb above the Wolves into the top four. Should that happen then the red vee will remain on course to get into the top two with a big enough win in that crucial, yet to be arranged game in hand at home to Huddersfield Giants. 

The biggest obstacle to that eventuality is arguably not the hapless, process following Giants but the question of where the fixture will be slotted into the schedule. If Saints make it to the Challenge Cup final then the Giants fixture may need to be played in midweek at some point. Which - should it come to pass - looks an awful lot like punishment for firstly enhancing the league’s reputation by winning the world title on Australian soil and secondly for doing well in the cup. Pardon us for being a bit handy at this game.

But as regular readers will be aware this column is not for banging on about how wronged we have been. Our level of success makes all anti-Saints conspiracy theories obsolete. So let’s stay optimistic shall we? For all their inconsistencies the winners of the last four Super League titles could yet end the 2023 regular season just one home win away from another Grand Final appearance. And if that happens few would bet against them sealing a fifth consecutive Super League title. 

Meanwhile Warrington are heading in the wrong direction after a sensational start to 2023 which had their fan base booking hotels in Manchester for October 14. It’s a strange quirk of human nature that many fans of the trophy collecting juggernaut that is Saints think the world is against them while most followers of title starved, Devon Loch tribute act Warrington seem to be eternally optimistic. 

The Wolves fans’ faith has been tested recently. Last week’s 22-6 home defeat by Leeds Rhinos saw Daryl Powell’s side slip down to fourth by the end of the weekend having been second at the start of it. It was a sixth defeat in their last nine league outings for Wire who have also been knocked out of the Challenge Cup during that run. 

All of which is the polar opposite of how they began the campaign. They won their first eight Super League games in a row to start the year, not tasting defeat until a 13-6 reverse at home to Wigan in mid-April. They should still be in the shake-up when the knockout games begin in September but their path to Old Trafford might look a little more challenging than they would have hoped and believed at Easter. 

One of the issues facing Saints at the moment is the loss of key players through injuries. The squad has not looked quite as deep this year as it has in the four previous seasons when they emerged with the big prize. That problem isn’t going away as yet. Wellens has made only one change to his 21-man squad from last week and that is largely because none of Tommy Makinson, Tee Ritson, Curtis Sironen or Joe Batchelor are available at the moment. The latter made the 21 last week but was withdrawn on the day of the Tigers game with a hamstring injury. That is expected to keep him out for at least a couple of weeks so Lewis Baxter comes into the squad.

When match day rolls around Wellens may at least have the benefit of being able to name an unchanged 17. Some would argue that you can’t put a price on consistency of selection even if you have to keep naming a side missing key players. Not that there isn’t plenty of quality remaining at Wellens’ disposal. Usual suspects Jack Welsby at fullback and centres Konrad Hurrell and Mark Percival pick themselves even when everyone is fit.  The problem is on the wings with Makinson and Ritson out. Will Hopoate had a fine game against Cas in relief of Makinson and should keep his place if fit. Meanwhile on the other side Jon Bennison claimed a try, over 200 metres on the ground and player of the match honours on his second consecutive start. 

With Welsby seemingly entrenched at fullback Jonny Lomax and Lewis Dodd are unchallenged for their places in the halves. Many - including me - have questioned whether fullback is Welsby’s best position. He has endured a series of defensive mishaps which coupled with the disappointing form of Dodd has left us wondering whether he might be better suited to a halfback role. There is definitely a movement among the fans for Welsby to make that switch but it’s probably a non starter at the moment with would be replacement fullback Bennison covering absence on the wing. For now we’re all just going to have to trust that Wellens - an all-time great fullback - knows what he is doing with the number one position.

The loss of both Sironen and Batchelor is a blow but if there is one area of the side where Saints remain pretty stacked with quality it is in the second row. Sione Mata’utia only lost his starting role because of a combination of his head injuries and the form of Sironen and Batchelor. The former Australian Kangaroos representative would start regularly for most other Super League sides. Meanwhile James Bell is often a victim of his own versatility but should get the nod to start on the right edge. Morgan Knowles is coming off his best performance of the season against Castleford and is hopefully coming into form at the right time.

Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees are a fixture in the starting prop roles as is James Roby at hooker. For a few months longer in any case. Wellens has publicly acknowledged that leaving out Joey Lussick as Roby’s bench relief in recent matches was a mistake so expect to see the ex-Salford man feature in the 17. The more taxing decision for Wellens is about who backs up Walmsley and Lees at prop among the interchanges. Agnatius Paasi tends to be included whenever he is fit. Until recently the same could be said about Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Yet he missed out when Sironen and Batchelor were fit to allow space on the bench for Mata’utia and Bell. With those two out the Londoner should add to his 360 Saints appearances. George Delaney impressed against Castleford and fully deserves to keep his place among the interchange options.

Warrington should be much stronger for the return of George Williams. The former Wigan and Canberra man has missed the last two through injury but returns to Powell’s 21 this week. That will come as a relief to Warrington fans who have endured Powell’s tinkering in the halves over the course of defeats to Castleford and Leeds. With Josh Drinkwater returning last week Powell should be able to pair him with Williams in one of Super League’s stronger halfback combinations. That will also allow those who have been used as stop gap halves like Matt Dufty and Stefan Ratchford to return to their  more familiar roles at fullback and centre respectively.

Across the three-quarter line Ratchford and Matty Ashton look certainties. Powell’s loyalty to ex-Cas man Peter Mata’utia could see Sione’s brother feature while Matty Russell and Josh Thewlis are the main contenders for the right wing spot.

There will be at least one change to the prop rotation for Wire with Sam Kasiano joining James Harrison on the suspension naughty step. The ex-Catalans Dragon copped a one-game ban for dangerous contact in the loss to the Rhinos. Youngsters Lucas Green and Adam Holroyd will hope for an opportunity to fill the giant Kasiano’s regular interchange role behind starting props Gil Dudson and early season superstar Paul Vaughan. 

The apparently mutual decision to release ableist trouble magnet Josh McGuire and the loss of Thomas Mikaele for family reasons have not helped Warrington. Joes Philbin and Bullock could have a big role to play along with Ben Currie. Rumoured Saints transfer target Daryl Clark has a role off the bench for Wire at the moment with Danny Walker emerging as one of the best nines in the competition. 

The sides have met just once so far in 2023. On that night back in April Saints produced one of their best displays of the season in a 28-6 home win. Saints scored five tries that night, the pick of which was Bennison’s as he sent Dufty out into the car park with an outrageous dummy. Lomax, Ritson, Hopoate and Hurrell all crossed that night also as the world champions dominated.

Saints have a great recent record at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. They have not tasted defeat there since a pre-pandemic 19-0 loss in February 2020. Only five of the 17 on duty for Saints in that one have a chance of being involved here. Only six remain for Warrington. A lot has changed in the intervening years. Except the identity of the team picking up the trophy at the end of the season.

At a time when too many league games lack jeopardy this one has plenty on it beyond the humdrum of another local spat. Warrington have to arrest their recent slide sooner rather than later while Saints cannot afford to miss this opportunity to get back in the mix for a top two finish. It shouldn’t lack intensity. Wire will be a different beast if Williams and Drinkwater are reunited but I’m still going for Saints to maintain their recent record at Warrington with a one or two score win. Saints by eight.

Squads;

Warrington Wolves;

Matty Ashton, Joe Bullock, Daryl Clark, Ben Currie, Josh Drinkwater, Gil Dudson, Matt Dufty, Lucas Green, Adam Holroyd, Peter Mata’utia, Greg Minikin, Joe Philbin, Stefan Ratchford, Matty Russell, Josh Thewlis, Luke Thomas, Paul Vaughan, Danny Walker, Tom Whitehead, George Williams, Connor Wrench.

Saints;

1. Jack Welsby, 3. Will Hopoate, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Joey Lussick, 15. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 19. James Bell, 21. Ben Davies,22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 24. Lewis Baxter, 25. Tee Ritson, 30. George Delaney

Referee: Jack Smith

Saints 22 Castleford Tigers 0 - Review

It was never going to be flashy in the conditions, but Saints responded to last week’s hammering at Hull FC with this fairly routine 22-0 success over Castleford Tigers on Friday night (June 30).

The wretched conditions were no clue to the fact that this one was played on the last day of June. Yet as we go into July Paul Wellens’ side are fifth in the Super League table with a game in hand on all those above them. Victory at Warrington next Friday night (July 7) will take Saints above Daryl Powell’s side and into the top four. Possibly even higher if other results go their way.

If last week’s team selection was slightly eccentric from Wellens this week’s tinkering was more or less forced on him. Curtis Sironen joined Tommy Makinson on the injured list and so Sione Mata’utia started for the first time since the Challenge Cup win at Halifax in mid-May. His last start in Super League had been a month prior to that in the 14-6 defeat at Wigan on Good Friday.

On the other side of the back row Joe Batchelor was also missing. He pulled up with a tight hamstring earlier in the day and will miss a couple of weeks at least. His place in the side went to James Bell who had been unfortunate not to have made a start since the Magic Weekend drubbing of Huddersfield Giants. That has been mostly due to the presence of Morgan Knowles who was mercifully moved back into his familiar loose forward role after filling the hooking role last week. James Roby was restored to that position with Joey Lussick available off the bench as sanity prevailed.

Along with Makinson Saints were without Tee Ritson on the opposite wing.  The ex-Barrow Raider had started the last nine in a row - scoring just the solitary try in the win over Warrington on April 20. A knee problem kept him out of this one which meant Jon Bennison kept his place. Makinson’s absence was covered by Will Hopoate, not required in the centres thanks to the return from concussion protocols of Mark Percival.

Riley Dean came in for a Tigers debut after joining on loan from Wire. He slotted into the halves alongside Jacob Miller as Jack Broadbent moved to nine to cover for the injured Nathan Massey. Joe Westerman was conspicuous by his absence so Sam Hall was given the loose forward role. This column will refrain from speculating about Westerman’s whereabouts but you can write your own jokes.

It was a very cagey affair early on. Both teams forced what turned out to be fruitless goal-line dropouts in the opening minutes. Castleford’s came on the back of a 40/20 by Dean who at times looked to be everything that Warrington are currently missing. But defences weren’t being tested by attacking play of any great complexity due to the persistent rain which was falling almost throughout and which had been around for hours before kick-off. Tackling was proving to be easier than handling in the soggy conditions. 

The only try of the first half hour was scored by Mata’utia. Lewis Dodd lobbed a high ball towards the Saints left wing where Cas winger Will Tate spilled it. Mata’utia was first to react as he plunged over. It was his first try of what has been a stop-start season for him personally. It was a nice way to mark his 50th appearance for the club since joining from Newcastle Knights at the start of the 2021 season. Percival couldn’t add the extras so Saints led just 4-0.

All of which was reminiscent of Castleford’s second visit to Saints of 2019 when the only points in a 4-0 win were provided by a Regan Grace try. Saints won only 10-0 when the Tigers returned almost exactly a year later thanks to three Percival goals and a Theo Fages try. With the rain coming down sideways there was every chance that this was going to be a relatively low scoring clash.

The champions should have added to their tally when Jonny Lomax made inroads down the right and tried to find Konrad Hurrell in space close to the line. But as the defence closed in the Tongan centre was not able to take the pass in and the chance was gone. 

The atmosphere was fairly flat at this point which is understandable. When you are cold and wet and defences are dominating the caution heavy attacks you don’t really have cause to get too excited. Jack Welsby improved the mood a few minutes before half-time when he crossed for Saints’ second try, his sixth try of the Super League season and his ninth in all competitions in 2023. 

Kenny Edwards came up with an error deep in his own territory providing Saints with the field position. Roby picked up from the base of the scrum and found Lomax who shifted it on to Welsby. The fullback stepped casually inside the over-pursuing Alex Sutcliffe to go over untouched. This time Percival added the extras, at that point his 14th goal of the season and his 247th  in 210 Saints appearances. A more than decent return for an occasional and often reluctant goal-kicker. He would improve on those figures by the end.

Saints were not exactly lighting up our Friday evening but nor did they look particularly threatened as the teams turned around with just those 10 points between them. Most of the action had taken place at the West end of the ground which Saints had been attacking even if Wellens’ side had not created bundles of chances. Their attacking play can best be described as functional, with a limited kicking game which for the most part was being dealt with by ex-England man Gareth Widdop at fullback. Widdop is a veteran of 195 NRL appearances during spells with Melbourne Storm and St George-Illawarra Dragons. He was not going to be easily flustered by the same old high balls, rain or no rain.

Dean came to the rescue to snuff out Saints’ first chance of the second half. He was on hand to intercept Percival’s attempted offload to Bennison close to the left touchline after Lomax had again been the architect of the opportunity, 

Conditions were so bad that even Roby managed to butcher Saints’ next chance by knocking on at the play-the-ball just a few metres out. Yet the captain was inevitably involved when the third Saints try arrived. He linked up with Dodd and Lomax as they worked the ball out to Bennison on the left touchline. He seemed to have almost no room to work with but after skilfully skirting the sideline he showed great strength as he barrelled into Widdop and plonked the ball down as the Cas fullback tried to cover the danger. Percival’s second goal of the night pretty much put the result beyond doubt at 16-0.

There were some strange goings on as Percival jogged back to his own half for the restart.  He was involved in what seemed a lengthy discussion with one of the medical team. As the conversation wore on it seemed that Percival was becoming more and more animated. It’s wild speculation but it looked a lot like the medical man was trying and failing to persuade Percival to leave the field. 

I can’t imagine that it was anything related to another head knock. Had it been so he surely would have left the scene without any say in the matter. Gone are the days when players are able to decide for themselves how fit they are to continue, especially when it comes to injuries to the head. Percival made it through the remainder of the game so we can only assume (and hope) that whatever was being discussed did not present any risk to any part of his anatomy. He is going to be needed at Warrington this week.

When Cas came closest to scoring Saints had Hopoate to thank for a stellar defensive effort. Miller placed a lob to the left corner - not unlike the one Dodd came up with earlier for the Mata’utia try. Jason Qareqare - a man who has previous for scoring against Saints - reeled it in but before he could think about grounding the ball he was hauled into touch by Hopoate short of the line. The former Canterbury Bulldog didn’t offer much in attack - most of the 125 metres he gained were in other areas of the field - but he showed his defensive qualities and the value of his experience here. It was the most important of his 10 tackles while he did not miss one all night.

Lomax had two presentable opportunities to get over for a try but came up empty on each occasion. First he was unable to handle Bell’s pass close to the line before he was denied by a combination of the Tigers defence and the goalpost. Receiving it from Lussick the Saints stand-off jinked inside two Cas defenders and burrowed low for the line. As the defence desperately tried to push him back or at least get something under the ball to prevent the grounding Lomax appeared to collide with the post and land the wrong side of the try line from a Saints point of view. 

When the final Saints try did arrive Lomax was inevitably involved. An error by former Saint Jordan Turner gave Saints good ball in Tigers territory to allow Lussick to feed Lomax. He found Percival on the left edge and - showing no obvious physical effects - the centre used Bennison as a foil before cutting inside and scoring his fourth try of another season which has been affected by injuries. It was only Percival’s 11th appearance of the season and his ninth out of a possible 16 Super League outings. 

His fitness or otherwise could be a big key to igniting a Saints attack which has scored only 60 tries this term. Even allowing for the game in hand that is still a long way behind the 81 bagged by the Catalans Dragons who are the leaders in both try scoring and in the Super League standings. That’s probably not a coincidence.  Saints have scored 135 points fewer than the Dragons in 2023. It seems clear where improvement is most needed. Percival goaled his own try to give him a 10-point haul for the night and Saints a 22-0 lead. 

That was the way it stayed in what was an error strewn ending to the game for both sides. It all came to a conclusion when Widdop made a half break only to be pushed into touch by Hurrell. He had left the scene earlier but fears of any injury concerns look to have been allayed by his return. He did replace Hopoate however, which might not be great news considering his miserable fitness record during his two seasons in St Helens. 

Though it was helped by the conditions and arguably the level of the opponent Saints’ defence was the major plus to take out of this one. It was their second clean sheet of the season having won 38-0 at hime to Wakefield on the last day of March. That was at a time when everybody seemed to be shutting out Trinity but overall the defensive numbers for Saints are still a source of great encouragement. They have the best defence in the league, conceding an average of only a hair above 14 points per game. The next best is Wigan who average around 15.5. The ability to keep opponents off your try line is always crucial but never more so than at playoff time. Providing they find enough consistency to stay in the top six Saints’ defence will give them a shot at going all the way for a fifth year in a row. Even if the attack veers between the chaotic and the toothless at times. Particularly when it rains it seems.

Bennison picked up the sponsor’s player of the match award and the statistics show why. He made more metres than anyone else on the field. Many of his 206 metres came from returning kicks but that is a valuable skill as it usually results in starting sets in good field position. Alex Walmsley was Saints’ next best with 138 followed by the 125 managed by Hopoate. Bell (115), Percival (112), Welsby (106) and Knowles (106) all topped the century mark also. Knowles’ effort was almost double his average per game for the season coming in. It would be nice to think that he is finding some form after what has been a pretty turbulent year so far for the England international.

Cas did not have a single player over the 100 mark which speaks to the quality of Saints’ defence and is a reasonable indicator of which part of the field most of the game was played in. 

Saints’ top tackler was Bell with 41. Of the others only Roby was required to make more than 30. He registered another 31 to take him over 400 for the season at an average of 28.9 per game. That’s still a couple ahead of the industrious Bell who manages 27.3 per game. Perhaps because of the fact that Saints regularly dominate possession the only one of their number in the top 20 for tackles is Matty Lees. While restricting himself to 28 in this game Lees is the only Saint with over 500 on the year with 518 at an average of 34.5 per game. This was a relative night off for him, albeit a wet one.

No such rest for the Tigers players, seven of whom had to make over 30 stops. Broadbent’s workload soared with his switch to hooker as he led all tacklers with 53. Sam Hall recovered from an early HIA to make 37 while George Griffin had 36. Brad Martin (34), Liam Watts (31), Edwards and Sutcliffe (both 30) were the other overworked defenders for Andy Last’s side.

Considering the monsoon the error count was nothing extraordinary for either side. Saints came up with 11 which is only slightly up on their season average before kick-off of 10.4 per game. Cas managed to make only eight handling errors - a big improvement on the 13 per game they averaged coming in. But then you could make the argument that you are going to make fewer errors if you allow your opponents to dominate possession so much.  Cas’ tally of just three offloads is an indicator of both their reluctance to be expansive in the deluge but also of the amount of time they spent playing without the ball. By contrast Saints came up with nine.

As much as I dislike conservative tactics sometimes you have to win ugly. This was one such occasion given the weather and I’m sure we’d all settle for something similar in the trip to Warrington in a few days time. Powell’s side are in the midst of a major wobble having won only three of their last nine league outings. That comes after winning their first eight in a row and threatening to have the League Leaders Shield in the bag by now. Instead they are fourth and will slip further if Saints can turn them over for a second time in 2023. Saints have a decent record at the Halliwell Jones Stadium having not lost there since before the start of the pandemic in 2020. It could be a vital two points this time around. Second place is well within reach now that the teams just below the Dragons have become bunched together so tightly.

The so-called ‘drive for five’ is alive.

Saints;

Welsby, Hopoate, Hurrell, Percival, Bennison, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Mata’utia, Bell, Knowles. Interchanges: Lussick, Paasi, Delaney, McCarthy-Scarsbrook

Castleford:

Widdop, Tate, Turner, Mellor, Qareqare, Dean, Miller, Watts, Broadbent, Griffin, Edwards, Sutcliffe, Hall. Interchanges: Robb, Mustapha, Vete, Martin

Referee: Aaron Moore.