The Sign Of A Champion Side
Despite a comfortable enough 36-10 win over Leeds Rhinos the general consensus was that Saints had under-performed. Following an early blitz when Saints went 12-0 up inside four minutes through tries from Kevin Naiqama and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook there were long periods of scrappiness from Justin Holbrook’s side. The Rhinos never really looked like winning but nor did Saints build on the promise of that early salvo. It took two more tries in a three-minute spell at the end by James Bentley and McCarthy-Scarsbrook to put a little gloss on what was a fairly ugly win at times.
Saints came up with 20 errors on the night with Alex Walmsley and Aaron Smith the main culprits with three each. Leeds added 16 of their own making for a bitty, stop-start affair. That was probably more to the liking of Richard Agar’s men who coming in had been expected to struggle given the way their season has gone so far. They have won just 6 of their 18 league encounters in 2019 and find themselves in a real battle to avoid relegation. To that end they may take a lot of positives from the way they managed to frustrate the league leaders for large parts of the game.
For Saints there shouldn’t be too much concern. They registered their second consecutive win since going down to London on June 9 and did so despite the continuation of Holbrook’s rotation policy which saw both Morgan Knowles and Joseph Paulo given the week off. With James Roby injured and Mark Percival and Zeb Taia both meeting with varying degrees of physical misfortune it was clearly not Saints at full tilt. But if you can win this comfortably when you are not playing particularly well it has to give you confidence. Is this a sign of a champion team?
Did Holbrook Get The Selection Right?
We seem to be asking this question more and more every week as the coach presses on with his bid to manage the workload of his players. Most of Saints’ top-line players have found themselves left out of the reckoning at some stage this season. That’s quite a significant departure from last season when Holbrook went with his strongest team week after week after week until it finally ran out of batteries and fell in a heap. By September Saints were so bad that Tom Lineham was jogging through them with impunity.
It is important to learn from that and Holbrook’s team selections over the last month or so indicate that he has. I would just slightly question the wisdom of resting both Knowles and Paulo in the same week. These are the only specialist loose forwards in the squad who offer anything like that balance of work-rate and creativity that you’d want from your 13. McCarthy-Scarsbrook stepped in admirably but when he plays there he does so as an auxiliary prop forward. He doesn’t have the handling skills or the game sense for the role and in any case he was forced to fill in at the second row position when Taia left the scene. With Roby out it might just have been prudent to include one of Knowles or Paulo just to give the attack that little bit of poise and composure that seemed to be lacking at times.
In Praise Of LMS
On the subject of big Louie it is time to give him some of what the annoying ‘yoof’ might refer to as ‘props’. Regular readers will know that if I had any say in the matter the London-born forward would have begun plying his trade elsewhere some years ago. Yet he was probably the star turn for Saints in this one.
Only Smith came up with more than McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s 33 tackles. He missed only three and although four Saints forwards made more ground than the former Broncos man a return of 80 metres from 11 carries is more than decent for a player playing half the game at loose forward and the other half in the second row. He also threw in three offloads, making only one error. Yet it was the two tries he scored, first taking Lachlan Coote’s pass to go over untouched and add to Naiqama’s early score and then crashing through four would-be tacklers to seal the win which his legions of fans will be most happy with. No doubt we could have done without the Michael McIntyre tribute act in celebration of his second but nobody can accuse enthusiasm’s McCarthy-Scarsbrook of failing to enjoy his work.
LMS is not likely to be a starter when everyone is fit but he will certainly play a key role in Saints’ bid to reach both Wembley and Old Trafford.
Taia Injury A Major Blow
Men like McCarthy-Scarsbrook may need to play an even more pivotal role over the coming weeks following the injury to Taia. The former Catalans Dragons man hit the deck like a female Cameroon footballer after a heavy second half challenge. At first glance it looked like Taia may have just taken one in the face from one of Leeds’ band of gnarled and frustrated head-hunting forwards but when he was led from the field in obvious pain by the medical staff, holding his arm perfectly still as he walked, it seemed evident that something more was amiss.
As it turned out Taia had dislocated his shoulder and faces an anxious wait before scans later this week will determine the extent of the damage. The obvious, whacking great Dumbo in the room is the prospect of a serious lay-off forcing Taia to miss the anticipated trip to Wembley. Saints aren’t there yet, still needing to beat Halifax to get to a first Challenge Cup final in 11 years, but it would be a brave punter who bets against them overcoming the Championship side in Bolton in July 27.
Taia’s absence Wembley would not only be a crushing blow for him but also a pretty savage smack on the head for the team. He has been outstanding this season, earning a new one-year deal at the club when many thought he would be moved on. Even in this game which ended early for him he racked up 120 metres on nine carries and effected 18 tackles. His partnership on that left edge of Saints attack with Mark Percival and Regan Grace will be out of commission for a while with Percival also leaving this one early with a tight hamstring. Saints should have the squad to cope for now but you fancy we’d rather face the knockout games at the end of the year with Taia than without him.
Plane Arrogance Or Good Marketing?
The next assignment facing the Taia-less, tireless Saints is a trip to Warrington on Friday night (June 28). It is first versus second and could go a long way to helping Saints wrap up a second consecutive League Leaders Shield. We had a loud reminder that this challenge was on the horizon as some wayward wolf saw fit to fly a plane over the stadium sporting a banner which read ‘The Wolves Are Waiting’ throughout the first 20 minutes of this one.
The first point to make is that it greatly reduced my enjoyment of that opening period of the game. I had come to watch a rugby league match not to see a display from the red fucking arrows. The low drone of the aeroplane was quite nauseating.
Other than that I don’t take too much offence to it. Some fans have complained that it is arrogant and that a reminder of it should be all Holbrook needs to help motivate his players next week. But when you’re six points adrift and preparing for what will be your last chance to stay in the race for top spot I’m not sure you have too much to be arrogant about. Others say it is just good marketing and have applauded Warrington for a number of similar publicity stunts before big games this term. I can see that argument but I would ask Warrington exactly who they think they are marketing the game to? Saints fans in the ground for the Leeds game already know about the Wire game as you would expect do most fans watching on Sky Sports.
Perhaps they might have considered taking a flight path somewhere over Warrington town centre.
Saints v Leeds Rhinos - Preview
A classic rivalry is renewed this weekend, albeit with the two combatants in varying states of health, as Leeds travel to St Helens for a Betfred Super League Round 19 meeting on Friday night (June 21, kick-off 7.45pm).
Ordinarily this would be a high-stakes, top of the table clash but although Saints have kept up their end of the bargain winning 16 of their 18 league outings so far the Rhinos have toiled. Still coach-less after the sacking of David Furner in early May Leeds have won just six times so far in 2019 and find themselves locked in a three-way tie at the bottom of the league with London Broncos and Hull KR ahead of the meeting between those two on Thursday night (June 20). With one club sure to go down to the Championship at the end of the season Leeds’ need is desperate.
Unfortunately for them Justin Holbrook’s side returned to form with a 38-2 dismissal of Huddersfield Giants last weekend. There had been a blip as an under-strength side went to London a week previously and left with a 23-22 Golden Point defeat, but all the signs from the Giants game were that with everyone back on deck Saints will be as formidable as they have been for most of the regular season so far. That London defeat was only their second of the year, the other coming in Perpignan in early April when they went down 18-10 to Catalans Dragons.
Holbrook has taken the opportunity that his side’s lead at the top of the Super League table affords him to rest a few players over recent weeks. Five players missed the trip to London while last week it was the turn of Regan Grace, Dominique Peyroux and Matty Lees to miss out along with the injured James Roby. The latter remains side-lined but Grace and Lees return to the 19-man squad for this one and Peyroux is expected to be restored to the starting line-up. That looks even more likely given that Joseph Paulo, who replaced Peyroux in the team last week, is one of those to be stood down for this week as Holbrook continues his rotation policy in a bid to keep everyone fresh for the real do or die games at the end of the season. Adam Swift also misses out after starting against both London and Huddersfield in his final year as a Saint before his move to Hull FC.
Lachlan Coote is the subject of much talk of a Great Britain call-up in the wake of Wayne Bennett’s gum-flapping about heritage players. The Scottish international is the best fullback in Super League this year and, along with the likes of Roby and Jonny Lomax is capable of transforming Saints into a different proposition altogether with his mere presence. Grace’s return and Swift’s omission should mean that the Welshman will start on the left wing outside of Mark Percival, with Kevin Naiqama and Tommy Makinson forming the centre-wing partnership on the right hand side.
There is no place in the squad for Danny Richardson for a second consecutive week so expect Lomax to start at stand-off and Theo Fages to continue at scrum-half. Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson have reignited their devastating front row combination since the return to fitness of the latter who has also been the subject of Bennett’s wisdom this week. Thompson was widely linked with a move to the NRL and in particular South Sydney Roosters where Bennett moonlights as the head coach when he is not picking John Bateman to play at centre in international rugby league. Bennett’s musings about the possibility of Thompson making it big down under did not go down very well with Saints Chairman Eamonn McManus, a man never short of a word or two on most rugby-league issues, who let it be known in no uncertain terms that he did not welcome any approaches for Thompson while he is still under contract to Saints. Thompson is tied to Saints until the end of next season after which you would not begrudge him the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of James Graham, Bateman and the Burgess brothers and test himself in the strongest competition there is at domestic level. But those who say that McManus is behaving childishly in complaining about the perceived ‘tapping up’ of Thompson are also those who do not watch him dominate games for their team on a weekly basis. Thompson is the real deal and any club chairman not doing everything in his power to retain his services is not doing his job properly. Perhaps we could have done without Super League big cheese Robert Elstone’s comments on the subject but on the other hand that bastion of all things wonderful the NRL takes the view that any players leaving its exalted boundaries does not get selected for Australia. Why should we not go that extra mile to keep our best players in our competition if it is at all possible?
With Roby out Aaron Smith should continue at hooker with Peyroux slotting into his usual second row berth alongside Zeb Taia. Behind them Morgan Knowles will tackle anything within a 100-mile radius at loose forward. The bench options are boosted by the news that Jack Ashworth’s one match ban for a Grade A offence in the Huddersfield game has been overturned on appeal, which if nothing else is one in the eye for the Facebook conspiracy theorists who insist that every disciplinary decision is made with the expressed intention of shafting Saints. Ashworth should make the bench and be joined by regular pine-dweller Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Lees and one of Kyle Amor, James Bentley or Matty Costello.
Leeds come in off the back of a 23-14 defeat to Wigan that was perhaps a little more encouraging in terms of the performance but still left them in dire straits in terms of the mathematics of the competition. You don't get anything for making a decent fist of it. Their major absentee for this one will be Tui Lolohea who is on international duty with Tonga. Jack Walker and Ash Handley are named in the 19 selected by interim coach Richard Agar but both have injury clouds hanging over them and could miss out. Kallum Watkins is included ahead of his planned move to Gold Coast Titans in July while others to watch out for are former Australian test forward Trent Merrin, hooking duo Matt Parcell and Brad Dwyer and blockbusting, battering ram Konrad Hurrell at left centre. Hurrell produced an explosive performance when Leeds visited Saints in February as the Rhinos took a 22-10 half-time lead. Neither he nor they could sustain that level in the second half as they eventually went down 27-22.
If Leeds’ three-quarter line which also features former England man Tom Briscoe is a match for most at this level then it is perhaps in the trenches where they will be found out. Props Adam Cuthbertson and Brad Singleton are capable but are not in the kind of form which should trouble their Saints counterparts, while Watkins and Liam Sutcliffe have been used at various times in the second row which is clearly not ideal. Stevie Ward appears to have more injury problems than Sean O’Loughlin and Daniel Sturridge combined and is again on the list of no-shows for Leeds.
That means the gaps will have to be filled by the more inexperienced men like Cameron Smith (not that one), Mikolaj Oledzki and recently imported Ava Seumanufagai. The latter played over 100 games in the NRL in a four-year spell at Wests Tigers but only mustered 13 in his two-year stint with Cronulla Sharks before joining the Rhinos. Wellington Albert is also included in the 19 along with young three-quarter Harry Newman who may start should Agar decide to continue to employ Watkins as a second row forward. Brett Ferres and Richard Myler offer experience to the Leeds outfit but there has to be serious questions about the kind of quality that either are providing at this stage of their careers. Myler may have an even more difficult time without Lolohea although Agar does have the option of deploying Sutcliffe in the halves should he be able to fill the gaps in the side elsewhere.
There are too many ifs and buts about the Leeds squad at the moment to really see them storming into St Helens and emerging with the two competition points. They have a decent record overall at Saints, the only team to win there during the regular season last year when Ben Barba was riding roughshod over everything in his path. Before that you only have to go back to 2015 for Leeds’ last win at the stadium formerly known as Langtree Park when they blitzed Keiron Cunningham’s side 41-16 on their way to a domestic treble that this season has seemed a world away for Rhinos fans. Yet even in defeat at Saints they have gone close in recent years, their last three defeats there coming by a combined total of 11 points. It could be a close one just because these fixtures often tend to be, but anything but a Saints win would qualify as a fairly sizeable shock.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 6. Theo Fages 8. Alex Walmsley 10. Luke Thompson 11. Zeb Taia 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 15. Morgan Knowles 16. Kyle Amor 17. Dominique Peyroux 19. Matty Lees 20. Jack Ashworth 21. Aaron Smith 22. James Bentley 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello
Leeds Rhinos;
Jack Walker, Tom Briscoe, Kallum Watkins, Konrad Hurrell, Ash Handley, Richie Myler, Adam Cuthbertson, Matt Parcell, Brad Singleton, Trent Merrin, Brad Dwyer, Liam Sutcliffe, Brett Ferres, Mikolaj Oledzki, Cameron Smith, James Donaldson, Harry Newman, Wellington Albert, Ava Seumanufagai.
Referee: Ben Thaler
Ordinarily this would be a high-stakes, top of the table clash but although Saints have kept up their end of the bargain winning 16 of their 18 league outings so far the Rhinos have toiled. Still coach-less after the sacking of David Furner in early May Leeds have won just six times so far in 2019 and find themselves locked in a three-way tie at the bottom of the league with London Broncos and Hull KR ahead of the meeting between those two on Thursday night (June 20). With one club sure to go down to the Championship at the end of the season Leeds’ need is desperate.
Unfortunately for them Justin Holbrook’s side returned to form with a 38-2 dismissal of Huddersfield Giants last weekend. There had been a blip as an under-strength side went to London a week previously and left with a 23-22 Golden Point defeat, but all the signs from the Giants game were that with everyone back on deck Saints will be as formidable as they have been for most of the regular season so far. That London defeat was only their second of the year, the other coming in Perpignan in early April when they went down 18-10 to Catalans Dragons.
Holbrook has taken the opportunity that his side’s lead at the top of the Super League table affords him to rest a few players over recent weeks. Five players missed the trip to London while last week it was the turn of Regan Grace, Dominique Peyroux and Matty Lees to miss out along with the injured James Roby. The latter remains side-lined but Grace and Lees return to the 19-man squad for this one and Peyroux is expected to be restored to the starting line-up. That looks even more likely given that Joseph Paulo, who replaced Peyroux in the team last week, is one of those to be stood down for this week as Holbrook continues his rotation policy in a bid to keep everyone fresh for the real do or die games at the end of the season. Adam Swift also misses out after starting against both London and Huddersfield in his final year as a Saint before his move to Hull FC.
Lachlan Coote is the subject of much talk of a Great Britain call-up in the wake of Wayne Bennett’s gum-flapping about heritage players. The Scottish international is the best fullback in Super League this year and, along with the likes of Roby and Jonny Lomax is capable of transforming Saints into a different proposition altogether with his mere presence. Grace’s return and Swift’s omission should mean that the Welshman will start on the left wing outside of Mark Percival, with Kevin Naiqama and Tommy Makinson forming the centre-wing partnership on the right hand side.
There is no place in the squad for Danny Richardson for a second consecutive week so expect Lomax to start at stand-off and Theo Fages to continue at scrum-half. Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson have reignited their devastating front row combination since the return to fitness of the latter who has also been the subject of Bennett’s wisdom this week. Thompson was widely linked with a move to the NRL and in particular South Sydney Roosters where Bennett moonlights as the head coach when he is not picking John Bateman to play at centre in international rugby league. Bennett’s musings about the possibility of Thompson making it big down under did not go down very well with Saints Chairman Eamonn McManus, a man never short of a word or two on most rugby-league issues, who let it be known in no uncertain terms that he did not welcome any approaches for Thompson while he is still under contract to Saints. Thompson is tied to Saints until the end of next season after which you would not begrudge him the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of James Graham, Bateman and the Burgess brothers and test himself in the strongest competition there is at domestic level. But those who say that McManus is behaving childishly in complaining about the perceived ‘tapping up’ of Thompson are also those who do not watch him dominate games for their team on a weekly basis. Thompson is the real deal and any club chairman not doing everything in his power to retain his services is not doing his job properly. Perhaps we could have done without Super League big cheese Robert Elstone’s comments on the subject but on the other hand that bastion of all things wonderful the NRL takes the view that any players leaving its exalted boundaries does not get selected for Australia. Why should we not go that extra mile to keep our best players in our competition if it is at all possible?
With Roby out Aaron Smith should continue at hooker with Peyroux slotting into his usual second row berth alongside Zeb Taia. Behind them Morgan Knowles will tackle anything within a 100-mile radius at loose forward. The bench options are boosted by the news that Jack Ashworth’s one match ban for a Grade A offence in the Huddersfield game has been overturned on appeal, which if nothing else is one in the eye for the Facebook conspiracy theorists who insist that every disciplinary decision is made with the expressed intention of shafting Saints. Ashworth should make the bench and be joined by regular pine-dweller Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Lees and one of Kyle Amor, James Bentley or Matty Costello.
Leeds come in off the back of a 23-14 defeat to Wigan that was perhaps a little more encouraging in terms of the performance but still left them in dire straits in terms of the mathematics of the competition. You don't get anything for making a decent fist of it. Their major absentee for this one will be Tui Lolohea who is on international duty with Tonga. Jack Walker and Ash Handley are named in the 19 selected by interim coach Richard Agar but both have injury clouds hanging over them and could miss out. Kallum Watkins is included ahead of his planned move to Gold Coast Titans in July while others to watch out for are former Australian test forward Trent Merrin, hooking duo Matt Parcell and Brad Dwyer and blockbusting, battering ram Konrad Hurrell at left centre. Hurrell produced an explosive performance when Leeds visited Saints in February as the Rhinos took a 22-10 half-time lead. Neither he nor they could sustain that level in the second half as they eventually went down 27-22.
If Leeds’ three-quarter line which also features former England man Tom Briscoe is a match for most at this level then it is perhaps in the trenches where they will be found out. Props Adam Cuthbertson and Brad Singleton are capable but are not in the kind of form which should trouble their Saints counterparts, while Watkins and Liam Sutcliffe have been used at various times in the second row which is clearly not ideal. Stevie Ward appears to have more injury problems than Sean O’Loughlin and Daniel Sturridge combined and is again on the list of no-shows for Leeds.
That means the gaps will have to be filled by the more inexperienced men like Cameron Smith (not that one), Mikolaj Oledzki and recently imported Ava Seumanufagai. The latter played over 100 games in the NRL in a four-year spell at Wests Tigers but only mustered 13 in his two-year stint with Cronulla Sharks before joining the Rhinos. Wellington Albert is also included in the 19 along with young three-quarter Harry Newman who may start should Agar decide to continue to employ Watkins as a second row forward. Brett Ferres and Richard Myler offer experience to the Leeds outfit but there has to be serious questions about the kind of quality that either are providing at this stage of their careers. Myler may have an even more difficult time without Lolohea although Agar does have the option of deploying Sutcliffe in the halves should he be able to fill the gaps in the side elsewhere.
There are too many ifs and buts about the Leeds squad at the moment to really see them storming into St Helens and emerging with the two competition points. They have a decent record overall at Saints, the only team to win there during the regular season last year when Ben Barba was riding roughshod over everything in his path. Before that you only have to go back to 2015 for Leeds’ last win at the stadium formerly known as Langtree Park when they blitzed Keiron Cunningham’s side 41-16 on their way to a domestic treble that this season has seemed a world away for Rhinos fans. Yet even in defeat at Saints they have gone close in recent years, their last three defeats there coming by a combined total of 11 points. It could be a close one just because these fixtures often tend to be, but anything but a Saints win would qualify as a fairly sizeable shock.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 6. Theo Fages 8. Alex Walmsley 10. Luke Thompson 11. Zeb Taia 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 15. Morgan Knowles 16. Kyle Amor 17. Dominique Peyroux 19. Matty Lees 20. Jack Ashworth 21. Aaron Smith 22. James Bentley 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello
Leeds Rhinos;
Jack Walker, Tom Briscoe, Kallum Watkins, Konrad Hurrell, Ash Handley, Richie Myler, Adam Cuthbertson, Matt Parcell, Brad Singleton, Trent Merrin, Brad Dwyer, Liam Sutcliffe, Brett Ferres, Mikolaj Oledzki, Cameron Smith, James Donaldson, Harry Newman, Wellington Albert, Ava Seumanufagai.
Referee: Ben Thaler
5 Talking Points From Saints 38 Huddersfield Giants 2
Marshall Moves In
Sean Long’s Saints departure all happened so quickly. Last weekend it was announced that the legendary half would be leaving his role as Justin Holbrook’s assistant to take up a similar position in rugby union. By Monday, just hours after the disappointing loss to London Broncos, it became apparent that Long would be making the move with immediate effect.
Almost as quick was Saints’ move to replace Long. On Wednesday it was revealed that former Halifax Head Coach Richard Marshall will be the new man. Marshall was appointed Head Coach of Saints’ Coral Challenge Cup semi-final opponents in 2015 but left the role earlier this year in fairly controversial circumstances. After it became clear that he would not be offered a new deal by Halifax Marshall announced his departure from the club having led them to three top three finishes during his four seasons at the Shay. It is ironic that he could now play a part in bringing to an end his old club’s incredible cup run. Not that there is any chicken counting going on at That Saints Blog You Quite Like.
Marshall has also spent time as an assistant at Warrington during Tony Smith’s time at the Wolves and has coached England’s Academy squad. His track record is impressive, with an emphasis on youth that should see him excel at working with the great many youngsters who come through to first team level at Saints. He’s got off to a fine start, taking up the role for the first time for this rather routine dismissal of a disappointing Giants outfit. His contract runs to the end of 2020, by which time we should have some idea of whether he is a Saints Head Coach in waiting or just passing through.
Long Moves On
Long was rightly afforded the opportunity to say farewell to the Saints fans before kick-off of this one. As he recalled the great moments of his time with the club, most of which were as a player if truth be told, his departure suddenly became a little more real. All at once it sunk in that one of the club’s greatest ever players, one of the best of the Super League era despite being laughably discarded by his hometown club across the lump, would no longer be part of the furniture. I personally will rue losing the opportunity to shout ‘get your boots back on, Sean’ whenever some unfortunate halfback successor doomed to a career in Long’s shadow throws an errant pass or shanks an attempted 40/20 straight into the back of the South Stand. We may be seriously good at the moment but we shall not see a halfback as good as Long in the Red Vee for an awfully long time to come.
Recounting those great memories from Wide To West to the winning drop-goal in the 2002 Grand Final against Bradford Bulls every pause was met with a standing ovation from a clearly appreciative and emotional crowd.
Coote For GB
At the end of this season there is something a little bit different to look forward to. For the first time since 2007 there will be a GB Lions tour as Wayne Bennett’s side take on Tonga and Papua New Guinea either side of two tests against New Zealand in the autumn. Wherever you stand on the issue of selecting players born outside the British Isles there is nevertheless a compelling case for the inclusion of Lachlan Coote at fullback.
Coote qualifies through his Scottish heritage, having made three appearances for Scotland in 2016. Like the original character in the song now used by the Saints fans to celebrate his brilliance Coote was electric against Simon Woolford’s side. He scored the first try of the game after the Giants had taken the lead through an Oliver Russell penalty before helping himself to no fewer than four assists. He now leads the league in assists with 19 and has also reached double figures for tries. He ripped off another 128 metres on 15 carries against the Giants and made five of his seven goal attempts for a personal tally of 14 points. Only Warrington’s Stefan Ratchford and Hull FC’s Marc Sneyd have landed more than Coote’s 64 goals in Super League in 2019.
Not so long ago Saints had a real balance problem in attack. The potent strike threat of Zeb Taia, Mark Percival and Regan Grace on the left was scarcely matched on the opposite flank. That has all changed this year thanks to Coote, whose ability to pass accurately from left to right may sound like a fairly basic requirement among Super League playmakers but is actually something of a rare commodity. If Bennett is looking for a player who reads the game well defensively, scores tries, makes tries and is equally adept passing to either side he should take a look at Coote. There isn’t a British-qualified fullback in better form right now.
The Rotation Continues
Undeterred by last week's blush-inducer at Trailfinders Holbrook continued his policy of resting players for the visit of the Giants. Although he welcomed back all of Coote, Tommy Makinson, Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley and Zeb Taia Holbrook decided he could do without Regan Grace, Matty Lees and Dominique Peyroux this week. The latter two make a lot of sense. Those semi-final defeats from last year seem to have persuaded Holbrook that shuffling the pack in order to peak at the right time of the season is the way to go. Peyroux has played a lot of minutes in 2019 and at 30 years of age he is at a time of his career where he could really benefit from the odd week off.
Lees is much younger at just 21 but it won't do him any harm to be taken out of the firing line for a week or two. And Saints have plenty of options at prop. Kyle Amor came in for this one and ended the game just a few metres short of a 100-metre performances while Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Luke Thompson have returned to fitness to give Holbrook yet more front row options even in the absence of James Roby. Lees has been playing more minutes in recent weeks due to the injuries to Thompson and McCarthy-Scarsbrook so perhaps he will benefit from a breather now that his more experienced colleagues have returned to the fold.
Perhaps the most surprising decision was the omission of Regan Grace. Something that has irked me for a long time now is Saints' insistence on using their smaller wingers and centres to cart the ball out of their own end early in a tackle set while the big men stand around with their hands on their hips, ambling back onside if the mood takes them. This is particularly difficult for the slightly built Grace and while we still have Adam Swift on the books ahead of his move to Hull FC for 2020 we have the luxury of being able to sit the Welsh star down for a week and not have it impact too much on results and performance.
A break might be of benefit to Grace but I'm yet to be convinced that a winger needs a rest in quite the same way that a forward does, even taking into account the extra work that is demanded of Saints' backs. They might have to muck in while in possession deep in their own half, but they still don't have to make anywhere near as many tackles on defence as the men up front. With Mark Percival recently returned to action after his injury there's an argument that he and Grace need as many games together as possible to reignite that spark between them that was just beginning to light after a couple of years of looking as though they had only met each other a few minutes before kick-off.
Can Anyone Catch Saints?
Irrespective of whether Holbrook chooses to continue resting players it may well be that Saints have already done enough to secure a second consecutive League Leaders Shield. Their lead at the top of the Betfred Super League table was cut to just four points when they went down at London last weekend but this victory, coupled with Warrington's surprise and some might say hilarious defeat by Hull KR at the weekend means that Holbrook's side have re-established their six-point buffer. With eleven games to go, the meeting between Saints and Warrington at the Haliwell Jones Stadium in a fortnight's time looks like a potentially pivotal moment. Like the climactic battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Revenge Of The Sith. Just as there are another 97 Star Wars films thereafter there will be another nine games remaining in the endless meh-ery of the weekly rounds after the top two collide. Yet if Saints win that and stretch the lead to eight points the fat lady will not quite be singing, but she will be in the aisles warming up the vocal chords. It would leave Wire with only those nine games to claw back the deficit on a Saints side that hasn't looked like losing often this term.
If Saints keep wining they will sew up the League Leaders Shield at Leeds Rhinos on August 15 regardless of what Warrington do between now and then. However, should Saints lose at Steve Price's side then the gap will be four once more and the Wolves may have the scent of something. The first priority for Holbrook will be to beat Leeds this weekend as they arrive in St.Helens on the back of some improved form despite their narrow defeat by Wigan on Friday night. Leeds were one of only two teams to beat Saints last season in the regular season and pushed them very close earlier this year when they lead 22-10 at the break only to capitulate in the second half as Konrad Hurrell's batteries ran out.
Sean Long’s Saints departure all happened so quickly. Last weekend it was announced that the legendary half would be leaving his role as Justin Holbrook’s assistant to take up a similar position in rugby union. By Monday, just hours after the disappointing loss to London Broncos, it became apparent that Long would be making the move with immediate effect.
Almost as quick was Saints’ move to replace Long. On Wednesday it was revealed that former Halifax Head Coach Richard Marshall will be the new man. Marshall was appointed Head Coach of Saints’ Coral Challenge Cup semi-final opponents in 2015 but left the role earlier this year in fairly controversial circumstances. After it became clear that he would not be offered a new deal by Halifax Marshall announced his departure from the club having led them to three top three finishes during his four seasons at the Shay. It is ironic that he could now play a part in bringing to an end his old club’s incredible cup run. Not that there is any chicken counting going on at That Saints Blog You Quite Like.
Marshall has also spent time as an assistant at Warrington during Tony Smith’s time at the Wolves and has coached England’s Academy squad. His track record is impressive, with an emphasis on youth that should see him excel at working with the great many youngsters who come through to first team level at Saints. He’s got off to a fine start, taking up the role for the first time for this rather routine dismissal of a disappointing Giants outfit. His contract runs to the end of 2020, by which time we should have some idea of whether he is a Saints Head Coach in waiting or just passing through.
Long Moves On
Long was rightly afforded the opportunity to say farewell to the Saints fans before kick-off of this one. As he recalled the great moments of his time with the club, most of which were as a player if truth be told, his departure suddenly became a little more real. All at once it sunk in that one of the club’s greatest ever players, one of the best of the Super League era despite being laughably discarded by his hometown club across the lump, would no longer be part of the furniture. I personally will rue losing the opportunity to shout ‘get your boots back on, Sean’ whenever some unfortunate halfback successor doomed to a career in Long’s shadow throws an errant pass or shanks an attempted 40/20 straight into the back of the South Stand. We may be seriously good at the moment but we shall not see a halfback as good as Long in the Red Vee for an awfully long time to come.
Recounting those great memories from Wide To West to the winning drop-goal in the 2002 Grand Final against Bradford Bulls every pause was met with a standing ovation from a clearly appreciative and emotional crowd.
Coote For GB
At the end of this season there is something a little bit different to look forward to. For the first time since 2007 there will be a GB Lions tour as Wayne Bennett’s side take on Tonga and Papua New Guinea either side of two tests against New Zealand in the autumn. Wherever you stand on the issue of selecting players born outside the British Isles there is nevertheless a compelling case for the inclusion of Lachlan Coote at fullback.
Coote qualifies through his Scottish heritage, having made three appearances for Scotland in 2016. Like the original character in the song now used by the Saints fans to celebrate his brilliance Coote was electric against Simon Woolford’s side. He scored the first try of the game after the Giants had taken the lead through an Oliver Russell penalty before helping himself to no fewer than four assists. He now leads the league in assists with 19 and has also reached double figures for tries. He ripped off another 128 metres on 15 carries against the Giants and made five of his seven goal attempts for a personal tally of 14 points. Only Warrington’s Stefan Ratchford and Hull FC’s Marc Sneyd have landed more than Coote’s 64 goals in Super League in 2019.
Not so long ago Saints had a real balance problem in attack. The potent strike threat of Zeb Taia, Mark Percival and Regan Grace on the left was scarcely matched on the opposite flank. That has all changed this year thanks to Coote, whose ability to pass accurately from left to right may sound like a fairly basic requirement among Super League playmakers but is actually something of a rare commodity. If Bennett is looking for a player who reads the game well defensively, scores tries, makes tries and is equally adept passing to either side he should take a look at Coote. There isn’t a British-qualified fullback in better form right now.
The Rotation Continues
Undeterred by last week's blush-inducer at Trailfinders Holbrook continued his policy of resting players for the visit of the Giants. Although he welcomed back all of Coote, Tommy Makinson, Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley and Zeb Taia Holbrook decided he could do without Regan Grace, Matty Lees and Dominique Peyroux this week. The latter two make a lot of sense. Those semi-final defeats from last year seem to have persuaded Holbrook that shuffling the pack in order to peak at the right time of the season is the way to go. Peyroux has played a lot of minutes in 2019 and at 30 years of age he is at a time of his career where he could really benefit from the odd week off.
Lees is much younger at just 21 but it won't do him any harm to be taken out of the firing line for a week or two. And Saints have plenty of options at prop. Kyle Amor came in for this one and ended the game just a few metres short of a 100-metre performances while Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Luke Thompson have returned to fitness to give Holbrook yet more front row options even in the absence of James Roby. Lees has been playing more minutes in recent weeks due to the injuries to Thompson and McCarthy-Scarsbrook so perhaps he will benefit from a breather now that his more experienced colleagues have returned to the fold.
Perhaps the most surprising decision was the omission of Regan Grace. Something that has irked me for a long time now is Saints' insistence on using their smaller wingers and centres to cart the ball out of their own end early in a tackle set while the big men stand around with their hands on their hips, ambling back onside if the mood takes them. This is particularly difficult for the slightly built Grace and while we still have Adam Swift on the books ahead of his move to Hull FC for 2020 we have the luxury of being able to sit the Welsh star down for a week and not have it impact too much on results and performance.
A break might be of benefit to Grace but I'm yet to be convinced that a winger needs a rest in quite the same way that a forward does, even taking into account the extra work that is demanded of Saints' backs. They might have to muck in while in possession deep in their own half, but they still don't have to make anywhere near as many tackles on defence as the men up front. With Mark Percival recently returned to action after his injury there's an argument that he and Grace need as many games together as possible to reignite that spark between them that was just beginning to light after a couple of years of looking as though they had only met each other a few minutes before kick-off.
Can Anyone Catch Saints?
Irrespective of whether Holbrook chooses to continue resting players it may well be that Saints have already done enough to secure a second consecutive League Leaders Shield. Their lead at the top of the Betfred Super League table was cut to just four points when they went down at London last weekend but this victory, coupled with Warrington's surprise and some might say hilarious defeat by Hull KR at the weekend means that Holbrook's side have re-established their six-point buffer. With eleven games to go, the meeting between Saints and Warrington at the Haliwell Jones Stadium in a fortnight's time looks like a potentially pivotal moment. Like the climactic battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Revenge Of The Sith. Just as there are another 97 Star Wars films thereafter there will be another nine games remaining in the endless meh-ery of the weekly rounds after the top two collide. Yet if Saints win that and stretch the lead to eight points the fat lady will not quite be singing, but she will be in the aisles warming up the vocal chords. It would leave Wire with only those nine games to claw back the deficit on a Saints side that hasn't looked like losing often this term.
If Saints keep wining they will sew up the League Leaders Shield at Leeds Rhinos on August 15 regardless of what Warrington do between now and then. However, should Saints lose at Steve Price's side then the gap will be four once more and the Wolves may have the scent of something. The first priority for Holbrook will be to beat Leeds this weekend as they arrive in St.Helens on the back of some improved form despite their narrow defeat by Wigan on Friday night. Leeds were one of only two teams to beat Saints last season in the regular season and pushed them very close earlier this year when they lead 22-10 at the break only to capitulate in the second half as Konrad Hurrell's batteries ran out.
Saints v Huddersfield Giants - Preview
Like Michael Gove, Saints will look to put recent embarrassment behind them when they host Huddersfield Giants in a Betfred Super League Round 18 clash on Friday night (June 14, kick-off 7.45pm).
It’s been a bad week for Justin Holbrook’s men. At the weekend they suffered the double whammy of managing to lose at bottom of the league London Broncos and of learning that club legend Sean Long would be ending his (ahem) long association with Saints to join Harlequins in rugby union. By Monday what started as a whisper had turned to the end of Long’s stay as assistant coach to Holbrook with immediate effect.
None of which is the best preparation for what looks another tough game against an improving Huddersfield outfit. The only way Saints could possibly have prepared worse for this one is if they had spent the week fielding awkward questions about their crass remarks about post boxes, or launched a campaign beside a photograph of literally the worst Prime Minister the western world will hopefully ever see.
Happily help is on its way. Holbrook rested all of Lachlan Coote, Tommy Makinson, Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley and Zeb Taia for the game in the capital but all are named in the 19-man party for the visit of Simon Woolford’s men. Jack Welsby was rather hung out to dry at fullback last week and misses out altogether on selection, which should see Coote slot back into the role as the last line of defence from where he is also one of Saints most creative players in attack. There’ll be a change on the wing as Regan Grace gets a rest, so expect Adam Swift to switch wings from the right where he played against London to the left where he has played most of his rugby for Saints in any case. The Hull-bound Swift will likely feature in a three-quarter line alongside the restored Makinson, Kevin Naiqama and Mark Percival.
Danny Richardson has featured in the last two for Saints, deputising for Theo Fages in the cup win over Wakefield on June 1 and then playing alongside the Frenchman as Lomax took a breather last weekend. However, the Widnesian halfback misses out this week as Holbrook looks to reunite the Fages-Lomax partnership which has brought so much success so far this season. It is perhaps surprising that Richardson does not even make the 19 but that is a reflection of the strength in depth that Holbrook now has at his disposal, especially after the return to fitness of Percival and Luke Thompson.
The latter will form a formidable front row partnership with Walmsley but James Roby has been ruled out for around a month after undergoing groin surgery. His place looks like going to Aaron Smith although James Bentley is also in the 19 and could be used to spell Smith at times. Taia’s return boosts the back row that should also feature Dominique Peyroux and Morgan Knowles as Joseph Paulo reverts back to a spot on the bench alongside Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and any pairing from Bentley, Jack Ashworth, Kyle Amor and Matty Costello. Matty Lees is another who is being granted a rest this week as Holbrook looks to keep all of his men fresh for the all-important finale of the season. Saints have a Challenge Cup semi-final with Halifax at the end of July and will almost certainly be involved in the Super League playoffs in September, so trying to get everyone to peak at that time rather than now is one of the key tasks that Holbrook faces.
So what will Huddersfield bring? Well they won’t be bringing England’s star of the 2017 World Cup Jermaine McGillvary. The winger misses out through injury and is the glaring omission from Woolford’s 19-man selection. Experience comes in the form of former Saints Lee Gaskell, Jordan Turner and Paul Clough as well as the likes of Aaron Murphy, Joe Wardle, Alex Mellor and Sebastine Ikahihifo. Matt Frawley is in contention for a return at halfback alongside Gaskell, while in Kruise Leeming, Matty English, Ukuma Ta’ai and Adam O’Brien the Giants have plenty of quality in the pack.
They key with Huddersfield, like many Super League sides in 2019 has been consistency, or lack of it. The Giants have won just seven of their 17 league outings so far and have won three of their last six. That run includes a 55-2 flogging of Hull FC at the Magic Weekend at Anfield but also a 50-19 loss to Warrington at the end of April. They have lost two games in that run by a single point however, and so have shown enough to suggest that on their day they could turn it on and spring a surprise.
The sides met in the league in mid-March with Saints rather strolling to a 42-16 win but it was much closer when they clashed in the sixth round of the Challenge Cup in May when Naiqama’s second half score earned Saints a narrow 22-16 win. Both those matches took place at the John Smith’s Stadium so it will be a different challenge for Woolford and his charges to come into St Helens, were the home side have not lost at all this season, and head back east with the two points.
Most logic suggests that the Giants will come up short. Saints should be a hungry outfit after the blush-inducing shenanigans at Trailfinders last weekend and with up to five top-line players set to come in and boost the strength of the team it is difficult to imagine them faltering again. Roby is a huge loss to Saints for the direction he gives them and the quality of his service from dummy half, but if Smith can show the form that he has done when stepping into Roby’s shoes on previous occasions then Saints should have too much for a Giants outfit which is just too hit and miss to really lift itself among the playoff contenders.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 10. Luke Thompson 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18, Adam Swift, 20. Jack Ashworth, 21. Aaron Smith, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote, 24. Matty Costello.
Huddersfield Giants;
1. Darnell McIntosh 4. Jordan Turner 6. Lee Gaskell 7. Matt Frawley 8. Paul Clough 9. Kruise Leeming 10. Suaia Matagi 11. Aaron Murphy 12. Alex Mellor 13. Michael Lawrence 14. Adam O'Brien 17. Ukuma Ta'ai 19. Matty English 20. Jake Wardle 23. Oliver Russell 26. Sebastine Ikahihifo 29. Sam Hewitt 32. 35. Joe Wardle
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas
It’s been a bad week for Justin Holbrook’s men. At the weekend they suffered the double whammy of managing to lose at bottom of the league London Broncos and of learning that club legend Sean Long would be ending his (ahem) long association with Saints to join Harlequins in rugby union. By Monday what started as a whisper had turned to the end of Long’s stay as assistant coach to Holbrook with immediate effect.
None of which is the best preparation for what looks another tough game against an improving Huddersfield outfit. The only way Saints could possibly have prepared worse for this one is if they had spent the week fielding awkward questions about their crass remarks about post boxes, or launched a campaign beside a photograph of literally the worst Prime Minister the western world will hopefully ever see.
Happily help is on its way. Holbrook rested all of Lachlan Coote, Tommy Makinson, Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley and Zeb Taia for the game in the capital but all are named in the 19-man party for the visit of Simon Woolford’s men. Jack Welsby was rather hung out to dry at fullback last week and misses out altogether on selection, which should see Coote slot back into the role as the last line of defence from where he is also one of Saints most creative players in attack. There’ll be a change on the wing as Regan Grace gets a rest, so expect Adam Swift to switch wings from the right where he played against London to the left where he has played most of his rugby for Saints in any case. The Hull-bound Swift will likely feature in a three-quarter line alongside the restored Makinson, Kevin Naiqama and Mark Percival.
Danny Richardson has featured in the last two for Saints, deputising for Theo Fages in the cup win over Wakefield on June 1 and then playing alongside the Frenchman as Lomax took a breather last weekend. However, the Widnesian halfback misses out this week as Holbrook looks to reunite the Fages-Lomax partnership which has brought so much success so far this season. It is perhaps surprising that Richardson does not even make the 19 but that is a reflection of the strength in depth that Holbrook now has at his disposal, especially after the return to fitness of Percival and Luke Thompson.
The latter will form a formidable front row partnership with Walmsley but James Roby has been ruled out for around a month after undergoing groin surgery. His place looks like going to Aaron Smith although James Bentley is also in the 19 and could be used to spell Smith at times. Taia’s return boosts the back row that should also feature Dominique Peyroux and Morgan Knowles as Joseph Paulo reverts back to a spot on the bench alongside Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and any pairing from Bentley, Jack Ashworth, Kyle Amor and Matty Costello. Matty Lees is another who is being granted a rest this week as Holbrook looks to keep all of his men fresh for the all-important finale of the season. Saints have a Challenge Cup semi-final with Halifax at the end of July and will almost certainly be involved in the Super League playoffs in September, so trying to get everyone to peak at that time rather than now is one of the key tasks that Holbrook faces.
So what will Huddersfield bring? Well they won’t be bringing England’s star of the 2017 World Cup Jermaine McGillvary. The winger misses out through injury and is the glaring omission from Woolford’s 19-man selection. Experience comes in the form of former Saints Lee Gaskell, Jordan Turner and Paul Clough as well as the likes of Aaron Murphy, Joe Wardle, Alex Mellor and Sebastine Ikahihifo. Matt Frawley is in contention for a return at halfback alongside Gaskell, while in Kruise Leeming, Matty English, Ukuma Ta’ai and Adam O’Brien the Giants have plenty of quality in the pack.
They key with Huddersfield, like many Super League sides in 2019 has been consistency, or lack of it. The Giants have won just seven of their 17 league outings so far and have won three of their last six. That run includes a 55-2 flogging of Hull FC at the Magic Weekend at Anfield but also a 50-19 loss to Warrington at the end of April. They have lost two games in that run by a single point however, and so have shown enough to suggest that on their day they could turn it on and spring a surprise.
The sides met in the league in mid-March with Saints rather strolling to a 42-16 win but it was much closer when they clashed in the sixth round of the Challenge Cup in May when Naiqama’s second half score earned Saints a narrow 22-16 win. Both those matches took place at the John Smith’s Stadium so it will be a different challenge for Woolford and his charges to come into St Helens, were the home side have not lost at all this season, and head back east with the two points.
Most logic suggests that the Giants will come up short. Saints should be a hungry outfit after the blush-inducing shenanigans at Trailfinders last weekend and with up to five top-line players set to come in and boost the strength of the team it is difficult to imagine them faltering again. Roby is a huge loss to Saints for the direction he gives them and the quality of his service from dummy half, but if Smith can show the form that he has done when stepping into Roby’s shoes on previous occasions then Saints should have too much for a Giants outfit which is just too hit and miss to really lift itself among the playoff contenders.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 4. Mark Percival, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 10. Luke Thompson 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18, Adam Swift, 20. Jack Ashworth, 21. Aaron Smith, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote, 24. Matty Costello.
Huddersfield Giants;
1. Darnell McIntosh 4. Jordan Turner 6. Lee Gaskell 7. Matt Frawley 8. Paul Clough 9. Kruise Leeming 10. Suaia Matagi 11. Aaron Murphy 12. Alex Mellor 13. Michael Lawrence 14. Adam O'Brien 17. Ukuma Ta'ai 19. Matty English 20. Jake Wardle 23. Oliver Russell 26. Sebastine Ikahihifo 29. Sam Hewitt 32. 35. Joe Wardle
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas
5 Talking Points From London Broncos 23 Saints 22
That Team Selection
Saints came into this one six points clear at the top of the Betfred Super League table. They had not suffered defeat since going down 18-10 to Catalans Dragons in Perpignan in early April, a winning run of nine matches in all competitions. By contrast the Broncos were rock bottom of the standings with only four wins from their first 16 Super League outings. With all this in mind, and remembering the criticism he received for choosing not to rest players last year when Saints strolled to the League Leaders Shield before faltering at the semi-final stage of both the Super League playoffs and the Challenge Cup, coach Justin Holbrook decided to freshen things up.
On reflection it is tempting to suggest that he used a little too much freshener. Jonny Lomax and Tommy Makinson were always likely to be left out for this one. Their history of knee-related mishaps makes playing on the pretend grass of London's Trailfinders Sports Club ground fraught with risk. Yet when the 19-man squad was announced for this trip on Friday (June 7) it was also missing the names of Alex Walmsley and Zeb Taia. Going into the game without four of your best players is a stretch if you are serious about winning, but come game day Holbrook had also decided that he could do without fullback Lachlan Coote. The Scottish international has been one of Saints best players so far this term but his place in the side went to the far less experienced Jack Welsby.
Whenever you take this kind of gamble you are leaving yourself open to criticism should it backfire. It was not all that surprising when it did so. Saints are ahead of the competition at the moment, but not so far that they can afford to rest those five highly influential players without experiencing a drop-off in performance. London fully deserved their golden-point win, given to them by Morgan Smith's drop-goal after the last of several thousand handling errors by Saints deep in their own territory. Holbrook will maintain that the side he fielded should have been good enough to win against the league's bottom side and that his side just didn't play well on the day. That much is true, but a full-strength Saints side would likely have beaten London even if they had been well below their best. Those five players are all difference makers.
How Much Does It Matter?
As much as we can criticise Holbrook for a perceived arrogance in fielding a weakened team, we should also remember the logic behind it is sound given the cards he has been dealt. He hardly rested any players in 2018 only to find that they didn't have enough in the tank when the big knockout games came around. Understandably burned by this experience he is not about to let it happen again. If a slightly embarrassing defeat at London is the price to pay for everyone being fit and available to deliver when it really matters in September and October then I'm sure that's a deal that Holbrook would make.
The only way to stop coaches fielding weakened teams at certain parts of the regular season is to do away with the playoff and Grand Final system which currently determines the champions. If Holbrook had gone into this one knowing that finishing top of the league was the be all and end all of winning a title then I'm quite sure we would have seen Coote, Walmsley and Taia at least. Were Warrington a bit closer in pursuit in a first-past-the-post system then he may even have risked Lomax and Makinson, dodgy knees or not. But like it or not (and I don't) we don't have such a system in place. In the circumstances Holbrook is 100% right in trying to make sure that his squad is at its fittest at the back end of the season when there are no second chances. Except the one you get in the slightly convoluted but effective top five playoff system. But you know what I mean? If Saints captain James Roby holds aloft the Challenge Cup and/or Super League trophy come the end of the season then nobody is going to remember the day we went to London, played like a drain and got the nothing we deserved. Super League history is littered with examples in which sides have slipped to chastening defeats, sometimes taken severe hammerings, yet peaked at the right time to leave with the silver at the end of the year.
Morgan Bites Back
One of the main reasons for Saints' defeat was a Saints player. No, I'm not going to harp on about a certain knock-on in extra time. It happens. It just happens to some more than others. I refer, of course to Ryan Morgan, whose two tries played a huge role in helping the Broncos secure what could be a vital two points in their fight against an immediate return to the Championship. Morgan was sent out on loan to the Broncos when Kevin Naiqama arrived at Saints from Wests Tigers at the start of this season. Since then he hasn't done an awful lot to suggest that Holbrook's decision to upgrade to the Fijian captain was a bad one. Yet he was clearly motivated for this one, first seizing on a Laurel & Hardy moment from Welsby and Regan Grace before knocking the normally defensively reliable Theo Fages into a week next Thursday in crashing over for his second.
Morgan also managed a couple of offloads, a pair of tackle busts and a clean break but it wasn't just in attack where he contributed. His 23 tackles were more than all but five of his team mates managed and more than any other back in Broncos black. Along with Luke Yates who managed a quite stupefying 58 tackles and the always industrious James Cunningham Morgan was one of the better performers for Danny Ward's side.
Yet that is not to say that Holbrook made a mistake in loaning Morgan out or that he should have insisted on a clause preventing Morgan from playing against his parent club. Even with the impending departure of Adam Swift it is highly unlikely that Morgan will feature again in a Saints shirt, so you can effectively call his move to the capital a permanent transfer with the proviso that the Broncos have their own decision to make on what to do with him once his initial loan period ends. Naiqama has not convinced everyone in the short time that he has been at Saints but he remains a better bet than Morgan on that right edge. Even if there are plans for Morgan to return my feeling is that if you loan a player to another club for a full season you should honour that and not start inserting conditions into the deal about who he can and cannot play against. If you want him, keep him. If you don't let him play elsewhere without any restrictions. Holbrook did that and the decision has taken a little nibble out of his backside on this occasion. But again, nobody will be mentioning that if the top prizes head to St Helens in 2019.
The Long Goodbye
Things change quickly in sport. It turns out that this insipid, disappointing display was the last in which Sean Long would be involved for Saints. After more than a decade as a player putting up ridiculous statistics and almost redefining the scrum-half position and then five years as an assistant coach Long has left the club with immediate effect to take on a similar role with Harlequins in rugby union. He spoke of always harbouring a desire to coach in the other code and will now get that opportunity with the London-based outfit. Reports that he did not get back on the team bus for the journey back north are unconfirmed.
It is sad to see a club legend depart. We all remember our mixed feelings when Keiron Cunningham's time as a Saint came to an end. We all knew it was the right thing for him and the club but there was nevertheless a sadness attached to the prospect of facing the future without an iconic figure who has been part of the very fabric of the club over a sustained period of time. The same applies to Long. Not being privy to exactly what goes on in the Saints camp in terms of their preparation I cannot sit here and say that he will be as irreplaceable as an assistant coach as he has been as a halfback, but the indisputable truth is that he has been there through the last two years of vast improvement under Holbrook and that his work at Saints has obviously caught the eye of the cash-rich rah-rahs. Long must have been doing something right.
I loathe rugby union with all of my being. If I had the choice between getting rid of it or Michael Gove I would agonise over it for days before finally, reluctantly agreeing to let Gove off the hook. Yet for all he has done for Saints over the last 22 years on and off I can only wish Long nothing but the very best of luck in his new role. His departure does though raise yet more questions for our game on how we can work to stop the very best talent that we have crossing the divide. The recent Shaun Edwards saga at Wigan highlighted sharply how union is viewed by even the greats among rugby league as a more favourable career option. If they are not leaving league to play union they are leaving league to coach in union. We must do something and we needed to do it yesterday.
Trailfinders - It's Not For Everyone
Huge numbers of Saints fans travelled south for this one and the general consensus is that, despite the defeat, a fabulous time was had by all. The Broncos have been lauded by many fans and writers for their hospitality and the quality of their set-up at Trailfinders Sports Club in Ealing. However, those people want to try experiencing it while having to use a wheelchair to do so.
The only thing that the Broncos got right in this regard was the parking. Having booked well in advance I had a car park pass which allowed me to park directly outside the clubhouse. Access to the bar from there could not have been easier. Yet I had come to see a rugby league match, which is where the problems started. The stewards there tried their level best to be helpful but the awful truth is that Trailfinders is not an accessible venue for wheelchair users. Not unless they are eight foot six inches tall and can therefore see over large crowds of people who are standing in their way at ground level. If you can find a gap between the people then you are met with a barrier which is too high to see over and which is filled in beneath with advertising boardings so that you cannot see through it either. I had to go all the way around to the other side of the ground to a raised patch of grass to get an elevated view. It was not dissimilar to my memories of watching my friends and family play under-11s football in Sherdley Park 30 years ago.
Adding to the whole wretched scenario was the fact that even from the raised area there were obstacles which rendered large parts of the pitch invisible to me. If it were not my fellow Saints standing on the grass in front of me blocking my view it was what can only be described as a whacking great shed which houses the benches and the scoreboard.
Now if this sounds moany consider this. We are not talking about an amateur club here. If these were the facilities at my local amateur side I would probably grin and bear it. Those clubs do not have the resources to insert viewing platforms or lifts. But this is Super League. I wasn't expecting Wembley stadium but I was expecting to at least have an unobstructed view of more than half of the pitch. Surely in 2019 we cannot have this at a top flight club? If this were not London or some other expansion area which we are led to believe that Super League 'needs' then it simply wouldn't be allowed. It is inadequate for top class sport in this country and far from praising its quaint little nod to amateur rugby league someone should be asking the top brass at the Broncos what the merry hell they think they are doing excluding disabled people in the 21st century.
For more on what it is really like to be a rugby league fan with access issues please click here. to read Hull FC fan Rachael Tomlinson's blog.
Saints came into this one six points clear at the top of the Betfred Super League table. They had not suffered defeat since going down 18-10 to Catalans Dragons in Perpignan in early April, a winning run of nine matches in all competitions. By contrast the Broncos were rock bottom of the standings with only four wins from their first 16 Super League outings. With all this in mind, and remembering the criticism he received for choosing not to rest players last year when Saints strolled to the League Leaders Shield before faltering at the semi-final stage of both the Super League playoffs and the Challenge Cup, coach Justin Holbrook decided to freshen things up.
On reflection it is tempting to suggest that he used a little too much freshener. Jonny Lomax and Tommy Makinson were always likely to be left out for this one. Their history of knee-related mishaps makes playing on the pretend grass of London's Trailfinders Sports Club ground fraught with risk. Yet when the 19-man squad was announced for this trip on Friday (June 7) it was also missing the names of Alex Walmsley and Zeb Taia. Going into the game without four of your best players is a stretch if you are serious about winning, but come game day Holbrook had also decided that he could do without fullback Lachlan Coote. The Scottish international has been one of Saints best players so far this term but his place in the side went to the far less experienced Jack Welsby.
Whenever you take this kind of gamble you are leaving yourself open to criticism should it backfire. It was not all that surprising when it did so. Saints are ahead of the competition at the moment, but not so far that they can afford to rest those five highly influential players without experiencing a drop-off in performance. London fully deserved their golden-point win, given to them by Morgan Smith's drop-goal after the last of several thousand handling errors by Saints deep in their own territory. Holbrook will maintain that the side he fielded should have been good enough to win against the league's bottom side and that his side just didn't play well on the day. That much is true, but a full-strength Saints side would likely have beaten London even if they had been well below their best. Those five players are all difference makers.
How Much Does It Matter?
As much as we can criticise Holbrook for a perceived arrogance in fielding a weakened team, we should also remember the logic behind it is sound given the cards he has been dealt. He hardly rested any players in 2018 only to find that they didn't have enough in the tank when the big knockout games came around. Understandably burned by this experience he is not about to let it happen again. If a slightly embarrassing defeat at London is the price to pay for everyone being fit and available to deliver when it really matters in September and October then I'm sure that's a deal that Holbrook would make.
The only way to stop coaches fielding weakened teams at certain parts of the regular season is to do away with the playoff and Grand Final system which currently determines the champions. If Holbrook had gone into this one knowing that finishing top of the league was the be all and end all of winning a title then I'm quite sure we would have seen Coote, Walmsley and Taia at least. Were Warrington a bit closer in pursuit in a first-past-the-post system then he may even have risked Lomax and Makinson, dodgy knees or not. But like it or not (and I don't) we don't have such a system in place. In the circumstances Holbrook is 100% right in trying to make sure that his squad is at its fittest at the back end of the season when there are no second chances. Except the one you get in the slightly convoluted but effective top five playoff system. But you know what I mean? If Saints captain James Roby holds aloft the Challenge Cup and/or Super League trophy come the end of the season then nobody is going to remember the day we went to London, played like a drain and got the nothing we deserved. Super League history is littered with examples in which sides have slipped to chastening defeats, sometimes taken severe hammerings, yet peaked at the right time to leave with the silver at the end of the year.
Morgan Bites Back
One of the main reasons for Saints' defeat was a Saints player. No, I'm not going to harp on about a certain knock-on in extra time. It happens. It just happens to some more than others. I refer, of course to Ryan Morgan, whose two tries played a huge role in helping the Broncos secure what could be a vital two points in their fight against an immediate return to the Championship. Morgan was sent out on loan to the Broncos when Kevin Naiqama arrived at Saints from Wests Tigers at the start of this season. Since then he hasn't done an awful lot to suggest that Holbrook's decision to upgrade to the Fijian captain was a bad one. Yet he was clearly motivated for this one, first seizing on a Laurel & Hardy moment from Welsby and Regan Grace before knocking the normally defensively reliable Theo Fages into a week next Thursday in crashing over for his second.
Morgan also managed a couple of offloads, a pair of tackle busts and a clean break but it wasn't just in attack where he contributed. His 23 tackles were more than all but five of his team mates managed and more than any other back in Broncos black. Along with Luke Yates who managed a quite stupefying 58 tackles and the always industrious James Cunningham Morgan was one of the better performers for Danny Ward's side.
Yet that is not to say that Holbrook made a mistake in loaning Morgan out or that he should have insisted on a clause preventing Morgan from playing against his parent club. Even with the impending departure of Adam Swift it is highly unlikely that Morgan will feature again in a Saints shirt, so you can effectively call his move to the capital a permanent transfer with the proviso that the Broncos have their own decision to make on what to do with him once his initial loan period ends. Naiqama has not convinced everyone in the short time that he has been at Saints but he remains a better bet than Morgan on that right edge. Even if there are plans for Morgan to return my feeling is that if you loan a player to another club for a full season you should honour that and not start inserting conditions into the deal about who he can and cannot play against. If you want him, keep him. If you don't let him play elsewhere without any restrictions. Holbrook did that and the decision has taken a little nibble out of his backside on this occasion. But again, nobody will be mentioning that if the top prizes head to St Helens in 2019.
The Long Goodbye
Things change quickly in sport. It turns out that this insipid, disappointing display was the last in which Sean Long would be involved for Saints. After more than a decade as a player putting up ridiculous statistics and almost redefining the scrum-half position and then five years as an assistant coach Long has left the club with immediate effect to take on a similar role with Harlequins in rugby union. He spoke of always harbouring a desire to coach in the other code and will now get that opportunity with the London-based outfit. Reports that he did not get back on the team bus for the journey back north are unconfirmed.
It is sad to see a club legend depart. We all remember our mixed feelings when Keiron Cunningham's time as a Saint came to an end. We all knew it was the right thing for him and the club but there was nevertheless a sadness attached to the prospect of facing the future without an iconic figure who has been part of the very fabric of the club over a sustained period of time. The same applies to Long. Not being privy to exactly what goes on in the Saints camp in terms of their preparation I cannot sit here and say that he will be as irreplaceable as an assistant coach as he has been as a halfback, but the indisputable truth is that he has been there through the last two years of vast improvement under Holbrook and that his work at Saints has obviously caught the eye of the cash-rich rah-rahs. Long must have been doing something right.
I loathe rugby union with all of my being. If I had the choice between getting rid of it or Michael Gove I would agonise over it for days before finally, reluctantly agreeing to let Gove off the hook. Yet for all he has done for Saints over the last 22 years on and off I can only wish Long nothing but the very best of luck in his new role. His departure does though raise yet more questions for our game on how we can work to stop the very best talent that we have crossing the divide. The recent Shaun Edwards saga at Wigan highlighted sharply how union is viewed by even the greats among rugby league as a more favourable career option. If they are not leaving league to play union they are leaving league to coach in union. We must do something and we needed to do it yesterday.
Trailfinders - It's Not For Everyone
Huge numbers of Saints fans travelled south for this one and the general consensus is that, despite the defeat, a fabulous time was had by all. The Broncos have been lauded by many fans and writers for their hospitality and the quality of their set-up at Trailfinders Sports Club in Ealing. However, those people want to try experiencing it while having to use a wheelchair to do so.
The only thing that the Broncos got right in this regard was the parking. Having booked well in advance I had a car park pass which allowed me to park directly outside the clubhouse. Access to the bar from there could not have been easier. Yet I had come to see a rugby league match, which is where the problems started. The stewards there tried their level best to be helpful but the awful truth is that Trailfinders is not an accessible venue for wheelchair users. Not unless they are eight foot six inches tall and can therefore see over large crowds of people who are standing in their way at ground level. If you can find a gap between the people then you are met with a barrier which is too high to see over and which is filled in beneath with advertising boardings so that you cannot see through it either. I had to go all the way around to the other side of the ground to a raised patch of grass to get an elevated view. It was not dissimilar to my memories of watching my friends and family play under-11s football in Sherdley Park 30 years ago.
Adding to the whole wretched scenario was the fact that even from the raised area there were obstacles which rendered large parts of the pitch invisible to me. If it were not my fellow Saints standing on the grass in front of me blocking my view it was what can only be described as a whacking great shed which houses the benches and the scoreboard.
Now if this sounds moany consider this. We are not talking about an amateur club here. If these were the facilities at my local amateur side I would probably grin and bear it. Those clubs do not have the resources to insert viewing platforms or lifts. But this is Super League. I wasn't expecting Wembley stadium but I was expecting to at least have an unobstructed view of more than half of the pitch. Surely in 2019 we cannot have this at a top flight club? If this were not London or some other expansion area which we are led to believe that Super League 'needs' then it simply wouldn't be allowed. It is inadequate for top class sport in this country and far from praising its quaint little nod to amateur rugby league someone should be asking the top brass at the Broncos what the merry hell they think they are doing excluding disabled people in the 21st century.
For more on what it is really like to be a rugby league fan with access issues please click here. to read Hull FC fan Rachael Tomlinson's blog.
5 Talking Points From Saints 48 Wakefield Trinity 10
Saints - Now Even Stronger
The way in which Saints dismissed Castleford Tigers in last week’ Magic Weekend clash at Anfield seemed to impress everybody. It was a clinical dismantling of Daryl Powell’s side which had everyone nodding in agreement at the notion that Justin Holbrook’s men are on a different level to the rest of Super League right now. It was hard to see how they could improve too much, and although there were numerous errors and scrappy periods in this 48-10 Coral Challenge Cup demolition of Wakefield Trinity there were also ominous signs for those sides trying to bridge the gap to Saints.
For the first time since the Easter weekend Holbrook was able to call on the services of England internationals Luke Thompson and Mark Percival. Neither was spectacular. Thompson was solid enough after missing the last six games in league and cup through injury, while seven matches have gone by since Percival last crabbed his way along an opposition defensive line at first team level. But imagine planning to face what is already the standout team in the country and then being tapped on the shoulder and told ‘oh, by the way....the best prop and centre in the competition are turning up this week to add to the mob that destroyed Cas last week’. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook also returned to the 17 to add further depth to Holbrook’s options. It was almost unfair.
It was always going to be a tough ask for a Trinity side missing David Fifita and still shorn of the talents of Bill Tupou, Tom Johnstone and Tinirau Arona, even if their first choice halfback pairing of Danny Brough and Jacob Miller were reunited. Brough was trying everything to haul his side into the game but was mithered to death by Morgan Knowles among others. Knowles was everywhere in the first half, perhaps enjoying his best game of the season so far. Twice Brough resorted to kicking on play one as Saints’ punishing defence took hold. Meanwhile on the other side of the ball enough breaks were made and enough passes stuck to give the score line a bit of gloss by the end.
Holbrook Holds His Horses
That extra strength in depth was something that Holbrook didn’t feel the need for in the first 40 minutes. Remarkably, it wasn’t until the start of the second half that McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Joseph Paulo and Matty Lees were introduced from the interchange bench. Alex Walmsley, Thompson and Knowles were the men to initially make way for a Saints side which had already built a 26-6 lead by then. Standard practice in this era of multiple interchanges is to introduce some fresh horses midway through the first half. Twenty minutes is generally considered to be the optimum time span for front rowers in particular to make an impact before their energy starts to wane. Critics of the modern game say that particular convention is coaching by numbers and that we are losing the art of reactive game management.
Now, it might just be that Holbrook forgot about his bench. Things were going reasonably well and coaches do have an awful lot to think about during a game. Especially during the first half when they are plotting which words of wisdom to impart on their troops at the break. However, my suspicion is that this was a deliberate blitz strategy by Holbrook. Throw your biggest guns onto the field and charge at the opposition, who remember are depleted, for 40 minutes and then take the opportunity to give them a more prolonged rest in the second half. Having not played for so long it was arguably a risk to test Thompson’s stamina with a stint of that length, but he seemed to come through it ok. He does need minutes after his lay-off so why not get them in fewer, longer spells? And why give the opposition a break from the absolute wrecking ball that is a Walmsley until you feel he absolutely needs the rest? It will be fascinating to see if this approach was specifically designed for a banged up Wakefield or whether it will become a regular feature of Holbrook’s management of games.
Taia Proves His Worth
It’s been a fairly busy week on the squad-building front for Saints with the futures of two first team members decided, albeit with vastly differing outcomes. First it was announced that Adam Swift would be leaving the club at the end of the year after signing a two-year contract with Hull FC. That was followed by the altogether happier news that Zeb Taia has agreed a new one-year deal which will keep him at the club until the end of 2020.
Taia isn’t everyone’s favourite. The grumbling has only recently died down from those who felt he was an inadequate replacement for Joe Greenwood when the latter decided to try his hand in the NRL with Gold Coast Titans. That he subsequently pitched up at Wigan only ramped up the ire even further. In the aftermath of Greenwood’s departure Taia has been branded lazy and a liability by some, while others have added a couple of years on to his actual age of 34 to serve as evidence that he should be moved on.
Yet here he was running the show against Chris Chester’s men in this one. He ran all over Trinity all afternoon, setting up tries for Regan Grace and Jonny Lomax and helping himself to another as he took Paulo’s pass to crash through the visitors’ defensive line and stroll over untouched. It was quite the cap to quite the performance.
The match day sponsors chose Lomax as Man Of The Match, something I couldn’t get on board with after he signalled 10 minutes to referee Chris Kendall before he had the chance to pull out the yellow card for Ryan Hampshire’s professional foul late in the first half. This is not how we conduct ourselves. It isn’t football, littered as The Beautiful Game now is with absurdly paid prima donnas waving imaginary cards at officials. Taia took the TV award and deservedly so. If this is the sort of form he is going to display then why wouldn’t we want him in our ranks for another 12 months at least?
While I’m perched atop the soapbox a word too on the classless treatment of Danny Kirmond who went off injured in the first half. Kirmond met with two mischiefs in the space of a few minutes, the first of which was a leg injury for which Kendall mistakenly stopped the game with Saints in a scoring position, believing the Wakefield man might be suffering from a head injury. After a long delay Kirmond began to hobble towards the sideline before deciding he might instead try to run it off. He jogged back into the defensive line whereupon the widespread booing which may have started in response to Kendall’s mis-diagnosis began again. It was accompanied with some wholly unnecessary abuse by those near me in the north stand which continued, sad to say, when Kirmond was forced from the field moments later.
Is this where we’re at now? Even if the initial reaction was to Kendall’s halting of play what are we booing that for? He’s not a doctor and he has no business taking chances with the health of the players.
Where Were You When We Were Good?
We’ve established what a joy it is to watch Saints at the moment. This game was no different as they ran in another eight tries shared out between eight different players. Taia was putting on a clinic while Lomax, Grace, Knowles, Lachlan Coote and Tommy Makinson also stood out. Holbrook’s outfit is a well oiled machine at the moment. One you’d pay good money to see.
Only many people who normally do, didn’t. Saints average around 10,000 for a home Super League game yet could muster only a paltry 6,453 for this one. Chief among the reasons given for the no-shows appears to be the pricing of tickets. I paid £22 to secure my regular spot which I consider an absolutely reasonable fee in comparison with the going rate for tickets to watch other sports or bloody Beyoncé gigs.
Yet many disagreed. Season ticket holders are aggrieved at having to pay full whack for cup games and feel that some sort of loyalty incentive or discount would be fairer. Others feel that cup tickets should just be cheaper across the board. I would fully support the former and the latter is maybe worth considering to help boost attendances but on the other hand why are these games considered less valuable? We spend every summer barfing on about how the playoffs reduce the regular season games to the level of glorified friendlies yet we’re not willing to pay the going rate for the few games we do have at home that are genuinely crucial knockout affairs. The cup has gone stale we moan, right before we get straight on to Facebook to ask when we can buy Wembley tickets and whether we can park on Tesco next week.
Some suggested also that the Champions League Final had an effect, and pointed the finger at the club for the clash. But the Saints fan base consists not only of Liverpool fans but also largely of Manchester United, Everton and....post Sheikh....Manchester City supporters. It is unlikely that a drop-off of 3,500 fans can be attributed to Liverpool’s success. The outcry from many Saints around the playing of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at Magic last weekend would seem to suggest that actually there is fair amount of anti-Liverpool feeling among the fan base.
As far as the clash is concerned that is not likely to be the club’s doing. Television companies call the tune now and if they did not then we might very well be watching semi-pro players in our shiny stadium. And then people would complain about paying to watch a lower quality product.
Back To Bolton
Our win over Wakefield has taken us back to the Challenge Cup semi-finals, back to the double header at The University Of Bolton Stadium which lead-ballooned its way into our consciousness on its debut last year. I’m not going to remind you in any detail about our horrible capitulation to Catalans that day, nor bore you with any lazy revisionism about how it was all Ben Barba’s fault and how it will all be different this time because Lachlan Coote treats his wife better. Instead I shall focus on Halifax who it just so happens were paired with Saints in the last four after the artists formerly known as the Blue Sox held off Bradford Bulls 20-16 at Odsal.
We still owe Halifax one for me. My earliest Challenge Cup memory, long before the Yorkshire side had blue sox, is of the 1987 final at Wembley when Fax edged us out 19-18. Saints had two Mark Elia tries disallowed and my 11-year-old self was introduced to a culture of disappointment and bridesmaidism that wouldn’t change until the start of Super League in 1996. We’ll enter this one as the biggest racing certainty since sexist, God-chiselled businessman Anthony Joshua fought some fat lad called Ruiz. What? Oh.....
Favourites or not you have to respect the game and the opponent. It would probably take a couple of red cards and a fire drill to give Halifax any chance given the gulf in class, but we’re all surely too scarred by how twattish the Dragons made us look last year to start spouting about a first Wembley trip since 2008 just yet.
The way in which Saints dismissed Castleford Tigers in last week’ Magic Weekend clash at Anfield seemed to impress everybody. It was a clinical dismantling of Daryl Powell’s side which had everyone nodding in agreement at the notion that Justin Holbrook’s men are on a different level to the rest of Super League right now. It was hard to see how they could improve too much, and although there were numerous errors and scrappy periods in this 48-10 Coral Challenge Cup demolition of Wakefield Trinity there were also ominous signs for those sides trying to bridge the gap to Saints.
For the first time since the Easter weekend Holbrook was able to call on the services of England internationals Luke Thompson and Mark Percival. Neither was spectacular. Thompson was solid enough after missing the last six games in league and cup through injury, while seven matches have gone by since Percival last crabbed his way along an opposition defensive line at first team level. But imagine planning to face what is already the standout team in the country and then being tapped on the shoulder and told ‘oh, by the way....the best prop and centre in the competition are turning up this week to add to the mob that destroyed Cas last week’. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook also returned to the 17 to add further depth to Holbrook’s options. It was almost unfair.
It was always going to be a tough ask for a Trinity side missing David Fifita and still shorn of the talents of Bill Tupou, Tom Johnstone and Tinirau Arona, even if their first choice halfback pairing of Danny Brough and Jacob Miller were reunited. Brough was trying everything to haul his side into the game but was mithered to death by Morgan Knowles among others. Knowles was everywhere in the first half, perhaps enjoying his best game of the season so far. Twice Brough resorted to kicking on play one as Saints’ punishing defence took hold. Meanwhile on the other side of the ball enough breaks were made and enough passes stuck to give the score line a bit of gloss by the end.
Holbrook Holds His Horses
That extra strength in depth was something that Holbrook didn’t feel the need for in the first 40 minutes. Remarkably, it wasn’t until the start of the second half that McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Joseph Paulo and Matty Lees were introduced from the interchange bench. Alex Walmsley, Thompson and Knowles were the men to initially make way for a Saints side which had already built a 26-6 lead by then. Standard practice in this era of multiple interchanges is to introduce some fresh horses midway through the first half. Twenty minutes is generally considered to be the optimum time span for front rowers in particular to make an impact before their energy starts to wane. Critics of the modern game say that particular convention is coaching by numbers and that we are losing the art of reactive game management.
Now, it might just be that Holbrook forgot about his bench. Things were going reasonably well and coaches do have an awful lot to think about during a game. Especially during the first half when they are plotting which words of wisdom to impart on their troops at the break. However, my suspicion is that this was a deliberate blitz strategy by Holbrook. Throw your biggest guns onto the field and charge at the opposition, who remember are depleted, for 40 minutes and then take the opportunity to give them a more prolonged rest in the second half. Having not played for so long it was arguably a risk to test Thompson’s stamina with a stint of that length, but he seemed to come through it ok. He does need minutes after his lay-off so why not get them in fewer, longer spells? And why give the opposition a break from the absolute wrecking ball that is a Walmsley until you feel he absolutely needs the rest? It will be fascinating to see if this approach was specifically designed for a banged up Wakefield or whether it will become a regular feature of Holbrook’s management of games.
Taia Proves His Worth
It’s been a fairly busy week on the squad-building front for Saints with the futures of two first team members decided, albeit with vastly differing outcomes. First it was announced that Adam Swift would be leaving the club at the end of the year after signing a two-year contract with Hull FC. That was followed by the altogether happier news that Zeb Taia has agreed a new one-year deal which will keep him at the club until the end of 2020.
Taia isn’t everyone’s favourite. The grumbling has only recently died down from those who felt he was an inadequate replacement for Joe Greenwood when the latter decided to try his hand in the NRL with Gold Coast Titans. That he subsequently pitched up at Wigan only ramped up the ire even further. In the aftermath of Greenwood’s departure Taia has been branded lazy and a liability by some, while others have added a couple of years on to his actual age of 34 to serve as evidence that he should be moved on.
Yet here he was running the show against Chris Chester’s men in this one. He ran all over Trinity all afternoon, setting up tries for Regan Grace and Jonny Lomax and helping himself to another as he took Paulo’s pass to crash through the visitors’ defensive line and stroll over untouched. It was quite the cap to quite the performance.
The match day sponsors chose Lomax as Man Of The Match, something I couldn’t get on board with after he signalled 10 minutes to referee Chris Kendall before he had the chance to pull out the yellow card for Ryan Hampshire’s professional foul late in the first half. This is not how we conduct ourselves. It isn’t football, littered as The Beautiful Game now is with absurdly paid prima donnas waving imaginary cards at officials. Taia took the TV award and deservedly so. If this is the sort of form he is going to display then why wouldn’t we want him in our ranks for another 12 months at least?
While I’m perched atop the soapbox a word too on the classless treatment of Danny Kirmond who went off injured in the first half. Kirmond met with two mischiefs in the space of a few minutes, the first of which was a leg injury for which Kendall mistakenly stopped the game with Saints in a scoring position, believing the Wakefield man might be suffering from a head injury. After a long delay Kirmond began to hobble towards the sideline before deciding he might instead try to run it off. He jogged back into the defensive line whereupon the widespread booing which may have started in response to Kendall’s mis-diagnosis began again. It was accompanied with some wholly unnecessary abuse by those near me in the north stand which continued, sad to say, when Kirmond was forced from the field moments later.
Is this where we’re at now? Even if the initial reaction was to Kendall’s halting of play what are we booing that for? He’s not a doctor and he has no business taking chances with the health of the players.
Where Were You When We Were Good?
We’ve established what a joy it is to watch Saints at the moment. This game was no different as they ran in another eight tries shared out between eight different players. Taia was putting on a clinic while Lomax, Grace, Knowles, Lachlan Coote and Tommy Makinson also stood out. Holbrook’s outfit is a well oiled machine at the moment. One you’d pay good money to see.
Only many people who normally do, didn’t. Saints average around 10,000 for a home Super League game yet could muster only a paltry 6,453 for this one. Chief among the reasons given for the no-shows appears to be the pricing of tickets. I paid £22 to secure my regular spot which I consider an absolutely reasonable fee in comparison with the going rate for tickets to watch other sports or bloody Beyoncé gigs.
Yet many disagreed. Season ticket holders are aggrieved at having to pay full whack for cup games and feel that some sort of loyalty incentive or discount would be fairer. Others feel that cup tickets should just be cheaper across the board. I would fully support the former and the latter is maybe worth considering to help boost attendances but on the other hand why are these games considered less valuable? We spend every summer barfing on about how the playoffs reduce the regular season games to the level of glorified friendlies yet we’re not willing to pay the going rate for the few games we do have at home that are genuinely crucial knockout affairs. The cup has gone stale we moan, right before we get straight on to Facebook to ask when we can buy Wembley tickets and whether we can park on Tesco next week.
Some suggested also that the Champions League Final had an effect, and pointed the finger at the club for the clash. But the Saints fan base consists not only of Liverpool fans but also largely of Manchester United, Everton and....post Sheikh....Manchester City supporters. It is unlikely that a drop-off of 3,500 fans can be attributed to Liverpool’s success. The outcry from many Saints around the playing of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at Magic last weekend would seem to suggest that actually there is fair amount of anti-Liverpool feeling among the fan base.
As far as the clash is concerned that is not likely to be the club’s doing. Television companies call the tune now and if they did not then we might very well be watching semi-pro players in our shiny stadium. And then people would complain about paying to watch a lower quality product.
Back To Bolton
Our win over Wakefield has taken us back to the Challenge Cup semi-finals, back to the double header at The University Of Bolton Stadium which lead-ballooned its way into our consciousness on its debut last year. I’m not going to remind you in any detail about our horrible capitulation to Catalans that day, nor bore you with any lazy revisionism about how it was all Ben Barba’s fault and how it will all be different this time because Lachlan Coote treats his wife better. Instead I shall focus on Halifax who it just so happens were paired with Saints in the last four after the artists formerly known as the Blue Sox held off Bradford Bulls 20-16 at Odsal.
We still owe Halifax one for me. My earliest Challenge Cup memory, long before the Yorkshire side had blue sox, is of the 1987 final at Wembley when Fax edged us out 19-18. Saints had two Mark Elia tries disallowed and my 11-year-old self was introduced to a culture of disappointment and bridesmaidism that wouldn’t change until the start of Super League in 1996. We’ll enter this one as the biggest racing certainty since sexist, God-chiselled businessman Anthony Joshua fought some fat lad called Ruiz. What? Oh.....
Favourites or not you have to respect the game and the opponent. It would probably take a couple of red cards and a fire drill to give Halifax any chance given the gulf in class, but we’re all surely too scarred by how twattish the Dragons made us look last year to start spouting about a first Wembley trip since 2008 just yet.
St Helens v Wakefield Trinity - Preview
It was always going to be a challenge to preview Saints’ Coral Challenge Cup quarter-final meeting with Wakefield Trinity without mentioning the red vee’s 11-year absence from the Wembley final so let’s get it out of the way straight off the bat. Saints last visited the capital on cup final day back in 2008 and their quest to end that barren run continues when Chris Chester’s side visit on Saturday (June 1, kick-off 3.15pm).
The make-up of Justin Holbrook’s 19-man selection might say something about the importance of this one. The Australian coach is bringing out the big guns, with England internationals Luke Thompson and Mark Percival both included after long injury lay-offs. Neither has featured since the Easter weekend which brought victories over Wigan and Hull FC. Also returning is Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, while Danny Richardson is in line for what would be his first appearance since the 50-14 chasing of Catalans Dragons on April 28.
Since then Theo Fages has been in the kind of form that raises the snout of everyone from Castleford Tigers to the great and the good of the NRL depending on which gossip-monger you believe. Unfortunately the Frenchman misses out this week with a concussion, so the onus is once again on Richardson. It’s a difficult situation for the young half whose attitude has been questioned in recent weeks. Richardson most likely knows that for as long as Fages is around there is no level of performance good enough to convince Holbrook to veer away from favouring the ex-Salford and Catalans man.
The return of Thompson, Percival and McCarthy-Scarsbrook means that there are no places in the squad for Kyle Amor, James Bentley or Adam Swift. The latter is now officially in his final year with Saints after signing a two-year deal with Hull FC this week. The winger will move to the KCom Stadium in 2020 after finding himself on the outside looking in for the most part since the emergence of Regan Grace. The Welshman has been outstanding since breaking into the first team but has reached another level again in 2019. There seemed little prospect of Swift winning back that left-wing berth in the longer term and so a move to Humberside seems the right decision for his career. Often criticised for his propensity to make errors bringing the ball away from his own line Swift has nevertheless had a fine career at Saints since making his debut in 2013 and goes east with the best wishes of this amateur scribe at the very least. Eighty-six tries in 126 outings in his home town colours is a record of which can be very proud indeed, and he will hopefully have more chances to add to that before saying his final goodbyes at the end of the season.
Completing the backline will most likely be Lachlan Coote at fullback, Kevin Naiqama in the centres alongside Percival, Tommy Makinson on the right wing and Jonny Lomax at stand-off. Matty Costello has been deputising for Percival and does make the 19, but you get the feeling that he will only be included if Holbrook decides that Percival is not quite ready to play the full 80 minutes.
Thompson’s return bolsters a pack that has been superbly led by Alex Walmsley in recent weeks. The form of the former Batley man has overshadowed even that of the peerless James Roby, while Matty Lees has taken the opportunity to gain some valuable experience as a starting prop in the absence of Thompson. Zeb Taia should celebrate his new one-year deal signed just today with another start in the second row alongside Dominique Peyroux. Taia will be with Saints until at least the end of the 2020 season after penning his new contract, all of which will allow us the privilege of watching him showcase his often criminally under-appreciated skills for another year while also giving Bentley and Joe Batchelor time to develop behind him. Morgan Knowles and Joseph Paulo will continue to share loose forward duties, while Jack Ashworth and Aaron Smith will likely vie for places on a bench that looks certain to include McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Paulo along with one of Lees or Thompson.
Wakefield have been suffering quietly with injuries so far in 2019, a situation which had led to alarming levels of inconsistency. Many tipped Trinity to be a major contender for the top five in Super League and they still may be, but over the last month they have beaten only Huddersfield Giants while managing to lose to all of Hull FC, London Broncos and Catalans Dragons. They might be glad of a chance to park their league ambitions for a week, although sitting as they do in sixth, level on points with fifth placed Castleford Tigers, they will know that if they can find some form in the latter stages of the season they could still make a run towards Old Trafford.
Yet if Saints 11 years without a Wembley appearance makes you wake up in the night screaming like a man who has just realised that he is Nigel Farage, spare a thought for Wakefield who have not been to the national stadium since losing 12-3 to Widnes back in 1979. They have not won the Challenge Cup since 1963 when a 25-10 win over Wigan brought them their second consecutive success in the competition after beating Huddersfield 12-6 in 1962. There are droughts and there are droughts.
To try to end his club’s hoodoo Chester has picked a strong-looking 19-man squad but he is again shorn of several of his key players. Wing sensation Tom Johnstone was lost for the season some time ago thanks to another serious knee injury, while centre Bill Tupou has not featured since the end of March due to a groin injury. Talismanic prop David Fifita hobbled out of the Magic Weekend defeat to Catalans Dragons at Anfield and misses out again and Tinirau Arona is another who is lost for the season.
There had been doubts over Mason Caton-Brown’s fitness but he makes the cut, with perhaps the most telling boost to Chester’s squad being the return from injury of motor-mouthed ref-botherer and elite halfback Danny Brough. The former Huddersfield Giant has been out with a hand injury for the last seven weeks but looks set to resume what was a key halfback partnership with the excellent Jacob Miller. Wakefield will need their craft and guile around the park behind a pack that is lacking not only Fifita but Pauli Pauli who is on loan at Salford Red Devils. He left in a swap deal with Junior S’au but the centre is not eligible to play in the cup for his temporary club. Wakefield will need big performances from the likes of Walmsley look-alike Anthony England, Kyle Wood and former Saint Matty Ashurst if they are going to match their hosts in the all-important trenches. One other side note to mention is that although Joe Batchelor does not make the Saints squad for this one his brother James is included in the Wakefield selection and could feature.
You have to go back 28 years to 1991 to find the last time Saints met Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge Cup. Back then tries from Alan Hunte and John Harrison helped Saints to a 16-2 victory in a second round tie at Knowsley Road. Saints went on to reach Wembley that year but were beaten 13-8 by a Wigan side picking up the fourth of its eight consecutive Challenge Cup final wins of that era thanks to tries from Frano Botica and the ill-fated David Myers.
Saints overall record against Wakefield is pretty handy. They have not lost at home to the West Yorkshire side since a particularly disastrous 16-12 reverse set the wheels in motion for Keiron Cunningham’s exit from the club in 2017. Before that Saints were unbeaten at home against Trinity since a side featuring Brough in his first spell with the club won 22-20 at Knowsley Road in 2009. Warrington centre Ryan Atkins was also in the Wakfield line-up that day but we cannot confirm whether he claimed any tries without getting within five metres of the line.
Despite their injury list this Wakefield outfit looks a good deal stronger on paper than the sides of that vintage. The salary cap and some shrewd management from Chester has catapulted Trinity back towards the game’s leading lights to the extent that it would not be a seismic shock if they were the team to advance from this one to the final four at Bolton on July 27. Not seismic, but still a shock given the current form of Saints, particularly in dismantling Castleford at Anfield last time out. If that Saints side shows up expect Holbrook’s side to progress by something in the region of 18 points.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 7. Danny Richardson 8. Alex Walmsley 9. James Roby 10. Luke Thompson 11. Zeb Taia 12. Joseph Paulo 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 15. Morgan Knowles 17. Dom Peyroux 19. Matty Lees 20. Jack Ashworth 21. Aaron Smith 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello
Wakfield Trinity
Matty Ashurst, James Batchelor, Danny Brough, Mason Caton-Brown, Jack Croft, Jordan Crowther, Anthony England, Ryan Hampshire, Keegan Hirst, Ben Jones-Bishop, Lee Kershaw, George King, Danny Kirmond, Craig Kopczak, Reece Lyne, Jacob Miller, Tyler Randell, Kelepi Tanginoa, Kyle Wood
Referee: Chris Kendall
The make-up of Justin Holbrook’s 19-man selection might say something about the importance of this one. The Australian coach is bringing out the big guns, with England internationals Luke Thompson and Mark Percival both included after long injury lay-offs. Neither has featured since the Easter weekend which brought victories over Wigan and Hull FC. Also returning is Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, while Danny Richardson is in line for what would be his first appearance since the 50-14 chasing of Catalans Dragons on April 28.
Since then Theo Fages has been in the kind of form that raises the snout of everyone from Castleford Tigers to the great and the good of the NRL depending on which gossip-monger you believe. Unfortunately the Frenchman misses out this week with a concussion, so the onus is once again on Richardson. It’s a difficult situation for the young half whose attitude has been questioned in recent weeks. Richardson most likely knows that for as long as Fages is around there is no level of performance good enough to convince Holbrook to veer away from favouring the ex-Salford and Catalans man.
The return of Thompson, Percival and McCarthy-Scarsbrook means that there are no places in the squad for Kyle Amor, James Bentley or Adam Swift. The latter is now officially in his final year with Saints after signing a two-year deal with Hull FC this week. The winger will move to the KCom Stadium in 2020 after finding himself on the outside looking in for the most part since the emergence of Regan Grace. The Welshman has been outstanding since breaking into the first team but has reached another level again in 2019. There seemed little prospect of Swift winning back that left-wing berth in the longer term and so a move to Humberside seems the right decision for his career. Often criticised for his propensity to make errors bringing the ball away from his own line Swift has nevertheless had a fine career at Saints since making his debut in 2013 and goes east with the best wishes of this amateur scribe at the very least. Eighty-six tries in 126 outings in his home town colours is a record of which can be very proud indeed, and he will hopefully have more chances to add to that before saying his final goodbyes at the end of the season.
Completing the backline will most likely be Lachlan Coote at fullback, Kevin Naiqama in the centres alongside Percival, Tommy Makinson on the right wing and Jonny Lomax at stand-off. Matty Costello has been deputising for Percival and does make the 19, but you get the feeling that he will only be included if Holbrook decides that Percival is not quite ready to play the full 80 minutes.
Thompson’s return bolsters a pack that has been superbly led by Alex Walmsley in recent weeks. The form of the former Batley man has overshadowed even that of the peerless James Roby, while Matty Lees has taken the opportunity to gain some valuable experience as a starting prop in the absence of Thompson. Zeb Taia should celebrate his new one-year deal signed just today with another start in the second row alongside Dominique Peyroux. Taia will be with Saints until at least the end of the 2020 season after penning his new contract, all of which will allow us the privilege of watching him showcase his often criminally under-appreciated skills for another year while also giving Bentley and Joe Batchelor time to develop behind him. Morgan Knowles and Joseph Paulo will continue to share loose forward duties, while Jack Ashworth and Aaron Smith will likely vie for places on a bench that looks certain to include McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Paulo along with one of Lees or Thompson.
Wakefield have been suffering quietly with injuries so far in 2019, a situation which had led to alarming levels of inconsistency. Many tipped Trinity to be a major contender for the top five in Super League and they still may be, but over the last month they have beaten only Huddersfield Giants while managing to lose to all of Hull FC, London Broncos and Catalans Dragons. They might be glad of a chance to park their league ambitions for a week, although sitting as they do in sixth, level on points with fifth placed Castleford Tigers, they will know that if they can find some form in the latter stages of the season they could still make a run towards Old Trafford.
Yet if Saints 11 years without a Wembley appearance makes you wake up in the night screaming like a man who has just realised that he is Nigel Farage, spare a thought for Wakefield who have not been to the national stadium since losing 12-3 to Widnes back in 1979. They have not won the Challenge Cup since 1963 when a 25-10 win over Wigan brought them their second consecutive success in the competition after beating Huddersfield 12-6 in 1962. There are droughts and there are droughts.
To try to end his club’s hoodoo Chester has picked a strong-looking 19-man squad but he is again shorn of several of his key players. Wing sensation Tom Johnstone was lost for the season some time ago thanks to another serious knee injury, while centre Bill Tupou has not featured since the end of March due to a groin injury. Talismanic prop David Fifita hobbled out of the Magic Weekend defeat to Catalans Dragons at Anfield and misses out again and Tinirau Arona is another who is lost for the season.
There had been doubts over Mason Caton-Brown’s fitness but he makes the cut, with perhaps the most telling boost to Chester’s squad being the return from injury of motor-mouthed ref-botherer and elite halfback Danny Brough. The former Huddersfield Giant has been out with a hand injury for the last seven weeks but looks set to resume what was a key halfback partnership with the excellent Jacob Miller. Wakefield will need their craft and guile around the park behind a pack that is lacking not only Fifita but Pauli Pauli who is on loan at Salford Red Devils. He left in a swap deal with Junior S’au but the centre is not eligible to play in the cup for his temporary club. Wakefield will need big performances from the likes of Walmsley look-alike Anthony England, Kyle Wood and former Saint Matty Ashurst if they are going to match their hosts in the all-important trenches. One other side note to mention is that although Joe Batchelor does not make the Saints squad for this one his brother James is included in the Wakefield selection and could feature.
You have to go back 28 years to 1991 to find the last time Saints met Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge Cup. Back then tries from Alan Hunte and John Harrison helped Saints to a 16-2 victory in a second round tie at Knowsley Road. Saints went on to reach Wembley that year but were beaten 13-8 by a Wigan side picking up the fourth of its eight consecutive Challenge Cup final wins of that era thanks to tries from Frano Botica and the ill-fated David Myers.
Saints overall record against Wakefield is pretty handy. They have not lost at home to the West Yorkshire side since a particularly disastrous 16-12 reverse set the wheels in motion for Keiron Cunningham’s exit from the club in 2017. Before that Saints were unbeaten at home against Trinity since a side featuring Brough in his first spell with the club won 22-20 at Knowsley Road in 2009. Warrington centre Ryan Atkins was also in the Wakfield line-up that day but we cannot confirm whether he claimed any tries without getting within five metres of the line.
Despite their injury list this Wakefield outfit looks a good deal stronger on paper than the sides of that vintage. The salary cap and some shrewd management from Chester has catapulted Trinity back towards the game’s leading lights to the extent that it would not be a seismic shock if they were the team to advance from this one to the final four at Bolton on July 27. Not seismic, but still a shock given the current form of Saints, particularly in dismantling Castleford at Anfield last time out. If that Saints side shows up expect Holbrook’s side to progress by something in the region of 18 points.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Mark Percival 5. Regan Grace 7. Danny Richardson 8. Alex Walmsley 9. James Roby 10. Luke Thompson 11. Zeb Taia 12. Joseph Paulo 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 15. Morgan Knowles 17. Dom Peyroux 19. Matty Lees 20. Jack Ashworth 21. Aaron Smith 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello
Wakfield Trinity
Matty Ashurst, James Batchelor, Danny Brough, Mason Caton-Brown, Jack Croft, Jordan Crowther, Anthony England, Ryan Hampshire, Keegan Hirst, Ben Jones-Bishop, Lee Kershaw, George King, Danny Kirmond, Craig Kopczak, Reece Lyne, Jacob Miller, Tyler Randell, Kelepi Tanginoa, Kyle Wood
Referee: Chris Kendall
5 Talking Points From Saints 36 Castleford Tigers 16
Magic’s Mystery Tour. Will It Work?
After four years in Newcastle Super League took the bold, some argued foolhardy step of moving the event to Liverpool. Detractors accused Robert Elstone of trying to fix what was not broken when it was announced that this year’s event would be moving to Anfield.
A week earlier there had been almost unanimous agreement from fans that taking rugby league to an area more associated with European football was a great idea. This week it was a bad idea with reasons ranging from the lack of leg room to the colour of the Anfield seats. Football allegiances differ among the support of our club in particular yet it is interesting that precisely nobody complains about having to go to the home of Manchester United for the Super League Grand Final every year.
So ignoring the red herrings what is the real reason why Magic recorded its second lowest attendance since it began in 2007? Some blamed the fixtures but in a league this mediocre you would no more expect to find six enticing match-ups than you would to find an appealing candidate in the Tory leadership election. Most clubs whiff of something. If anything the way results had planned out going into the weekend had enhanced the appeal of the menu. Leeds v London looked a turkey when it was announced but in reality was an epic relegation dogfight decided by two points. Along with that you had Wigan v Warrington, which if you ask the latter’s social media people is a rivalry on a par with Ali and Frazier. Wakefield v Catalans and Salford v Hull KR always looked well matched and turned out to be thrillers, while Saints v Castleford was a meeting of last season’s two most consistent sides.
Not everyone has negative things to say about the experience. Some point out that Anfield generates a better atmosphere than other Magic venues even if there are fewer fans inside, while the city of Liverpool rarely fails to get good reviews from those seeking something social once the rugby is over for the day. One bug bear appeared to be that Anfield is too far from the city centre or any of Liverpool’s finer eating and drinking establishments for fans to take advantage during the day. Other Magic venues like Newcastle and Cardiff are city centre stadia which would have enabled fans to pop out to a nice bar or restaurant when the performance of Hull FC was making their eyes bleed.
My own view is that Magic has always been a flawed concept. A sop to the broadcasters which distorts the season and leaves even the armchair viewer feeling like they’ve been beaten over the head with too much of a good thing. But Elstone was bullish in his interview after the event, hinting strongly that a return to Anfield next year is on the cards. Whether we like it or not it looks like Magic is here to stay in the short term at least. Indeed the latest idea doing the rounds is to combine it with the Championship’s Summer Bash over one weekend. That desperate need for an events culture within our sport will no doubt one day see the whole season played out over one weekend at a central venue where Eddie Hearn does all the pre-game and half-time entertainment on Elton John’s million dollar piano.
Yellow (Card) Submarine
Saints’ discipline has been pretty good this season. Going into this one they had only received two yellow cards. Joseph Paulo picked one up for flattening Sam Tomkins in the 50-point swatting of Catalans Dragons at the end of April, while a couple of weeks before Dominique Peyroux earned himself a 10-minute break from the derby victory at Wigan with a lazy shoulder charge. Those cards were arguably deserved but the third of the season, dished out to James Roby for an alleged crusher tackle on Jake Trueman, was perhaps a little more unfortunate
There seemed little intent from Roby as he leaned in to complete the tackle on the young Tigers half. Yet as he lowered Trueman to the ground Roby did exert pressure on the back of Trueman’s neck. Analysing for Sky Sports former Saints skipper Jon Wilkin controversially suggested that crusher tackles aren’t new to rugby league, and that the difference now is that players on the receiving end stay down knowing that a break in play increases the chances of a video review and further action against the perpetrator.
The officials are blameless. When you see the footage it is clear that Trueman is placed in a dangerous position by Roby whether he intended it or not. You may argue that there is little that Roby could have done short of opting out of making any kind of tackle. But the yellow card has to serve as a reminder to players that they have a duty of care to each other. Where it probably should not apply is when ball carriers back into contact deliberately. That didn’t seem to be the case in this instance and so a yellow card seemed about right, which was unfortunate for Roby but also for Hicks who like most referees doesn’t need to do much to attract the wrath and anger of the more unbalanced rugby league follower. Ultimately it is perhaps telling that Roby has not received any suspension from the disciplinary panel after further review.
I Am The Wal-msley
One of the key individual duels at Anfield was that between Alex Walmsley and Liam Watts. Both have found themselves on the fringes of the England side in a position in which Wayne Bennett has a lot of quality options but both have been stating their case with some fine form in Super League this term. The Saints man, like his team, was a resounding winner of this particular battle.
Walmsley was ably assisted by Matty Lees, who spent large parts of the first half getting under the skin of the notoriously hot-headed Watts. It didn’t restrict the former Hull FC man completely as he made 102 metres on 21 carries, dished out three offloads and added a couple of tackle busts. But all of that pales rather into insignificance compared with Walmsley’s seven tackle busts as he trampled over the Tigers defence for another 128 metres on 14 carries at 9.14 metres a clip.
Watts only averaged 4.85 metres per carry and was not as efficient defensively. He made 31 tackles which is 10 more than Walmsley managed but the former Batley player missed only 2 compared with Watts’ four missed attempts. That translates to a 91.3% success rate for Walmsley compared with 88.57% for Watts. Fine margins perhaps, but it is the small gains that are proving the difference between Saints and most of the other teams in Super League right now. Justin Holbrook’s side are relentless and nobody embodies that more than Walmsley.
Tomorrow Never Knows
Walmsley is the dominant forward in the competition at the moment but it is the gap between his team and the rest that should be the biggest cause for alarm for all but those of us lucky enough to have been born of a red vee persuasion. Saints almost came a cropper at home to Salford last week, and indeed were very lucky to secure a win given to them by virtue of a decidedly ugly, ropey old try by James Bentley in the dying minutes of a stirring contest. Yet a week on this Saints outfit looked on a different planet to the one which had faced Ian Watson’s side last week.
The striking thing about Holbrook’s side is how fit they look. The strength and conditioning team must have been putting in the overtime. The defence is ferocious, the attack incisive and clinical, and it seems to stay that way long after the opponents have started to look a bit jaded. Men like Morgan Knowles, Joseph Paulo, James Roby and Dominique Peyroux do the little, simple things relentlessly well allowing the more creative forces of Lachlan Coote, Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages to do their thing, or else supply speedsters Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace out wide. The return of Roby and Kevin Naiqama made a huge difference to the side compared with the one which took on the Red Devils last time out and at the moment it is very difficult to see anyone matching Saints over 80 minutes.
The statistics back that rather bold statement up. Saints’ seventh try of the game against Castleford was their 100th of the Super League season. The next best tally after that is the 82 that Warrington have managed. Saints have also made more metres than any other Super League side so far in 2019 (22461) while their 158 clean breaks is 25 more than any other side, with Warrington again the nearest challengers in that category. Holbrook’s men have scored more points than anyone else so far this season (549) while their defence is also the meanest having shipped just 246 at an average of 15.37 per game.
And yet we have been here before with Saints. As the Ben Barba Roadshow rolled around Super League riding roughshod over everything in its path for the better part of 2018 hopes were high that after the League Leaders Shield was wrapped up a first Grand Final victory since 2014 would have been secured. Yet the fickle nature of the playoff system, albeit amended to offer a little more security this time around, is always likely to find you out if you are not on top of your game at exactly the right time. Tomorrow never knows.
It’s a joy to watch Saints at the moment but nobody has won anything at the end of May since the switch to summer. The key now for Holbrook is to keep his charges fresh and firing so that they can be at their absolute optimum come the business end of the season. If they can find a way to improve on their current form by then the rest of the league looks to be in a fair amount of trouble.
Please Please Me - Get To Wembley
Before we can think about getting to and winning the Grand Final there is the small matter of the Challenge Cup to consider. It is a well-worn tale by now that Saints have not reached Wembley for the final since 2008, a quite astounding period of absence given the strength of the club since the introduction of Super League in 1996. The dream died in a swamp of underwhelming complacency at the semi-final stage at Bolton last year when the well-drilled Catalans Dragons confounded the critics before going all the way to their first piece of silverware since they entered Super League in 2006. The Dragons are still around in this year’s last eight too, but it is Wakefield Trinity who will provide the next test for Saints as Chris Chester’s side visit for a quarter-final clash this weekend.
Regular listeners to the WA12 Rugby League Show will know that I am particularly awful at predicting the outcome of Wakefield games. It’s such a talented squad that Chester has assembled, but it is one that continues to flatter to deceive, brilliant one week and then fairly horrible the next. Sometimes they flit between those two extremes within the same 80 minutes and we saw a bit of that during their own Magic defeat to the Dragons at the weekend when, having fought back from 12-0 down to take the lead they then allowed the game to slip through their fingers.
You get the feeling though that whoever is standing in their way in the Challenge Cup the barrier has become more mental than physical with Saints. The fans and I am sure the players are desperate to end the cup drought and once again walk out at the national stadium. If they play anything like they did at Anfield then it is hard to make a case for Trinity causing an upset, but equally when you are a little bit off colour against Super League opposition it can catch you out. Normally the consequences would be mild, what with Saints sitting on top of the league fully six points clear of the Wolves in second place. Yet in the cup there are no second chances, no opportunity to put it right next week as the old players’ cliché goes. It’s another stern test of Saints and in particular Holbrook’s ability to get them playing to their capacity when it really, really matters. And let me assure you, it matters this week more than it has at any time during the league campaign so far.
After four years in Newcastle Super League took the bold, some argued foolhardy step of moving the event to Liverpool. Detractors accused Robert Elstone of trying to fix what was not broken when it was announced that this year’s event would be moving to Anfield.
A week earlier there had been almost unanimous agreement from fans that taking rugby league to an area more associated with European football was a great idea. This week it was a bad idea with reasons ranging from the lack of leg room to the colour of the Anfield seats. Football allegiances differ among the support of our club in particular yet it is interesting that precisely nobody complains about having to go to the home of Manchester United for the Super League Grand Final every year.
So ignoring the red herrings what is the real reason why Magic recorded its second lowest attendance since it began in 2007? Some blamed the fixtures but in a league this mediocre you would no more expect to find six enticing match-ups than you would to find an appealing candidate in the Tory leadership election. Most clubs whiff of something. If anything the way results had planned out going into the weekend had enhanced the appeal of the menu. Leeds v London looked a turkey when it was announced but in reality was an epic relegation dogfight decided by two points. Along with that you had Wigan v Warrington, which if you ask the latter’s social media people is a rivalry on a par with Ali and Frazier. Wakefield v Catalans and Salford v Hull KR always looked well matched and turned out to be thrillers, while Saints v Castleford was a meeting of last season’s two most consistent sides.
Not everyone has negative things to say about the experience. Some point out that Anfield generates a better atmosphere than other Magic venues even if there are fewer fans inside, while the city of Liverpool rarely fails to get good reviews from those seeking something social once the rugby is over for the day. One bug bear appeared to be that Anfield is too far from the city centre or any of Liverpool’s finer eating and drinking establishments for fans to take advantage during the day. Other Magic venues like Newcastle and Cardiff are city centre stadia which would have enabled fans to pop out to a nice bar or restaurant when the performance of Hull FC was making their eyes bleed.
My own view is that Magic has always been a flawed concept. A sop to the broadcasters which distorts the season and leaves even the armchair viewer feeling like they’ve been beaten over the head with too much of a good thing. But Elstone was bullish in his interview after the event, hinting strongly that a return to Anfield next year is on the cards. Whether we like it or not it looks like Magic is here to stay in the short term at least. Indeed the latest idea doing the rounds is to combine it with the Championship’s Summer Bash over one weekend. That desperate need for an events culture within our sport will no doubt one day see the whole season played out over one weekend at a central venue where Eddie Hearn does all the pre-game and half-time entertainment on Elton John’s million dollar piano.
Yellow (Card) Submarine
Saints’ discipline has been pretty good this season. Going into this one they had only received two yellow cards. Joseph Paulo picked one up for flattening Sam Tomkins in the 50-point swatting of Catalans Dragons at the end of April, while a couple of weeks before Dominique Peyroux earned himself a 10-minute break from the derby victory at Wigan with a lazy shoulder charge. Those cards were arguably deserved but the third of the season, dished out to James Roby for an alleged crusher tackle on Jake Trueman, was perhaps a little more unfortunate
There seemed little intent from Roby as he leaned in to complete the tackle on the young Tigers half. Yet as he lowered Trueman to the ground Roby did exert pressure on the back of Trueman’s neck. Analysing for Sky Sports former Saints skipper Jon Wilkin controversially suggested that crusher tackles aren’t new to rugby league, and that the difference now is that players on the receiving end stay down knowing that a break in play increases the chances of a video review and further action against the perpetrator.
The officials are blameless. When you see the footage it is clear that Trueman is placed in a dangerous position by Roby whether he intended it or not. You may argue that there is little that Roby could have done short of opting out of making any kind of tackle. But the yellow card has to serve as a reminder to players that they have a duty of care to each other. Where it probably should not apply is when ball carriers back into contact deliberately. That didn’t seem to be the case in this instance and so a yellow card seemed about right, which was unfortunate for Roby but also for Hicks who like most referees doesn’t need to do much to attract the wrath and anger of the more unbalanced rugby league follower. Ultimately it is perhaps telling that Roby has not received any suspension from the disciplinary panel after further review.
I Am The Wal-msley
One of the key individual duels at Anfield was that between Alex Walmsley and Liam Watts. Both have found themselves on the fringes of the England side in a position in which Wayne Bennett has a lot of quality options but both have been stating their case with some fine form in Super League this term. The Saints man, like his team, was a resounding winner of this particular battle.
Walmsley was ably assisted by Matty Lees, who spent large parts of the first half getting under the skin of the notoriously hot-headed Watts. It didn’t restrict the former Hull FC man completely as he made 102 metres on 21 carries, dished out three offloads and added a couple of tackle busts. But all of that pales rather into insignificance compared with Walmsley’s seven tackle busts as he trampled over the Tigers defence for another 128 metres on 14 carries at 9.14 metres a clip.
Watts only averaged 4.85 metres per carry and was not as efficient defensively. He made 31 tackles which is 10 more than Walmsley managed but the former Batley player missed only 2 compared with Watts’ four missed attempts. That translates to a 91.3% success rate for Walmsley compared with 88.57% for Watts. Fine margins perhaps, but it is the small gains that are proving the difference between Saints and most of the other teams in Super League right now. Justin Holbrook’s side are relentless and nobody embodies that more than Walmsley.
Tomorrow Never Knows
Walmsley is the dominant forward in the competition at the moment but it is the gap between his team and the rest that should be the biggest cause for alarm for all but those of us lucky enough to have been born of a red vee persuasion. Saints almost came a cropper at home to Salford last week, and indeed were very lucky to secure a win given to them by virtue of a decidedly ugly, ropey old try by James Bentley in the dying minutes of a stirring contest. Yet a week on this Saints outfit looked on a different planet to the one which had faced Ian Watson’s side last week.
The striking thing about Holbrook’s side is how fit they look. The strength and conditioning team must have been putting in the overtime. The defence is ferocious, the attack incisive and clinical, and it seems to stay that way long after the opponents have started to look a bit jaded. Men like Morgan Knowles, Joseph Paulo, James Roby and Dominique Peyroux do the little, simple things relentlessly well allowing the more creative forces of Lachlan Coote, Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages to do their thing, or else supply speedsters Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace out wide. The return of Roby and Kevin Naiqama made a huge difference to the side compared with the one which took on the Red Devils last time out and at the moment it is very difficult to see anyone matching Saints over 80 minutes.
The statistics back that rather bold statement up. Saints’ seventh try of the game against Castleford was their 100th of the Super League season. The next best tally after that is the 82 that Warrington have managed. Saints have also made more metres than any other Super League side so far in 2019 (22461) while their 158 clean breaks is 25 more than any other side, with Warrington again the nearest challengers in that category. Holbrook’s men have scored more points than anyone else so far this season (549) while their defence is also the meanest having shipped just 246 at an average of 15.37 per game.
And yet we have been here before with Saints. As the Ben Barba Roadshow rolled around Super League riding roughshod over everything in its path for the better part of 2018 hopes were high that after the League Leaders Shield was wrapped up a first Grand Final victory since 2014 would have been secured. Yet the fickle nature of the playoff system, albeit amended to offer a little more security this time around, is always likely to find you out if you are not on top of your game at exactly the right time. Tomorrow never knows.
It’s a joy to watch Saints at the moment but nobody has won anything at the end of May since the switch to summer. The key now for Holbrook is to keep his charges fresh and firing so that they can be at their absolute optimum come the business end of the season. If they can find a way to improve on their current form by then the rest of the league looks to be in a fair amount of trouble.
Please Please Me - Get To Wembley
Before we can think about getting to and winning the Grand Final there is the small matter of the Challenge Cup to consider. It is a well-worn tale by now that Saints have not reached Wembley for the final since 2008, a quite astounding period of absence given the strength of the club since the introduction of Super League in 1996. The dream died in a swamp of underwhelming complacency at the semi-final stage at Bolton last year when the well-drilled Catalans Dragons confounded the critics before going all the way to their first piece of silverware since they entered Super League in 2006. The Dragons are still around in this year’s last eight too, but it is Wakefield Trinity who will provide the next test for Saints as Chris Chester’s side visit for a quarter-final clash this weekend.
Regular listeners to the WA12 Rugby League Show will know that I am particularly awful at predicting the outcome of Wakefield games. It’s such a talented squad that Chester has assembled, but it is one that continues to flatter to deceive, brilliant one week and then fairly horrible the next. Sometimes they flit between those two extremes within the same 80 minutes and we saw a bit of that during their own Magic defeat to the Dragons at the weekend when, having fought back from 12-0 down to take the lead they then allowed the game to slip through their fingers.
You get the feeling though that whoever is standing in their way in the Challenge Cup the barrier has become more mental than physical with Saints. The fans and I am sure the players are desperate to end the cup drought and once again walk out at the national stadium. If they play anything like they did at Anfield then it is hard to make a case for Trinity causing an upset, but equally when you are a little bit off colour against Super League opposition it can catch you out. Normally the consequences would be mild, what with Saints sitting on top of the league fully six points clear of the Wolves in second place. Yet in the cup there are no second chances, no opportunity to put it right next week as the old players’ cliché goes. It’s another stern test of Saints and in particular Holbrook’s ability to get them playing to their capacity when it really, really matters. And let me assure you, it matters this week more than it has at any time during the league campaign so far.
St Helens v Castleford Tigers - Preview
Saints will round off this year’s Magic Weekend when they face Castleford Tigers at Anfield on Sunday (May 26, kick-off 6.00pm).
The decision to move the event to Liverpool after four years in Newcastle has been met with a lot of criticism from fans. Complaints range from the lack of posh housing around the stadium, to the distance from the city centre to the colour of the seats. Strangely, we live in a world in which playing rugby league at the home of a European football giant was a triumph last week but is an absolute disaster this week. Well, you can’t guarantee the weather in L4.
Putting all of this to one side Saints will be looking for a 15th win from 16 league outings in 2019 to consolidate and maybe even stretch their six-point lead at the top of the Super League table depending on other results. Coach Justin Holbrook has made just one change to his 19-man squad from last week’s heart-stopping 32-30 win over Salford Red Devils. Skipper and apparent Liverpool fan James Roby returns to the fold after a slight injury concern, with Joe Batchelor the unfortunate man to miss out.
The 19 has a familiar look then, but there may still be changes to the starting line-up. Kevin Naiqama was a late withdrawal last week but is named. He should slot into his usual right centre berth but there are still decisions to make about the make-up of the rest of the three-quarter line. Tommy Makinson could be restored to his regular right wing role which would likely see Adam Swift miss out. That would be harsh on Swift, but highlights the predicament that he finds himself in that has led to him being heavily linked with Hull FC this week. It seems that Swift’s only chance of a reprieve assuming Naiqama does play is if Makinson is switched to left centre at the expense of Matty Costello. Saints have looked vulnerable defensively on that left edge over the last few weeks since Mark Percival’s injury and Holbrook may elect to try and shore things up. Regan Grace and Lachlan Coote can be more certain of their places if fit. Danny Richardson’s exile continues so expect to see Theo Fages develop his burgeoning partnership with Jonny Lomax in the halves.
Roby’s return bolsters a pack that was carried a little by Alex Walmsley last time out. Luke Thompson is still out injured so Matty Lees is likely to start alongside Walmsley and Roby in Saints’ front row. Aaron Smith is a more than capable deputy for Roby while James Bentley has also operated at hooker at times this season. His confidence will be high after grabbing the winning try against Ian Watson’s side, albeit in fairly controversial fashion. Backing up the props will be Jack Ashworth and Kyle Amor with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook not quite ready for a return from his injury problems. Zeb Taia is mulling over the offer of a new one-year deal and is still Saints first choice at second row along with Dominique Peyroux. Morgan Knowles completes the back row though he is again likely to alternate with Joseph Paulo.
The Tigers arrive on Merseyside without Jesse Sene-Lefao. The strong-running second rower has been granted compassionate leave and has returned home to Australia for the moment. He will be missed on that left edge for Castleford who will also be without back rower Nathan Massey. Brad Jinks misses the cut for the 19 this week as Will Maher, Chris Clarkson and Daniel Smith all return.
The loss of Sene-Lefao in particular is a blow for Tigers coach Daryl Powell who had just started to get a few of his more established stars back on deck. Former Saint Michael Shenton is still out but in recent weeks Greg Minikin, Grant Millington and Paul McShane have all returned to action. All should feature here and with try machine Greg Eden in the line-up along with fullback Peter Mata’utia the Tigers do have the weapons to trouble a Saints side that is still winning but is performing a notch or two below its best of late. Along with Millington and McShane and the excellent Liam Watts England international Mike McMeeken will be key to helping the Tigers match Saints in the forward battle.
If there is a glaring weakness in the Castleford side at present it is perhaps in the halves. They have been forced to rely on the talented but inexperienced duo of Cory Aston and Jake Trueman in the continued absence of Luke Gale and Jamie Ellis. Jordan Rankin was fit enough for a place on the bench in last week’s 30-8 win at Leeds Rhinos and may see his minutes extended here. He’ll either do so in the halves or he can operate at fullback and allow Mata’utia to pull a few strings in midfield.
Saints haven’t lost to Castleford since....yes.....you guessed it.....that thrilling 2017 Super League semi-final when Gale’s golden point drop-goal took the Tigers through to a Grand Final showdown with Leeds. That run has seen Saints reel off five wins on the spin against Powell’s side including a 42-12 success earlier this season which is memorable not only for some sizzling Saints skills but also for Powell’s impromptu walk across the Mend-A-Hose Jungle turf, chunnering at his players as he went and earning himself a suspended £5,000 into the bargain.
The pair have met at Anfield before. Saints took their home fixture with Castleford on the road to Liverpool in 1997 and recorded a 42-16 win. I don’t expect it to be as comfortable as all that this time around but Saints should still have enough to take the spoils, maybe by 8-12 points.
Squads;
St Helens;
Jonny Lomax 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 5. Regan Grace 6. Theo Fages 8. Alex Walmsley 9. James Roby 11. Zeb Taia 12. Joseph Paulo 15. Morgan Knowles 16. Kyle Amor 17. Dominique Peyroux 18. Adam Swift 19. Matty Lees 20. Jack Ashworth 21. Aaron Smith 22. James Bentley 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello
Castleford Tigers;
Cory Aston, Cheyse Blair, James Clare, Mitch Clark, Chris Clarkson, Matt Cook, Greg Eden, Touyo Egodo, Will Maher, Peter Mata’utia, Mike McMeeken, Paul McShane, Grant Millington, Adam Milner, Greg Minikin, Jordan Rankin, Daniel Smith, Jake Trueman, Liam Watts
Referee: Robert Hicks
The decision to move the event to Liverpool after four years in Newcastle has been met with a lot of criticism from fans. Complaints range from the lack of posh housing around the stadium, to the distance from the city centre to the colour of the seats. Strangely, we live in a world in which playing rugby league at the home of a European football giant was a triumph last week but is an absolute disaster this week. Well, you can’t guarantee the weather in L4.
Putting all of this to one side Saints will be looking for a 15th win from 16 league outings in 2019 to consolidate and maybe even stretch their six-point lead at the top of the Super League table depending on other results. Coach Justin Holbrook has made just one change to his 19-man squad from last week’s heart-stopping 32-30 win over Salford Red Devils. Skipper and apparent Liverpool fan James Roby returns to the fold after a slight injury concern, with Joe Batchelor the unfortunate man to miss out.
The 19 has a familiar look then, but there may still be changes to the starting line-up. Kevin Naiqama was a late withdrawal last week but is named. He should slot into his usual right centre berth but there are still decisions to make about the make-up of the rest of the three-quarter line. Tommy Makinson could be restored to his regular right wing role which would likely see Adam Swift miss out. That would be harsh on Swift, but highlights the predicament that he finds himself in that has led to him being heavily linked with Hull FC this week. It seems that Swift’s only chance of a reprieve assuming Naiqama does play is if Makinson is switched to left centre at the expense of Matty Costello. Saints have looked vulnerable defensively on that left edge over the last few weeks since Mark Percival’s injury and Holbrook may elect to try and shore things up. Regan Grace and Lachlan Coote can be more certain of their places if fit. Danny Richardson’s exile continues so expect to see Theo Fages develop his burgeoning partnership with Jonny Lomax in the halves.
Roby’s return bolsters a pack that was carried a little by Alex Walmsley last time out. Luke Thompson is still out injured so Matty Lees is likely to start alongside Walmsley and Roby in Saints’ front row. Aaron Smith is a more than capable deputy for Roby while James Bentley has also operated at hooker at times this season. His confidence will be high after grabbing the winning try against Ian Watson’s side, albeit in fairly controversial fashion. Backing up the props will be Jack Ashworth and Kyle Amor with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook not quite ready for a return from his injury problems. Zeb Taia is mulling over the offer of a new one-year deal and is still Saints first choice at second row along with Dominique Peyroux. Morgan Knowles completes the back row though he is again likely to alternate with Joseph Paulo.
The Tigers arrive on Merseyside without Jesse Sene-Lefao. The strong-running second rower has been granted compassionate leave and has returned home to Australia for the moment. He will be missed on that left edge for Castleford who will also be without back rower Nathan Massey. Brad Jinks misses the cut for the 19 this week as Will Maher, Chris Clarkson and Daniel Smith all return.
The loss of Sene-Lefao in particular is a blow for Tigers coach Daryl Powell who had just started to get a few of his more established stars back on deck. Former Saint Michael Shenton is still out but in recent weeks Greg Minikin, Grant Millington and Paul McShane have all returned to action. All should feature here and with try machine Greg Eden in the line-up along with fullback Peter Mata’utia the Tigers do have the weapons to trouble a Saints side that is still winning but is performing a notch or two below its best of late. Along with Millington and McShane and the excellent Liam Watts England international Mike McMeeken will be key to helping the Tigers match Saints in the forward battle.
If there is a glaring weakness in the Castleford side at present it is perhaps in the halves. They have been forced to rely on the talented but inexperienced duo of Cory Aston and Jake Trueman in the continued absence of Luke Gale and Jamie Ellis. Jordan Rankin was fit enough for a place on the bench in last week’s 30-8 win at Leeds Rhinos and may see his minutes extended here. He’ll either do so in the halves or he can operate at fullback and allow Mata’utia to pull a few strings in midfield.
Saints haven’t lost to Castleford since....yes.....you guessed it.....that thrilling 2017 Super League semi-final when Gale’s golden point drop-goal took the Tigers through to a Grand Final showdown with Leeds. That run has seen Saints reel off five wins on the spin against Powell’s side including a 42-12 success earlier this season which is memorable not only for some sizzling Saints skills but also for Powell’s impromptu walk across the Mend-A-Hose Jungle turf, chunnering at his players as he went and earning himself a suspended £5,000 into the bargain.
The pair have met at Anfield before. Saints took their home fixture with Castleford on the road to Liverpool in 1997 and recorded a 42-16 win. I don’t expect it to be as comfortable as all that this time around but Saints should still have enough to take the spoils, maybe by 8-12 points.
Squads;
St Helens;
Jonny Lomax 2. Tommy Makinson 3. Kevin Naiqama 5. Regan Grace 6. Theo Fages 8. Alex Walmsley 9. James Roby 11. Zeb Taia 12. Joseph Paulo 15. Morgan Knowles 16. Kyle Amor 17. Dominique Peyroux 18. Adam Swift 19. Matty Lees 20. Jack Ashworth 21. Aaron Smith 22. James Bentley 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello
Castleford Tigers;
Cory Aston, Cheyse Blair, James Clare, Mitch Clark, Chris Clarkson, Matt Cook, Greg Eden, Touyo Egodo, Will Maher, Peter Mata’utia, Mike McMeeken, Paul McShane, Grant Millington, Adam Milner, Greg Minikin, Jordan Rankin, Daniel Smith, Jake Trueman, Liam Watts
Referee: Robert Hicks
5 Talking Points From Saints 32 Salford Red Devils 30
The Two Faces Of Lachlan Coote
Lachlan Coote has been a superb addition to the Saints squad for 2019. Unheralded at North Queensland Cowboys the Scottish international has consistently produced match-winning performances in the red vee. He arguably came up with another one here in this thrilling come-from-behind win over a more than handy Salford Red Devils side. Coote scored a hat-trick of tries, taking his tally for his first season in Super League to eight. It was enough to earn him 51% of the vote to win the WA12 Rugby League Show Man Of The Match Award.
Yet it was a performance which showed us two sides of Coote. Not everything went swimmingly for him. It’s been well documented that he could improve his goal-kicking. He made a respectable four out of six conversions here and it could have been even better. It is very arguable that his first miss of the evening when trying to convert his opening try created so spectacularly by Regan Grace’s break looked like a tough call. Television replays seemed to show that the ball might just have sneaked the right side of the upright but it was nevertheless waved away by the touch judges.
Yet it wasn’t his goal-kicking that was falling short against Ian Watson’s side. He came up with three errors, most notably a botched attempt to clean up a Salford grubber kick which almost led to Krisnan Inu scoring and in fact did produce the repeat set from which Derrell Olpherts got over to put Salford ahead at half-time. Earlier, Coote’s weak attempt at a kick close to the Salford line was seized upon by Inu who held off two tacklers to send Niall Evalds on an 80-metre surge to the line. A pass to Zeb Taia looked the better option as for once Coote’s normally flawless decision making abilities let him down.
Yet as well as his three tries and another two assists (Coote is fourth in the league in this category with 13) the Saints fullback ran for 188 metres on 22 carries and finished the night with 20 of Saints’ 32 points. He might be the reason we’re top of the league this season but he had a bit of a mixed night.
Was Zeb Taia Lucky?
Considering the way this one ended (which we’ll get to) there has been a lot of talk about refereeing, video refereeing and how decisions are arrived at. What has gone somewhat under the radar because of the saga around James Bentley’s late try is the question of whether Zeb Taia could have found himself taking a rest of 10 minutes or longer had referee Scott Mikalauskas taken a dimmer view of a challenge on Joey Lussick.
Saints were still trailing by two points at 18-16 early in the second half when they were caught out by Robert Lui’s inside ball to the Salford hooker. All the defenders were going in the wrong direction having been expecting Lui to either drive the ball into a tackle or continue to shift it out to the right edge towards the dangerous Inu and Olpherts. As a consequence of Lui’s switch of play Taia was late to the party and could only offer a desperate swinging arm into Lussick’s head. It took a while for Lussick to clear his head which not only allowed Saints time to set their defence - albeit to face a fresh set of tackles from the resultant penalty - but also the lack of any further punishment for Taia kept us on an even keel in terms of numbers. It would not have been ideal to go a man down against a Salford side already with a slight advantage on the scoreboard and with their tails up. Yet to the letter of the law it probably should have been a sin-bin.
It may have been the most important non-call of the night.
Is Walmsley Carrying The Pack?
Saints went into this one without Luke Thompson who has been missing since the Easter Monday thrashing of Hull FC, but also without James Roby who had another slight niggle. The skipper had not looked at his best in the Challenge Cup win over Huddersfield Giants last week and was replaced again by Aaron Smith. Nothing against Smith who is a fine young prospect or indeed against Matty Lees who has been deputising well for Thompson but those absences constitute the loss of two thirds of the best front row in world rugby league. Any side would suffer some sort of drop off with those sort of losses but thankfully Saints still have Alex Walmsley.
It’s been noted that Saints played only in short spells against Ian Watson’s men. Firstly the opening 15 minutes saw Coote capitalise on bits of magic from Grace and Theo Fages before the latter put Tommy Makinson away down the right for the first of his two scores. Then after conceding five unanswered tries Saints put together another purple patch late on, Coote taking Taia’s batted pass to complete his hat-trick before laying on Makinson for his second and Bentley for the all-important, controversial final score two minutes from the end.
It’s no coincidence perhaps that these two dizzying, effectively match-defining spells occurred with Walmsley on the field while much of the Lui-inspired carnage at the other end took place when the big prop was taking a break. Walmsley’s 155 metres was more than any other Saints forward managed on a night when the backs did much of the damage. The only other Saints forward to top 100 metres was Dominique Peyroux and if he had stepped back on the inside one more time, thus killing any ball movement towards Makinson and Adam Swift I was thinking of going on to the field with a shepherd’s hook of my own with which to drag the second rower off. He’s been brilliant this year but he has been so by running direct and getting the ball to his centre quickly. Perhaps the unexpected absence of Kevin Naiqama which had forced Makinson off the wing and into the centre position was playing on Peyroux’s mind. Naiqama has been in great form in recent weeks and seemed badly missed.
Walmsley also made 22 tackles missing just one and, perhaps crucially, had no errors blotting the copybook. It was a mature performance from Walmsley even though he makes it look kind of chaotic, Thompson is a few weeks away from fitness and with doubts lingering around Roby ahead of this week’s Magic Weekend clash with Castleford at Anfield there is a greater emphasis on Walmsley than perhaps at any time during his Saints career. Cas have men like Grant Millington and Jesse Sene-Lefao back to full fitness and with Liam Watts among the league’s best props in 2019 Walmsley is going to be a huge key to Saints’ success or otherwise. Is it too much to ask of him?
Lui Runs The Salford Show
Last time Robert Lui did anything of note on St Helens soil it didn’t end well. Indeed this result stretches Salford’s winless run in the town to 36 matches spanning 39 years. The got close in 2017 but, having led 24-8 late in the game, Salford were pegged back to 24-24 by three Saints tries in eight minutes. Worse was to come for them as in his haste to win the game and not settle for the point that both teams would have received before these less enlightened days of golden point extra time, Lui’s ill-advised chip over the top was plucked out of the air by Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook who set up Matty Smith for an incredible 40-metre game-winning drop-goal.
Lui’s luck ran out here too but not before he had been largely responsible for giving Saints an almighty fright. Along with the excellent Jackson Hastings at halfback and the destructive Inu at centre Lui ran the show. He scored one try, made another, made three clean breaks and busted out of 11 tackles, finishing with 124 metres to his name. With the boot he peppered Saints all night with 10 kicks in general play and five attacking dabs. If he and Hastings, who made 115 metres of his own on 20 carries and had one assist, played like this every week Salford would be a shoe-in for the play-offs. Which could mean another thriller like this one.
Bentley Benefits From Flawed System
I’m just going to come out and say it. There is no way that Bentley grounded the ball correctly for the winning try. Not by any serious definition of control and downward pressure. Having taken Coote’s pass in a frantic ending, Bentley did superbly to burrow over from close range with defenders hanging off every available body part. The replays seemed to show a slight loss of control just before the try-line, quickly disguised by Bentley as he re-gathered in the in-goal area.
It looks a poor decision, prompting all manner of insults and conspiracy theories from opposition fans driven quite mad by their industrial levels of fume. But it’s not really fair to blame either Mikalauskas or video referee James Child. Mikalauskas could not have been sure and so was 100% correct to send the incident up to Child for further analysis. That’s what it’s there for after all. If you can’t accept that and you want Mikalauskas to make the call then what you want is the abolition of the video refereeing system. I wouldn’t disagree with that policy but as things stand Mikalauskas had nowhere to go.
Nor did Child who is given a bum steer by the process itself. It forces the on-field referee to effectively take a guess at what might have happened at which point it is up to the video referee to find 100% proof, indisputable evidence, that the referee’s call is wrong. If he cannot do that then the protocol says that he should not overturn the decision. That’s a pretty high burden of proof for the video referee and it is understandable that Child did not feel he could be 100% certain that Mikalauskas had made an error.
Without the need for that indisputable evidence, that burden of proof, it is just possible and even quite likely that Child would have been unconvinced by Bentley’s grounding and made a different decision. It’s gone our way this time but I’m sure we’d all feel better if going forward the video referee can be free to make his own judgement instead of having to take into account what the on-field referee has given from his often spectacularly poor viewpoint.
Lachlan Coote has been a superb addition to the Saints squad for 2019. Unheralded at North Queensland Cowboys the Scottish international has consistently produced match-winning performances in the red vee. He arguably came up with another one here in this thrilling come-from-behind win over a more than handy Salford Red Devils side. Coote scored a hat-trick of tries, taking his tally for his first season in Super League to eight. It was enough to earn him 51% of the vote to win the WA12 Rugby League Show Man Of The Match Award.
Yet it was a performance which showed us two sides of Coote. Not everything went swimmingly for him. It’s been well documented that he could improve his goal-kicking. He made a respectable four out of six conversions here and it could have been even better. It is very arguable that his first miss of the evening when trying to convert his opening try created so spectacularly by Regan Grace’s break looked like a tough call. Television replays seemed to show that the ball might just have sneaked the right side of the upright but it was nevertheless waved away by the touch judges.
Yet it wasn’t his goal-kicking that was falling short against Ian Watson’s side. He came up with three errors, most notably a botched attempt to clean up a Salford grubber kick which almost led to Krisnan Inu scoring and in fact did produce the repeat set from which Derrell Olpherts got over to put Salford ahead at half-time. Earlier, Coote’s weak attempt at a kick close to the Salford line was seized upon by Inu who held off two tacklers to send Niall Evalds on an 80-metre surge to the line. A pass to Zeb Taia looked the better option as for once Coote’s normally flawless decision making abilities let him down.
Yet as well as his three tries and another two assists (Coote is fourth in the league in this category with 13) the Saints fullback ran for 188 metres on 22 carries and finished the night with 20 of Saints’ 32 points. He might be the reason we’re top of the league this season but he had a bit of a mixed night.
Was Zeb Taia Lucky?
Considering the way this one ended (which we’ll get to) there has been a lot of talk about refereeing, video refereeing and how decisions are arrived at. What has gone somewhat under the radar because of the saga around James Bentley’s late try is the question of whether Zeb Taia could have found himself taking a rest of 10 minutes or longer had referee Scott Mikalauskas taken a dimmer view of a challenge on Joey Lussick.
Saints were still trailing by two points at 18-16 early in the second half when they were caught out by Robert Lui’s inside ball to the Salford hooker. All the defenders were going in the wrong direction having been expecting Lui to either drive the ball into a tackle or continue to shift it out to the right edge towards the dangerous Inu and Olpherts. As a consequence of Lui’s switch of play Taia was late to the party and could only offer a desperate swinging arm into Lussick’s head. It took a while for Lussick to clear his head which not only allowed Saints time to set their defence - albeit to face a fresh set of tackles from the resultant penalty - but also the lack of any further punishment for Taia kept us on an even keel in terms of numbers. It would not have been ideal to go a man down against a Salford side already with a slight advantage on the scoreboard and with their tails up. Yet to the letter of the law it probably should have been a sin-bin.
It may have been the most important non-call of the night.
Is Walmsley Carrying The Pack?
Saints went into this one without Luke Thompson who has been missing since the Easter Monday thrashing of Hull FC, but also without James Roby who had another slight niggle. The skipper had not looked at his best in the Challenge Cup win over Huddersfield Giants last week and was replaced again by Aaron Smith. Nothing against Smith who is a fine young prospect or indeed against Matty Lees who has been deputising well for Thompson but those absences constitute the loss of two thirds of the best front row in world rugby league. Any side would suffer some sort of drop off with those sort of losses but thankfully Saints still have Alex Walmsley.
It’s been noted that Saints played only in short spells against Ian Watson’s men. Firstly the opening 15 minutes saw Coote capitalise on bits of magic from Grace and Theo Fages before the latter put Tommy Makinson away down the right for the first of his two scores. Then after conceding five unanswered tries Saints put together another purple patch late on, Coote taking Taia’s batted pass to complete his hat-trick before laying on Makinson for his second and Bentley for the all-important, controversial final score two minutes from the end.
It’s no coincidence perhaps that these two dizzying, effectively match-defining spells occurred with Walmsley on the field while much of the Lui-inspired carnage at the other end took place when the big prop was taking a break. Walmsley’s 155 metres was more than any other Saints forward managed on a night when the backs did much of the damage. The only other Saints forward to top 100 metres was Dominique Peyroux and if he had stepped back on the inside one more time, thus killing any ball movement towards Makinson and Adam Swift I was thinking of going on to the field with a shepherd’s hook of my own with which to drag the second rower off. He’s been brilliant this year but he has been so by running direct and getting the ball to his centre quickly. Perhaps the unexpected absence of Kevin Naiqama which had forced Makinson off the wing and into the centre position was playing on Peyroux’s mind. Naiqama has been in great form in recent weeks and seemed badly missed.
Walmsley also made 22 tackles missing just one and, perhaps crucially, had no errors blotting the copybook. It was a mature performance from Walmsley even though he makes it look kind of chaotic, Thompson is a few weeks away from fitness and with doubts lingering around Roby ahead of this week’s Magic Weekend clash with Castleford at Anfield there is a greater emphasis on Walmsley than perhaps at any time during his Saints career. Cas have men like Grant Millington and Jesse Sene-Lefao back to full fitness and with Liam Watts among the league’s best props in 2019 Walmsley is going to be a huge key to Saints’ success or otherwise. Is it too much to ask of him?
Lui Runs The Salford Show
Last time Robert Lui did anything of note on St Helens soil it didn’t end well. Indeed this result stretches Salford’s winless run in the town to 36 matches spanning 39 years. The got close in 2017 but, having led 24-8 late in the game, Salford were pegged back to 24-24 by three Saints tries in eight minutes. Worse was to come for them as in his haste to win the game and not settle for the point that both teams would have received before these less enlightened days of golden point extra time, Lui’s ill-advised chip over the top was plucked out of the air by Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook who set up Matty Smith for an incredible 40-metre game-winning drop-goal.
Lui’s luck ran out here too but not before he had been largely responsible for giving Saints an almighty fright. Along with the excellent Jackson Hastings at halfback and the destructive Inu at centre Lui ran the show. He scored one try, made another, made three clean breaks and busted out of 11 tackles, finishing with 124 metres to his name. With the boot he peppered Saints all night with 10 kicks in general play and five attacking dabs. If he and Hastings, who made 115 metres of his own on 20 carries and had one assist, played like this every week Salford would be a shoe-in for the play-offs. Which could mean another thriller like this one.
Bentley Benefits From Flawed System
I’m just going to come out and say it. There is no way that Bentley grounded the ball correctly for the winning try. Not by any serious definition of control and downward pressure. Having taken Coote’s pass in a frantic ending, Bentley did superbly to burrow over from close range with defenders hanging off every available body part. The replays seemed to show a slight loss of control just before the try-line, quickly disguised by Bentley as he re-gathered in the in-goal area.
It looks a poor decision, prompting all manner of insults and conspiracy theories from opposition fans driven quite mad by their industrial levels of fume. But it’s not really fair to blame either Mikalauskas or video referee James Child. Mikalauskas could not have been sure and so was 100% correct to send the incident up to Child for further analysis. That’s what it’s there for after all. If you can’t accept that and you want Mikalauskas to make the call then what you want is the abolition of the video refereeing system. I wouldn’t disagree with that policy but as things stand Mikalauskas had nowhere to go.
Nor did Child who is given a bum steer by the process itself. It forces the on-field referee to effectively take a guess at what might have happened at which point it is up to the video referee to find 100% proof, indisputable evidence, that the referee’s call is wrong. If he cannot do that then the protocol says that he should not overturn the decision. That’s a pretty high burden of proof for the video referee and it is understandable that Child did not feel he could be 100% certain that Mikalauskas had made an error.
Without the need for that indisputable evidence, that burden of proof, it is just possible and even quite likely that Child would have been unconvinced by Bentley’s grounding and made a different decision. It’s gone our way this time but I’m sure we’d all feel better if going forward the video referee can be free to make his own judgement instead of having to take into account what the on-field referee has given from his often spectacularly poor viewpoint.
St Helens v Salford Red Devils - Preview
Safe passage to the last eight of the Challenge Cup now secured, Saints turn their attentions back to Betfred Super League business when they entertain Salford Red Devils in a Round 15 match-up on Friday night (May 17, kick-off 7.45pm).
Justin Holbrook’s side were not entirely convincing in squeaking past Huddersfield Giants at the John Smith’s Stadium in Sunday’s cup tie (May 12). They did enough though, and will be hoping to build on their four-point lead at the top of the league table when Ian Watson’s side roll into town. The Red Devils come in off the back of a disappointing cup defeat to Hull KR which, if nothing else, leaves them to concentrate fully on trying to consolidate their league position and maybe even challenge for one of the five play-off spots available at season’s end.
Holbrook has made two changes to his squad for this one. Danny Richardson is perhaps surprisingly left out. Theo Fages turned in a distinctly marmite performance at Huddersfield which some felt might lead to Richardson getting another opportunity to impress. Yet it is Fages in whom Holbrook is placing his faith for this week, with Jack Welsby drafted back into the 19 at Richardson’s expense. The other change sees James Roby stood down with again a suggestion of a ‘niggling’ injury. That is likely to lead to a start for Aaron Smith at hooker while James Bentley comes back into the initial selection after missing out last week.
Holbrook has hinted at one or two changes to the starting line-up for this one. Already without Roby, Mark Percival, Luke Thompson and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook through injury the Saints coach named Matty Lees as another who might have a slight fitness problem. Lees has been starting at prop alongside Alex Walmsley since Thompson hobbled out of the Easter Monday win over Hull FC. If Lees is not fit to go then Jack Ashworth or Kyle Amor can expect to get the call into the starting line-up, with perhaps Bentley and/or Welsby earning a bench spot to cover a number of positions.
The rest of the team should have a familiar look about it. Adam Swift is named and might challenge for a wing spot if Holbrook feels that Matty Costello needs to come out of the firing line. Costello has deputised well for Percival on the whole but there is just the feeling that Saints left edge defence is slightly weaker with the inexperienced Costello out there. Tommy Makinson could make the switch from right wing to centre, but if not then expect Costello to be given another opportunity to further his Super League education. Regan Grace scored one and made another at Huddersfield and is one of Saints form backs at the moment, as are Kevin Naiqama at centre and Lachlan Coote at fullback. The currently peerless Jonny Lomax should partner Fages in the halves.
With the prospect of a reshuffled front row it might be even more important to field a solid back three in the pack. Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux were not at their best last week but should be retained, with Morgan Knowles just edging Joseph Paulo for the starting loose forward slot. Paulo will feature from the bench along with one of Amor and Ashworth, with perhaps both Bentley and Welsby should Lees not make the 17.
Salford currently sit sixth in the Super League table, but are part of a trio of sides on 16 points behind the top two of Saints on 26 and Warrington on 20. A win here coupled with losses for Wakefield and Catalans would propel the Red Devils into the dizzying atmosphere of the top three. Yet tempering those expectations is the fact that Salford have not won at St Helens since 1980, and were smashed 26-4 at the AJ Bell Stadium when the teams met there back in February. Their cup exit to Rovers last week was a hammer blow, but after producing some fine performances so far in 2019 it is not beyond the realms of possibility that we could be seeing Salford in play-off action come September whether they can take anything from Saints or not. The rest of the league seems to be falling over each other to avoid getting into that top five meaning that the Red Devils may never have a better opportunity.
Holbrook has identified the Salford halfback pairing of Jackson Hastings and Robert Lui as the main threats. Certainly Salford look a different side whenever the excellent Hastings is on the scene. He has all the attributes, mixing a potent running game with a splendid array of passing and kicking skills. His future is uncertain so there could be a scramble developing for his services come the end of the year. Saints could do worse than look at him but the smart money suggests that he will instead get an offer from the darker side of Billinge Hill. He could be one of the pieces in the puzzle required to revive Wigan’s flagging fortunes.
Niall Evalds is another player who has impressed while prop Ben Nakubuwai has been rather tenuously linked with Saints in the last few days. Watson has moved this week to bring in heavyweight wrecking ball Pauli-Pauli from Wakefield Trinity who looks set for a debut. The cost of that was that veteran centre Junior S’au has travelled in the other direction. The pair swap sides for an initial month-long loan period.
There are more Saints links in the Salford squad. Josh Jones has been linked with a move back to the club after leaving in 2015. Adam Walker is another who had a short spell at Saints and who is looking to rebuild his career in Super League after a suspension for a failed drugs test.
Krisnan Inu, Kris Welham and Ken Sio offer more experience in the backs while up front the impressive Joey Lussick joins Walker, Pauli-Pauli, Jones, Nakubuwai, and former Wigan trio Logan Tomkins, Gil Dudson and Lee Mossop among Watson’s options.
As alluded to earlier Salford’s record against Saints in St Helens is fairly abysmal. The closest they have come to a win in their long barren spell in the town was in 2017 when it took a last-gasp Matty Smith drop-goal to secure Saints a 25-24 win. Smith was never any Saints fan’s answer to the halfback problem but how we could have done with that kind of game management in the latter stages of the cup clash with the Giants last week. It’s more likely however that we won’t need that kind of attention to detail against a Red Devils side which can be devastating on its day but which can also buckle when it’s not going their way. It would be a major surprise if we see anything other than a comfortable Saints win in this one.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18. Adam Swift, 19. Matty Lees, 20. Jack Ashworth, 21. Aaron Smith, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello, 29. Jack Welsby.
Salford Red Devils;
Niall Evalds, Kris Welham, Rob Lui, Lee Mossop, Gil Dudson, Josh Jones, George Griffin, Joey Lussick, Adam Walker, Greg Burke, Tyrone McCarthy, Ben Nakubuwai, Logan Tomkins, Dan Murray, Derrell Olpherts, Ken Sio, Krisnan Inu, Pauli Pauli, Jackson Hastings.
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas
Justin Holbrook’s side were not entirely convincing in squeaking past Huddersfield Giants at the John Smith’s Stadium in Sunday’s cup tie (May 12). They did enough though, and will be hoping to build on their four-point lead at the top of the league table when Ian Watson’s side roll into town. The Red Devils come in off the back of a disappointing cup defeat to Hull KR which, if nothing else, leaves them to concentrate fully on trying to consolidate their league position and maybe even challenge for one of the five play-off spots available at season’s end.
Holbrook has made two changes to his squad for this one. Danny Richardson is perhaps surprisingly left out. Theo Fages turned in a distinctly marmite performance at Huddersfield which some felt might lead to Richardson getting another opportunity to impress. Yet it is Fages in whom Holbrook is placing his faith for this week, with Jack Welsby drafted back into the 19 at Richardson’s expense. The other change sees James Roby stood down with again a suggestion of a ‘niggling’ injury. That is likely to lead to a start for Aaron Smith at hooker while James Bentley comes back into the initial selection after missing out last week.
Holbrook has hinted at one or two changes to the starting line-up for this one. Already without Roby, Mark Percival, Luke Thompson and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook through injury the Saints coach named Matty Lees as another who might have a slight fitness problem. Lees has been starting at prop alongside Alex Walmsley since Thompson hobbled out of the Easter Monday win over Hull FC. If Lees is not fit to go then Jack Ashworth or Kyle Amor can expect to get the call into the starting line-up, with perhaps Bentley and/or Welsby earning a bench spot to cover a number of positions.
The rest of the team should have a familiar look about it. Adam Swift is named and might challenge for a wing spot if Holbrook feels that Matty Costello needs to come out of the firing line. Costello has deputised well for Percival on the whole but there is just the feeling that Saints left edge defence is slightly weaker with the inexperienced Costello out there. Tommy Makinson could make the switch from right wing to centre, but if not then expect Costello to be given another opportunity to further his Super League education. Regan Grace scored one and made another at Huddersfield and is one of Saints form backs at the moment, as are Kevin Naiqama at centre and Lachlan Coote at fullback. The currently peerless Jonny Lomax should partner Fages in the halves.
With the prospect of a reshuffled front row it might be even more important to field a solid back three in the pack. Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux were not at their best last week but should be retained, with Morgan Knowles just edging Joseph Paulo for the starting loose forward slot. Paulo will feature from the bench along with one of Amor and Ashworth, with perhaps both Bentley and Welsby should Lees not make the 17.
Salford currently sit sixth in the Super League table, but are part of a trio of sides on 16 points behind the top two of Saints on 26 and Warrington on 20. A win here coupled with losses for Wakefield and Catalans would propel the Red Devils into the dizzying atmosphere of the top three. Yet tempering those expectations is the fact that Salford have not won at St Helens since 1980, and were smashed 26-4 at the AJ Bell Stadium when the teams met there back in February. Their cup exit to Rovers last week was a hammer blow, but after producing some fine performances so far in 2019 it is not beyond the realms of possibility that we could be seeing Salford in play-off action come September whether they can take anything from Saints or not. The rest of the league seems to be falling over each other to avoid getting into that top five meaning that the Red Devils may never have a better opportunity.
Holbrook has identified the Salford halfback pairing of Jackson Hastings and Robert Lui as the main threats. Certainly Salford look a different side whenever the excellent Hastings is on the scene. He has all the attributes, mixing a potent running game with a splendid array of passing and kicking skills. His future is uncertain so there could be a scramble developing for his services come the end of the year. Saints could do worse than look at him but the smart money suggests that he will instead get an offer from the darker side of Billinge Hill. He could be one of the pieces in the puzzle required to revive Wigan’s flagging fortunes.
Niall Evalds is another player who has impressed while prop Ben Nakubuwai has been rather tenuously linked with Saints in the last few days. Watson has moved this week to bring in heavyweight wrecking ball Pauli-Pauli from Wakefield Trinity who looks set for a debut. The cost of that was that veteran centre Junior S’au has travelled in the other direction. The pair swap sides for an initial month-long loan period.
There are more Saints links in the Salford squad. Josh Jones has been linked with a move back to the club after leaving in 2015. Adam Walker is another who had a short spell at Saints and who is looking to rebuild his career in Super League after a suspension for a failed drugs test.
Krisnan Inu, Kris Welham and Ken Sio offer more experience in the backs while up front the impressive Joey Lussick joins Walker, Pauli-Pauli, Jones, Nakubuwai, and former Wigan trio Logan Tomkins, Gil Dudson and Lee Mossop among Watson’s options.
As alluded to earlier Salford’s record against Saints in St Helens is fairly abysmal. The closest they have come to a win in their long barren spell in the town was in 2017 when it took a last-gasp Matty Smith drop-goal to secure Saints a 25-24 win. Smith was never any Saints fan’s answer to the halfback problem but how we could have done with that kind of game management in the latter stages of the cup clash with the Giants last week. It’s more likely however that we won’t need that kind of attention to detail against a Red Devils side which can be devastating on its day but which can also buckle when it’s not going their way. It would be a major surprise if we see anything other than a comfortable Saints win in this one.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Kevin Naiqama, 5. Regan Grace, 6. Theo Fages, 8. Alex Walmsley, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Joseph Paulo, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Kyle Amor, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18. Adam Swift, 19. Matty Lees, 20. Jack Ashworth, 21. Aaron Smith, 22. James Bentley, 23. Lachlan Coote 24. Matty Costello, 29. Jack Welsby.
Salford Red Devils;
Niall Evalds, Kris Welham, Rob Lui, Lee Mossop, Gil Dudson, Josh Jones, George Griffin, Joey Lussick, Adam Walker, Greg Burke, Tyrone McCarthy, Ben Nakubuwai, Logan Tomkins, Dan Murray, Derrell Olpherts, Ken Sio, Krisnan Inu, Pauli Pauli, Jackson Hastings.
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas
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