It was the clash of the embattled coaches as sixth placed St
Helens, under the precarious coaching of Paul Wellens, took on seventh placed
Catalans Dragons under the stewardship of an embattled Steve McNamara.
The winners would be up to fifth, or potentially fourth, and
it was St Helens who were the favourites to win with the bookies as they were
handicapped by twelve points on the coupon but both sides were looking to
bounce back from consecutive losses.
Saints were victors in the round three meeting at the end of
March by a single point, but honours were shared last year with a game apiece,
the Dragons winning the four games before that for five victories in the last
seven over the Saints.
Saints showed their intent as early as the second minute
when George Whitby was on hand at the end of a delightful seventy metres Saints
move thanks to a brilliant footwork and a break by Tristan Sailor which ripped
apart the Dragons defence. Whitby added the conversion.
Brilliant goal line defence prevented a second try on seven minutes
bit Saints were camped on the Dragons line and eventually Knowles put in a delightful
reverse pass to Alex Walmsley to go in from five metres out. Whitby was on
target again, Saints with a twelve-point advantage after just eight minutes.
Just when it looked like the floodgates would open, the Dragons
yanked up the drawbridge, and the points dried up.
On thirty-five an almost half hour deadlock was broken by
Deon Cross who took a looping Jonny Lomax miss-out pass and dropped the
shoulder to come inside his tackler and coast home. Whitby added the conversion
for an 18-0 lead, the Dragons were having no time or possession in the Saints
half.
Five seconds before the interval Jack Welsby went through
broken Catalans defensive line and as he hit the ten-metre line, he drew the
full back and passed inside to a queue of Saints players, Whitby the one to
collect the pass and canter over. Whitby added the conversion, Saints 24-0 up
at the break with the points in the bag.
Twelve minutes of the second half had elapsed when Tristan
Sailor extended the lead after taking a backhanded pass from Mark Percival to
go in down the right wing and grounding in the corner. Whitby added the
touchline conversion to bring up thirty points.
A spectacular finish from Lewis Murphy, leaping to ground in
the corner off a Cross ‘round the corner’ pass. Whitby was just wide, missing
his first of the night.
Whitby completed his hat-trick on seventy-one with a two-metre
effort after taking a Matty Lees pass to score by the right upright. He added
the conversion to his own try for 40-0, a comprehensive win, humiliation for
the visitors.
It was all one-way traffic in an encounter between two
average sides in 2025. Saints took the spoils and a confidence boosting win
which lifts them to fourth in the league table ahead of the rest of the round’s
fixtures and with the two sides immediately below them playing one another
tomorrow they are almost guaranteed to finish the round inside the top five.
McNamara still in all sorts of trouble as he seems unable to get any sort of
performance out of his charges.
St Helens: Welsby, Sailor (T), Cross (T), Percival, Murphy
(T), Whitby (3T, G 6/7), Lomax, Walmsley (T), Clark, Lees, Sironen, Whitley,
Knowles. Subs: Mbye, Paasi, Wingfield,
Delaney. 18th Man: Dagnall.
Catalans Dragons:
Aispuro-Bichet, Yaha, Smith, Laguerre, Cotric, Fages, Keary, Satae, Da Costa, Navarrete,
Séguier, Sironen, Partington. Subs: Romoan, Pangai-Junior, Sims, Dezaria.
18th Man: Rougé.
Half-Time: 24-0.
Full-Time: 40-0.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 10-0, 12-0, 16-0, 18-0, 22-0,
24-0 : HT: 28-0, 30-0, 34-0, 38-0, 40-0 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: St Helens.
Referee: Liam Moore.
