Paul Wellens questions the consistency of eight point try decisions

St Helens boss Paul Wellens has had the difficult job of trying to get the Champions back on track after they dropped off a little following their World Club Challenge success.

Wellens, speaking on Saints TV ahead of tonight’s interesting clash against potential title rivals Huddersfield Giants, said his edges have lacked consistency because of the disruption they’ve had in those areas with injuries and suspensions.

He said: “There’s been a fair bit of disruption there and it’s something that doesn’t normally happen so early on in the season.

“You accept that you’re going to pick up niggles throughout the course of the year but we’ve been a bit challenged in that area, through injuries and suspension.

“Hopefully we can now get back to some consistency there with the team we’re picking and the edges we have out there.

“As you all know Curtis Sironen, Sione Mata’utia and Joe Batchelor are up with there with the best second-rowers in the competition. So having them on the field as often as possible is obviously a boost for us.

“If you look at Curtis, Sione and Konrad they’re devasting ball carriers and it takes two or three defenders to pull them down. When you don’t have all three on the field at once it can hurt you, for us we need to adapt to those situations when they do arise.

“We have tried to do that but make no mistakes we’re a better team with those guys in the side.”

Speaking of consistency, Wellens also questioned the lack of consistency with regards to eight point tries.

We have seen an increase with them with four already this season however Saints could have had one against Leeds Rhinos when Mark Percival scored whilst tackled high by Nene MacDonald.

Then against Hull FC, Jon Bennison copped a knee from Davy Litten as he scored. No eight point try was given but Litten has since been fined by the disciplinary panel.

Thus, Wellens has questioned the consistency in this area:

“It’s just a lack of consistency in that area. I think I said when I was asked a couple of weeks ago, we’ve got to go down the path of they’re all eight-point tries or they’re not.

“Certainly in that instance if you go on what’s been given over the course of the year it probably should have been an eight-point try,

“It didn’t make a difference to the result on the night but there may become circumstances where those calls are crucial, so it’s important we get them right.”