Paul Wellens reveals what cost St Helens against Leigh Leopards

Paul Wellens’ and St Helens’ dream of winning four trophies in a season ended yesterday with defeat to Leigh Leopards in the Challenge Cup semi-final at Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones Stadium.

The Saints had full control of the game at halftime leading 6-0 after pulverising Leigh for much of the first 40 having almost all the territory and the vast majority of possession.

Leigh hung in there however to ensure that the score remained 6-0 at the interval and in the second half, the Leopards found something extra that in the end carried them to victory against the Super League and World Champions.

The Saints gave themselves a chance of forcing the game to golden point when Jonny Lomax scored late on but the conversion was then missed by Tommy Makinson leaving the score at 12-10 to the Leopards.

“I’m obviously devastated,” Paul Wellens said on Saints TV after the game, “There was a huge prize at stake and the opportunity to go and play at Wembley does not get much bigger.

“I have been in this position before as a player when you lose a semi final and it is never nice and I am gutted.”

He then went on to explain what went wrong: “Perhaps when you look back on the game and the opportunities are very few and far between.

“It’s probably an area of our game where we need to be better: attacking the opposition’s goal line.

“In a game like that where the margins are so fine we probably need to nail one or two more of them and if you do, you are probably on the end of a different result.”

He was also explained how St Helens’ start to the second half was ultimately what cost his side:

“I was disappointed with the way we conceded that try particularly given the stuff that we’ve worked on during the week in terms of how to defend that threat in particular.

“We probably clocked off a little bit there and got burned early in the second-half which in big games with the small margins make a massive difference.

“And so the way we started the, the second-half was certainly not ideal.”

Saints’ focus is now firmly chasing a fifth consecutive Grand Final in 2023 and perhaps this disappointment will be the driving force for their final push.