Hull FC hosted St Helens in a battle between the Super League play-off hopefuls and here are the major talking points.
St Helens moved fourth in Super League with a 13-6 win as Jonny Lomax’s late drop goal confirmed the win following tries from Kyle Feldt on either side of the half time hooter.
It marked the first meeting between these sides in Super League this year whilst the competition also broke through the 1,000,000 aggregate attendance mark as over 10,000 turned up at the MKM Stadium to watch the match.
Pre-match news focused on Zak Hardaker shifting to full-back as Jordan Rapana moved into the centres after an iffy spell at number one, whilst Paul Wellens opted to back Moses Mbye in the halves in his major selection call.
Here are some of the key talking points from the match and what it means for Super League.
Hull FC v St Helens talking points
Home curse continues
It is now almost one year since Hull FC last won at home with Wigan Warriors being the last side they beat at the MKM Stadium.
They’ve snuck a draw against Leigh Leopards at home this year but they’re yet to claim two points and they never really looked like doing so today either.
More worrying is the fact that the seven of their ten remaining fixtures are played at home, so if that form doesn’t change soon then their play-off hopes will rapidly end.
Ashes spot claimed
Loose forward is a position where there are plenty of players in with a shout but Morgan Knowles is making a claim that cannot be ignored. The St Helens’ loose forward was exceptional once again and perhaps the biggest marker of just how good he is will be how much Saints struggle next year without him.
There are few better tacklers than Knowles and he has recently started playing the ball a lot more as well, acting as an extension of the spine. Line speed and effort are always off the charts and with Victor Radley going through a lay-off due to concussions, Knowles could be the Ashes starter.
Cartwright’s full-back call
John Cartwright made the decision to take Jordan Rapana out of the limelight at full-back and move him back into centre. Instead, he called on Zak Hardaker to occupy the number one role.
It’s fair to say it was a successful swap with Hardaker offering plenty of threat out of backfield but the issue was that Hull FC just couldn’t get any good ball territory, constantly making errors on their march down the field.
Expect to see Hardaker in this role once again with Rapana back in the centres until Will Pryce makes his return, something that could still be some time away.
George Whitby decision
Cartwright’s big call was around Hardaker and Rapana but for Paul Wellens, it was the decision to go with Moses Mbye over George Whitby. Whilst Mbye wasn’t a gamebreaker, he stepped up to the task and is vital in Saints’ kicking game.
Allowing Whitby to keep developing in the reserves seems the ploy for St Helens at the moment and it’s one that could work so long as Moses Mbye keeps playing error-free rugby. Whilst Saints are winning, Mbye has to keep the role.
Teams
Hull FC XIII: Zak Hardaker; Harvey Barron, Jordan Rapana, Davy Litten, Lewis Martin; Cade Cust, Aidan Sezer; Herman Ese’ese, Amir Bourouh, Liam Knight; Jack Ashworth, Ed Chamberlain, Yusuf Aydin
Interchanges: Jed Cartwright, Tom Briscoe, Sam Eseh, Brad Fash
St Helens XIII: Tristan Sailor; Kyle Feldt, Harry Robertson, Matt Whitley, Owen Dagnall; Jonny Lomax, Moses Mbye; Alex Walmsley, Daryl Clark, Matty Lees; Curtis Sironen, Jake Wingfield, Morgan Knowles
Interchanges: Agnatius Paasi, George Delaney, Noah Stephens, Jake Burns
The Saints win on the road 😇#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/zS72wswX8M
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) July 5, 2025
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