St Helens head coach Paul Rowley has been reflecting on the opening months of his tenure and offered a reminder on his own ethos when asked about the burdens of winning silverware at a club of Saints’ size.
Rowley was appointed last October with next Friday marking six months since his new deal was announced. After overseeing pre-season, Rowley has led St Helens to a very strong start despite the club being plagued by injury issues.
They’d lose captain Matty Lees in the third round Challenge Cup tie against Workington whilst Jack Welsby suffered a dislocated shoulder in their round one loss to Warrington Wolves. Since then, Saints have lost many more influential players but only lost one more game and they now head into tonight’s Challenge Cup clash off the back of a historic derby win.
Offering his assessment on the journey so far, Paul Rowley told media: “I think we’ve had a really strong start in terms of picking up the points and we’re still the cup so, yeah, really positive.
“We’ve definitely changed how we look a little bit in terms of how we play, which is good, and we’ve found some ways of winning by continuing to play in tough moments.
“I’m really pleased with how things are progressing and I’m looking forward to it continuing to improve and evolve and progress and all those things as the season carries on.”
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St Helens boss gives verdict on Catalans
A win tonight at home to Catalans in the cup would put St Helens one game closer to Wembley and silverware, something that the Red Vee have not lifted since the start of the 2023 season when they won the World Club Challenge.
Having moved from Salford to Saints, where silverware is expected, Rowley was asked about the demands for success, to which he offered a swift reminder to fans about his ethos.
“I demand success as well,” Rowley responded, adding: “We uphold ourselves to our standards. We have our own standards as individuals and a collective. I think it’d be foolish to burden a weight of expectation from anywhere else other than inwardly.”
Rowley was also asked about the fact his Saints side beat Catalans handily earlier in the year on the road, something he didn’t take much notice of in the context of tonight’s game.
He said: “I mean, you learn lessons from experiences, and so we have done from that experience. However, they will also, and they’ll be targeting different outcomes and seeing different opportunities from the lessons that they learned as well. So, it’s a fresh start.
“It’s a cup competition, a little bit like last week in the derby as form goes out the window, etc but what I will say is their form is pretty good as well.
“They’ve come up with some really gritty performances recently. I think they’re travelling all right, and they’ve proven really dangerous at scoring points. I think they’re in a bit of a good place, to be fair so it’s going to be an almighty challenge.”
