St Helens kept their top two hopes alive with a narrow win over Hull FC that saw Paul Wellens forced to make a huge call.
Saints won 16-10 in what Paul Wellens described as a “really hard-fought win” as Hull FC refused to go away. Ultimately, the difference came when Tristan Sailor was subbed off and Jonny Lomax replaced him in the halves and Paul Wellens has explained that call post-match.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I just felt at the time we probably needed Jonny’s experience on the field. That was basically it, obviously he came on to the field and did a really good job.
“It’s obviously a different combination than we’ve had and we’ll learn some lessons from that, assess the performance and see what we do moving forward.”
Lomax had started on the bench for just the fourth time in his career with Jack Welsby at full-back and Tristan Sailor partnering Moses Mbye in the halves, however, the calm that the club captain brought was clear as Saints pulled through in a gritty second-half showing.
St Helens defence wins it as Wellens pays credit after Hull FC clash
Paul Wellens was well aware that it was a gritty performance and he spoke to his side’s character, hailing his side’s performance as they moved to third on the Super League ladder.
He explained: “I thought we showed some character in the game, because Hull FC are a quality side and they were really determined and they’ve never gone away.
“We we knew we had to play for the full 80 minutes but credit to the team, though, because there were certain aspects of our game not where they needed to be tonight, but we dug in and we’re going to need to be better than that moving forward.”
Whilst Lomax came on and made a difference, the win can largely be attributed to his side’s brilliant defensive work, something that Wellens labelled as the ‘cornerstone’ of the club’s recent form.
Having won a ninth game in ten, he said: “We’re in a good form at the moment and our defensive work has been the cornerstone of that. I was really happy with what we did again tonight.
“We conceded a try from an error in the first half and then got kicked off a bit late, so we’ll look at where we need to be better there, but I can’t fault the team’s application in terms of the defensive work.”
One major worry from the game came late on as Owen Dagnall pulled up suddenly with what looked like a hamstring injury. Asked if it was something major or just cramp, Paul Wellens wasn’t confident.
He said: “I think when a player pulls up like that, it’s never really a good sign. So obviously we’ll get him assessed in the week, hoping for good news, but like I say, I’m a bit fearful on that.”
St Helens edge past Hull FC to move to second in the table 📈 pic.twitter.com/StgmviSYKP
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) August 22, 2025
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