Paul Wellens issues ‘next challenge’ to St Helens after impressive Leeds Rhinos win

Delighted coach Paul Wellens has revealed the “next challenge” facing his St Helens side following their 18-4 conquering of Leeds Rhinos.

Injury-hit Saints came up with what Wellens felt was their best performance of the season to end third-placed Rhinos’ five-game winning run in sweltering conditions at TW Stadium.

The coach hailed a “committed team performance” and insisted: “We’ve played a tough game against a really high-quality side and won the game.

“The challenge for us now is to build on that and build some consistency. That has been one of our issues in recent times, performances have been inconsistent, but that is a blueprint for us on how to play in big games.

“When things started to go away from us, we got on with what needs to be done. That was a really positive sign for me.”

St Helens coach reflects on Leeds Rhinos win

St Helens kicked two first half penalties before Deon Cross’ try on the stroke of half-time gave them an 8-0 lead.

Rhinos pulled a try back soon after the break, but Saints refused to crack and touchdowns by Owen Dagnall and – on the last play of the game – Tristan Sailor sealed a comprehensive win.

“I’m delighted. This was a big game and a really important one for us and I thought the way the team approached it was first-class,” Wellens reflected.

“I’ve got to give the players a huge amount of credit. We were on the back of a short turnaround and we’ve done next to nothing on the training field all week, but the players got themselves in a position to go out and perform like that, against a very good side.

“To keep them to only four points on such a hot night, on a short turnaround, is a huge defensive effort.”

Teenage centre Harry Robertson preserved Saints’ early lead with a stunning cover tackle to roll Rhinos winger Ryan Hall into touch in the first half and Wellens hailed that as “the play of the night for me”.

He said. “I was confident coming into it we’d get a strong performance and when I saw that, it reassured me even more.

“You need those types of plays in big games. You are never going to have it your own way, but Harry wasn’t on his own.

“Daryl Clark was there and Owen Dagnall and George Delaney, it was great to see we had that real competitive nature to chase down every moment.”

Owen Dagnall lauded as early penalties explained

Dagnall was named Saints’ official man of the match and got a verbal pat on the back from his coach after the game.

“He’s a top-class lad,” Wellens enthused. “He is someone we’ve got really high hopes for. He can be a winger for this club for a long, long time.

“I’ve known him since he was a young lad and he has always had that really competitive nature. He has still got a fair bit to do, but the early signs are really good.”

There were some boos from the crowd when Saints opted to take the two from the pair of early penalties near Rhinos’ line and Wellens admitted: “I get it, but it was a really strong mindset from the players to say two points is enough here. It shows defensively we are backing ourselves and trusting ourselves.”

💪 The Saints get an important win over Leeds Rhinos at the Totally Wicked Stadium!#COYS | @LPL_Airport pic.twitter.com/N72Wr2arFi

— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) June 20, 2025