St Helens star explains Hull KR “blip” as Wigan Warriors derby previewed

Jackson Hastings believes St Helens need little motivation to bounce back from their Hull KR humbling last time out.

The Red Vee suffered their worst defeat in the Paul Rowley era on Friday night, as they were thumped 52-10 by the reigning champions.

Mikey Lewis and Joe Burgess both scored hat-tricks, whilst Owen Dagnall and Shane Wright crossed for Saints in a night to forget for last year’s semi-finalists.

Whilst the club refuse to use injuries as an excuse, there can be some lee-way given due to the amount of players they have sat on the sidelines.

Not only that, the quality of players out is another factor, with England internationals Jack Welsby, Matty Lees and Alex Walmsley just some of the names sat in the St Helens treatment room.

As a result, Rowley’s Red Vee have been forced to utilise a number of youngsters, and whilst it is always good to give prospects their opportunity their lack of experience has started to show.

Hastings revealed to BBC Radio Merseyside that a result like that against KR was “due to happen”, but insists the side will not only be better for it, but will use the defeat for good ahead of their showdown with Wigan Warriors on Good Friday.

“Last Friday was a bit of a blip, but those things happen over the course of a season. With the amount of players we’ve got out, it was due to happen because of fatigue and workload of players,”

“We’ve squeezed the lemon out of a lot of young kids that probably weren’t expecting to play as much footy. There was always going to be a breaking point, and maybe that was Friday night. But we took some valuable lessons in mentality from that game.

“It won’t take much to get people up for a Good Friday game. I’m expecting a bounce-back, certainly in mentality.”

St Helens star recalls derby memories ahead of Wigan Warriors clash

The Wigan-Saints derby needs no introduction, and is one of the most prestigious and historic rivalries within the sport.

Whilst at the Warriors in 2020 and 2021, Hastings featured in four matches against St Helens, including the 2020 Grand Final as Welsby’s last-gasp try broke the hearts of Wigan fans and players alike.

“I’ve played in four or five games against St Helens for Wigan. Now I get to play against them on the other side. I feel very lucky about that,” he said.