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St Helens 34-12 Catalans: Player ratings and major talking points

St Helens came up with an impressive display at home to defeat league leaders Catalans. It was always going to be a difficult game for the Dragons owing to the mound of injuries which plague their side at the moment. Their youngsters did them proud however and when their star players come back into the side, they could really challenge the Champions. I look forward to the rematch.

Major Talking Points:

1. The biggest game of the season undermined by injuries

I had been looking forward to this game all week. Catalans have undoubtedly been the best team this season and deserve to be top of the table and they were headed to the home of the Champions. It promised to be a close battle and probably the best game of the season so far. However, when I looked at the Catalans team I sighed. It was a massive shame to see the likes of Sam Tomkins and Samisoni Langi absent compounding the loss of Sam Kasiano and Josh Drinkwater neither of whom were fit enough to even make the 21-man squad. Now, there’s no disputing the quality of the Catalans youngsters. They showed up really well and the Dragons’ future is bright that’s for sure but it could’ve been a very different game had Catalans been at full strength. I can’t wait to see the two teams meet again.

2. Fast start from Saints seals the deal

Much has been made of St Helens’ ability to start games quickly. So often this season, the Champions have put themselves into a commanding position early on in a game and from there it’s been virtually impossible for the opposition to turn things around. It was the same again today. The Saints scored 18 points in 18 minutes at the start of the game and it was virtually game over once Regan Grace crossed for St Helens’ third try.

3. Classy Coote

Ever since Lachlan Coote joined the Saints, I’ve believed he’s been underrated. Perhaps there are more exciting fullbacks in the league but few are as complete a player as the Saints number one. He was virtually impeccable today racking up the points but also providing leadership and experience in the tough moments of the game. St Helens will miss him next season.

Player Ratings:

St Helens
1 Lachlan Coote – 9
2 Tommy Makinson – 8
3 Kevin Naiqama – 6
4 Mark Percival – 8
5 Regan Grace – 7
6 Jonny Lomax – 8
21 Lewis Dodd – 7
8 Alex Walmsley – 7
9 James Roby – 7
15 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook – 7
11 Joel Thompson – 8
20 Joe Batchelor – 7
13 Morgan Knowles – 7
Substitutes
14 Sione Mata’utia – 6
16 Kyle Amor – 6
17 Agnatius Paasi – 6
18 Jack Welsby – 7

Catalans
1 Arthur Mourgue – 6
32 Romain Franco – 6
4 Dean Whare – 6
20 Matthieu Laguerre – 7
5 Fouad Yaha – 5
6 James Maloney – 5
31 Cesar Rouge – 6
17 Mickael Goudemand – 7
14 Alrix Da Costa – 7
8 Gil Dudson – 6
15 Benjamin Jullien – 6
12 Mike McMeeken – 7
22 Joel Tomkins – 6
Substitutes
16 Paul Seguier – 6
21 Corentin Le Cam – 6
27 Joe Chan – 6
30 Jordan Dezaria – 6

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