St Helens v Catalans: Predicted line-ups and late injury news

The top two collide this afternoon in the most eagerly anticipated game of the season so far. Earlier this campaign, Catalans cemented their title credentials with a victory over St Helens despite the absence of a few key players but the Saints are now a different kettle of fish now having won the Challenge Cup already this season. It should be quite the game.

The Saints are as strong as it gets at the moment thanks to the return of Regan Grace from injury as well as explosive prop Agnatius Paasi. Paasi will most definitely provide impact from the bench whilst Grace will return to his favoured left-wing prompting starlet Jack Welsby to be used as a super sub as he was at Wembley. There’s no Matty Lees due to concussion protocols but with youngster Joe Batchelor settled in the side and Paasi’s return pending, Lees’ absence should be of little concern to Kristian Woolf.

It’s a very different story for Catalans who will be without star winger Tom Davies, linchpin Josh Drinkwater and their own explosive prop in Sam Kasiano. This means youngster Romain Franco will remain on the wing after scoring last week whilst the exhilarating Arthur Mourgue will move to scrum-half allowing Michael McIlorum to make his return to the bench. The Dragons will be a little bare in the forwards with Kasiano’s injury exacerbating the loss of Matt Whitley, Jason Baitieri and others in recent weeks so young forwards Joe Chan and Mathieu Cozza will feature on the bench.

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

Catalans
29 Sam Tomkins
32 Romain Franco
4 Dean Whare
3 Samisoni Langi
5 Fouad Yaha
6 James Maloney
1 Arthur Mourgue
8 Gil Dudson
14 Alrix Da Costa
17 Mickael Goudemand
15 Benjamin Jullien
12 Mike McMeeken
22 Joel Tomkins
Substitutes
9 Michael McIlorum
16 Paul Seguier
23 Mathieu Cozza
27 Joe Chan