St Helens scored nine tries as they thumped Huddersfield Giants 52-4 at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Here’s our talking points.
Easy as you like
St Helens have played and beaten Salford Red Devils on numerous occasions this season, but the win over Huddersfield Giants was just as straightforward. Huddersfield had won their last two leading into this one but they were woeful against the Saints, who duly put to them to the sword with a clinical showing.
Mark Percival got the scoreboard ticking over by finishing a move that starts with Tristan Sailor coasting through the Huddersfield line. Taane Milne was sin-binned for dissent shortly after and the Saints made the most of their numerical advantage.
Kyle Feldt, Tristan Sailor and Owen Dagnall ensured the Saints were out of sight before Milne got back onto the field.
That one-way traffic continued in the second half as St Helens cruised to a one-sided victory and Huddersfield crumbled away in a manner that will have been alarming for Luke Robinson. Jonny Lomax, Morgan Knowles, Percival and Feldt all touched down before the hour mark.
Sailor took the Saints to 50 with a superb break away effort out of dummy half.
Sailor makes point
Jack Welsby was made to wait to make his injury return, with Paul Wellens opting for Sailor in the full-back role from the start. And, while he wasn’t exactly tested defensively, Sailor more than took the chance to make a statement to his head coach with his performance.
A livewire from the start, Sailor carved out the first try of the game with a swift break through the middle of the field. He grabbed Saints’ third by beating George Flanagan in the air and as the game progressed Sailor continued to pop up around the ruck and in areas where he could attempt to hurt the floundering Giants.
It was his lightning break that created Lomax’s try in the second half, taking in Agnatius Paasi’s offload. That was before he could be seen scooting out of dummy half and scoring from just about inside his own half.
Welsby made an instant impression too when he came onto the field but Sailor, who moved to hooker in the second half, did more than enough to show why he deserves a spot next week against Hull FC.
Horrible Huddersfield
As mentioned above, the Giants will have travelled with confidence after wins over Hull and Catalans Dragons in their last two, but they may as well have not stepped off the bus. Simply put, the Giants were awful from start to finish as they struggled to deal with the speed and power of the Saints attack.
They made an appalling start and while Milne’s sin-bin didn’t help, they conceded four very preventable tries in the first half. The Giants didn’t improve for some time after the break, in fact their defending only got worse for much of it.
They now have five games left and Robinson will be demanding a lot more from his side.
To make matters worse, Matt Frawley picked up an ankle injury in the game, ensuring he sat out of the second half.
St Helens’ form
The Saints are one of the form teams in Super League right now and they approach the final five games on the back of three straight wins, having comfortably seen off Castleford Tigers, Wakefield Trinity and now Huddersfield in successive weeks. Beyond the recent run, it’s eight wins out of nine for Wellens’ side.
St Helens now sit just two points below Wigan Warriors and despite having a tricky run-in, they’ll be oozing confidence as they look to secure a spot in the top two. A home game against Hull FC is next up before the Saints take on Hull KR, Wigan, Leigh Leopards and Castleford Tigers.
