Warrington 14-24 St Helens: Player ratings and major talking points

In a stunning contest to wrap up a brilliant day of bank holiday rugby, St Helens avenged their defeat to Warrington earlier this season. Both sides appeared to up the pace in this contest as two of the top three battled it out in front of a loud Halliwell Jones.

Major Talking Points:

1. Powerful pack pushes Saints to victory

When I saw Warrington’s team, I knew they’d miss the likes of Mike Cooper and Matt Davis. In their absence, the Wire did admirably well but often felt as though they were on the back foot and forced to come up with expansive plays to break down the Champions from deep. They rarely found themselves building long term momentum. That was all due to the potent pack St Helens fielded. They generated speed in the middle allowing the young halfbacks to enjoy an easy ride. I can’t wait for the rematch when the Wolves pack is back together again.

2. Play-off pace

A few weeks ago, I voiced my love for the Hull derby. I believed that it was arguably the game of the season so far and even felt like a play-off contest. Well this was a step above that. If the Hull derby felt like a play-off game then this was like a semi-final. It was played at an absurdly fast pace and both sides offered a little something extra in attack. Both look like Grand Finalists, but with the pair sitting second and third in the table it’s likely only one side will make it to Old Trafford out of the two, but which one?

3. Williams still a special talent

He may have lost, but if anyone had any doubts about the former Wigan half’s quality tonight’s showing against the reigning Champions should’ve wiped them away. At times he looked like the most dangerous player on the field especially when he created Ben Currie’s try and poached his own. Few can do what he did to this St Helens’ defence. Can he take the Wolves all the way in 2021?

Player Ratings:

Warrington
1 Stefan Ratchford – 6
2 Tom Lineham – 6
18 Jake Mamo – 8
4 Toby King – 7
23 Josh Thewlis – 7
31 George Williams – 8
7 Gareth Widdop – 7
8 Chris Hill – 6
9 Daryl Clark – 6
13 Joe Philbin – 8
11 Ben Currie – 8
12 Jack Hughes – 7
14 Jason Clark – 6
Substitutes
16 Danny Walker – 6
19 Rob Mulhern – 6
20 Sitaleki Akauola – 6
26 Ellis Longstaff – 7

St Helens
1 Lachlan Coote – 8
2 Tommy Makinson – 7
3 Kevin Naiqama – 8
4 Mark Percival – 8
5 Regan Grace – 6
18 Jack Welsby – 7
21 Lewis Dodd – 8
8 Alex Walmsley – 7
9 James Roby – 7
10 Matty Lees – 8
14 Sione Mata’utia – 7
12 James Bentley – 7
13 Morgan Knowles – 7
Substitutes
15 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook – 6
17 Agnatius Paasi – 6
20 Joe Batchelor – 7
23 Jake Wingfield – 6