| St Helens (8) 16 |
| Tries: Dodd, Makinson Objectives: Percival 4 |
| Warrington (0) 8 |
| Attempt: Wrench Objectives: Ratchford 2 |
Reigning Tremendous League champions St Helens saved their hopes of a fifth straight title alive with victory over Warrington within the eliminator play-offs.
Lewis Dodd’s strive gave Saints the lead within the opening 40 together with two Mark Percival objectives, as Warrington have been unable to carry out waves of assault.
Connor Wrench acquired the Wire on the board quickly after the restart, and a penalty from Stef Ratchford levelled.
Nevertheless, Tommy Makinson completed off a slick transfer to safe Saints’ win.
They’ll now go to Catalans Dragons on Friday with a spot within the Grand Ultimate at Outdated Trafford on 14 October at stake.
The sport was the right dwelling send-off for retiring gamers James Roby and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook as the 2 groups handled the followers to an enthralling contest.
The pair, notably Roby on his 550th Saints look, have been talismanic by way of their affect and at 37 years previous every, helped carry their workforce to a semi-final berth.
Within the first half, Paul Wellens’ facet have been dominant with place and possession, and solely two last-ditch tackles by Matty Ashton stopped them from including to Dodd’s rating because the Wire left-edge defence was lacerated.
Curtis Sironen was put into house by James Bell’s scrumptious pop-pass, and Dodd backed as much as cross for the strive that put Saints forward, whereas a wonderful sequence of tip-ons put Makinson in for the rating that settled it out large.
Warrington’s season started with a rip-roaring eight consecutive wins however unravelled mid-campaign as they misplaced the boldness that took them to the Tremendous League summit.
They scraped into the play-offs regardless of some unconvincing shows, and saved a few of their most spirited efforts for this encounter.
Having failed to essentially bother the bullish Saints pack, the Wire acquired a breakthrough early within the second half due to Wrench’s tempo and skill to skip past the quilt defence.
Each side had gamers sinbinned, with Alex Walmsley despatched for 10 for a excessive sort out on Warrington’s Jordy Crowther and Joe Bullock taking St Helens’ Matty Lees excessive.
However the four-in-a-row champions confirmed their mettle within the soggy situations, and can swap the moist north west for the warmth of the south of France and a partisan ambiance in Perpignan subsequent Friday.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens:
“It was irritating that we did not nail a pair extra of these first-half possibilities and that is one thing we need to enhance on as a result of within the huge video games the alternatives are few and much between.
“However after Warrington scored, then Alex was sin-binned, the momentum shifted and that is when the resilience of the group actually confirmed up.
“In powerful moments in huge video games, that is when they’ll come up and you have to overcome them, and that is probably the most pleasing factor about immediately.”
Interim Warrington boss Gary Chambers:
“There was loads of effort however you may’t do among the issues we did in these sorts of video games and count on to get a outcome.
“It was the finer particulars of the entire thing. To win these sorts of video games you have simply acquired to get somewhat bit extra medical.
“It was a recreation I anticipated us to exit and win and we did compete however we simply got here up somewhat bit quick.”
St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Percival, Hopoate, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; Lees, Roby, Mata’utia, Batchelor, Sironen, Knowles
Interchanges: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Bell, Mbye, Walmsley
Warrington: Dufty; Russell, Wrench, Ratchford, Ashton; Williams, Drinkwater; Harrison, Walker, Kasiano, Currie, Nicholson, Crowther
Interchanges: Mata’utia, Clark, Philbin, Bullock, Dudson
Referee: Ben Thaler
