CATALANS DRAGONS 13 ST HELENS 14
STEVE BRADY, Stade Gilbert Brutus, Saturday
ST HELENS fired up their season with a rare roasting of Catalans in Perpignan, showing no mercy to former favourite Tommy Makinson in his first ever game against the Red Vee.
Both sides battled with a brutal mountain wind hampering kicking opportunities but it was the visitors who coped best with the ferocious conditions, leading narrowly at half-time before sealing the game as Jonny Lomax finished a late exchange of field-goals.
Saints’ first league win at Stade Gilbert Brutus since 2018 could be the catalyst for coach Paul Wellens and his hit-and-miss side so far this term.
Sam Tomkins stepped up to the Dragons’ captaincy after the late unavailability of Ben Garcia through illness, replaced in the squad by Bayley Sironen whose brother Curtis missed out on Saints selection with his child being born.
Despite an early blow in the second tackle of the game when promising youngster Harry Robertson had to leave the field for a head-injury assessment, which he quickly failed, Saints hit the front with two Tristan Sailor tries.
First the stand-off broke the defence for a 30-metre dash over on the right for the opener.
Then fullback Jack Welsby rampaged up the pitch, passed onto Alex Walmsley and allowed Sailor his second strike – and eighth in as many appearances for the club – near the posts.
Sailor also added both goals for a twelve-point lead.
But Makinson was always going to be in the headlines and in the 16th minute he chipped over his old team-mates and his good friend Sam Tomkins collected the ball to get Catalans’ account going, converting his own try.
Tomkins followed Sailor in scoring a double but it took 20 minutes of thrilling stalemate before he could strike with a scrambled roll-over which needed video referee approval, He couldn’t convert to leave it 10-12.
St Helens had the strong wind behind them in the second half and thought they had scored in the opening minute when Lomax’s kick was carried on the breeze but Sailor was adjudged offside before he collected and grounded by the video referee.
Both Lomax and Luke Keary struggled with the aerial battle in the wind while two lengthy captain’s challenges, as referee Jack Smith struggled throughout the game with his technical communication, punctuated the second half.
But that man Tomkins levelled the scores with a 62nd-minute penalty when Saints were caught offside in front of their posts.
Then a decisive moment of the game came with a scruffy kick forward from Remis Smith which landed into the arms of Tevita Pangai Jr, who slipped to Keary before Bayley Sironen strode over the line unhindered. Video referee Liam Rush, taking another lengthy look, decided Pangai Jr had been tackled before offloading.
Lomax took his first opportunity to win the game seven minutes from time with a drop-goal, but a short kick-off from Makinson was collected by the Dragons and Keary equalised with his own one-pointer.
So Lomax had to show further ice in his veins to finish the job with his second field-goal a minute from the end for an incredible Saints win.
GAMESTAR: Sam Tomkins’ brilliance shone out again against St Helens, who must be sick of the sight of him dancing through their ranks to score tries.
GAMEBREAKER: Jonny Lomax’s wind-assisted drop-goal with a minute from time.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Plenty to pick from but every time Tevita Pangai Jr picked up the ball he was an off-loading, barn-storming metre-eater.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Sam Tomkins (Catalans)
2 pts Jonny Lomax (St Helens)
1 pt Tevita Pangai Jr (Catalans)
MATCHFACTS
DRAGONS
1 Sam Tomkins
2 Tommy Makinson
23 Matthieu Laguerre
4 Reimis Smith
5 Nick Cotric
6 Luke Keary
21 Théo Fages
8 Tevita Pangai Jr
14 Alrix Da Costa
10 Julian Bousquet
17 Bayley Sironen
12 Elliott Whitehead
13 Oliver Partington
Subs (all used)
3 Arthur Romaano
15 Tevita Satae
19 Paul Séguier
24 Frank Maria
18th man (not used)
26 Guillermo Aisuro-Bichet
Also in 21-man squad
9 Ben Garcia
18 César Rougé
20 Jordan Dezaria
Tries: Tomkins (16, 35)
Goals: Tomkins 2/3
Field-goals: Keary (75)
SAINTS
1 Jack Welsby
5 Jon Bennison
26 Harry Robertson
4 Mark Percival
29 Dayon Sambou
6 Tristan Sailor
7 Jonny Lomax
8 Alex Walmsley
14 Moses Mbye
10 Matty Lees
16 Matt Whitley
12 Joe Batchelor
13 Morgan Knowles
Subs (all used)
9 Daryl Clark
17 Agnatius Paasi
18 Jake Wingfield
19 George Delaney
18th man (not used)
15 James Bell
Also in 21-man squad
21 Noah Stephens
22 Ben Davies
27 George Whitby
Tries: Sailor (6, 9)
Goals: Percival 2/2
Field-goals: Lomax (73, 79)
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-12, 6-12, 10-12; 12-12, 13-12, 13-13, 13-14
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Dragons: Sam Tomkins; Saints: Tristan Sailor
Penalty count: 5-6
Half-time: 10-12
Referee: Jack Smith
Attendance: 9,386
