St Helens coach Justin Holbrook said hooker James Roby is as good as anyone he’s seen in the position after Roby helped guide the Saints to third in Super League with victory at Castleford.
The Saints became the first team to win at Castleford this year following a defensively-inspired 26-12 win over the Super League leaders, which ensured an eighth win in 11 games since Holbrook took charge.
Roby was named the official man of the match following the game and Holbrook was in praise of his hooker too.
“James Roby is as a good a nine as I’ve seen,” Holbrook said. “He’s not just tough and creative, he’s also fit, and he’s a great guy.
“He loves playing rugby league and they are the type of players you need when you have a tough assignment like we had tonight.
“He was fantastic and I’ve been happy with how we’re playing and training. I think we’re getting better, that’s for sure.”
Holbrook also admitted he was delighted with a victory which moved the Saints up three places in the table ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games.
He said: “It was always going to be a tough game, we knew that and we expected it, so to come here tonight and get the win, I couldn’t be happier.
“No matter how much homework you do, Castleford are still a very dangerous side and it was up to our boys to continually make the right decisions in defence.”
