ST HELENS 38 HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 6
EMMA KENNEDY, Brewdog Stadium, Sunday

ST HELENS bounced back from three consecutive defeats as Huddersfield’s woes continued.

It was far from a vintage performance from Saints in an error-strewn display, but a burst of tries midway through the first half, coupled with a late surge, saw them over the line.

Matt Whitley and George Whitby were late withdrawals for the hosts after pulling up in the captain’s run, whilst Mark Percival also left the pitch with an apparent hamstring injury.

There were handling errors aplenty in an untidy opening.

Saints saw the better of both possession and field position, but could not build pressure near the Huddersfield line.

The hosts thought they had scored the game’s first points in the sixth minute after a Tristan Sailor bomb proved too hot for George Flanagan to handle under pressure from Percival.

Curtis Sironen followed up to touch down the loose ball that had fallen kindly into his path, but his effort was ruled out by video referee Chris Kendall for a double knock-on as Huddersfield breathed a sigh of relief.

Nene Macdonald was next to threaten for Saints after Percival raced into space on the left, but Flanagan recovered well to force him into touch to deny what seemed a certain try.

Huddersfield’s defence continued to be at sixes and sevens, with Tui Lolohea coming up with a try-saving tackle on Owen Dagnall as he weaved his way towards the line, before he stole the ball from Percival one-on-one.

The hosts did eventually find a way through in the 22nd minute, with a blistering 10-minute spell breaking what had become an increasingly tense atmosphere.

After George Delaney had been caught high, Daryl Clark fed Sironen on the angle to score on the left edge, with Jackson Hastings adding the first of five conversions.

Saints extended their lead three minutes later after Sailor’s neat chip and chase, the halfback collecting his own kick before sending Sironen over out wide.

The hosts continued to pressure the Huddersfield line after winning consecutive penalties on the half-hour, but were again guilty of unforced errors.

A Lee Kershaw interception offered the Giants their first sight of the tryline on the half-hour, but Lolohea’s baffling decision to attempt a cross-field chip put an end to their most promising move of the match.

Instead, the visitors were soon on the back foot again, with Taane Milne conceding a drop-out from a perfectly-weighted Hastings kick.

With Kershaw showing the effects of his long-range effort, and defenders drawn in, Hastings released Macdonald for a walk-in at the left corner.

Both sides saw chances pass them by as half time approached, with Jacob Gagai sending a pass intended for Milne into touch before Dagnall was brought down metres short as he collected a cross-field kick after good work from Macdonald.

Despite having trailed 16-0 at the break, Huddersfield appeared renewed in the second half, with Saints their own worst enemies with a series of handling errors that saw them repeatedly lose possession close to their own line.

Gagai, and Asher O’Donnell both came close to bringing the Giants onto the board as Saints’ errors continued to mount, O’Donnell then firing what seemed a simple pass past Kershaw and into touch with the tryline begging.

St Helens’ defence was finally breached on 56 minutes when Cole Geyer crashed over after a quick play-the-ball, Flanagan converting to give the visitors a glimmer of hope.

However, the hosts clicked back into gear in the final 20 minutes to make sure of victory.

After a Kershaw knock-on, Alex Walmsley proved too big and too strong from close range as he grounded the ball through a sea of bodies, Harry Robertson then adding his name to the scoresheet after a Hastings kick had caused havoc in a reshuffled Huddersfield defence with Flanagan off the pitch with injury.

A late Jake Davies double then widened the scoreline, the backrower diving in at the left corner with six minutes remaining before collecting a Hastings cut-out pass to wrap up the scoring.

GAMESTAR: Curtis Sironen scored twice and had another ruled out as he made his mark, particularly in the first half.

GAMEBREAKER: After a scrappy opening, St Helens’ burst of tries towards the end of the first half settled nerves and laid the platform for their win.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Jackson Hastings’ perfectly-weighted kick from inside his own half won a goalline dropout that led to Nene Macdonald’s try.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Curtis Sironen (St Helens)
2 pts Jackson Hastings (St Helens)
1 pt Lee Kershaw (Huddersfield)

MATCHFACTS

SAINTS
1 Jack Welsby
24 Owen Dagnall
3 Harry Robertson
4 Mark Percival
25 Nene Macdonald
6 Tristan Sailor
31 Jackson Hastings
8 Alex Walmsley
9 Daryl Clark
13 David Klemmer
11 Curtis Sironen
12 Shane Wright
22 Joe Shorrocks
Subs (all used)
15 George Delaney
28 Jake Davies
30 Tom Humphreys
35 Daniel Suluka-Fifita
18th man (not used)
– Deacon Swarbrick
Also in 21-man squad
14 Jacob Host
16 Matt Whitley
17 George Whitby

Tries: Sironen (22, 25), Macdonald (32), Walmsley (62), Robertson (70), Davies (74, 78)
Goals: Hastings 5/7

GIANTS
21 George Flanagan
4 Taane Milne
3 Jacob Gagai
42 Lewis Jagger
41 Lee Kershaw
6 Tui Lolohea
32 Oliver Russell
14 Fenton Rogers
9 Zac Woolford
23 Chris Patolo
11 Asher O’Donnell
43 Zane Dunford (D)
8 Tristan Powell
Subs (all used)
10 Tom Burgess
15 Matty English
20 Mathieu Cozza
40 Cole Geyer
18th man (not used)
16 George King
Also in 21-man squad
1 Niall Evalds
17 Joe Greenwood
18 Kieran Rush

Tries: Geyer (56)
Goals: Flanagan 1/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 10-0, 16-0; 16-6, 22-6, 28-6, 32-6, 38-6

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Saints: Curtis Sironen; Giants: Lee Kershaw

Penalty count: 8-3
Half-time: 16-0
Referee: James Vella
Attendance: 9,851