A few weeks ago I wrote a column in which I asked whether St Helens might go undefeated for the season.
The following Saturday they contradicted me by going to France and losing their first match of the season to Toulouse Olympique.
I have no doubt that by the time we reach the end of the season, that result will still rank as by far the biggest shock result of the season.
Saints were back in France on Saturday. But this time they were never going to lose, even though, on paper at least, it would have been much less of a shock if they had.
Once they scored their first try at the end of the first quarter and followed it up with two more in the next five minutes to lead by 16 points, the game was well and truly up for the Catalans.
Sam Tomkins’ departure soon afterwards, as he limped off the field with what appeared to be a calf injury, simply amplified that point.
And in the case of Tomkins himself, it seemed to portend a shift to a younger generation when it comes to the fullback role for England in the World Cup later this year.
Tomkins is currently the man in possession of the England fullback shirt, but his greatest challenger is Jack Welsby. And on this performance, as the two went effectively head to head, it was Welsby who clearly emerged triumphant, even before Tomkins’ departure from the field. I’m sure that England coach Shaun Wane would have been a very interested observer of Saturday’s game.
St Helens will now host Wigan on Friday at the Totally Wicked Stadium for a crucial league game, as both sides go into the match level on twelve points each. But it would be an almighty shock if Wigan were to come out of that game on top.
St Helens are clearly building a dynasty that in some respects rivals the Wigan dynasty of the 1980s and 90s, or the Leeds dynasty of the late 2000s and early 10s.
Is there anything that could intervene to halt what seems to be their inevitable march to dominance in the current decade?
As we all know, nothing lasts forever, and I would have thought the main issue facing the St Helens management is the future of their extremely impressive coach Kristian Woolf.
I was very impressed by Woolf’s predecessor at the Totally Wicked Stadium, Justin Holbrook, but Woolf has taken over Holbrook’s squad and improved it significantly. But at the moment his contract only runs to the end of 2022.
He is currently in his third season at the club and of course he is an Australian from Mount Isa in Queensland.
Woolf has been on the coaching staff in an assistant capacity of both North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos in the past and both of those clubs have struggled in recent years. It certainly isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that both clubs have seen his results with St Helens and may be keen to recruit him to secure similar success in for them in the NRL.
And of course there is the Dolphins, a new club coming into the NRL that will be based in southeast Queensland with Wayne Bennett as head coach. Wayne is always a keen observer of what happens in the British game and I can easily imagine him making some discreet enquiries about Woolf’s future availability.
No doubt St Helens will be fully aware of all this and they will clearly want their coach to stay with them. But going back home is always going to be a big draw for any Australian coach.
And it’s also worth pointing out that Woolf will coach the Tongans in this year’s World Cup. If he were to coach his team to victory in that tournament, which is by no means out of the question, then his profile would be massive all over the Rugby League world, if it isn’t already.
In last week’s column I asked whether Wigan could keep hold of Jai Field for next season, given his performances so far in 2022. Wigan responded by announcing that they had indeed signed a new contract with Field.
So will St Helens be able to do the same? We’ll see!
As for the Catalans, after a bright start to the season they seem to have run into a brick wall in their last two matches.
On Thursday they will host Toulouse Olympique in the first Super League French derby, which is a highly significant game for the competition.
On Saturday I thought that their best player was Jordan Dezaria, which is a great omen for French Rugby League and their challenge in this year’s World Cup.
And I would love to see more French players being given an opportunity in the Catalans’ team by Steve McNamara. There were six French players in the squad on Saturday, with three others – Paul Seguier, Mickael Goudemand and Matthieu Laguerre – named in the 21-man squad but not in the matchday 17.
At some point I would love to see a majority of French players in the Catalans team.
Unfortunately, that day seems as far away as ever.
The above content is also available in the regular weekly edition of League Express, on newsstands every Monday in the UK and as a digital download. Click here for more details.
