Super League: St Helens stage late recovery to edge out struggling rivals Warrington Wolves | Rugby League News

July 7, 2023 admin

St Helens' Jonny Lomax celebrates scoring their third try of the game in their Super League win over Warrington Wolves

There were big wins for St Helens, Wakefield Trinity and Leigh Leopards in the latest round of Super League action on Friday night…

Warrington Wolves 20-24 St Helens

Champions St Helens overturned an eight-point deficit in the final 20 minutes to beat rivals Warrington 24-20 in a Betfred Super League thriller on Friday.

The Wolves had threatened to get their faltering campaign back on track as early second-half tries from Matty Ashton – his second of the night – and Matt Dufty put them 20-12 ahead at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Yet Saints hit back to take the spoils with two tries in quick succession from Jonny Lomax and Lewis Dodd.

That condemned Warrington to a sixth defeat in seven games but the manner of their performance should at least give under-fire coach Daryl Powell hope their season – which began with eight successive wins – is not in danger of imploding.

Warrington could also feel aggrieved over the manner of one of Saints’ earlier tries too, with James Bell scoring after an apparent forward pass in the build-up.

The hosts started brightly and scored their first points in the first half of a match for four games when Stefan Ratchford landed an early penalty following a good break by Dufty.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Matt Dufty touches down a sensational try to extend Warrington Wolves’ lead against St Helens

Dufty had Saints backpedalling again with another counter-attack soon after but this time little came of the opening.

Saints responded with a good spell of pressure and Mark Percival handed them the lead as he wrong-footed Dufty with a quick inside step to claim the game’s first try.

He converted his own score but Warrington drew back level when Ben Currie picked out Ashton to dive over in the corner with a bullet of a cut-out pass.

Parity was not to last as Saints controversially reclaimed the lead moments later.

Jack Welsby appeared to take the ball from a forward pass from Dodd but, with no whistle forthcoming from referee Jack Smith, the full-back broke deep into Warrington territory.

With the hosts on the back foot, the ball was offloaded to Lomax and his lay-off was finished by Bell.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Lewis Dodd appears to pass forward to Jack Welsby in the build-up to James Bell’s try against Warrington Wolves,

After Percival added the extras to make the score 12-6 at the interval, the home fans may have been fearing another capitulation.

Yet Powell’s men were gifted a way back into the game when an over-ambitious Welsby pass was intercepted by Ashton 20 metres from his own goalline and he sprinted clear to touch down.

Ratchford’s goal levelled and a penalty soon after gave Wire a 14-12 advantage.

Clearly buoyed, Warrington seized control of the game with a stunning length-of-the-field try.

Starting deep inside their own half, the Wolves spread the ball to the left and made their way back inside at pace, with Dufty finding a gap and bursting clear from 40 metres out to go over. Again Ratchford converted.

But Saints were far from done as Warrington failed to halt Welsby and Lomax finished from close range. The pressure began to mount and Warrington were unable to prevent Dodd crashing over for another soon after.

Percival completed the scoring with his third and fourth goals.

Wakefield Trinity 27-26 Wigan Warriors

Will Dagger kicked a golden point drop goal as Wakefield ignited the Betfred Super League relegation battle with an enthralling 27-26 win over Wigan at steamy Belle Vue.

The stand-off’s nerveless kick, after David Fifita pummelled the visitors’ line, sent the entire home team charging the length of the field to celebrate in front of their banks of fans in the North Stand.

Moments earlier Dagger had been equally ice-cool when he kicked a 30-metre penalty with the last kick of normal time to haul the scores back level and force the extra period.

It capped a remarkable display from a side who appeared dead and buried a matter of weeks ago before embarking on a revival which has seen them win three of their last four games and move within touching distance of the greatest of escapes.

Two tries in as many second-half minutes from Renouf Atoni and Jai Whitbread had given Mark Applegarth’s men real hope of victory, only for Toby King to cross for Wigan’s fifth try that appeared set to leave the home side shattered.

Trinity, who went into the game having won five of their last eight Belle Vue clashes with Wigan, had kept the visitors at bay in a torrid first period, Max Jowitt somehow bundling Liam Marshall into touch when the winger looked certain to open the scoring.

An uncharacteristic mistake by Jai Field started the Wakefield set that ended in Tom Lineham going over for the opener, but Field made no mistake for the leveller, bursting 70 metres to touch down after Jowitt’s ill-judged kick stranded at least three of his team-mates in an offside position.

French put Wigan in front after a mistake by Lineham, but Wakefield were undaunted, and responded in style six minutes from the interval when Lee Kershaw intercepted a French pass and embarked on an improbable 80-metre gallop to level the score.

Fifita, one of the key reasons for Wakefield’s revival since his return from Australia, had a try ruled out for a knock-on in the build-up, and Wigan asserted control early in the second half when Field went over for his second, then Marshall touched down after the hosts failed to deal with Smith’s speculative kick.

But two successive missed conversions from Smith kept Wakefield in touch and they seized the advantage with their double burst from Atoni and Whitbread, another significant returnee.

When King dropped over for Wigan’s fifth after after Junior Nsemba stretched the home defence, and Smith rediscovered his kicking boots to restore the visitors’ lead at 26-24, there was a sense that Wakefield’s great efforts would prove in vain.

Enter Dagger, who had kicked all four of his conversions, to force the game into overtime after Wigan were penalised for a late hit on Liam Kay – then come up trumps again to send Belle Vue wild.

Castleford Tigers 16-34 Leigh Leopards

Six-try Leigh gained a first win at The Jungle since 1987 to pile the pressure on struggling Castleford with a 34-16 Betfred Super League victory.

Winger Josh Charnley and half-back Lachlan Lam each scored a pair of tries in the first of five successive Super League and Challenge Cup away games for Adrian Lam’s side.

But while the second placed Leopards closed the gap on leaders Catalans to two points, the same margin separates Andy Last’s team after bottom side Wakefield’s golden-point success over Wigan.

Leigh, however, did not have things all their own way before ending an eight game losing streak at the Jungle.

They led 18-0 and 22-12 but were under pressure at 22-18 before two tries in the final quarter eased the pressure.

After an even first 15 minutes Leigh showed why only Catalans had scored more points in the opening 17 rounds.

Three tries in six minutes looked to have laid the platform for a routine victory with prop Tom Amone, highly rated Aussie playmaker Lam, and ex-Leeds winger Tom Briscoe touching down.

Ben Reynolds, one of four former Tigers players in the visitors’ starting line-up, kicked three conversions to put Leigh 18-0 in front.

But the home side, winners over Warrington in their previous home outing, hit back.

Gareth Widdop followed up Riley Dean’s kick to touchdown before Elliot Wallis grabbed the first part of his try double via Kenny Edwards’ fantastic offload. Widdop improved both to make it a one-score game.

The sizeable away following though was reassured when try machine Charnley charged over for his 21st try of the season, bringing him level with leading scorer Tom Johnstone.

Castleford refused to give way and former England star Widdop rolled back the years with a superb pass to send in Wallis.

Leigh were rattled but regained their cool and Charnley notched a crucial second try after another Gareth O’Brien assist.

Tigers were all but beaten and when they failed to hang onto a charging run by Lam with 12 minutes left the game was up.

Source link