Betfred Super League Round 25
St Helens 22-12 Leigh Leopards
Leigh Leopards came desperately close to their first win at St Helens since 1982 as an intensely competitive game on a sultry evening had a dramatic finish.
Had Tom Briscoe’s try been allowed in the closing stages, with the Leopards trailing 16-12, then Adrian Lam’s side might well have gone on to claim the spoils. Instead, the video referee upheld referee Chris Kendall’s on-field call and confirmed a fingertip knock-on by Joe Mellor in the build-up.
Saints then clinched the points when James Batchelor was on hand to dive over after the outstanding James Bell, playing against his former club, had the ball knocked from his grasp close to the line.
It was a game of small margins and ended with Saints still in contention for the League Leaders’ Shield and the Leopards still in fourth with home games to come against Wakefield Trinity and Wigan Warriors to end the regular season.
Head coach Adrian Lam reflected: “It was an intense game with a semi-final feel to it. I’m really proud and happy with the boys. I loved every second of the game. I thought it was brilliant. I loved our energy, but we didn’t get our rugby together. The way they turned up for each other was outstanding.
“It was as we thought it would be. They’re a physical team and they can bully you if you don’t get the first part right. I thought we got bashed and we bashed them.”
Saints had to be at their best to win with captain James Roby and the prolific Tommy Makinson other key men as they avoided a third defeat of the season against the Leopards.
The Leopards soaked up tremendous first half pressure and rarely got a chance to play their usual free-flowing style, stifled by Saints’ amazing ability to quickly close the ten-metre gap at the play-the-ball.
But Oliver Gildart escaped the shackles with the opening try wide out on the left after halfbacks Lachlan Lam, captain for the night, and Ben Reynolds combined with fullback Gareth O’Brien to create the overlap, Reynolds converting.
For all their first half pressure Saints had to rely on a quite brilliant try, carved from deep inside their own half, Makinson twice involved, first in the build-up, then as finisher from Batchelor’s pass, to draw level by the interval.
Saints built a 10-point advantage with tries by Makinson, created by Roby’s sharpness following a loose ball from a high kick, and Jonny Lomax, who dummied over on the left. But Edwin Ipape’s break, finished off by Robbie Mulhern clawed the Leopards back firmly into contention.
Just seven minutes remained of a pulsating contest when Briscoe’s try was chalked off, leaving the Leopards to dwell on what might have been.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens said: “I thought Leigh were excellent in the way they came and played committed, energetic and worked hard for each other and made it really difficult for us, as we did for them, and that’s what made it such a good game.”
St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Percival, Davies, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; Lees, Roby (capt), Knowles, Mata’utia, Batchelor, Bell. Bench: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Royle, Delaney, Mbye.
Tries: Makinson 2, Lomax, Batchelor; Goals: Percival 3/ 4
Leopards: O’Brien; Briscoe, Chamberlain, Hardaker, Gildart; Reynolds, Lam (capt); Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, O’Donnell, Hughes, Davis. Bench: Mellor, Halton, Nakubuwai, Wardle.
Tries: Gildart, Mulhern; Goals: Reynolds 2/ 2.
Referee: Chris Kendall. Half-time: 6-6. Attendance: 13,428.
