MATCH REPORT | St Helens | ROUND 19

Betfred Super League Round 19

Friday 26 July 2024, Leopards Den (8pm)

Leigh Leopards 46-4 St Helens

Leopards produced a sparkling performance laced with eight spectacular tries scored by seven different players to inflict their heaviest ever defeat of Saints in games going back to 1895.

Josh Charnley grabbed a brace with Darnell Mackintosh scoring a try and kicking seven goals to provide the major scoring contributions to a fantastic team effort.

Robbie Mulhern walked away with the Player of the Match award for a dominant display of front row play but such was the all-round excellence of Adrian Lam’s team accolades could have been handed out to several players.

Second row forwards Kai O’Donnell and Frankie Halton, hooker Edwin Ipape, and skipper John Asiata were all standouts in an outstanding display by a pack that completely overwhelmed the visitors.

Any one of the backs also staked a claim for individual accolades as Saints were swept aside by some quite compelling attacking play.

Saints have now lost five league games in a row and the former world champions looked a well beaten side long before the end in front of a vibrant and noisy Leopards Den crowd of over 8,000.

To add to their discomfort, Leopards’ 46-4 win broke the club’s previous record score (30-18 in 1990) and winning margin (25-0 in 1924) in derby games between the teams that date back to the first season of the Northern Union.

Saints lost Jack Welsby to injury early in the contest and had Mark Percival and skipper Jonny Lomax sin binned.

Percival’s temporary absence for a high tackle allowed an already dominant Leopards side to find the key that opened the door to an increasingly fragile looking defence.

Brilliant footwork by Umyla Hanley finished off approach work by Matt Moylan and Gareth O’Brien before Ipape sent Tom Amone bursting over before Percival’s return.

Thrust into the goalkicking role Mackintosh responded with aplomb, adding both conversions, then augmenting his own try which came because of more brilliant approach play by Moylan.

Mulhern’s rampaging run set up the position for Mackintosh to tag on a penalty before the game’s defining moment.

With Saints needing a score before half time they looked all ends certain to score as the ball was shipped left and Waqa Blake looked in acres of space. But the Leopards’ scrambling defence was quite awesome and somehow kept them out.

In the twinkling of an eye Leopards turned desperate defence into a thrilling counterattack, finished by the brilliant O’Donnell in front of a raucous North Stand.

24-0 ahead at half-time, the Leopards expected a Saints rally and briefly the visitors threatened. 18-year-old fullback Harry Robertson raced away from his own line and when crowded out by defenders had the presence of mind to kick across field for Ben Davies to score.

Hopes of a Saints comeback was ended when Lomax was yellow carded for a high tackle that ended O’Brien’s evening and saw the influential halfback carted off to hospital for a head scan.

With Lomax cooling his heels Leopards took advantage, Lachlan Lam sending Charnley over for his first, before cutting through four tackles for an individual effort.

Leopards’ attacking play was now at another level and Moylan and Charnley added to Saints’ agony before the hooter brought the hapless visitors welcome respite from what had become a shellacking.

Leopards

6 Matt Moylan; 34 Darnell McIntosh, 24 Umyla Hanley, 4 Ricky Leutele, 5 Josh Charnley; 1 Gareth O’Brien, 7 Lachlan Lam; 8 Tom Amone, 9 Edwin Ipape, 10 Robbie Mulhern, 11 Kai O’Donnell, 16 Frankie Halton, 13 John Asiata (capt)

Bench (all played):

17 Owen Trout, 12 Jack Hughes, 33 Brad Dwyer, 35 Aaron Pene. 18th player: 30 Louis Brogan

Tries:

Hanley (17), Amone (24), Mackintosh (27), O’Donnell (40), Charnley (60, 80), Lam (65), Moylan (70)

Goals:

Mackintosh 7/ 9

Saints

33 Harry Robertson; 2 Tommy Makinson, 21 Ben Davies, 4 Mark Percival, 3 Waqa Blake; 6 Jonny Lomax (capt), 1 Jack Welsby; 20 George Delaney, 9 Daryl Clark, 10 Matty Lees, 16 Curtis Sironen, 15 James Bell, 17 Agnatius Paasi

Bench: 

14 Moses Mbye, 19 Matt Whitley, 30 Jonathan Vaughan, 31 Noah Stephens. 18th Man: 34 Jon Bennison (not used)

Try: Davies (47)

Goals: Percival 0/ 1

Sin bin: Percival (16), Lomax (54) both for high tackles

Scoring sequence: 6-0, 12-0, 18-0, 20-0, 24-0 (ht) 24-4, 30-4, 36-4, 40-4, 46-4

Attendance: 8,021

Penalty count: 4-2

GLDO: 1-2

Referee: Aaron Moore; Touchjudges: R Thompson & R Cox; Reserve referee: T Arnold; Video referee: Chris Kendall; Timekeeper: A Smith; Match Commissioner: Tony Brown

Main Match Sponsor: CSS (CE) Ltd

Associate Match Sponsor: iDuct.co.uk

Match Ball sponsor: Paul Lester Transport Ltd;

Player of the Match Sponsor: Advanced Steel Services (awarded to Robbie Mulhern)

Champagne Moment Sponsor: iXtract.com (Kai O’Donnell’s try)

Programme Sponsor: NutraPreps

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