Friendlies Sunday 27 December St Helens vs.
Wigan Warriors (off due to icy pitch) ====Tuesday 19 January (
Karalius Cup)====
Widnes Vikings 26-42
St Helens ====Friday 22 January (
Mike Bennett Testimonial match)====
St Helens 38-18
Halifax Sunday 24 January St Helens (Under 21s) 0-44
Keighley Cougars Super League XV Round 1 St Helens vs
Hull Preview: The game will see former talismanic
scrum-half and captain
Sean Long return to
Knowsley Road with his new side Hull; ironically as
captain. The St Helens squad sees
Francis Meli absent as the big
Kiwi and
Samoa wing is in his native
Samoa on compassionate grounds. His place is likely to be taken by
Gary Wheeler or
Jonny Lomax. Elsewhere, Saints are at full strength, with no place available for
second-rows Matty Ashurst or
Andy Dixon or
prop Gareth Frodsham in the initial 19-man squad.
St Helens 12-32 Hull St Helens' season got off to the worst possible start with a crushing loss to Hull at a foggy
Knowsley Road. Despite a strong start, making good yardage and showing signs of the Saints flair of the
Millward and
Anderson eras, Saints failed to execute throughout and their defence proved leaky with
Willie Manu cantering over in the 25th minute.
Epalahame Lauaki barged over 12 minutes after brushing off
Leon Pryce, following more shocking defence from the five-time champions, and Hull continued to press after half-time, with
Sean Long returning to haunt his former employers in a man-of-the-match performance, and
Tom Briscoe adding scores to make the game safe with a 26–0 scoreline. Saints hit back through quick-fire tires from
Matt Gidley and
Chris Flannery, but again, the finishing touch was found lacking in vital areas, meaning they could not pull off a comeback of old.
Kirk Yeaman competed the win in the 75th minute after latching on to a
Craig Fitzgibbon hack-on. No doubt, St Helens must improve on their basics should they want to trouble
Leeds and usual pace-setters in the top four.
Round 2 Bradford Bulls vs
St Helens Preview: The game sees St Helens' big
winger Francis Meli return to the initial 19-man squad for the round 2 game at the
Odsal Stadium.
second-row Matty Ashurst also comes back into contention for Saints. They take the places of
centre Iosia Soliola who is out for three to four weeks with an
ankle problem and wing
Ade Gardner who has and
intercostal muscle injury and is out of contention for six to eight weeks. Talismanic
hooker and
skipper Keiron Cunningham was due to earn his 500th cap in the professional game but missed the fixture due to a family bereavement. Bradford Bulls 6-38
St Helens St Helens got back to winning ways after the week previous' crushing loss to Hull with a resounding win at Bradford. Saints started the game well, with
Jon Wilkin opening the scoring in the 12th minute. From this St Helens kicked on,
Kyle Eastmond kicking a penalty before
full-back Paul Wellens scored two of his eventual four tries before the half-hour mark. Saints continued the pressure after the half-time break with Eastmond intercepting and going 80 metres in the 48th minute. Bradford applied the pressure for fifteen minutes, but a mixture of awesome defence and poor decision making from the Bulls meant Saints kept them at nil. Wellens added his third and fourth in the 65th and 71st minutes before Bradford responded through a
Matt Orford try and goal; a scant consolation score in the final moments of the game. A mention must go to
Leon Pryce who had a hand in no less than 3 of his sides tries against his former employers. St Helens look to be back to their destructive best, and this win may relieve the pressure on under-fire
coach Mick Potter.
Catalans Dragons vs
St Helens Preview: St Helens will be looking to build upon last week's first win of the season at Bradford. However, they do not boast a healthy record at the
Stade Gilbert Brutus, winning only twice over four seasons.
Andy Dixon earns a recall, whilst
Jack Bradbury could make his St Helens début in the game after being named in his maiden 19-man squad.
Chris Flannery misses out on the game through a shoulder injury, and he joins
Iosia Soliola (ankle) and
Ade Gardner (rib cartilage) on the injury list.
Keiron Cunningham does not travel due to a family bereavement, as he still awaits his 500th game at professional level. Catalans Dragons 12-42
St Helens St Helens got back-to-back wins after a comfortable win over the Dragons in
Perpignan. However, it was the Dragons who got the better of the opening exchanges, with
Setaimata Sa and
Chris Walker going over inside the first ten minutes. Neither scores were converted, but Catalans had an 8–0 lead. However, on the 15 minute mark, Saints found their cutting edge and began to tick, with young winger
Jonny Lomax latching on to an inch-perfect
Paul Wellens chip. Despite
James Graham being off the field with suspected
concussion and Jonny Lomax being caught by a dangerous tackle by
Olivier Elima which resulted in the
French captain's sending off, St Helens pressed on and it was Lomax, who shrugged off the shot from Elima to cut inside his opposing winger to score a brilliant try.
Kyle Eastmond scored a goal from the touchline for a 10-8 St Helens lead, and with the extra man advantage, it was looking ominous for the Dragons.
Francis Meli got his first of the season after a fine kick form the in-form
Leon Pryce, and shortly after,
Matt Gidley cut back inside his winger to finish a fine move for the first of his two tries of the evening. Half-time – 8–18 to Saints. The second-half continued in a similar guise, with
Maurie Fa'asavalu scoring a trade-mark, barnstorming try under the posts. Eastmond was next to score, Gidley cutting through the defence and flicking the ball back on the inside to Eastmond who sped 30 meters for a fine try. Meli then crossed for his second, finishing well a break from
Matty Ashurst. Gidley then got his brace, with a trademark, show and go on the outside to score. That was the end of the St Helens scoring, but by no means the end of the action, with
Bryn Hargreaves and
Scott Moore involved in a brawl with the Catalans forwards. Walker got his second with five minutes remaining, but the win was in the bag by the hour mark.
Round 4 St Helens vs
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Preview:The game will St Helens' talismanic skipper Keiron Cunningham return to the fold to make his 500th appearance in professional rugby, following the sudden death of his mother, Annie. However, winger Ade Gardner and centre Sia Soliola still miss out through rib and ankle injuries respectively. Also, second rowers Jon Wilkin and Chris Flannery will both miss the game with shoulder problems, therefore meaning Matty Ashurst will deputise for his first appearance of 2010.
St Helens 22-16 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats St Helens made it three consecutive wins with a hard-fought if scrappy win over the in-form Wakefield. Despite a strong, assured start from the Drednaughts with tries from
Daryl Millard and young
Dale Morton inside the first ten minutes, St Helens finally got going and got onto the scoreboard on 27 minutes with Jonny Lomax notching his third in four games. They continued to apply the pressure in the second half with scores from Kyle Eastmond, Francis Meli and Keiron Cunningham scoring on this landmark game for the hooker. Wakefield applied pressure late on with Millard getting his second, but St Helens held on for the win.
Round 6 St Helens 37 Crusaders 30 ==2010 transfers==