With two poor performances in as many weeks, St Helens were looking for a return to the form whcih saw them spend the season sitting atop the league table, sweeping aside almost all before them. But stood in their way were a Wakefield Trinity side who have been playing with abandon, safe in Super League for 2019 and enjoying a gentle end to their season.
Saints won the last meeting between the two sides, however, it was only by four points in a close game. The last time that the sides met in Wakefield it was Trinity who picked up the two points with a 24-20 win.
All indications were that it would be a close game.
After a very conpetitive opening twenty-six minutes it was Saints who finally managed to break the deadlock when Tommy Makinson flew over to score acrobatically off a Ben Barba pass just inside the corner flag. Danny Richardson kicked superbly from the touchline for a 6-0 lead.
Four minutes later and Saints were in again as Jonny Lomax walked through a fractured Trinity defence after dropping the shoulder and cutting inside. Going over by the uprights gave Richardson a simple conversion for 12-0.
On thirty-three Makinson got his second of the night as Saints went on the rampage. The winger took a Richardson high kick, dropped to the ground, and regained his feet to go the remaining five metres to ground. Richardson pushed this conversion wide but it was sixteen points in seven minutes for Saints to give them a commanding lead at the interval.
Four minutes after the restart it was Wakefield who found their way over the whitewash when Kyle Wood completed a nice passing move and improved the angle to ground behind the stick giving Ryan Hampshire a simple kick for 6-16.
Craig Huby was sin-binned on fifty minutes for a high tackle and six minutes later the twelve men went in for their second as Pauli Pauli forced his way over the line despite the attentions of four tacklers to drop over the line to score. Hampshire added the extras with a great kick, Trinity were back within four of the Saints.
Saints struck back on fifty-nine as Theo Fages crashed the line after Pauli lost the ball in the tackle and Mark Percival took and offload to put the Frenchman through a gap to ground. Richardson kicked the conversion for 22-12.
Wakefield got stright back on the bike when Bill Tupou took a miss-out pass to run the angle and score by the corner flag. This time Hampshire missed the conversion, Trinity back within six of the visitors.
Poor Wakefield defence allowed Luke Douglas to collect an innocuous looking Richardson kick through, inside the Wakefield goal, and drop to the ground to score. Richardson kicked the extras for 28-16, the two points secure for the league leaders.
On seventy-three Regan Grace stepped through a tired Wakefield defence and went thirty-five metres in broken play after fielding a Richardson kick to outpace the Trinity tacklers and ground. Richardson put the conversion right between the uprights for 34-16.
Wakefield were the best side in the opening twenty minutes but Saints absorbed the pressure and as soon as the home side started to tire the visitors kicked on and made the most of their chances. There was a small glimmer of a fightback but Saints soon extingushed any thoughts of a Wakefield win. Saints have edged closer to the minor premiership and are now just three points away from being awarded the league leaders trophy.
Trinity: Jowitt, Jones-Bishop, Lyne, Tupou (T), Johnstone, Miller, Hampshire (2G), Fifita, Randell, England, Ashurst, Batchelor, Horo. Subs: Wood (T), Pauli (T), Arona, Huby (SB on 50).
Saints: Barba, Makinson (2T), Costello, Percival, Grace (T), Lomax (T), Richardson (5G), Amor, Roby, Douglas (T), Taia, Knowles, McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Subs: Fages (T), Wilkin, Lees, Ashworth.
Referee: Liam Moore.
Half-Time: 0-16.
Full-Time: 16-34.
Attendance: .
