It has been a season of contrasting fortunes for St Helens and Warrington so far in 2023 but here, for one night at least, it felt like the reigning Super League champions, the side who have won the last four league titles and the World Club Challenge only eight weeks ago, rediscovered their swagger. That the Saints sat eighth in the table going into this game tells you everything you needed to know about their results and performances this season to date.
But here, against a side who have set the pace so far in 2023 – just as the Saints have in recent years – the champions underlined how their grip on the title they have held for more than 1,000 days will not be relinquished that easily.
Despite missing well over 1,200 games worth of experience due to injuries and suspensions, with a glut of frontline internationals including a good chunk of their starting pack unavailable, Paul Wellens’ side delivered their best performance of the season before next week’s international break to inflict back-to-back defeats on a Warrington side who were unbeaten less than a week ago.
There were the usual contributions from the reliable players in this St Helens side who have dominated Super League of late. Jonny Lomax again showed how England’s World Cup chances last autumn would have stood a better chance had he been fit with an imperious display at half-back while James Roby was quintessentially James Roby.
But with so many players out, stars of the future such as George Delaney, Tee Ritson and Jon Bennison, who scored a wonderful solo try in the second half to put the game beyond Warrington, also stood out.
“We’ll go away and rest during the international break, but we’ll rest safe in the knowledge this was a good performance,” said Wellens, who watched his side start very much on the front foot and open the scoring through Konrad Hurrell’s interception try.
Lomax then produced an exceptional step to round the Warrington defence and make it 10-0 before Jack Welsby’s kick found Will Hopoate, with Bennison converting to extend the Saints’ lead to 16. Warrington had to score next, and they did through a sensational finish by Matty Russell, but that was where their scoring ended for the night.
This was a Warrington display which left their coach, Daryl Powell, quite literally scratching his head in confusion on several occasions. They have been impressive in 2023 thus far and remain top, but defeats by Wigan and now St Helens inside the last week suggest they are not quite the finished article. “We need to do better when we’re in pressure games and handling the better teams,” he said. “There’s some work to do.”
They laboured through the second half with little cutting-edge, and that meant the prospect of a comeback felt unlikely. Bennison sealed the win in the final quarter after his outstanding break saw him dummy past Matt Dufty before Hurrell’s offload freed Ritson to put the seal on the champions’ best display of 2023.
