Seven years is a long time between drinks for a club such as St Helens but the Super League champions moved to within one game of a first Wembley appearance since 2008 by ending Widnes’s Challenge Cup ambitions.
Although their track record in the league has been impressive in recent years, Saints have not even made the semi-finals – let alone the final – of the Challenge Cup for four years, so this win signified an important step in their development under the new coach, Keiron Cunningham.
Cunningham, one of the club’s greatest ever players, and whose career is immortalised by a statue of himself outside their Langtree Park stadium, now knows that only the holders, Leeds, stand between his side and a first Challenge Cup final appearance since their 2008 win over Hull – although they were certainly made to work hard for it.
Anyone who watched this hugely entertaining tie will know a 16-point margin was certainly not a fair reflection of Widnes’s efforts. For the best part of 70 minutes they were as good as, if not better than, their opponents, but as the coach Denis Betts suggested afterwards, St Helens had that extra touch of class when it mattered.
“It’s a harsh score on us,” Betts said. “But we expended a lot of effort and endeavour and that’s where those late tries came from. It was a great cup tie and we looked in control for long periods, but it’s just those small margins in key moments that are costing us. I’m so proud of the players, though.”
St Helens had problems heading into the game at full-back, with the inexperienced Mark Percival being handed the job at the back after long-term injuries to both Shannon McDonnell and Jonny Lomax, as well as being without the newly retired Paul Wellens.
Yet Percival, a centre by trade, responded with 20 points and a man-of-the-match performance to help guide the Saints into the last four, with the winner of their meeting either Warrington or Hull Kingston Rovers in August’s final.
“We had to dig deep for that,” Cunningham added. “It wasn’t the greatest performance but sometimes you’ve just got to win ugly, and that’s what we did. Our last 30 minutes was up there with the performances of the season.”
St Helens led 18-12 at the interval after a Danny Craven try got Widnes back into the contest, but whatever Betts said to his players had the desired effect as within 13 minutes of the restart Widnes had turned the game on its head. Tries from Patrick Ah Van and Chris Dean put the Vikings in front, and suddenly it was they who were eyeing up that last-four date with Leeds next month.
But true to form St Helens hit back and they produced a blistering final 30 minutes to storm home. Their first try was not without controversy, though; Jordan Turner appeared to knock on but Widnes were penalised for a ball steal and from that penalty Kyle Amor crossed to put Saints back in front.
A try for Turner eight minutes later took the wind out of Widnes sails, and there was still time for Percival to round off his afternoon with his second try and a penalty in the closing minutes. He will not be out of position at full-back for much longer though, with the club expected to sign a replacement, believed to be the Australian Adam Quinlan, in the coming days.
St Helens Percival; Dawson, Jones, Turner, Swift; Burns, Walsh; Amor, Roby, Walmsley, Wilkin, Greenwood, McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Interchange Masoe, Flanagan, Richards, Savelio.
Tries Swift, Percival 2, Dawson, Amor, Turner. Goals Percival 6.
Widnes Hanbury; Flynn, Marsh, Dean, Ah Van; Brown, Mellor; Manuokafoa, Heremaia, Gerrard, Clarkson, Whitley, Leuluai.
Interchange Cahill, Isa, Craven, Dudson.
Tries Mellor, Craven, Ah Van, Dean. Goals Craven, Ah Van.
Referee R Hicks. Attendance 8,806
