If this is a sign of things to come for the next nine months, then perhaps this truly is a new beginning for Super League after all. In the end, it was St Helens who claimed the first bragging rights of 2019, ensuring that Wigan remain on minus two points for at least another week following the revelation on the eve of the season that the champions had been found guilty of breaching the salary cap in 2017.
Even after just one game, though, it is clear that the introduction of a shot clock – aimed at reducing needless stoppages in a game which prides itself on its pace – is going to go a long way towards having the impact the Super League chief executive, Robert Elstone, craves for the competition. This was about as strong a start to the season as he could have hoped for. “I think it’s the right idea to speed the game up and we’re on the right track,” said the St Helens coach, Justin Holbrook. “Everyone knows what we’ve had to do and it’s great for our game. I’ve said before that the changes will be fantastic for everyone who watches it live this season.”
Indeed at half-time it seemed that Super League’s other key new ruling for 2019, the golden point extra-time, was a distinct possibility given that the scores were tied at 12 apiece.
Fittingly, it was one of the headline recruits who struck the first blow of the new season. The Fiji captain, Kevin Naiqama, is one of several big names to arrive in Super League and after three minutes he barged his way over the line. Ten minutes later Saints doubled their lead when a fine break from Dom Peyroux was finished by Jonny Lomax.
Mark Percival converted both to make it 12-0, but the Warriors soon found their feet. As half-time approached, Ben Flower crashed over on the angle to halve the deficit before Liam Marshall instinctively picked off a Lachlan Coote pass to race the length of the field. Zak Hardaker – who had a quiet night on his competitive return to rugby league – levelled the scores.
With defence impressively on top in light of the reduction in interchanges from 10 to eight, the home side went back ahead again when Regan Grace produced an outstanding flying finish in the corner to make it 16-12. There were half-chances for Wigan for the visitors in the closing stages but as the minutes eked away, and the effects of a bruising night began to become visibly apparent on the players, it was the St Helens captain, James Roby, who guaranteed victory, scampering over from dummy half.
“As always, it was a massive effort from Robes,” Holbrook said when asked about the impact of his captain post-match. “You sort of get used to that happening all the time these days though, don’t you?” New beginnings for Super League but in terms of Roby’s impact some things, it seems, are destined to remain the same.
St Helens Coote; Makinson, Naiqama, Percival, Grace; Lomax, Fages; Walmsley, Roby, Thompson, Taia, Peyroux, Knowles. Interchange Paulo, McCarthy-Scarsbook, Amor, Lees.
Tries Naiqama, Lomax, Grace, Roby. Goals Percival 3.
Wigan Hardaker; Davies, Gildart, Sarginson, Marshall; Williams, Leuluai; Flower, Powell, Navarrete, Greenwood, Farrell, O’Loughlin. Interchange Clubb, Isa, Hamlin, Bullock.
Tries Flower, Marshall. Goals Hardaker 2.
