5 hours ago
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St Helens produced one of their most spirited displays for some time to continue their extraordinary winning run at the home of great rivals Leeds Rhinos and climb above Brad Arthur’s side into third in the Super League table.
Even by their own admission and certainly by their recent high standards, Saints have been below par for large stretches of 2025. But they have put together a superb mid-season winning run that has moved them from the fringes of the playoff places to the top three with nine rounds remaining.
Paul Wellens’ side underlined their recent growth with a defensive masterclass. On a night when they lost both of their hookers to concussions in the first half, the Saints’ forwards stood tall despite a numerical disadvantage.
This is their seventh straight Super League win against the Rhinos in west Yorkshire, dating all the way back to 2017. They have now won five straight league games to propel themselves into the race for the top two, showing the kind of spirit and endeavour that will take them a long way come the autumn.
The only try came in an absorbing first half. Unsurprisingly given the searing heat, points were at a premium with neither side at their best in attack. But the one moment of brilliance came in the 14th minute when Tristan Sailor’s dummy fooled Ryan Hall and allowed the Saints winger, Owen Dagnall, enough room to finish well in the corner and break the deadlock.
Leeds had enjoyed most of the ball to that point, and their dominance in possession continued even after falling 4-0 behind. But their attack, so often among Super League’s best in 2025, struggled to find an answer to unlock Saints’ magnificent defensive efforts.
Jake Connor, the centre of attention last week after an imperious display against Hull KR as well as being overlooked for the latest England squad, was so often Leeds’ go-to man here but on two separate occasions he spurned glorious attacking opportunities, overcooking two cut-out passes to his winger.
Saints lost hooker Daryl Clark to a concussion just nine minutes into the game, only for his replacement Jake Burns to go off for a similar head injury assessment which he failed during half-time. It left the Saints without their hooking rotation for the second half: but they shrugged off that setback superbly.
Leeds continued to press forward without much purpose or intent. A spiralling kick was misread by Dagnall and after a frenetic passage of play, James McDonnell looked to have grounded in the corner for the Rhinos but replays showed a push from Harry Newman in the buildup.
And anything the hosts threw at Saints, they repelled magnificently. Not even the sin-binning of Saints prop Agnatius Paasi could craft enough of an opening for Leeds, with the visitors defending in numbers to deny them time and time again.
There is still a long way to go this season, but given the pressure Wellens has faced from his own supporters and the wider public this season, this could be a night which silences some of the doubters and underlines why you can never write off this St Helens side.
English (US)