Big boot from Theo Fages pins Sydney Roosters to their own goal-line as Brett Morris watches a bouncing ball into his chest.

In response the Roosters went for a big shift to the left but Saints cranked up off the line and got into their faces.

They're drowning before a Kyle Flanagan kick zips into the Saints half.

Arm-wrestle time.

Right, the teams are back out, the siren has whirred into life.

Chris Kendall will get us under way and the Roosters kick off.

Saints rampage forward...

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I just get the feeling that energy will be the difference here.

On this evidence, Saints can live with the Roosters for large chunks of the game.

However, when it comes to interchanges, there is an inevitable drop-off when Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson go off.

Not exactly Einstein-level of insight, but I think the Roosters will ramp up late on and carry the game out. Time to be proved wrong.

Image source, Getty Images

Couple of nerdy stats.

68% completion rate by the Saints, and 65% by the Chooks.

201 tackles to 175 though, which tells you the tilt of the workload is just being edged by the Roosters.

Jon Wilkin
Ex-St Helens forward on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

It's been a great half. Saints have been more than competitive, they've looked really threatening at times.

A few errors and penalties, particularly when Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson have been off the field, have allowed the Roosters to get into a period of ascendancy.

But Saints have been great and I think they'll be pleased at half-time, but know they have some bits to work on too.

Image source, Rex Features

That was a pretty absorbing first-half.

Sydney Roosters provided two moments of quality in the danger zone, scoring through Daniel Tupou and Joseph Manu.

Not before Saints had taken the lead with a smart bit of play of their own to be fair... Luke Thompson giving the NRL club a taste of things to come with a powerhouse score.

He's off to the Bulldogs next season, those Doggies fans up for an early breakfast will have enjoyed that one.

Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook charges forward, Alex Walmsley rumbles forward...

Saints are pressing.

The ball is sizzled to the right, the space opens up! Saints fans rise...

OH! It's pulled back for forward. Let-off for the Chookies.

Saints defend a testing kick which sees Joey Manu thrusting into the in-goal to try to test James Bentley in contest.

Bentley did enough to wrest the opportunity away from the Kiwi centre, stopping him from grounding before the boot goes out behind the dead-ball line.

Jake Friend pinged for holding in the ruck. One last dig of the first-half for St Helens.

Another set finishes with Saints booting away from 40 out from their own sticks and James Tedesco 'beep-beeps' his way inside the opposition half in his return for the Roosters.

Sitili Tupouniua comes surging forward, he's tackled but wins a penalty.

With half-time looming, Saints can't switch off here.

Sydney Roosters just starting to slow down the Saints ruck, denying them time to strike and giving their side some time to suck some precious air into the lungs.

Saints preparing to bring Alex Walmsley back on after his HIA. That will lift the home side.

Bumper crowd, the atmosphere still bubbling. The home fans still very much with their team.

Image source, Getty Images

The anguish on Victor Radley's face as Jack Welsby is cut down high by the back-rower tells a picture.

Roosters' skipper Jake Friend got a talking to from Chris Kendall, who warns him that the NRL side have been pinged three times for this type of challenge.

Maybe the timing is a little off, this IS their first run-out.

Jay Freeman
BBC Sport at the Totally Wicked Stadium

There's a small pocket of Sydney Roosters fans in the corner of the stand ahead of us who are delighted with their side's resurgence.

Saints absolutely stormed out of the blocks, in no small part down to the performance of Alex Walmsley, who has now come off for a concussion assessment.

The Roosters have wrestled this game back in their favour and with some style too. A big 50 minutes or so awaits. Can St Helens turn the tide or is that small section of Roosters fans going to continue the party?

Image source, Getty Images

Jake Friend just threw a Patrick Mahomes pass for the Roosters that was missed, and almost karma-like Sitili Tupouniua drops the ball cold on the back of it.

Saints come forward.... Dom Peyroux kicks ahead... regathers and offloads, then Theo Fages gets it... they're into the 20...

Tommy Makinson with a surge, tries the offload... it's forward. Promising move comes to an end. Great ingenuity from Peyroux

Nice interchange between Jonny Lomax, Zeb Taia and James Bentley down the left gets them into space, but the Roosters stream back to defend.

Lomax pops a kick into space behind, it trickles to touch but keeps the visitors back in their own end.

It's nip and tuck, which is pleasing for Saints and Kristian Woolf.

Alex Walmsley has gone off, it looks like a head injury assessment. What a shame it would be if he limped out.

Saints finish their set just inside the Roosters half this time and James Tedesco gets the ball in space.

It's going to be key to finish the set on better terms... doing it easier said than done as the Chooks chew up the metres.

How does that change the complexion of the game?

Not a lot from Saints' response. They continue to clatter into contact.

Theo Fages is folded in the tackle as he charged through the middle.

Jonny Lomax sends a kit into the Roosters back-field and Daniel Tupou soars like an eagle to pluck the ball out of the sky like he was catching a leaping salmon.

Jon Wilkin
Ex-St Helens forward on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

As soon as Joseph Manu got that ball four or five metres out, well, there's no better finisher in world rugby than him.

It was a great sequence of play from the Roosters.

There's a proper ding-dong between Victor Radley and Alex Walmsley.

Radley's a nuggety, tough, versatile back-row who can play a bit of hooker. Walmsley is a steamrolling prop.

They're trading right now, in as legal a sense as they can get away with.