Super League: St Helens 25-0 Huddersfield Giants - 12-man Saints battle to victory
- Published
Agnatius Paasi scored for St Helens on his 150th appearance for the club
Betfred Super League |
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St Helens (6) 25 |
Tries: Batchelor, Paasi, Welsby Goals: Lomax 4 Drop-goal: Welsby |
Huddersfield (0) 0 |
St Helens fought for a hard-earned win against Huddersfield with 12 players to maintain their Super League lead.
Saints had Sione Mata'utia sent off early on but Joe Batchelor put the depleted home side ahead by half-time.
Agnatius Paasi put Saints further ahead after the break with Jack Welsby adding to their tally before the hour mark.
The hosts had Morgan Knowles sent to the bin in the final stages but Jonny Lomax wrapped up the win as they saw out the match with just 11 players.
The result means St Helens maintain their lead at the top of Super League and keep their four-point cushion on Wigan, who steamrollered Hull in Friday's other fixture.
Saints squandered the chance to edge ahead after a quarter of an hour as Lomax sent his penalty attempt wide after he was clattered into by Chris McQueen.
Mata'utia saw red after a collision with Danny Levi, attempting to pick him up as he lay on the ground injured.
Huddersfield almost made their advantage count moments later as Welsby was forced into a try-saving tackle alongside Lomax to deny Innes Senior.
Despite their player disadvantage, Saints were the ones who took control of the game, with Paasi scoring on his 150th appearance for St Helens.
Huddersfield came into the fixture as one of the form teams in Super League, having lost just once in their past nine fixtures, but they struggled to break down a resilient St Helens side.
Welsby's late drop-goal wrapped up an emphatic win for the hosts, who did well to sweep aside one of their rivals at the top of the table.
St Helens: Hopoate, Bennison, Hurrell, Mata'utia, Grace, Welsby, Lomax, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Knowles.
Interchanges: Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Paasi, Wingfield.
Huddersfield: Pryce, I Senior, King, Cudjoe, McGillvary, Fages, Russell, Yates, McQueen, Jones, Greenwood, Levi, Trout.
Interchanges: Wilson, Ashworth, Hewitt, Golding.
Referee: Chris Kendall.