Challenge Cup: St Helens' return to form 'inevitable' says Hull FC boss Tony Smith

Tony Smith's Hull FC set up their Challenge Cup quarter-final against St Helens by beating Castleford Tigers 32-8

Hull FC boss Tony Smith says St Helens' return to form was "inevitable" as he prepares his side to take on a reinvigorated Saints in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

After beating NRL champions Penrith in February, Saints lost five of their first 10 matches of the season.

They have since won four straight games including their derby win over Wigan.

"They have a formula, they've got confidence, they've got know-how and very special players," Smith said.

Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside, he added: "Anybody with any sort of consideration as to how big it was of them to go to Australia for their pre-season and play two games against NRL teams and come back to start our season [knows] it is a big ask for anybody.

"It was always inevitable that they were going to get back on a roll and on track because that would have taken a lot out of them, that's for sure."

St Helens' demolition of Wigan in the derby on Saturday leads them into a trip to the MKM Stadium on Saturday as they take on a Hull side who are chasing a first Challenge Cup since 2017.

Hull have had an inconsistent start to the season under Smith, having lost seven games in a row after winning their opening two games, however they went on to set up their quarter-final place by beating Castleford 32-8.

"They execute well and it's a good challenge for us. We need to be right on it and take our opportunities. Hopefully we can create some and ask some questions because I know they're going to ask a whole lot of us," Smith added.

"They've been not far off leading into the last couple of games and now they're in really good form. They're dangerous, they do things well and better for longer than most teams."

'Rugby league can bite you on the backside'

Despite St Helens finally hitting the right sort of form after a miserable start to the campaign, boss Paul Wellens says his side will be on their guard for the trip across the M62.

"One thing that this group has been accustomed to in recent years is playing in do or die situations or playing in knockout situations, whether that's a Grand Final, Challenge Cup final or play-off games," Wellens told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"The players know what it takes to play at this level and under this type of pressure.

"Rugby league is a game that if you take your eye off the ball, it can bite you on the backside pretty quickly.

"We keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard for each other. If we continue to do that then we are confident that we can achieve more success moving forward."

With some fans questioning whether Wembley Stadium is a suitable venue for the Challenge Cup final going forward, Wellens says he supports an evidence-led approach as to whether the event should be moved permanently from the national stadium.

Twickenham, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Edinburgh's Murrayfield and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have all been used since 2000.

"What we have struggled with in recent years is to take the amount of numbers down to Wembley to sell it out. We have to look into the reasons why that is as a game and do some research, and connect with the fans as to why we don't get the same amount down there as we once used to," he added.

"If that is a location thing then as a game we look to maybe do something about it. It's about gaining the facts first. We can't throw the trip down to Wembley in the bin because of a few years where we haven't filled it out."