St Helens edge out York to reach Grand Final

Katie Mottershead crashed over to give St Helens the lead

Betfred Women's Super League Eliminator semi-final

St Helens (6) 12

Tries: Mottershead, Casey Goals: Gaskin 2

York Valkyrie (4) 8

Tries: Renouf, Dagger

St Helens narrowly beat reigning champions York Valkyrie in the first of the Women's Super League play-off semi-finals to reach the Grand Final in two weeks' time.

Katie Mottershead and Caitlin Casey scored for the home side, who will face rivals Wigan Warriors on Sunday October 5 as they aim to secure their first league title since 2021.

The defeat for the Valkyries means their two-year long reign as Super League champions comes to an agonising end following a thrilling game.

After an uneventful 17 minutes in the low-hanging September sun, Saints grabbed the lead when hooker Mottershead reached over to touchdown on the line under pressure from the Valkyrie defence.

On the half-hour mark, a good move from York on the right saw Peace Lekuru go to the line, but she was adjudged to have been centimeters short of the try line following a check from the video referee.

It did not matter to York, however, as from the very next play, wing Lekuru rolled back to Tamzin Renouf, who bamboozled the Saints defence to get her side on the board.

Six minutes in to the second period, Casey spun York's Rhiannon Marshall wonderfully to grab a decisive second score next to the sticks.

A terrific tackle from Saints' Phoebe Hook then prevented Emma Kershaw from what looked a certain try in the left corner, which would have brought York within to four points, tackling her in to touch with a couple of metres out.

More goal-line defending from Saints then brilliantly kept out York's Izzy Bibby, who was held up on the line on the final tackle as the home side continued to dig in.

Saints were to be broken down with 15 minutes left though, when Georgie Dagger chased her own kick down and, with help from an error from Hook, dotted down to reduce the arrears.

Marshall then raced to the line in the final minute but was held up on the line again by more scrambling defending, before Saints stole the ball and saw out the game to seal the win.

St Helens: Rotheram; Hook, Salihi, McColm, McGifford; Cunningham, Gaskin; Crowl, Mottershead, D. Stott; Hoyle, Rudge, Casey.

Interchanges: Whitfield, Williams, McDonald, Bawden.

York Valkyrie: Partington; Lekuru, Parker, Moxon, Kershaw; Williamson, Renouf; Wood, Dagger, Brennan; Andrade, Sexton, Bell.

Interchanges: Marshall, Bibby, Wood, Hornby.

Referee: Freddie Lincoln.