Valkyrie fight back to stun Saints and retain title

Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final

St Helens (8) 8

Tries: Burke Goals: Gaskin 2

York Valkyrie (6) 18

Tries: Owen, Partington, Gentles Goals: Brennan, Marshall 2

York Valkyrie made history by becoming the first team to retain the Women’s Super League crown as they denied St Helens the treble on their own turf.

Saints, with this season's Challenge Cup and League Leaders Shield already in their trophy cabinet, were favourites to add more silverware after taking an 8-6 half-time advantage at Totally Wicked Stadium.

Lacey Owen put Valkyrie ahead, but Saints responded to lead through the league’s top try-scorer Leah Burke and a brace of penalties from Faye Gaskin.

However, Valkyrie – who were the only team to defeat Saints during the regular league season – hammered away with their kicking game and forced a series of errors from their opponents in damp conditions.

Tries from former Saints winger Eboni Partington and Kelsey Gentles ensured that Valkyrie fought back to claim their second successive title, having beaten Leeds Rhinos in the 2023 final.

York Valkyrie are the first side to win successive Women's Super League titles - and they did so at St Helens' Totally Wicked Stadium home

Valkyrie made most of the early running, with Izzy Brennan’s shrewdly-placed kicks repeatedly putting the Saints defence under pressure, but they were unable to take advantage and fell behind after 10 minutes.

Losing possession just inside their own half, the defending champions were punished as Paige Travis picked out Burke, who motored down the left wing to maintain her record of scoring in every meeting with Valkyrie this season.

Owen struck back, pouncing to cross from close range after Saints fumbled another Brennan kick and the conversion edged Valkyrie in front, only for Rhiannon Marshall to spill another good opportunity close to the line soon afterwards.

St Helens found more rhythm as half-time approached and overturned the deficit to lead 8-6 at the break, with Gaskin – in her final game before retirement – nailing two kicks in quick succession after penalties against Gentles.

Yet the lead changed hands again just after the turnaround as Marshall’s kick bamboozled two Saints players and Owen grabbed the loose ball, feeding Partington who did superbly to stay inside the line and force her way over in the corner.

Georgie Hetherington’s incisive run, scything deep into Saints territory, then set up a chance for Gentles to touch down under the posts – and, despite an on-field decision to rule out the try, it was overturned by video referee Ben Thaler.

With their treble hopes fast disappearing, Saints stormed forward but they were repelled by a tenacious Valkyrie defence, with Carrie Roberts producing a try-saving tackle to foil Burke and Hetherington holding up Chantelle Crowl over the line.

Crowl then conceded a penalty for a high challenge but, although Brennan squandered the chance to earn her side additional breathing space by miscuing the kick, Valkyrie were not to be denied.

Kelsey Gentles (L) grabbed Valkyrie's third try after video referee Ben Thaler overturned the original decision to disallow it

York Valkyrie coach Lindsay Anfield told BBC Radio York:

“With the season we’ve had, to come here and turn over the team that’s been the best team all year is just outstanding from everyone on the field. We did the job and did it to a tee and I’m so proud of them.

“We just wanted a better end to a set from what we had at Leeds (in the semi-final). When she (St Helens’ Phoebe Hook) dropped the first one, it spiralled unfortunately for her, but we just picked up the pieces and got points off the back of it.

“Defence wins games, which is a standard thing in rugby league and we knew, if we kept them down their end of the field, they wouldn’t be dangerous.

“We had to pin them down there, get off our line and be tough and we did that on repeat, so I can’t ask for any more.”

St Helens: Salihi, Hook, E Stott, Woosey, Burke, Harris, Gaskin, Whitfield, Jones, Crowl, Rudge, Travis, Cunningham.

Interchanges: N Williams, D Stott, Mottershead, M Williams.

York: Hetherington, Roberts, Komaitai, Parker, Partington, Rihari, Renouf, Wood, Brennan, Bell, Owen, Andrade, Pakoulis.

Interchanges: Marshall, Gentles, Sharp, Wilton.