The league leaders, the Catalans Dragons, travelled to St Helens for a top of the table clash with the Champions in the back of shock defeat at home to the Huddersfield Giants last weekend.
A win for the Saints would lift them within two points of the top of the table and open the door for the Leigh Leopards to take top spot should they beat Salford on Sunday afternoon but a win for the Dragons would lift them four points clear and guarantee that they go into the last quarter of the regular season on top spot with their destiny in their own hands.
It was a mouthwatering prospect for the Saints crowd and those tuning in on SKY and the bookies gave the home side the edge, handicapping them by eight points on the coupon.
It was a frantic opening fourteen minutes until a Konrad Hurrell obstruction gave the Dragons a set of six close to the Saints line, followed two plays later by another penalty for a high shot. Adam Keighran took the opportunity to kick the penalty and edge his side into the lead.
On twenty minutes Tom Johnstone scored a length of the field try after Keighran leapt to diffuse a Saints bomb on his own line and release the pacey winger to show the St Helens chasers a clean pair of heels. Keighran added the conversion for an 8-0 lead.
Good Saints pressure, including three consecutive penalties, enabled their first points when Mark Percival collected a Lewis Dodd grubber to spin out of a tackle and ground. Percival added the conversion and the margin, despite the Dragons efforts, was back to just two points at the interval.
Great Dragons chasing forced a Saints drop out and on the next set they worked the ball to the right wing with Matt Ikuvalu managing to shake off the Jack Welsby tackle and ground after going over the line on his back. Keighran added from the touchline for 14-6.
Sione Mata’utia was stopped centimetres short of the line on fifty by solid Dragons defence as the visitors defended their lead.
As the second half wore on the game became increasingly brutal but on seventy-three Saints got their second of the game with Lewis Dodd taking a Will Hopoate pass to dance through the defence and score from five metres out. With Percival off the field it was down the Joey Lussick to kick the goal and he obliged. The Dragons lead back to just two points again.
Agnatius Paasi lost the ball five from the Dragons line with three minutes remaining and gave the Dragons a lifeline to work the ball from their own line. Saints got a final set to attack but with the hooter sounding the ball was passed into touch, the Dragons getting the narrowest of wins.
The Dragons were back on the bike after last week’s aberration as they took the important two points to go four clear at the top. Saints are still tucked in nicely in the play-off places but will be concerned that James Roby and Mark Percival both failed Head Impact Assessments and will miss next week’s Challenge Cup semi-final game with Leigh Leopards. A tremendous defensive performance from the visitors, thwarting the Champions on their own patch.
St Helens: Welsby, Hopoate, Hurrell, Percival (T, G), Bennison, Lomax, Dodd (T), Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Mata’utia, Bell, Knowles. Subs: Lussick (G), McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Paasi, Delaney. 18th Man: Davies.
Catalans Dragons: Tomkins, Davies, Ikuvalu (T), Keighran (3G), Johnstone (T), May, Pearce, Navarrete, McIlorum, McMeeken, Whitley, Seguier, Garcia. Subs: Bousquet, Chan, Dezaria, Ma’u. 18th Man: Romano.
Half-Time: 6-8.
Full-Time: 12-14.
Score Progression: 0-2, 0-6, 0-8, 4-8, 6-8 : HT: 6-12, 6-14, 10-14, 12-14 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Catalans.
Referee: Liam Moore.
