By BILLY GRIMSHAW
THE Easter period is tough for every team in Super League. Playing two games over a long weekend exhausts players physically and mentally and the challenges presented often lead to surprising performances and results.
St Helens in particular headed into their Good Friday derby clash with Wigan in a state of turmoil having sacked head coach Kieron Cunningham earlier in the week. Coupled with the Saints’ poor form and recent poor record in the Good Friday fixture, few expected them to cause many problems to their neighbours, who themselves were boosted by the return of numerous injured stars.
Sean Long and Jamal Lolesi had been involved with Kieron Cunningham’s coaching team and were tasked with rejuvenating the side to prepare for the Easter weekend. At Wigan their charges produced spirited display in the face of adversity after Kyle Amor was wrongly shown a red card early in the game. Although St Helens lost the fixture, positives could be taken for the away side (continued below)
One performance in particular stood out for the Saints; that of debutant winger Regan Grace. The winger was already a Welsh international before making his Super League debut on Good Friday and the speedster wasted little time making an impression on the watching audience inside the DW stadium and live on Sky Sports.
With his first touch of a Super League ball he collected a bouncing kick to his wing on his own 10m, turned 180 degrees and stepped past numerous Wigan defenders before speeding his way up the field, evading a few more Warriors for good measure, before Joe Burgess finally brought him to ground on the Wigan 40m line.
St Helens’ fans were thrilled with his contribution in the remaining minutes of the game. He went on to score an acrobatic try in the corner while looking dangerous whenever he received the ball and his impact coupled with an improved attacking show gave Saints cause for optimism looking ahead to the Easter Monday fixture with pace setters Castleford.
The Totally Wicked Stadium was awash with a fresh sense of hope following Good Friday’s performance and Cunningham’s departure on Easter Monday. The fans were treated to another immensely encouraging performance, with the Saints executing a style of play reminiscent of their past days as ‘The Entertainers’ in a 26-22 comeback win against the table-topping Tigers.
Castleford were not at their swash-buckling best, however the Saints put in one of their best performances in recent years and the supporters will be elated with the first sightings of Super League for their new Welsh wing wizard Grace. He once again excelled and produced another huge performance of ball returning and attacking menace, with one almost length of the field effort the highlight. The speedster eventually crossed the line for another try in the victory and – although it is early days – he looks to have the rugby league world at his feet.
