5 Sep 2019

THE LOWDOWN: GIANTS VS SAINTS

All the news and views that you need to know ahead of the Giants’ trip to St Helens on Friday night.

By Jack Robinson

The Brief

Despite it being the latter stages of the season, both sides go into this fixture with the chance to achieve something. We can all but confirm our place in the Betfred Super League next year with a win in the North West, whilst the Saints will complete their first unbeaten season at home since 2002, if they pick up the two points on Friday night.

The Teams

The Opposition

St Helens sit 16 points clear at the top of the table, having lost just three games all season, and have already had the League Leaders Shield in the bad for a couple of weeks now, which they lifted last Friday after their win over the Castleford Tigers.

They started their season off with a 22-12 victory over local rivals Wigan Warriors at the Totally Wicked Stadium. They followed that up with their first away win of the season, a late try securing a 24-18 win over Wakefield Trinity. After a week off, they continued their winning form at home against the Leeds Rhinos, winning 27-22. That was followed by a 26-4 win at the Salford Red Devils to round out February.

Another four wins followed for the league leaders in March. A 26-0 home win against the London Broncos was followed by a 40-12 win at the John Smith’s Stadium, against the Giants. Another trip to West Yorkshire followed as Saints beat the Castleford Tigers 42-12. They then beat East Yorkshire side Hull KR 36-24 at home, to maintain their 100% start to the season at the end of March.

Then, in round nine, Saints suffered their first loss of the season. The redvee were beaten 18-10 in the South of France by the Catalans Dragons. Saints returned to winning ways the following week though, beating Warrington 38-12 at the Totally Wicked Stadium. The Easter weekend followed. Saints beat local rivals Wigan Warriors, for the second time this season, 36-10 at the DW Stadium. They followed that with an emphatic 62-16 win against Hull FC the following Monday afternoon. The Saints then got revenge for their loss to Catalans earlier on in the month, beating them 50-14.

A second victory over Hull KR followed, with the Saints winning 42-26 at the KCOM Craven Park. The two sides then met again at the John Smith’s Stadium in the Coral Challenge Cup, Saints winning 22-16 this time around. They followed that with a tight 32-30 win over the Salford Red Devils, the closest a side has come to winning at the Totally Wicked Stadium, so far this season. A 36-16 win over Castleford at Anfield for the Dacia Magic Weekend, meant Saints headed into June still having lost just once all season.

The Saints then beat Wakefield Trinity to secure their spot in the Challenge Cup semi-finals, 48-10. London Broncos then caused one of the shocks of the season, beating Saints 23-22 in golden point. The other meeting between the two sides at the Totally Wicked Stadium this season took place in the middle of June, Saints winning 38-2, a 36-10 home win over fellow Yorkshire club, Leeds Rhinos followed for the Saints. They ended the month with a 21-10 win at Warrington.

The Saints began July how they have been going the majority of the season, with a 40-12 win over Hull FC in East Yorkshire. They followed that with another derby win, 32-10 over Wigan this time around. Their third defeat of the season followed though, as they lost to London for the second time this season, 32-12. They did progress to the Coral Challenge Cup final though to finish July, beating Championship outfit, Halifax, 26-2, at Bolton.

Form

The Saints have won four of their last five games in all competitions, whilst we have won two of our last five games in the league.

We beat Hull KR six weeks ago, in a huge clash towards the bottom of the table, winning 18-12 in East Yorkshire. St Helens beat Wakefield Trinity 26-6 at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

The Saints then played the side they would be playing in the Coral Challenge Cup final, just two weeks later, as they beat Warrington 30-12. We were beaten 44-0 at the John Smith’s Stadium by Leeds just over a month ago.

The following weekend we were beaten by an in-form Salford Red Devils outfit, 32-12. Saints beat the Leeds Rhinos 36-20 at the Emerald Headingley.

Saints where then in Challenge Cup final action, but were beaten in the capital by Warrington, 18-4. We were beaten 24-0 by the Castleford Tigers the week before that final.

Both sides returned to winning ways last weekend, we got a massive two points against Hull FC, winning 22-12 at the KCOM Stadium. Meanwhile, Saints returned to winning ways after the Challenge Cup defeat, beating the Castleford Tigers 4-0.

Key Players

Kevin Naiqama

Off-season recruit, Kevin Naiqama, has settled in quickly to life in England. Naiqama has featured 23 times in the league for Saints so far this season, scoring 17 tries and assisting five. His fend-offs will be something else the Giants will have to look out for on Friday night.

Naiqama has made 1874 metres so far this season, with an average gain of 8.29 metres per carry. He has also made 79 tackle busts so far this season, as well as 19 clean breaks.

Jermaine McGillvary

A player who is likely to be on the opposite flank to Naiqama on Friday night, is Jermaine McGillvary. He has played 22 times for us so far this season, scoring 16 tries and assisting a further five.

McGillvary has made 2947 metres so far this season, with an average gain of 8.32 metres. He has also made 30 clean breaks, as well as 109 tackle busts.

Key Battle 

Lachlan Coote v Darnell McIntosh

Two players who could go head to head at fullback on Friday, are Saints number 23, Lachlan Coote and our number one, Darnell McIntosh.

Coote has featured in 20 of Saints’ 27 Betfred Super League games so far this season, whilst McIntosh has featured in 26 of ours. McIntosh has scored 12 tries, as well as adding 13 assists, meanwhile Coote has scored 14 and set up 19 more for his teammates.

McIntosh has made 2649 metres so far in 2019, with an average gain of 7.55 metres per carry. Coote has made 2038 metres, with an average gain of 6.79. Coote has kicked 86 goals so far this season, whilst McIntosh has made 116 tackle busts.

Previous Meetings

The two sides have met three times already, one in the Challenge Cup and twice in the league, Saints winning all three fixtures.

Saints took a 4th minute lead in our first clash in March at the John Smith’s Stadium, Luke Thompson crashing over from close range, Coote’s conversion giving the visitors an early 6-0 lead. We responded in the 13th minute, opting to go down the short side and Jermaine McGillvary dived in at the right corner after collecting Matty Frawley’s pass. Lee Gaskell’s conversion made it 6-6. Saints re-took the lead in the 24th minute, Morgan Knowles going over underneath the sticks from close range, Coote’s conversion made it 12-6. We responded two minutes later though, Jordan Turner touching down over on the right-hand side despite being under pressure, Gaskell added the extra two to make it 12-12. Mark Percival then once again gave Saints the lead, two minutes before the break, touching down a grubber kick in the left corner, Coote missed the conversion, so it was 16-12 to Saints at the break.

Percival then got his second twelve minutes in the second half, Coote’s inch perfect kick was collected by the Giants, we then tried to offload in our own in-goal area and Percival won the race to the loose ball to touch down. Coote’s conversion made it 22-12. He then added a penalty shortly afterwards to make it 24-12. Just after the hour mark, Saints got another. Directly off a scrum the ball found its way to Coote, he threw it wide to Regan Grace, who spun over in the left corner, Coote missed the kick so it remained 28-12. Shortly after, Saints were in again, Fages high kick was patted back by Tommy Makinson, Dominic Peyroux grabbed the loose ball to score, Coote’s conversion making it 34-12. Saints got their final try six minutes from time. Jonny Lomax planting the ball down from close range, Coote’s conversion giving Saints the 40-12 win at the John Smith’s Stadium.

The two sides met in West Yorkshire once again, in mid-May, in the Coral Challenge Cup.

Saints took the lead in the 12th minute, Coote throwing a cut-out pass to Grace, who strolled in to score in the left corner. The conversion was missed so it stayed 4-0. It took us just three minutes to respond, Matt Frawley finding Joe Wardle, who strolled through a gap to score underneath the sticks. Lee Gaskell added the extra two to give us a 6-4 lead. Coote added a penalty shortly afterwards to make it 6-6. Aaron Murphy then regained our lead just before the half-hour mark, scoring in the right corner, Gaskell missing the extra two, 10-6. Saints responded five minutes before the break, Theo Fages collecting a Grace kick to score to the left of the posts, Coote added the extra two to make it 12-10, which is how it was at the break.

Saints extended their lead in the 51st minute, Lachlan Coote picking up the ball after a contest in the air to score in the right corner. He missed the conversion, 16-10. Joe Wardle then added his second try of the game less than five minutes later, running through a gap in the Saints defence to score under the sticks, Gaskell converted for 16-16. The final try came on the hour mark, the ball ricocheted, and it allowed Kevin Naiqama to pounce and score, Coote kicked the conversion, as Saints won 22-16.

The last meeting between the two sides took place three months ago at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

We kicked an early Oliver Russell penalty, to make it 2-0. Saints took an 11th minute lead, Coote strolling under the sticks after a pass from Fages. He converted his own try for 6-2. Two minutes later, Jonny Lomax touched down a Mark Percival kick, Coote’s conversion making it 12-2. Tommy Makinson then scored the first of his three tries in the 18th minute, scoring in the right corner after a cut-out pass from Coote, he missed the conversion, so it stayed 16-2. Coote then set-up Fages from close range, and missed the conversion, to make it 20-2. Tommy Makinson then grabbed his second try of the game, once again collecting Coote’s pass to score, his conversion making it 26-2 at the break.

Coote then setup Makinson for his hattrick twelve minutes into the second half, he converted the try for 32-2. Three minutes later, Fages set-up Lomax for his second, Coote adding the extra two to make it 38-2 at fulltime.

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