Saints count cost of victory

Simmons: Bruising win

Sheffield were good and we knew they could play some good footy and run the ball.

Royce Simmons
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St Helens coach Royce Simmons saw his ever-growing injury list added to against Sheffield, but was pleased with the overall performance of his side.

Saints made it through to the fifth round of the Challenge Cup after rattling 52 points past the Eagles – but it was not without further costs on the injury front.

The already depleted Saints went into the game without eight first-teamers and lost Andrew Dixon (hip), Nathan Ashe (knee) and Kyle Eastmond (groin) during the game.

All three are now doubtful for next Saturday’s table-topping tussle against Huddersfield.

Problem

Saints boss Royce Simmons said: “Dixon got a bruised hip and could not go back on.

“Nathan Ashe had already had a knee problem but played with it and then Kyle Eastmond suffered a groin strain late on and had to be brought off. The doc is working on them now.”

Saints had the game wrapped up by half time, but Sheffield rallied late in the second half with three tries from Quentin Laulu-Togagae to make the scoreline respectable.

Simmons said: “Sheffield were good and we knew they could play some good footy and run the ball.

“Once we got a comfortable lead it seemed as though we started thinking about Huddersfield next week and not getting hurt. If you do that a side like Sheffield can score some points.”

Once again Francis Meli impressed, grabbing two tries and sending Jamie Foster in for a brace of touchdowns.

“Franny did some good things. You know your centre is playing well when your winger is scoring tries and Jamie crossed for a couple.”

Character

Eagles battled back from 46-10 down thanks to a hat-trick from Laulu-Togagae, which was testament to the spirit and skill of the Championship side.

Coach Mark Aston said: “Quality teams score points quick points and we spoke about that – teams like St Helens can blast you away. They had a lot ball but we showed a lot of character.

“They scored three tries off three mistakes, but we showed some attitude and stuck in there towards the end.

“We asked a lot of questions and scored some good tries towards the end.

“I can take a lot of positives, particularly with us being part-time, yet we still stuck in there and went to the final minutes.

“The players don’t know when to give in and get together collectively. They have come off the game today feeling proud with their heads held high.”