Darryl Clarke (right) scores on his Saints debut after joining from Warrington
|
Attempt: Dodd, Wellsby, Walmsley, Makinson, Clarke, Whitley 2, Lomax. the goal: Percival 3, Makinson |
London Broncos were given a rude awakening on their return to Super League by a St Helens side who were in a merciless mood and hungry to regain the title.
Early goals from Lewis Dodd and Jack Welsby put Saints ahead and the Broncos gained momentum before Alex Walmsley and Tommy Makinson added further tries.
Robbie Storey brought Rondon into his squad, but his joy was short-lived when Saints’ Daryl Clarke and Matt Whitley pounced on him.
Second shots from Johnny Lomax and Whitley gave St Helens a late goal.
Paul Wellens’ Saints just missed out on the big prize in Super League last season despite success in the World Club Challenge.
Without retired hooker and talismanic captain James Robbie this season, the team have adapted well to the conflict, with Robbie’s replacement Darryl Clarke impressing on his debut.
New captain Lomax maintained his influence despite taking on more responsibilities, but Welsby remained a constant threat despite the high profile.
Mike Eccles and his Broncos side always knew it would be a step up from the Championship when they booked a spot at the top table, and that was the case.
From the moment Dean Parata had to screen behind to cover a dangerous kick, the Saints were aware of their threat and were brutal in their efficiency.
They released players on pace with line breaks and late passes, tearing London apart time and time again. James Bell provided Dodd’s score and Welsby was released offloading Whitley as well.
Instead, London failed to build up enough pressure and field position while Jack Campagnolo and James Meadows worked hard for little reward in the first half.
Clarke released Walmsley on tiptoe a little late in the second half, and Makinson’s finishes were all from Lomax’s looping cut-out passes.
The Saints certainly weren’t perfect, all things considered, as tons of cheap turnovers and some shaky execution showed throughout, but when they executed their game plan correctly, it was devastating. It was spot on.
London continued to push away, and the Saints were caught up early after the break. Storey chased down a small hack from Lee Kershaw from Olly Leyland’s grubber kick and scored.
But as the visitors fought to stay in the contest, the Saints stepped up a gear. Clarke pirouetted through from a dummy half-dart, Whitley screamed from a Wellsby ball and teed Lomax up like a bulldozer from Conrad Harrell.
Whitley rounded off the scoring with another left-wing attack for his boyhood club, and there were smiles of satisfaction as he shook hands with Wellens, Laurent Frecinas and Matty Smith in the coach’s box.
St Helens manager Paul Wellens:
“I’m relatively happy. There’s a lot to like about what we did, especially coming into the game against a bit of an unknown in terms of opponents.
“We knew they were competitive and we wanted to show the best version of ourselves. I thought they competed really hard.”
“We were able to take some joy in some of the things we practiced in pre-season, which was pleasing, but there were times when we let standards drop a little bit and we were under pressure, so we’ll continue to learn from that. would have to.
“In Super League you have to be able to do tough things well for long periods of time. Rondon probably had a cold by the start of the game, but they certainly showed their character in the way they fought back. .”
London coach Mike Eccles:
“We should have scored a couple more points. That score should have been 26-10 or something like that. But we learned to play at this level against the best teams in the world. I think the naivety was clearly evident there.”
“I think there were times in the second half where they were killing us.
“That’s the next level, right? Those aren’t all super negative ‘learnings’, but we have to get up to speed quickly.”
St Helens: Wellsby. Makinson, Harrell, Percival, Blake. Dodd Lomax. Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Whitley, Sironen, Bell.
Interchange: Matautia, Wingfield, Delaney, Davis.
London: Oh, Leyland. Kershaw, Story, Miloudi, Makani. Campagnolo, Meadows. Butler, Davis, Kennedy, Lovell, Adebiyi, Parata.
Interchange: Stock, Williams, Wayne, Davis.