These are fascinating times for Super League’s most successful club. St Helens have been no strangers to setting records since rugby league switched to summer in 1996 but, of late, they have found themselves in uncharted territory.
Between 2019 and 2022, nobody could lay a glove on them. Even last year, when their run of four straight Grand Finals came to an end, they went to Australia and were crowned world champions. You wondered when, if ever, a club who consistently produce top-tier junior players would endure hardship of any kind again.
But in sport, everything is cyclical with eras of dominance followed by periods of transition. The mind-blowing achievements of four consecutive league titles – a record unlikely to be replicated – have been replaced by some rather more unwanted records to leave Saints in danger of missing out on the playoffs.
That in itself would be a milestone: in every Super League season, Saints have made the cut. They knew that suffering a sixth straight league defeat for the first time since 1979 here would mean they could have ended the weekend level with sides outside the top six. An emphatic 46-6 win spared them that ignominy.
Their losing run before this game was a Super League record for Saints and a nod to the period of flux they find themselves in. The legendary hooker James Roby – the heartbeat of those four titles – has retired and other key players are approaching the final years of their careers.
Injuries to England internationals Jack Welsby, Tommy Makinson and Alex Walmsley have hampered them this season, but this result was a welcome relief for a side enduring some hardship. Whether it proves to be the catalyst for a renewed push towards another Grand Final remains to be seen, but it certainly gives them breathing space inside the top six.
The manner of this victory, a commanding eight-try triumph against a Hull FC side toiling at the foot of the table, will have been satisfying for the St Helens coach, Paul Wellens. He is out of contract later this year and while he is adamant he is planning for 2025, the continued silence from the club means there remains uncertainty.
The bigger challenges are arguably still to come, with long-serving players such as Makinson and Lewis Dodd departing for pastures new. But one thing Saints do well is blood stars of the future and their next great side could feature some of those who impressed here.
In Welsby’s absence, the teenage full-back Harry Robertson has excelled, while the young hooker Jake Burns plucked from the amateur game, scored two tries here and looks to be another with a bright future. They were far too good for a depleted Hull side, but bigger tests are certain to follow.
