Betfred Super League leaders St Helens suffered only a second defeat of the season as Wakefield Trinity halted their own five-match losing run in a nail-biting contest at the Mobile Rocket Stadium.
England centre Mark Percival scored two tries, taking his tally for the season to 12, as Saints fought back from 22-6 down to close to within two points but they could not maintain their composure in a dramatic finish as Wakefield clung on for a 24-20 victory, their first at home to St Helens for six years.
Both sides finished the game with 12 men after Percival and Wakefield hooker Tyler Randell were sin-binned but, after losing their last three matches by a combined total of eight points, Trinity coach Chris Chester will be thrilled by the way they held their nerve this time.
.... Aaaaaand breathe😯. Trinity hang on to claim a massive two points! pic.twitter.com/Uh4xJNoYDK
— Wakefield Trinity (@WTrinityRL) April 15, 2018
Percival put Saints ahead inside the second minute but Wakefield hit back with four tries in 17 minutes as Ben Jones-Bishop, Reece Lyne, Justin Horo and Bill Tupou all crossed to put the hosts 22-6 up.
Tommy Makinson and Percival dotted down before half-time, with Luke Douglas crossing the whitewash to make the score 22-20, but Liam Finn's fourth goal with seven minutes remaining proved enough for Trinity.
Wakefield coach Chester said: “I aged about 10 years in the last five minutes but I couldn’t be more proud of my players.
“We’ve been there or thereabouts for the last five games and it’s nice to win a tight one today. I feel we deserve it and it will do the players a world of good.
Outstanding from @Reece__21. A well deserved MOTM performance👏 pic.twitter.com/aSAflH0FtX
— Wakefield Trinity (@WTrinityRL) April 15, 2018
“I’m really pleased, it means I can sleep a bit better tonight."
Saints coach Justin Holbrook said: “I was disappointed with our effort today. It was a close game but we couldn’t come away with the win.
“Full credit to Wakefield, I thought they just worked harder than us.
“Obviously we kept going to the end but when you look back (at) that 18-minute period, it cost us. It was unlike us to let some soft tries in.”
Player | T | TA | TK | MT | MI | TB | AT | C | M | AG | CB | DR | E | FT | G | MG | OF | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Horo | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 138 | 10.62 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Bill Tupou | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 218 | 13.63 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Reece Lyne | 1 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 109 | 7.79 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Ben Jones-Bishop | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 75 | 5.77 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jordan Baldwinson | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 7.75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tinirau Arona | 0 | 0 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 87 | 6.69 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kyle Wood | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4.00 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Anthony England | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 111 | 6.53 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Danny Kirmond | 0 | 0 | 42 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 37 | 4.63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Matty Ashurst | 0 | 0 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 46 | 6.57 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Keegan Hirst | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 104 | 7.43 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Tyler Randell | 0 | 1 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 44 | 8.80 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Craig Huby | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 70 | 6.36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Liam Finn | 0 | 0 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 22 | 3.67 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Jacob Miller | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 62 | 5.64 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Joe Arundel | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 115 | 7.67 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scott Grix | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 56 | 5.09 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Player | T | TA | TK | MT | MI | TB | AT | C | M | AG | CB | DR | E | FT | G | MG | OF | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mark Percival | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 118 | 8.43 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Thomas Makinson | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 148 | 8.22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Luke Douglas | 1 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 92 | 6.57 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Danny Richardson | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 66 | 11.00 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Jonathan Lomax | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 96 | 6.00 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Regan Grace | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 95 | 6.79 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Ryan Morgan | 0 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 83 | 6.38 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Ben Barba | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 71 | 7.10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kyle Amor | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 103 | 8.58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Matthew Smith | 0 | 0 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 10.50 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Luke Thompson | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 136 | 8.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Dominique Peyroux | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 69 | 7.67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Zeb Taia | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 119 | 7.44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Jon Wilkin | 0 | 0 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 121 | 8.07 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Theo Fages | 0 | 1 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 5.33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 102 | 7.29 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Morgan Knowles | 0 | 0 | 38 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 80 | 5.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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