We had a great evening with the Level Five group in Covent Garden - our favourite Da Mario Italian. We have been colliding there for years and years. Glorious food and even greater engaging catchups. Love it.
And my team the Saints had not been playing well this season. Injuries, new manager, new and unsettled players at the hub of things - and just not competing well. But we did it last night after midnight when we got back to Wilson Mansions in our case.
THRILLING WIN against a really good team who I admire and respect.
St Helens stun Warrington as James Roby inspires them to victory
• Warrington 10-22 St Helens
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St Helens' Jordan Turner scores his side's first try against Warrington. Photograph: Craig Brough/Action Images
St Helens banished the scent of an early-season crisis with a tough derby win that brought back bad memories for Warrington of the rough treatment they have received from these local rivals for most of theSuper League era.
The Wolves have stepped out of Saints' shadow in the last couple of years, most recently beating them to reach a first Old Trafford Grand Final last autumn, but this was a regression to old habits as they sorely missed the direction of the injured Lee Briers. The biggest winner on the night was Nathan Brown, the Australian who left Huddersfield for the Saints coaching hot-seat during the winter, and was already the subject of some disgruntled murmuring from his new public. This victory, secured by a ferocious defensive performance that prevented Warrington from playing their usual expansive game, will have gone a long way towards winning them around.
Saints, who had been so laboured in long spells of possession in last Friday's home defeat by Leeds, were unrecognisable from the start here. They made one significant positional change, the experienced New Zealander Lance Hohaia returning from injury at stand-off, but it was the England hooker James Roby who was the key figure as they seized control through the middle.
They also rode their luck, as each of the passes from the full-back, Jonny Lomax, that created their first and third tries could easily have been given as forward. But Lomax was given the benefit of the doubt on each occasion, allowing Jordan Turner to open the scoring inside five minutes and Francis Meli 15 minutes later. With Hohaia dummying through some strangely hesitant Warrington defence in between times, Saints had a wholly unexpected 14-0 lead.
The Wolves bit back late in the first half when Chris Bridge, the former England centre who was making his first appearance of the season, ran through Hohaia straight from a scrum. But with Lomax outstanding at the back, and Jon Wilkin adapting impressively to his unfamiliar scrum-half role, Saints remained well in control, and extended their lead to 16-4 when yet another of Roby's bursts from acting half drew a high tackle from Paul Wood, Lomax kicking the goal.
It was Roby again who made the points safe, pouncing on a loose ball after Anthony Laffranchi had forced an error from the Wolves prop Chris Hill to score a richly-deserved try. Bridge claimed a late second for Warrington, but Saints had emphatically made their point.
