Saturday, March 29, 2014

St Helens, THE SAINTS #RugbyLeague , roaring to a win against #Leeds - worth staying up until 3.30am



St Helens 14-10 Leeds: Makinson double keeps Saints 100 per cent record in tact after another Rhinos nail-biter 

Tommy Makinson's 78th minute try sparked wild scenes at Langtree Park as Saints’ young guns defied all expectations and Leeds’ vast experience to record their most uplifting result under coach Nathan Brown.
Makinson held his nerve in a breathless finish after Jonny Lomax collected Lance Hohaia’s chip and kicked again to the corner. The ball bounced twice and looked, for an agonising split second, as though it would roll into touch.
But Makinson gathered and touched down to prove that there can now be few doubts that Saints are genuine title contenders once more.
Double trouble: St Helens' Tom Makinson crossed twice, including this late finish in the corner to defeat Leeds
Double trouble: St Helens' Tom Makinson crossed twice, including this late finish in the corner to defeat Leeds
St Helens assistant coach Keiron Cunningham said: 'It’s a special win, and to me it’ll go down as one of our greatest wins. I was speaking to the chairman and it’s tough to think back while I’ve been here where we’ve hung in there like that.
'We’re creating something at the stadium now. Everyone loved the Knowsley Road buzz, but we’re creating an atmosphere here and this group of kids can take us in the right direction.'
 



     
    He added: 'We knew last year’s pain was going to be worthwhile. We’ve built a great squad and we’ll continue with that, but the foundations of the club are very secure. Last year’s pain is paying off. For those kids to stand up to a great Leeds side like that and win is absolutely fantastic.'
    Makinson looked to have won it for Saints 15 minutes earlier when he finished Paul Wellens’ break. Wellens had already marked his record-equaling 413th Super League appearance by producing a thunderous tackle on Zak Hardaker, only to top it with a brilliant offload that allowed Makinson to give the hosts a 10-8 lead.
    But Leeds, who had led midway through the first half thanks to Danny McGuire’s 250th career try, drew level when Kevin Sinfield booted his third goal of the night after Mose Masoe was penalised for an illegal ball steal on Kylie Leuluai.
    Now regarded as a classic Super League fixture after these sides contested four of the last seven Grand Finals, this latest installment was every bit as compelling.
    Job done: St Helens players celebrate as the final whistle's blown in their nailbiting 14-10 victory
    Job done: St Helens players celebrate as the final whistle's blown in their nailbiting 14-10 victory
    Saints looked well beaten before kick off after naming an alarmingly young side but they weathered Leeds’ strong start to go in level at half time.
    Fierce tackling from the hosts contained much of the Rhinos’ potency, but Leeds eventually found their way through when Sinfield’s pass put Carl Ablett clear and he had enough strength to offload for McGuire to dive under the posts.
    That could easily have been the moment when Saints collapsed but instead they rallied, forcing a knock on from Leeds centre Kallum Watkins before Anthony Walker made the most of Jamie Jones-Buchanan’s defensive error to set up a tense second half.
    Leeds boss Brian McDermott, who revealed Jones-Buchanan had played 25 minutes of the first half with a 'bust bicep', paid tribute to St Helens.
    Wrapped up: Rhinos veteran Jamie Peacock is brought down by the Saints' dogged defence
    Wrapped up: Rhinos veteran Jamie Peacock is brought down by the Saints' dogged defence
    McDermott said: 'Saints deserved the win. I didn’t think there was much in it and had we have got it 
    I wouldn’t have felt ashamed, but it was a fair result.

    'I don’t feel we’ve missed massive opportunities. Saints defended extremely well, especially on our outside backs.
    'They’ve clearly got some momentum and while they were missing some people, we knew the kids they brought in would do a good job.'