Saints hit Sox for six

PICTURED: CHRIS Joynt in typical barnstorming action slices through the Halifax defence.

THROWN a lifeline by Bradford's victory over Wigan, Saints re-discovered much of their irresistible handling flair to regain top spot in the Super League after this 11-try stroll in the sun at Knowsley Road.

So with six games to go Saints' title destiny once again lies in their own hands and certainly, after a faltering start against an Halifax side that last won a league game at St. Helens in 1963, there were encouraging signs that this heaven-sent second bite of the cherry will not be squandered.

Not least courtesy of a vastly-improved pack performance superbly marshalled by the phenomenal Keiron Cunningham who, for the umpteenth time, earned the McEwan-Lager and Hewlett Packard man-of-the-match awards and claimed his first hat-trick of tries in a Saints' jersey.

Non-stop Apollo Perelini and back-after-injury Chris Joynt were not far behind Cunningham in the double-accolade pecking order, and there were also outstanding contributions from slick-handling Aussie Derek McVey, super-sub Ian Pickavance and strong-running youngster Chris Morley who, for me, enjoyed his best game since arriving at Knowsley Road.

There was also a welcome return following ankle damage by skipper Bobbie Goulding, and although not100 percent fit the Test scrum-half responded by re-forging his previous links with incisive stand-off Karle Hammond, scored a glorious solo try and had a hand in two others, and landed seven goals to boot.

Given such a solid platform up front it was pleasing that, in the wake of recent charges of boring rugby, that the ball was moved wide whenever the opportunity presented itself, with the spin-off being that eight tries were credited to the back division, with never a 'bomb' in sight. However, despite their often-heady fare, Saints will do well to keep their feet on the ground, for in truth an Halifax team that experienced an away form resurgence of late failed miserably to maintain that ideal, and overall were lucky to escape without heavier punishment against a home side guilty of failing to capitalise on several early chances. Defensive vulnerability, particularly at close quarters, proved to be the Blue Sox side's principal downfall, while their increasingly-hopeless cause was not helped by the second-half dismissal of Martin Moana, who had previously been sin-binned after a difference of opinion with Hammond, who received similar treatment from referee Stephen Presley.

With the pavilion at their backs Saints rocketed into a second-minute lead when Cunningham, Goulding, Hammond and Paul Newlove moved the ball left for Danny Arnold to touch down in the corner for his 23rd Super League try, and consolidation quickly followed when, after Hammond had been stopped short, Cunningham stole over for Goulding to convert.

Halifax replied with a 40-yard penalty by John Schuster when Adam Fogerty transgressed at the play-the-ball and, given Saints' earlier dominance, the scoreline assumed an unrealistic look as a John Bentley touchdown fashioned by busy hooker Paul Rowley and goaled from the touchline by Schuster meant the visitors trailed by just 10-8 after 20 minutes. And it could have been worse for Saints as Moana lost the ball in the act of touching down, but the Knowsley Road side had got the message by now and increased their advantage when, after Perelini almost took four men over the line with him, the predator Cunningham seized the loose ball to plunge over for Goulding to add the goal points.

Isolated breaks by Rowley, scrum-half Craig Dean and Bentley were all that the hapless Thrum Hallers had to offer at this stage, but by dint of dogged defence and good fortune they restricted Saints to just one more touchdown before the interval, and what a try, with Joynt leaving Dean, Carl Gillespie and Asa Amone in his wake over 30 yards for Goulding to tack on the extra points

Now 22-8 to the good, Saints restarted where they left off when Newlove scored his 32nd try of the season in ploughing over from acting-half back after Hammond had gone close. Goulding landed his fourth conversion but Halifax did not enjoy the rub of the green when a marginal forward pass decision denied Baldwin a try after Rowley had broken the Saints' cover.

So often try creator, Goulding now took on the role of double agent in making and scoring himself via an outrageous dummy, surging run and neat sidestep which saw him flummox Michael Jackson and Mike Umaga among others, with Bobbie's four-pointer coming just prior to the sending-off of Moana following an alleged high tackle on Arnold.

Goulding's tracer-bullet pass then sent Alan Hunte between the posts, but despite being a man short and facing mounting arrears of 38-8 Halifax dug deep into reserves of character to notch two tries in succession from Schuster and Graeme Hallas, both of which were converted by copy-book marksman Schuster. However a 20-point purple patch spelled game, set and match for Saints with the first coming through a 30-yard break by Cunningham to open the way for Hunte's second try; then Keiron notched his third in burrowing over from acting half-back; Hunte and Hammond carved out a gap for Joey Hayes, and finally Pickavance and Cunningham engineered a richly deserved try for Hammond.

So each hurdle of the the Super League home straight is now of summit proportions for Saints as they seek a first championship success since 1975 and a first Cup and League double since the palmy Vollenhoven-Murphy four-cup days of 1966 - the omens are good if the free-flowing flair shown against Halifax is maintained.

Saints: Prescott; Hayes, Hunte, Newlove, Arnold; Hammond, Goulding; Perelini, Cunningham, Fogerty, Joynt, McVey, Morley. Substitutes Pickavance for Fogerty (33), Northey for McVey (50), Haigh for Arnold, Matautia for Joynt, Fogerty for Perelini (71).

Halifax Blue Sox: Amone; Bentley, Schuster, Tuilagi, Rika; Chester, Dean; Ketteridge, Rowley, Perrett, Gillespie, Jackson, Moana. Substitutes Harrison for Perrett (11), Baldwin for Ketteridge, Hallas for Rika (30), Umaga for Amone (41), Rika for Chester (65).

Attendance: 9,283.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.