Sheffield Eagles 32

Saints 43

SHORTHANDED Saints stayed on course for championship glory after this points extravaganza as both teams made history in staging a first-ever Super League game at one-time Rugby Union bastion Cardiff Arms Park.

And there can be little doubt that Rugby League's expansionist policy was thoroughly vindicated as a near-7,000 crowd enjoyed the excellent match presentation and 12 sparkling tries. On balance there was kudos in plenty for table-topping Saints in extending their 100 percent Super League record to 11 matches as challengers Wigan foundered at the weekend.

Add to all this the masterly displays of Alan Hunte, who has battled through the pain barrier after major knee surgery; jack-in-the-box Keiron Cunningham; incisive Karle Hammond; the promise of young John McAtee, who was making his first appearance in two years; Chris Joynt's non-stop graft and the welcome return to form of Anthony Sullivan, and it will be seen that the barometer for further success is set fair at Knowsley Road.

Saints were consigned to face a glaring sun from the kick-off, and Sheffield exploited it immediately when the first of several 'bombs' from Mark Aston found an unprotected Steve Prescott unsighted, and Ken Senior pounced to score between the posts with Aston tacking on the conversion.. However, with McAtee showing up well, Saints weathered the early storm and squared matters when the scrum-half chipped through for the ever-alert Cunningham to touch down despite a hint of offside, with Prescott adding the extra points and then kicking a penalty when Sheffield were guilty of infringing the 10-metre rule.

So the previously high-flying Eagles had been brought down to earth by a resilient Saints' squad who now led 8-6 with ten minutes on the clock, and who then moved into overdrive via a touchdown of top-drawer dimensions when, from a scrum, Hammond's slick short pass sent Hunte haring 60 yards to the posts for Prescott to land his third goal. Hammond's wholly convincing dummy saw the ex-Widnes star cross beneath the Sheffield uprights for another six-pointer and Saints were now coasting, or so they thought, as substitute Paul Dixon signalled his arrival in the Eagles' side with a try in the corner to which Aston added a steepling conversion.

The stage was now set for Sullivan to give Saints a welcome pre-interval boost when he intercepted a wayward pass from Matt Crowther to race over the Sheffield line from 30 yards for Prescott to give his side a 26-12 cushion at the break.

Eagles were in no mood for surrender on the restart and swooped on Saints via a superb try engineered by Senior, scored by Sovatabua and goaled once again by Aston, but the see-saw pattern was maintained when Paul Newlove raced away over 40 yards to put Sullivan in at the corner for Prescott to goal in superb fashion. The trusty boot of Aston reduced Sheffield's leeway to 32-20 when Ian Pickavance fouled Crowther, only for a limping Apollo Perelini and Danny Arnold to make the running for a cracker of a second try by the reborn Hunte, who pirouetted through the remnants of the Eagles' cover, with Prescott experiencing his one kicking failure in eight attempts.

Saints then rounded off their scoring with arguably the try of the game, when McAtee, substitute Vila Matautia and Joynt all handled to send Newlove over with Prescott's goal giving Saints a 42-20 advantage, but Sheffield refused to buckle and hit back with further touchdowns by Ian Hughes and Crowther, both of which were converted by Ashton to give the Eagles' marksman a tally of six goals.

Sheffield Eagles: Sovatabua; Sodje, Grimley, Senior, Garcia; Crowther, Aston; Broadbent, Lawless, McAllister, Hughes, Hay, Farrell. Substitutes Dixon for McAllister (28), Turner for Hughes (31), Cook for Farrell (58), McAllister for Dixon, Price for Garcia (70).

Saints: Prescott; Arnold, Hunte, Newlove, Sullivan; Hammond, McAtee; Perelini, Cunningham, Fogerty, Booth, Pickavance, Joynt. Substitutes Matautia for Fogerty (25), Haigh for Booth, Morley for Pickavance (52), Pickavance for Matautia (74), Fogerty for Perelini (76), Cross not used.

IN THE PICTURE: Sullivan thrusts forward.

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