Latest news with #PaulWellens
BBC News
14 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Saints' Welsby and Murphy sidelined in injury blow
St Helens have been hit by a double injury blow with full-back Jack Welsby and winger Lewis Murphy set for lengthy spells on the has undergone surgery on a knee issue after being forced off the field in last Friday's defeat by Hull KR at Craven Park and is expected to miss up to 16 weeks of the Murphy suffered a quad injury in the same match and is set for an eight week spell on the news is a blow to head coach Paul Wellens with Saints poised in sixth in the final play-off spot as the halfway stage of the season approaches."Obviously it is disappointing news for Jack and Lewis, and the club will, as we always do, give them our full support in their injury recovery," Wellens told the club website, external."I am certain Jack and Lewis will give their all in their rehab to get back on the field and contribute once again to our team when they return."Welsby, 24, will be a big miss for Saints if, as expected, he is on the sidelines until September given he has six tries, 14 assists and is leading the Super League statistics for 23, was also hitting a decent vein of form having scored a try in each of his last Super League appearances, including against league leaders Hull KR last Friday.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Leaders Hull KR hammer stuttering St Helens
Betfred Super LeagueHull KR (28) 34Tries: Broadbent 2, Hiku, Lewis 2, Minchella Goals: Mourgue 5St Helens (4) 4Tries: Murphy Super League leaders Hull KR thrashed a stuttering St Helens side to ensure they head into next week's Challenge Cup final at Wembley on a hosts were cruising at the break with a 28-4 lead, thanks to two tries from Jack Broadbent and finishes from Peta Hiku, Mikey Lewis and Elliot Murphy, who went over for Saints' only try in the first half, went close to pulling one back after the interval but had his acrobatic effort ruled out just moments before Lewis went in for his second of the night at the other commanding display against the long-time Super League powerhouse, who won a record 10th Super League title just three years ago, sets them up well for their cup decider in London against Warrington Wolves next defeat in east Hull came after Paul Wellens' side had recorded thumping back-to-back wins against Huddersfield Giants and Catalans Dragons to somewhat revive their season following a run of six losses in nine games between early March and to follow. Hull KR: Mourgue; Davies, Hiku, Broadbent, Burgess; Lewis, May; Sue, Litten, Whitbread, Tanginoa, Batchelor, Luckley, Brown, Doro, Helens: Welsby; Sailor, Percival, Cross, Murphy; Lomax, Whitby; Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Whitley, Mbye, Pa'asi, Delaney, Cross (21 mins)Referee: Liam Rush.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Saints display shows backing for Wellens
Australian import Tristan Sailor says St Helens' comprehensive Super League win over Catalans Dragons is evidence Saints are playing for head coach Paul has ramped up on club legend Wellens after a sticky patch form-wise which saw Saints lose to rivals Wigan, Warrington and old foes Sailor was one of the stars as they tore into the Dragons on Thursday night, Saints scoring seven tries without reply in a 40-0 thrashing as teenage half-back George Whitby picked up a hat-trick."It takes a lot of resilience to get through what he was copping and our performances - he cops the brunt of it," Sailor told BBC 5 Sports Extra."We're always behind Paul and I think it shows his resilience has reflected on us, and hopefully we can keep that moving forward."We've obviously had a bit of a rough start, had a few close losses and for the past couple of weeks haven't been at our best but the boys were awesome."We're always behind Wello, hopefully we can continue this run going forward." Wing switch pays off for Sailor and Saints One of the conundrums Wellens has had to deal with this season has been involving all of his pivot options in a system that complements the team, with Sailor, Whitby, captain Jonny Lomax and Jack Welsby all flitting between positions in a bid to find the right move to the wing, a position Sailor has covered before, brought the best out of the former Brisbane Broncos and St George Illawarra flier, and allowed Welsby, Lomax and Whitby the space to create in the spine."I loved it, one of my strengths is that I can play a lot of positions and sometimes dynamic-wise you have to move to fit in," Sailor added."It worked really well, I enjoyed getting to run the ball and do a lot of talking."Tom Trbojevic has done a similar thing in Origin where he plays on the edge but can roam through a bit. I had that role, was able to support the boys and help get some one-on-ones."
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
George Whitby hat-trick sinks Catalans Dragons to raise St Helens' spirits
St Helens eased the pressure on their underfire coach, Paul Wellens, with one of their most encouraging performances of the season to defeat Catalans Dragons and lift the mood around one of Super League's most successful clubs for one week at least. Having only just scraped into the playoffs last season, the side who won four successive Grand Finals between 2019 and 2022 look to be in danger of a similar fight this year. They started the weekend outside the top six with real pressure increasing on Wellens, one of the club's greatest-ever players. They faced a Dragons side here without a number of their key players and with that in mind, you felt the onus was on Saints to go out and put on a display. They duly did that to run out comfortable winners with a much-improved display to move into the top four before Friday night's fixtures. This Saints squad is approaching a major rebuild, perhaps as early as this winter, with a number of their long-serving stalwarts approaching the end of their careers. But one player Wellens, or whoever is coaching the club in 2026, can build around is young half-back George Whitby, the latest talent from Saints' never-ending production line who starred here with a hat-trick. The teenager scored two wonderful tries and produced a composed and measured display beyond his years to guide Saints to a routine victory. He opened the scoring after just two minutes when Tristan Sailor's wonderful break laid the platform for Whitby to break the deadlock, before Alex Walmsley forced his way over the line nine minutes later. The Saints could, and perhaps should, have scored more points against a Catalans side visibly struggling after last weekend's bruising Challenge Cup semi-final loss to Hull KR. But after spurning several opportunities, they finally extended their lead when Deon Cross punctured the Catalans line four minutes before the break, before Whitby claimed his second on the hooter. That made it 24-0 and at that stage, it was merely a question of how ruthless Saints wanted to be. The answer? Fairly. Sailor has had his critics since arriving from the National Rugby League and has played a plethora of positions, but he looked settled here on the wing, claiming a well-deserved try after a magnificent offload from Mark Percival. Lewis Murphy then made it 34-0 with a flying finish before Whitby claimed his hat-trick after more exceptional buildup play.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Whitby hat-trick as Saints hammer Catalans
Betfred Super LeagueSt Helens (24) 40Tries: Whitby (3), Walmsley, Cross, Sailor, Murphy Goals: Whitby (6)Catalans (0) 0 Teenager George Whitby's 24-point haul led a sparkling St Helens to a one-sided win over play-off rivals Catalans stand-off, who turns 19 on Saturday, scored a hat-trick of tries and kicked six conversions from seven attempts as Saints eased the pressure on coach Paul Wellens with a display that had echoes of their 2022 Grand Final-winning Walmsley, Deon Cross, Tristan Sailor and Lewis Murphy also crossed the line to secure only the Red V's third win in the last eight Super League shines another spotlight on the future of Catalans coach Steve McNamara, who has now suffered three consecutive defeats and faces an RFL investigation following comments he made following last weekend's Challenge Cup semi-final loss to Hull Kingston to follow St Helens: Welsby, Sailor, Cross, Percival, Murphy, Whitby, Lomax, Walmsley, Clark, Lees, C. Sironen, Whitley, KnowlesInterchanges: Mbye, Paasi, Wingfield, DelaneyCatalans: Aispuro-Bichet, Yaha, Laguerre, Smith, Cotric, Keary, Fages, Satae, Da Costa, Navarette, Seguier, B. Sironen, PartingtonInterchanges: Romano, Pangai Jr, Sims, DezariaReferee: Liam Moore.
