Super League review: St Helens run in 12 tries to beat Huddersfield
A review of the latest round of matches in the Betfred Super League, including a stunning win for 12-try St Helens.
Super League results
Thursday April 19
- Hull FC 19-18 Leeds
Friday April 20
- Wigan 28-12 Castleford
- Salford 38-4 Wakefield
- St Helens 66-4 Huddersfield
Friday
Jonny Lomax grabbed a hat-trick of tries as St Helens bounced back from their surprise defeat at Wakefield with a 66-4 trouncing of injury-hit Huddersfield.
Inspired by classy full-back Ben Barba, Saints ran in 12 tries in all to register their biggest win over the Giants in the summer era and consolidate their place at the top of the Betfred Super League.
Huddersfield's heaviest defeat of the season leaves them still looking for a first win under interim head coach Chris Thorman and in deep trouble near the foot of the table.
Salford recorded back-to-back Super League wins for the first time this season thanks to a hugely impressive 38-4 win over Wakefield Trinity at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Winger Jake Bibby scored two of Salford's seven tries as they ran away with the game in the second half, building on a narrow 8-0 interval lead.
This was all the more impressive since they lost playmaking half-back Robert Lui - who had limped off injured just before half-time.
Salford were helped by the 47th-minute sin-binning of Wakefield centre Reece Lyne. With Wakefield down to 12 men, Salford scored 12 points to take the game beyond the reach of Chris Chester's team who last week ended a five-game losing run with victory over leaders St Helens.
Wigan made it four wins in succession as they dispatched of last season's table-toppers Castleford 28-12.
Two points separated the teams at the break after Wigan's 14-2 lead, courtesy of tries from Oliver Gildart and Liam Farrell, was cut in the final 10 minutes of the half after Oliver Holmes and Garry Lo touched down.
But a second try for Gildart just after the break, following a strong run from Joe Burgess, was added to by scores from George Williams and Tony Clubb as the Warriors impressed in front of England rugby union head coach Eddie Jones, who was a guest at the DW Stadium.
Thursday
Marc Sneyd's drop goal four minutes from time secured Hull a dramatic 19-18 win against Leeds at the KCOM Stadium.
The Rhinos scored three tries in 11 second-half minutes to overturn a 14-0 deficit and lead by four points, but Carlos Tuimavave's try levelled things with eight minutes left.
And Sneyd, who missed three conversions, made no mistake with the drop goal to secure Hull's first home win against Leeds in Super League since September 2014.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 14th minute, shortly after Jamie Jones-Buchanan, celebrating his 400th Leeds appearance, conceded a penalty deep inside Hull's half by tackling Jamie Shaul in the air when he was gathering a high kick.
Hull turned the penalty into four points when Jake Connor ducked his way through the visitors' defence to score in the right corner. Sneyd's conversion attempt drifted wide.
Brett Ferres had a try disallowed on the half-hour mark for a forward pass as Hull defended their line with vigour.
And six minutes before half-time Hull doubled their lead. Bureta Faraimo took Danny Houghton's clever pass to score his fourth try of the season, but Sneyd's conversion again missed the target.
Sneyd's kicking at goal might not have been at its best, but his kicking out of hand was. His high kick to Tom Briscoe was close enough to the touchline it left his team-mates the easy task of pushing the Leeds winger out of bounds within 20 metres of the Rhinos line.
Fetuli Talanoa repeated the same action when Briscoe gathered a loose ball 10 metres from his own try line and this time the hosts did capitalise as Connor again found space to score his fifth try of the season. Sneyd converted to make it 14-0 and extend his scoring streak to 20 successive games.
Needing to score three times, Leeds finally got on the scoresheet in the 51st minute when Ryan Hall used every inch of his frame to stretch and ground the ball on the try line. Kallum Watkins converted to make it 14-6.
With 20 minutes left , Leeds closed the gap to two points as they created an overlap on their left for Joel Moon to stroll through to score.
And the visitors took the lead when Matt Parcell went under the posts, with the try confirmed by video referee Phil Bentham amid Hull protests he had dropped the ball in the act of scoring. Watkins' third conversion gave Leeds an 18-14 lead.
But Hull hit back. Albert Kelly's kick was taken by Talanoa, who offloaded to Tuimavave to score. For the third time Sneyd's kick went wide and the game was level at 18-18.
Sneyd did not let those missed conversions affect him, though, as he struck his second game-winning drop goal of the season four minutes from time.
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