Rugby story by Fred Smith, Sun, 19 Feb 2006 07:56:02 GMT


Paul Sculthorpe's comeback game from injury was just the trigger needed for St Helens as they put in a huge effort and were runaway winners against Castleford. Six first-half tries meant that Castleford were never in the game and whatever score they put up would be mere consolation.

Ade Gardner and Willie Talau blazed in early tries and Castleford defense had no answer to the relentless attacks from the St Helens forwards. Francis Meli, Sean Long, Paul Wellens and Maurie Fa'asavalu compounded their misery when they banged in tries to complete the rout in the first half itself. After the break, James Graham got in the seventh try for St Helens, while Andy Kain and Gray Viane grabbed consolation points for Castleford. The game was always one-sided and Castleford never looked like threatening St Helens, but the manner of the defeat must have rankled.

St Helens coach Daniel Anderson was full of praise for his players and Paul Sculthorpe in particular, "He went really well and kept his game fairly compact. But he showed he still has a lot of class and he didn't lack any skill or composure. He'll get better, that's for sure."

Castleford coach Terry Matterson said his team had a long way to go, "We've plenty of spirit but when you can't make that basic pass, especially when you' re struggling, you've got to go back to basics," he admitted. "We had 14 sets to the opposition's 23, but our discipline needs to improve. Two games into the season and people are tipping us to go down. On the basis of this you'd have to agree with them."

Match Details
Referee: R Laughton (Barnsley)

St Helens: Wellens, Gardner, Lyon, Talau, Meli, Pryce, Long, Fozzard, Cunningham, Cayless, Gilmour, Sculthorpe, Hooper.
Substitutes: Roby, V Anderson, Graham, Fa'asavalu.

Castleford: Platt, Blanch, Dyer, Viane, Shenton, McGoldrick, Kain, Ward, Henderson, Nutley, Fa'aoso, Roarty, Bird.
Substitutes: Sculthorpe, Fletcher, Huby, A Smith.

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