Wakefield Trinity 16 St Helens 18: Grix's late error leaves Trinity stunned

Chris Chester’s spirited side seemed to have done everything right as they battled their way through an enthralling game against rivals who had to win to keep their own top-four hopes alive.

Liam Finn’s two second-half penalties looked set to be the difference for Trinity who had never trailed throughout the game until a moment of madness in the 77th minute.

Moments after Finn saw a third penalty attempt – which would have put them 18-12 ahead – strike an upright, Saints surged upfield and scored.

But Scott Grix, the Wakefield full-back, will be gutted about the circumstances in which his side conceded.

Mark Percival desperately kicked ahead tight to the touchline on the last tackle and Grix had ample time to hoof the ball dead behind his own line or fall on it but the Ireland internatinal did neither.

Regan Grace sneaked in and almost touched down himself. Jonny Lomax didn’t miss, though.

Percival then held his nerve to slot the simple enough conversion and, with 90 seconds remaining, stunned Wakefield ran out of time.

Granted, they remain in fourth spot with two games remain and their fate is still in their own hands. But a win here would have put one foot in; now they head to third-placed Hull FC next Thursday and then entertain chasing champions Wigan, who are joint-fifth with Saints, as the fierce battle for two remaining semi-final places goes up yet another notch.

Wakefield had even perfectly negotiated a tricky period early in the second period when Dean Hadley was sin-binned for an alleged ‘crusher’ tackle on Percival.

They actually extended their lead while down to 12 men, Finn slotting a 50th-minute penalty to move to 14-12 and, along with Jacob Miller, drilling kicks to touch to kill time before their colleague’s return.

But then Saints pulled off that agonising finale.

They had edged closer via Theo Fages’s 63rd-minute try, a rare moment of clarity for them, but blew another chance soon after when the erratic Ben Barba threw a wild forward pass when it was easier to score. Finn’s 69th-minute penalty gave Wakefield breathing space but, crucially, he missed his final attempt.

It was clear from the opening exchanges how much was at stake in this game; each side completed all of their sets until Wakefield’s Matty Ashurst finally dropped a pass in the 15th minute.

It would be a rare error from the second-row who, with such an involved performance, once more illustrated why he has been one of the best forwards in Super League this term.

By that point, his side had taken a 4-0 lead with Bill Tupou having scored the first of his two tries in the 12th minute, benefitting when Saints struggled to deal with Grix’s second kick in quick succession.

When Fages was penalised for crossing and Grace was later dumped into touch as another Saints move deteriorated, it seemed the clearly confident hosts could perhaps press on.

However, after Finn slotted a penalty following Luke Thompson’s blatantly late hit on Miller, the visitors came to life.

Danny Richardson, the young scrum-half recalled at the expense of dropped former England No 7 Matty Smith, struck a wonderful 40/20 kick.

Moments later, it was his inviting pass, too, that sent Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook crashing through a gaping hole to score, Percival’s conversion levelling the game in the 23rd minute.

Saints almost scored in the next set, too, when Barba scorched clear and supplied Percival only for the England centre to lose possession when David Fifita made a swipe at the ball.

Still, James Roby looked set to go over only for him to unusually spill as well and so it meant Wakefield took the lead when Tupou scored his glorious second. Grix darted out of dummy-half close to his own line and fed Ashurst who, seeing Saints’ Tommy Makinson rushing in off his wing, instantly flicked the ball onto the Aucklander.

Tupou advanced from deep in his own half before cutting inside Barba and seemingly shocking the ‘marquee’ Australian with his acceleration, arcing back out past him and the cover to cross.

Finn made it 12-6 and, as Wakefield pressed, both Ashurst and Hadley saw further efforts rightly ruled out by the video official.

That said, in between, Trinity needed Tyler Randell – the Australian hooker who impressed on his home debut – to make a timely rip on McCarthy-Scarsbrook as he surged close and, on the interval hooter, Ashurst did just enough to upset Morgan Knowles’s composure as he went for the line, too.

Saints would get there eventually.

Wakefield Trinity: Grix: Jones-Bishop, Lyne, Arundel, Tupou; Miller. Finn, England, Randell, Hirst, Kirmond, Ashurst, Arona. Substitutes: Hadley, Annakin, Huby, Fifta.

St Helens: Barba; Makinson, Lomax, Percival, Grace; Fages, Richardson; Douglas, Roby, Thompson, Taia, Knowles, Wilkin. Substitutes: Walmsley, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Peyroux, Lees.

Referee: B Thaler (Wakefield).