St Helens 48 Wakefield Trinity 6 - Ruthless Saints inflict heavy defeat on depleted Trinity

This is no ordinary season, though, and, for that reason, Wakefield Trinity’s Chris Chester will know he is likely to get a chance to turn around his squad’s dismal form.

Covid has wreaked so much havoc on so many clubs, and the beleaguered Trinity – still missing a raft of players – have suffered more than most.

That said, how they must simply wish this campaign was already over and they could start again afresh in 2021. They have half-a-dozen fixtures to negotiate first but this one, like many so far this term, was over by half-time.

Champions St Helens were 30-0 ahead courtesy of Tommy Makinson’s hat-trick and it was hard to imagine Trinity had pushed the same opponents so close just six days earlier.

At least Innes Senior, the on-loan Huddersfield Giants winger, ensured the competition’s bottom side avoided a whitewash with his impressive 80m interception try that saw him outpace Regan Grace, no less.

Typically, though, Grace quickly responded for the leaders and Lewis Dodd and Kevin Naiqama added further tries as Saints – who had to fight from behind to beat Wakefield 20-16 at Headingley on Friday – responded in style to remain unbeaten in Super League since it resumed after lockdown. It was certainly hard to work out what Dave Fifita was smiling about when the Trinity prop dropped a simple pass inside his own half in the 39th minute.

Moments later, the supreme Lachlan Coote’s latest perfect cut-out pass sent Makinson in for his treble. It was Trinity’s fourth handling error of the half and Saints had ruthlessly capitalised.

In contrast, Chester’s side had completed all but two of their sets in 80 minutes last week and they needed to have that sort of control here to have any chance.

Yet they missed 30 tackles. To make matters worse, Fifita did not even leave his own goalline when rival prop Alex Walmsley charged in from 15m out.

There was only ever going to be one result from that inexplicable inertia; the giant England forward bludgeoning over and helping himself to a tenth try of the campaign, amazed at the ease of it all.

Trinity full-back Alex Walker spilled two high kicks in the first period and both resulted in Saints tries, including the first of James Roby’s brace and Makinson’s second after a fine pass from Jonny Lomax.

Wakefield never got going. Ryan Hampshire’s kicking game had been excellent last week but he is too inconsistent to be Wakefield’s regular half-back and it is no surprise Chester is looking to bring Sam Williams back from Canberra Raiders.

The Trinity coach must be so envious of Saints who not only have Lomax and Theo Fages as playmakers but, in Coote, a full-back who is arguably as creative as any half-back in Super League.

It was the gilded Australian’s accurate cut-out pass that put Makinson in for his first try.

Kelepi Tanginoa, consistently Trinity’s best player this term, kept at it, as did Josh Wood and Eddie Battye, but so many more players need to follow their lead.

St Helens: Coote; Makinson, Naiqama, Welsby, Grace; Lomax, Fages; Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Taia, Bentley, Knowles. Substitutes: Peyroux, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Amor, Dodd.

Wakefield Trinity: A. Walker; Senior, Croft, Lyne, Johnstone; Jowitt, Hampshire; Green, J. Wood, Kopczak, Ashurst, Tanginoa, Westerman. Substitutes: Fifita, Battye, Navarrete, Batchelor.

Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham).

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Thank you, James Mitchinson. Editor.