Super League: St Helens 38-0 Wakefield Trinity - Saints claim routine win over bottom side

Champions St Helens scored seven tries in a comfortable Super League victory over winless Wakefield Trinity.

Mark Percival, Will Hopoate and Tommy Makinson all touched down to give St Helens a 12-0 lead at half-time.

Konrad Hurrell then scored twice, while Lewis Dodd and Jonny Lomax - in his 300th game for Saints - also crossed.

Bottom club Wakefield have lost all seven of their Super League games in 2023 and failed to score any points for the fourth time this season.

Saints' third straight win moved them within four points of unbeaten leaders Warrington, but victory came at a cost for Paul Wellens' side, who lost England prop Alex Walmsley to injury in the first couple of minutes.

They were soon in front as centre Percival collected Jack Welsby's pass for the opening score, and tries from wingers Hopoate and Makinson just before the interval provided some breathing room against a Wakefield team that failed to make the most of their own attacking opportunities.

Percival knocked over a penalty before Welsby set up Dodd to score under the posts and Tonga centre Hurrell powered over following a scrum for Saints' fifth try of the evening.

Half-back Lomax, player of the match in last season's Grand Final win over Leeds, marked his milestone occasion with a try of his own, before setting up Hurrell to round off the scoring late on.

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens:

"There's a lot of expectation on games like this and I believe it's misguided at times - people expect we're going to post a load of points and everyone just sits back and says, 'come on, entertain us'.

"It doesn't work like that. You've got to earn your opportunities and respect the opposition, and Wakefield showed they are a very competitive team even though the scoreboard blew out a bit at the end.

"In the first half in particular it was a really tough contest, we knew Wakefield would come here really desperate and they showed real heart and character, and I told the guys it might be a night when we have to be patient.

"In a lot of respects we did a good job in terms of our mindset and being patient, but on the other hand we coughed up a lot of ball tonight and it didn't help our cause."

Wakefield head coach Mark Applegarth told BBC Radio Leeds:

"It was a disappointing second half if I'm honest, but I thought in the first half it was a pretty even game and the stats were showing that.

"Saints capitalised on the field position we gave them, as you'd expect playing against a team of that calibre.

"We talked at half-time about showing a bit of composure when we did get chances in their 30, and in the first two sets we came up with knock-ons on tackle one and tackle two.

"I'm really disappointed with the second half because I thought we were bang in it at half-time."

St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Hurrell, Percival, Hopoate; Lomax, Dodd; Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Sironen, Bell, Knowles.

Interchanges: Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Royle, Delaney.

Wakefield: Dagger; Kershaw, Lyne, Langi, Senior; Smith, Lino; Whitbread, Kay, Battye, Pitts, Ashurst, Crowther.

Interchanges: Eseh, Butler, Bowes, Forber.

Referee: Chris Kendall