There was meant to be a double header of action in the Super League on Thursday night but after the late cancellation of the first game due to positive Covid tests in the Wigan camp we are left with just the one match as the champions St Helens take on Wakefield Trinity.
It is fair to say these two sides are at opposite ends of the spectrum with St Helens currently top of the table and a couple of wins away from securing a place in the play-offs while Wakefield are bottom of the pile and just playing out time.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Mix in the UK. The build up to the contest will begin at 7.30pm with the match itself kicking off at 7.45pm.
St Helens
I don’t think the season has been plain sailing for anyone with everything that has gone on but if a side has coped with what has been thrown at them the best it has been St Helens. It probably helps that they had plenty of form and positivity from last season to fall back on but if anything they have become a better side this term. I say that because last year you felt they could concede some pretty soft tries whereas this year that doesn’t feel the case under Kristian Wolff.
St Helens remain undefeated in the Super League since the restart so while they haven’t been convincing in every match they do look like the team to beat. It will be interesting to see how they cope come play-off time though. Usually teams who don’t go deep in the Challenge Cup get certain weeks off to rest and recover but with the way the season has had to be structured that isn’t really the case for the Saints this term.
Wakefield Trinity
If everything has gone smoothly enough for St Helens, the exact opposite can be said of the Wakefield Trinity side and right now it is them who are benefitting the most from the absence of relegation this term. Wakefield have had countless issues with Covid-19 with a complete shutdown of their training ground needed at one point in a bid to ease the situation. They have also suffered multiple big injuries so it is to their credit they are still able to be as competitive as they have been.
Winning matches has been the issue for Wakefield but they will be buoyed going into this match that they gave St Helens a right good game when these two met recently and although they are playing for nothing from a competitive standpoint, Trinity will be eager to finish the season with a flourish and find something which they can take into next season. They will be out to give St Helens problems again here.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER FOR THE SUPER LEAGUE! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Team News
St Helens will be without their forward James Graham once again as he continues to isolate after a positive Covid-19 test from a member of his family. He was withdrawn late on last week so Saints could be unchanged for this match.
Wakefield have taken the chance to freshen up their squad a little bit with the likes of Romain Navarette coming in. Importantly the likes of Tom Johnstone and David Fifita have been named in the 21-man squad by Chris Chester.
Betting
These two sides met just last week and Wakefield Trinity were a match for St Helens for large periods of the game and if anything you would expect there to be some natural improvement in the Trinity ranks with them able to get back to training regularly and players not just getting back to fitness but their form improving as a result. That makes me think we might be in for a much tighter match than the bookmakers suggest in this one.
St Helens have been very good since the restart but if there has been a criticism or a question mark over them then it has been against the lower sides when they have just struggled to impose themselves on matches. They only beat Wakefield last on last week and last month needed Golden Point Extra Time to make it past Hull KR. Whether that is them taking it for granted or just subconsciously coming off the top of their game I’m not sure but it is another reason to think the 22pt start Wakefield are getting is a few too many.
Tips
Back Wakefield Trinity (+22) to beat St Helens for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Coral
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
