The pick of the matches at the Magic Weekend in the Super League is the second one on Saturday afternoon as the top two in the table meet as second placed St Helens face the leaders Catalans Dragons at St James’ Park.
This could easily be a rehearsal for the Grand Final next month and it is a match which could have huge implications on the race for the League Leaders Shield so there is an awful lot to play for on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Sports Arena channel. The build-up to this one will begin when the analysis of the first game ends. Kick off is at 5.15pm.
St Helens
The defending champions St Helens will head into this match fully motivated to continue their dominance over the Catalans Dragons. Their coach Kristian Wolff eluded to the fact that he expects to meet the French outfit in the play-offs somewhere along the line so I would expect the best and most intense version of St Helens here. With that in mind, they had the perfect preparation for this encounter with a play-off like intensity in their previous match against Warrington on Monday.
The doubts heading into that match was how a young half-back pairing would cope against international counterparts and the answer was that they would be fine. They are up against a similar unit here so it will be interesting to see what they have in their locker for this one. The one thing we know about any St Helens side these days is that you have to work harder than ever to break their defence down and we may well see shades of that again here.
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are having the best season of their existence. They head to St James’ Park having lost just one of their last 15 matches but they won’t need reminding that the defeat was against St Helens, a loss they will probably be out for revenge for here. That run has left the Dragons on top of the table and they go into this match knowing that if they win their last three matches they will secure the League Leaders’ Shield, which would be quite some achievement.
The strength of this Catalans side has been the power and prolificness of their attack. They are very strong in that area and when they are on a going day they can put any team to the sword. That tends to happen on home soil but they are a much improved team on their travels this season as well which bodes well for the French side. They could still improve in defence and their discipline in big matches is questionable as well but their results can’t be faulted.
Special Offer
Open up a BetVictor account and bet £5 to get £30 in bonuses! Click the image below for this standout new account offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly
18+ New Customers only. Deposit, opt in and place a £5 qualifying bet at odds of 2.00 or greater within 7 days of opening a new account; excludes cashed out bets. Receive 2x £10 Free Sports Bets, valid on set events only at odds 2.00 or greater, expires in 7 days. Plus a £10 Game Show Bonus, selected games, wager 40x to withdraw a max of £250. T&Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
Team News
St Helens boss Kristian Wolff has named the same squad as the one he picked from for the win over the Warrington Wolves on Monday. Jonny Lomax is out for four weeks so Jack Welsby will partner Lewis Dodd in the halves once again.
Catalans Dragons were decimated with injuries they last time these two sides meet but they look like they are much closer to full strength this time around with the likes of Matt Whitney and Joel Tomkins available to Steve McNamara.
Betting
I think St Helens will win this match but unlike in previous battles between these two sides I don’t expect them to run away with it. One of the reasons for that is I think this will be played with the intensity of a knockout match so penalties might get kicked at goal rather than run like in a normal league game and the other reason is that while Lewis Dodd and Jack Welsby are talented footballers they are both very young and are playing on a pretty big stage and need to open up a decent enough defence.
The other reason why I don’t think Saints will run away with this one is because Catalans Dragons were on easy street against the Leigh Centurions on Monday night while St Helens had to play a pretty intense match right to the end. I still think the Saints defence will hold up enough for them to come out on top in this match but I think it might be asking a lot from a five day turnaround for them to win by more than a dozen points.
Tips
Back St Helens to win by 1-12pts for a 3/10 stake at 2.90 with Betfred
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
