One of the biggest matches in the Super League season so far takes place on Saturday afternoon when the second placed St Helens take on the runaway leaders Catalans Dragons in a tasty clash at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Given the strength of the two sides and how well they are playing right now it could be that this is a dress rehearsal for the big showdown at Old Trafford in a couple of months so both teams will be looking to put a marker down here.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Sports Arena channel. The build-up to the match will begin at 2pm and then the contest will kick off at 2.30pm.
St Helens
The champions returned to action for the first time since winning the Challenge Cup last week and they did so in fine style when they thrashed Hull FC in a match that was actually a little bit closer than the eventual score suggested with Saints pulling away from a jaded opponent in the last 15 minutes or so. That extended their winning run to five matches in all competitions, a sequence they will be looking to extend here.
One area where St Helens perhaps weren’t quite as on it as you would expect them to be last week was defensively. They only conceded 10 points but Hull FC blew a couple more chances to score. I’m sure one of their focuses during the week would have been on tightening up in that area. They certainly looked vibrant in attack against Hull FC and they will need to be here too if this one turns into a bit of a shootout.
Catalans Dragons
We have been waiting for years for the Catalans Dragons to offer up consistency because they have had the talent to win this competition for going on for 10 years. They have now added that consistency to their game and are reaping the rewards for that with a decent advantage at the top of the table. One reason for that consistency is a much better squad depth with some talented local players coming to the fore along with their big names.
St Helens are on an impressive winning run but that is nothing compared to the Dragons. They have won their last 12 matches in the Super League which is already a club record. You sense if they can make it 13 it will be their most significant and that has to be their aim here. This is a chance to lay a marker down for the remainder of the campaign. They already showed their worth when beating St Helens in France but to beat them here would be even bigger.
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Team News
St Helens welcome Regan Grace and Agnatius Paasi back into their squad for this match. All eyes will be on Jack Welsby to see where Kristian Woolf utilises him after hinting last week that he will be the long-term full-back.
Catalans have a bit of an injury list to deal with going into this match. Josh Drinkwater and Sam Kasiano both picked up injuries in the win over Hull KR last week and they join the likes of Tom Davies and Matt Whitley on the sidelines.
Betting
It isn’t ideal that the Catalans Dragons are carrying as many injuries as they are into this match but they have a decent squad depth now and will still be looking to show their qualities here. It might be that one or two injuries have done them a favour as it means that Steve McNamara can get the exciting talent of Arthur Mourgue around the ruck and he has the quality to blow this match wide open if St Helens aren’t careful.
Saints are probably worthy favourites in this match just purely based on the fact that Catalans do have so many out with injury but I think there is a lot more about the French outfit these days and I don’t expect them to capitulate just because one or two are out. It might be that with home advantage and a more settled side St Helens come out on top here but I think the Catalans’ current form deserves more respect than them getting a 12 point start. I’ll back them to convert that into a pay out for us here.
Tips
Back Catalans Dragons (+12) to beat St Helens for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365
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