Wolves suffer late penalty heartbreak at St Helens

RUNAWAY league leaders St Helens beat Warrington Wolves with the last kick of the game, winning 14-12 at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Danny Richardson kept his nerve to convert a penalty from inside his own half to complete a Saints comeback from 12-6 down.

The Wolves had led 8-0 at half time and looked like becoming the first team to deny Saints victory at home this season until the late drama.

Instead they were left to rue their decisions to go for goal in the second half when they were unable to break down the home defence.

In the final game of the regular season, Warrington took the lead on 11 minutes through Daryl Clark’s try, which was converted by Tyrone Roberts.

Roberts would be busy with the kicking tee all evening, and he landed his first penalty goal on 22 minutes following a high tackle on Ben Westwood to put the Wolves 8-0 in front which they took in to the break.

Barely two minutes had passed in the second half when the Wolves’ resolve was broken, Mark Percival breaking before feeding Ben Barba on his inside to score, Richardson’s conversion tightening things up at 8-6.

Roberts edged the Wolves further in front on 49 minutes with the first of two penalties at goal in the space of five minutes, which had the game at 12-6 in Warrington’s favour on the hour.

St Helens would level things up on 64 minutes when Jonny Lomax crossed off Zeb Taia’s pass, Richardson converted for 12-all.

Roberts missed two drop goal attempts in the final 10 minutes, before Richardson missed one late on for Saints.

Stefan Ratchford would also miss in open play, before a penalty at the death cruelly denied the Wolves a point.

Both sides will be in action at the Challenge Cup semi-final double header at the Macron Stadium in Bolton next Sunday, St Helens taking on Catalans before Warrington go head to head with Leeds for a place at Wembley next month.

After the game Head Coach Steve Price said: “I am proud of the lads tonight – I thought the effort was outstanding.”

Mike Cooper takes on the Saints defence – Picture Eddie Whitham

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St Helens: Barba, Makinson, Morgan, Percival, Grace, Lomax, Richardson, Amor, Roby, Thompson, Peyroux, Taia, Wilkin. Subs: Fages, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Douglas, Knowles.

Warrington: Ratchford, Lineham, Goodwin, T King, Charnley, K Brown, Roberts, Hill, Clark, Cooper, Livett, Hughes, Westwood. Subs: Murdoch-Masila, Patton, Akauola, Philbin.

"I’m proud of the lads tonight – I thought the effort was outstanding."

Steve Price praises the effort of the boys following tonight's dramatic derby against Saints https://t.co/VV3IE48cT9 pic.twitter.com/pNapJoWuXX

— Warrington Wolves (@wolvesrl) July 26, 2018

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