Lomax saves Saints
JONNY LOMAX’S dramatic late try kept St Helens’ Grand Final dream alive after Bill Tupou’s first-half brace had put Wakefield on course for a famous win.
Justin Holbrook’s men simply had to win to have any hope of making the top four with just two rounds of the regular season now remaining.
But Wakefield stormed into a deserved 12-6 interval lead courtesy of a fine double from Tupou, right, his second try a stunning individual long-range effort, only for Saints to hit back through Theo Fages before Lomax snatched it in the 78th minute after Scott Grix fumbled the ball.
Mark Percival converted the try to cap a stunning late finale from Saints which left Wakefield devastated.
Perennial strugglers in the Super League, Wakefield have been a side transformed since Chris Chester took charge in March 2016. He guided them into the Challenge Cup
WAKEFIELD ST HELENS
semi-finals and to a topeight finish last season but this year they have emerged as genuine title contenders.
They started well and established a half-time lead that was no more than they deserved.
They went ahead in the 11th minute when the visitors failed to deal with a kick from Wakefield playmaker Liam Finn, which led to full-back Grix cleverly chipping to the left corner where Tupou arrived to ground the bouncing ball. St Helens, who again included star signing Ben Barba after he made his debut in last week’s defeat by Wigan, steadied themselves. They hit back in the 23rd minute when a fine piece of play from the impressive Danny Richardson led to Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook diving over the line. But Wakefield struck again in the 30th minute when Tupou broke superbly from deep to outstrip Barba and race clear inside the left channel for a fine individual effort. Wakefield’s Dean Hadley was sinbinned early in the second half for a dangerous tackle but a penalty from Finn stretched the hosts’ lead to 14-6. Saints hit back in the 64th minute when James Roby engineered the space to send Fages over, with Percival’s second goal cutting Wakefield’s lead to two points, before Finn added another penalty. St Helens were not to be denied and Lomax dotted down to level the scores, with Percival sealing the win with his boot. BIRMINGHAM has been chosen as the recommended city for England’s bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Having beaten Liverpool in a race to win the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s backing, Birmingham must now convince the government to approve the bid.
Sports minister Tracey Crouch said: “I have no doubt Birmingham would host an excellent sporting spectacle.” NICOLA ADAMS will make her US debut on the undercard of Saul Alvarez’s match-up with Gennady Golovkin.
The double Olympic champion, 34, faces Hungary’s Alexandra Vlajk on September 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Alvarez and Golovkin will contest the IBF, WBA and WBO middleweight titles.
“It’s incredible. Every boxer dreams of fighting in Las Vegas,” said Adams.