COOTE’S A BEAUT

Rampaging Saints have the last Lach

LACHLAN COOTE enhanced his growing reputation as St Helens marched on at the top of Super League.

Justin Holbrook’s side had put the Tigers to the sword four times last year with an aggregate score of 148-42.

His counterpart Daryl Powell highlighted how Ben Barba had been the difference in those contests – but his replacement Coote is proving just as effective.

A completely different style of fullback, the Aussie-born Scotland international has fitted into Saints’ attack seamlessly, linking smoothly with in-form half-backs Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages.

With the visitors’ front-row dominant and back-rowers Morgan Knowles, Dom Peyroux and Zeb Taia causing havoc, Holbrook’s team had far too much for their disappointing hosts. Castleford were plagued by basic handling errors and simply couldn’t cope with Saints’ slick attack.

Coote started the romp in the fifth minute, with the way he scored from a simple James Roby pass setting early alarm bells off for the Tigers. They were 18 points behind by the break as Regan Grace finished a training-ground move from a scrum and Peyroux powered over from close range. Cas coach Powell had already marched across the pitch to the dugouts by that stage.

But any hopes of an unlikely home comeback were quashed in the opening stages of the second half, when two Greg Eden errors led to Saints tries.

Both were straight-forward affairs, with Lomax and Fages providing the assists for Taia and Louie Mccarthy-scarsbrook.

Eden was immediately withdrawn but it didn’t stop the one-way traffic, as Mark Percival took a Coote pass to score another try directly from a scrum.

St Helens were attacking again when Cas finally found a response – Michael Shenton intercepting a Fages pass on his own line and beating Grace on a length-ofthe-field run to the other end.

But Peyroux grabbed his second before Percival broke clear to lay on a deserved try for the excellent Lomax.

Jake Trueman’s late effort was scant consolation for a Tigers side clearly second best.