THEO SHINES AS SAINTS HIT TOP
Fages back to haunt Red Devils
THEO FAGES produced some French polish against his former club as St Helens moved top of Super League.
The Saints half-back, who continues to keep last season’s emerging star Danny Richardson out of the team, created two firsthalf tries and kept Saints moving forward in a tight tussle.
Salford showed flashes that they can trouble Super League’s top sides this year, with their scrum-half Jackson Hastings typically influential before being helped off with a head knock late in the game.
It was a theme of the night for Ian Watson’s side, who will have been disappointed with the manner of the tries they conceded.
But St Helens, with two-try James Roby yet again everywhere, were good value for their win and now take up the position they occupied for all of 2018.
The Red Devils had trailed just 6-0 after half an hour, before a combination of injuries and tough calls took the game away from them.
Coach Watson had already lost George Griffin to a hamstring strain in the warm-up and then Lee Mossop limped off with less than six minutes on the clock.
Cut
Mark Percival gave Saints the lead by out-jumping Derrell Olpherts to a Fages kick, and Greg Burke became the third Salford forward to be withdrawn after sustaining a cut eye – although he later returned.
The visitors then took a grip on proceedings with two tries just before half-time.
Jonny Lomax took a smart Fages pass and shrugged off Robert Lui to score, before Roby burrowed his way over to make it 16-0 at the break.
The lead should have been greater when Golden Boot winner Tommy Makinson split the home defence inside his own half and handed on to Percival.
He returned the ball to Makinson, but somehow Salford scrumhalf Hastings forced him into touch with a stunning cover tackle. Moments later the Red Devils were back in the contest.
This time is was Olpherts jumping highest to collect a Lui kick to close the gap to two scores. But after Dom Peyroux had a try ruled out, good hands put Regan Grace over directly from a scrum.
Makinson saw another break ended by a desperate cover tackle but on the next play it was Roby who fittingly sealed the win.