Classy Saints crush Quins

St Helens 44 Harlequins 24.
ST HELENS usually enjoy their trips to London and the league leaders comfortably overcame the absence of regulars Paul Wellens, James Roby and Sean Long to inflict an embarrassing first-half hiding on a Quins side itself weakened by injuries.
It took Saints only four minutes to make the first breach — swift passing by Matt Gidley and Chris Dean creating the space for right-wing Tom Armstrong to cross. Kyle Eastmond converted from the touchline and the young half-back’s impressively accurate kicking, both off the ground and out of hand, continued to be a feature during a half in which Quins were given a rugby league lesson.
James Graham and Tony Puletua (twice) barged over from close range, while Leon Pryce demonstrated his class, first with a sidestep to give Eastmond a simple score, and then with a dummy to stroll over on his own account.
Down 34 points to nil at half-time, Quins could only improve, just as Saints, knowing the match was won, inevitably lost concentration. Gareth Haggerty, Chad Robinson, Danny Ward and Matt Gafa restored a certain amount of respectability to the scoreline, but Dean and Jon Wilkin ensured the gap between the sides remained very much unbridgeable.
“Conceding so many points in the second half took a bit of shine off our performance in the first half, but we achieved what we set out to achieve,” said St Helens coach Mick Potter, whose side face a resurgent Wigan on Friday.
Quins have now lost six matches in a row.
Star Man: Leon Pryce (St Helens)
Referee: J Child
Attendance: 4,258
HARLEQUINS: Sharp, Wells, Gafa, Clubb, Melling, Dorn, Gale, Temata, Kaye, Ward, Willimason, Robinson, Golden. Replacements: Esders, Haggerty, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Orr
ST HELENS: Gidley, Armstrong, Dean, Gilmour, Meli, Pryce, Eastmond, Graham, Cunningham, Puletua, Wilkin, Flannery, Dixon. Replacements: Ashurst, Clough, Hargreaves, Ellis
- Paul Cooke scored two tries as Hull Kingston Rovers completed a double over rivals Hull with a 24-18 win at Craven Park. Bradford eased to a 34-12 victory over struggling Celtic Crusaders.
Source:The times