Widnes v St Helens Rugby League: Challenge Cup


Widnes v St Helens

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Welcome to the challenge cup live from Widnes. On 27th May 1990,

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27,000 fans gathered here on Spike Island to witness the Stone Roses

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perform a kick that defined an era. Meanwhile, just down the road,

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another piece of history was being made as Widnes finished the season

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rugby league world champions. going to the line and he is there.

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That is the true Widnes! What a tackle. Davies has scored. It is a

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The rugby league champions of the world. Today we are at the Stobart

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Stadium. Last year, St Helens made this their home as their new

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stadium was being constructed. This evening, they are the visitors in a

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competition that has served them well. Falls Gold, hardly. -- for's

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St Helens, the winners of the Challenge Cup final. The third

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successive win. You yes, they put their cup

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pedigree to the test this afternoon in a derby, here at Widnes. The

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game will kick off in 15 minutes. It will be a challenge Cup First

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because it is the first time it will be played on an artificial

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pitch. That is the 4G I it pitch at the Stobart Stadium. Of course, if

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you went back 30 years, there were a few football clubs trying to play

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their game on artificial turf. At that time, Widnes were flying on

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the grass. Their last Challenge Cup win came

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in 1984, when Joe Leiden a inspired them to victory over Wigan at

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Wembley. But Widnes will be grateful for as little Wigan know

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how, they head coach, Denis Betts, has seven Challenge Cup winners'

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medals under his belt. They will need the know how with a huge task,

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as they attempt to become the first side to prevent Saints reaching the

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semi-finals this century. And the man who has been at the

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heart of that run is a club legend. Keiron Cunningham has seven winners

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medals of his own and is now the acting assistant coach.

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Plenty of expertise to enjoy the game. Among the fans, arriving,

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some arriving more in hope than expectation. Keiron Cunningham is

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signing autographs. The expertise alongside me his Jonathan Davies,

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Brian Noble and Jonathan, you smile every time you see Widnes as world

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champions. It's the ins long time ago but things have changed.

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stadium, the grass. This time last year, -- when we were playing there

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was no grass! Bid is an uphill task. What made me smile was seen

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Jonathan Davies' head getting knocked off. It is a quick pitch

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and there has been debate about the artificial surface, but it lends

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itself to faster football and they will have to compete with that

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today. Nathan, you will be at St Helens

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next year. Let's talk about your relationship, this was a big trophy

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when you were growing up in Australia. As a kid growing up, to

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Watchet, it made me and all of Australia follow it. It is a

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wonderful place, unique will stop its his special what Saints have

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done this century. A any side that can consistently do well in a

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competition is doing well. There are few games have taken place in

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the fourth round. There was a shock. We saw the Super League side go

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this afternoon, Castleford. This was a try. It put them clearly in

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the lead, they scored four tries in this game. Last year's semi-

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finalists are out. Featherstone have been knocking on the door for

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a while and they have aspirations to be in super league and they have

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been the dominant force in the Championship. They will be

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extremely disappointed, Castleford. It was a drop goal right at the end.

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To make sure they got the extra point. It showed what the Cup is

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all about. Nine times out of ten, Castleford would win. Leeds went

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through last night. And comfortable victories for Halifax and Swinton.

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Plenty more games across the Challenge Cup fourth round tomorrow,

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including your game, Nathan, Huddersfield and Hull. In should be

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an interesting game. Hull have been going well. It is probably the pick

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of the games. You have to be in Humberside to see the best four

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teams in action tomorrow. The likelihood that they can be shocks

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in the Challenge Cup are there for all to see. After the game, we will

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be on the red button. You might want to talk to Nathan about

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Huddersfield and Hull. There is plenty of other stuff going on. I

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am sure prime will answer questions on the Bradford Bulls situation. --

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We will show more highlights from the Featherstone and Castleford

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game, as well. Today, we can look 1930 was the last time Widnes

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defeated Saints in the Challenge Cup. Since then, it has been Saints

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all the way. St Helens! He is in in the corner!

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Is it is all over. St Helens are at Wembley.

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He is going for the line, it is over, yes! A superb try. It is all

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action in the Silk Cut Challenge Cup semi-final. Hunt is in in the

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corner. This season, both teams have been

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through the mail. Vikings at the bottom of Super League with nine

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defeats out of 11. One of their victories was this amazing win

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against Wigan Warriors. 37-36. Saints got off to a terrible start,

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and it led to the departure of the coach after five games without a

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win. Mike Rush and club legend Kieron Cunningham to Cover. Since

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then, they have been on a roll. -- took over.

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The three wins out of the last four have lifted Saints to 8th in the

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table. Widnes are rock-bottom. They have conceded more points than any

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other side in Super League this season. It means it is a big

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question for Robbie Paul to answer, how can Widnes win this this

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evening? One thing we have been talking about is the new pitch.

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This is what makes this surface feel like a natural surface. The

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good thing for -- for Widnes is they are training here and playing

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here. It will be in their favour. They will need that. They also have

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a couple of players we need to keep our eye on. Willie Isa, and also

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Patrick Ah Van. Not only is he a good try scorer, he is the goal

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kicker. He will need to put the ball through the post every

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opportunity. We can see the big boys going out. They will need to

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dictate to St Helens. St Helens like this Peter and they like to

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get down. They will have to test the resolve of the referee -- like

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the speed. They will have to stop them, stop Lance Hohaia getting on

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the front foot. This will be the difference between whether or not

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Widnes can push them back in their direction.

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Be it is a similar question to you Jonathan. -- it is. If you look at

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the tackles they have missed, they have four players in the top 10 and

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they have missed tackles. You have to front up every week and they are

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not doing it. They are falling off too many tackles and their

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completion sets are poor. At this quality, you cannot do that. It is

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the basics. Do your tackles. If that happens, anything can happen.

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We can hear from their head coach. A you cannot go into the subject of

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Scott Moore leaving the club but how much of an impact has it had?

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His is difficult to talk about. It might galvanise us. We will find

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out today. There have been a lot of things going on. I feel we are

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pretty strong and we know what we need to do. It has been a tough

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start in Super League. It's is a tough competition. It is bringing

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players together and getting the best team you can find. The lads

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are working hard and it is an opportunity for them to show

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themselves in this league. It does not look like it's sometimes, but

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they are making small winds all over the place. The biggest thing

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his confidence. It is a fragile thing. Sometimes you have it and it

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disappears in front of you in the game. That is what hurts us. We

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have been in games, sometimes for 60 minutes, but your confidence

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fractures and we look like a side that is fractured. It could be nice

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to have a run in the cup. It is great to get St Helens here and be

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at our home ground. This is a really big game. Go luck. Denis

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Betts talking earlier. He has made his way out of the tunnel and he is

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talking to Paul Cullen. And also the Widnes chairman. He was at

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Wembley to watch Liverpool beat Everton and he is now here to

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hopefully see Widnes do the same to St Helens. Do you sympathise with

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Denis Betts over the Scott Moore issue? And Les you are involved,

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you do not know the -- unless you are involved, you do not know the

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issues. These things happen. Players move and new players come

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in. Denis Betts said that being in Super League this season, it is

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important they learn how to deal with the dark days. There will be

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dark days because they are new back to the competition. There have had

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some good performances and they need to focus on the positive side

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of what they are doing in Super League. It is a high-performance

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sport. The expectation is to compete every week. They have had

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issues defensively. As long as the fans can see the players are

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applying themselves every week, and there are incremental steps are

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getting better, they will stay with that. You have to see that next

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year, or next week will be better and we are going in the direction

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that is right. He is in the business of selling dreams and

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It has been a whirlwind for you. How are you finding it? Be it is

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what I have been expecting. I have said and a number of occasions. We

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are lucky at St Helens. I would be kidding if they did not say hour

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quality players did not make life easier. Are you enjoying it? I am

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enjoying it. To have so many great players and to code my hometown

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club, it is great. The form has picked up remarkably. What have you

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done differently? Probably not too much. I think whenever you get a

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departure of coaching staff, the players have to look after

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themselves, and a lot of them have done that. We have changed her few

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things. We had to pick them up and get their confidence and self-

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belief. You know more than anybody what the Cup means to St Helen's.

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Yes. We have not been to Wembley for three years. Expectation is

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there from our fans every year! This year is no different. We will

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have to produce some form today. good look. Tree it. We can see the

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away dressing room. Let's take a look inside. A few of the shares

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are putting -- a few of the players are putting their shirts on. I

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mention Steve O'Connor before. have jetted up from Wembley. Not a

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bad life! It has been a good start to the day. It was well worth the

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results earlier. How began occasion is this? Far as are desperate for

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these local rivalries. -- fans. We just hope we put on a good display.

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If we put in a good performance, I will be delighted. It we are a

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brand new team. We're trying to see who fits. Unfortunately, it did not

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work out with Scott. We have the chance for somebody else. A you

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dreaming of they know their trip to Wembley? -- are you are dreaming of

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a another trip to Wembley. It would be great to progress to the next

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round. Good luck. Enjoyed the day. The thank you very much.

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Let's look at one of the players to watch. Lance Hohaia. What do you

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think that thinking was behind moving his position? I am not 100 %

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sure. Paul Wellens is playing really well at full-back. I'd do

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not know if they are sure where to play Lance Hohaia. I think Lomax

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and gas goal are under pressure -- gas goal, so he is taking the

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:19:35.:19:38.

pressure off them a little bit. It is a sensible month. Let's do some

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predictions now. I would love to see wet-nurse -- Widnes win, but I

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cannot see it happening today. Brian? Saints. I think they are too

:20:03.:20:13.
:20:13.:20:14.

strong. So you think cool heads will be the key? Yes. The culprit

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is eight very interesting competition. Plenty more families 3

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:20:29.:20:42.

at half-time. It is time now to They are looking for some Challenge

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Cup sunshine! It is amazing what a feel-good factor this call pecan

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provide. -- this Challenge Cup can provide. This is the final act of

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what has been a fabulous sporting a full stop there has been drama with

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debut. Jonny Lomax is back from a hand injury. On the interchange

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bench, 80 names we are certain to see in the next 18 minutes or so.

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Al referee is a man with plenty of experience. -- hour referee. He has

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been a touch judge in a World Cup final. Different atmosphere here

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today. St Helens have the first touch of the ball. Josh Perry. This

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is very much a Cup tie for the modern age, on this surface. I

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intelligent pitch. All we need is some intelligent commentators!

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think Widnes have to be very careful at the start of this game.

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Widnes have to be very mindful defensively in the first 20 minutes.

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They do not want this to slip away to allay. There was a kick from

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:23:07.:23:07.

Lomax. Eight drive back to that 30 metres mark. It is important for

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:23:17.:23:20.

both sides not to make mistakes. What do you make of this page? --

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pitch. It is very fast one. It is so fast and ferocious when you play

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on this. That is how stains like to play. With ASBO do need to be very

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careful. Widnes will be looking for a kick here. Danny Craven Meyer.

:23:44.:23:54.
:23:54.:24:00.

Paul Wellens. St Helens will start from here. Good tactics from make

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:24:10.:24:15.

witness -- good tactics from the Widnes side. Soliola, he has just

:24:15.:24:25.
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agreed a new deal. Back to what Lomax. A little swing of they hit

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their. -- swing of their hips. Neither side is making mistakes.

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Couple of tackles. Clarke is a very pivotal number nine for his side.

:24:52.:25:02.
:25:02.:25:09.

Cahill is going through a lot of work in these early stages. What a

:25:09.:25:19.
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score! What a fabulous that that was! -- fabulous start. Patrick Ah

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Van. That was his 5th try of the season. Fantastic start. Lovely

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play from Danny Craven. Fantastic finish. That is what this game

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needed, and Elise call from the Widnes side. -- an early score.

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moved from Bradford last year. I think he had dust -- I think he had

:26:08.:26:18.
:26:18.:26:24.

a shoulder injury for a while. Eight chance now to 10 four to six.

:26:24.:26:34.
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He is the picture of concentration here. If anybody can convert this,

:26:39.:26:49.
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ban can. -- Ah Van can. He hit it wrong. It drifted wide. But it

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remains 4-0, but it is a very good start. Widnes with this Elise golf.

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Knowing what a threat St Helens are, and a number of tries Widnes have

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conceded this season, it is very important. What is really important

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:27:29.:27:36.

now is that they complete a second. Craven is very good. Clarke at

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dummy half again. Widnes showing an appetite for work. Pickersgill, the

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other a prop forward. Former Warrington man. Confidence is so

:27:52.:28:02.
:28:02.:28:29.

fragile. Good kick from Danny Ruby. -- James Roby. He is waiting

:28:29.:28:38.

at dummy-half. Almost finding his way through. He is such a dangerous

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player. Bittersweet for Adam Swift, 19 years of age. He is making his

:28:45.:28:50.

debut. Any other day, it would be a massive a proud day for him, but

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his grandfather sadly passed away last night. Harold swift, one of

:28:56.:29:06.
:29:06.:29:06.

the founding fathers in rugby. That is why St Helens are wearing a

:29:06.:29:12.

black arm bands. I am sure his grandson will be looking for a big

:29:12.:29:22.
:29:22.:29:32.

game. Josh Jones! His first ever St Helens try! That was confirmed by

:29:32.:29:42.
:29:42.:29:43.

the referee. The 18-year-old grabs a bit of glory. Josh Jones has got

:29:43.:29:53.
:29:53.:30:03.

great footwork. St Helens are very difficult to contain in this area.

:30:03.:30:08.

A great finish there. You cannot consistently gave ball to St Helens

:30:08.:30:18.
:30:18.:30:18.

in this area. Christine, a man who was hurting there, a former St

:30:18.:30:28.
:30:28.:30:44.

Helens player who was beaten there in the last couple of years? He is

:30:44.:30:49.

already up to 64 appearances, which is some going for a 22-year-old. It

:30:49.:30:56.

shows how he burst on to the scene last year. He is great. He is a

:30:56.:31:04.

good goal kicker as well. He pushed that one to the side of the post.

:31:04.:31:08.

The sign of a good player is a player who can maintain standards,

:31:08.:31:18.
:31:18.:31:23.

and Jonny Lomax has done that. We on the outside, and a lovely finish.

:31:23.:31:33.
:31:33.:31:34.

Two tries in the game. One apiece. And here we go again St Helens

:31:34.:31:44.
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terms of keeping their opponents at this end for the time being. Lomax

:31:54.:32:04.
:32:04.:32:14.

was behind the 40 so if that had gone out of play... But a super

:32:14.:32:21.

take by Jack Owens. Fantastic play. It was a great kick from James Roby.

:32:21.:32:27.

Very difficult to defend the kicks on early tackles. He did that

:32:27.:32:31.

exceptionally well. Widnes are committing so many players to the

:32:31.:32:37.

tackle. It takes a lot of energy. It is important you complete your

:32:37.:32:47.
:32:47.:32:54.

to put Hep Cahill through. The final tackle in the Six. Craven got

:32:54.:33:04.

the kick away. A safe pair of hands. That must be a tactic. Widnes have

:33:04.:33:11.

talked about that. He gets in the air, you cannot be tackled in the

:33:11.:33:20.

air, and a great catch. James Roby, sauntering up to dummy half. The

:33:21.:33:26.

referee has seen enough and so the advantage goes to Widnes. Six

:33:26.:33:31.

tackles to have a dig at the St Helens line. This is the first

:33:31.:33:36.

error. This gives Widnes field position, which they have not had

:33:36.:33:41.

so far. Since the first try, they have not had field position. If

:33:41.:33:46.

they do not score on this play, it is important to keep the played

:33:46.:33:56.
:33:56.:34:01.

down this end of the field. -- the middle again. Haggarty has been

:34:01.:34:09.

away at the North Wales crusaders but called back in the last week.

:34:09.:34:19.
:34:19.:34:19.

St Helens are hanging on for the time being. That pass was poor.

:34:19.:34:24.

Collected safely enough by Lomax. Relief for the St Helens defence.

:34:24.:34:30.

I think Rhys Hanbury will be disappointed. He went natural. A

:34:30.:34:35.

poor pass. They have given cheap possession away and you cannot do

:34:35.:34:45.
:34:45.:35:06.

that consistently with a St Helen defend as St Helens come at them

:35:06.:35:13.

again. That was a decent kick from Lomax. Taken well by Jack Owens.

:35:13.:35:18.

For a 70-year-old, he shows terrific confidence. They have big

:35:18.:35:28.

hopes to him -- for a 17-year-old. They are throwing the ball. A

:35:28.:35:35.

little bit into the dangerous positions. You feel that Widnes

:35:35.:35:45.
:35:45.:35:47.

about. There are a few of your former players as a former Crusade

:35:47.:35:54.

as coach. He has done a lot of wrestling. He is good in the

:35:54.:36:04.
:36:04.:36:16.

Widnes line. You can see James Roby barking out the orders. Here he

:36:16.:36:26.
:36:26.:36:39.

Helens. They have done that so well over the years. The gap was

:36:39.:36:44.

provided and Paul Wellens was up there in support. He will go

:36:44.:36:49.

underneath the sticks, or at very least to the side of them. But they

:36:49.:36:54.

ripped a hole down the middle. Lomax took full advantage. Having

:36:54.:36:59.

been behind after three minutes, it has taken barely seven more for St

:36:59.:37:05.

Helens to push themselves back into the lead. You feel as though St

:37:05.:37:09.

Helens have found the flow. Some of the players kept getting left on

:37:09.:37:15.

the ground after the tackle. When you do that, you are down

:37:15.:37:21.

defensively. They played fast off the back of James Roby. You cannot

:37:21.:37:29.

leave players down on the floor. Jonny Lomax, fantastic play. It is

:37:29.:37:34.

an easy job, this coaching lark. When they took over, St Helens were

:37:34.:37:39.

supposedly in crisis but they had a couple of good victories. Defeats

:37:39.:37:44.

over the Easter period, against Wigan, but they have beaten

:37:44.:37:47.

Warrington and Leeds Town and here they are in the driving seat again

:37:48.:37:57.

Widnes. -- Leeds. Why a is there such a change in their approach?

:37:57.:38:01.

Denis Betts was talking about confidence, which is important.

:38:02.:38:07.

When you play with confidence, you can play with freedom. I think

:38:07.:38:17.
:38:17.:38:19.

Saints were down on confidence. And when the new coaching came in, you

:38:19.:38:23.

felt that they played with more confidence. Lomax, lovely break and

:38:23.:38:27.

how many times has Paul Wellens done that in his career? A great

:38:27.:38:37.
:38:37.:38:39.

finish. But Super play from Jonny Lomax. Patience, as well.

:38:39.:38:46.

Widnes supporter will say there might have been a hint in that, but

:38:46.:38:56.
:38:56.:39:05.

was interesting, leading into the last set. There were worrying signs

:39:06.:39:11.

for Widnes because James Roby had run the ball three times. That is

:39:11.:39:18.

normally a sign that St Helens are starting to dominate the speed of

:39:18.:39:27.

the ruck. They want to play at such the pace of Widnes, not of the fast

:39:27.:39:32.

pace of St Helens. Skipping out of play behind the 20

:39:32.:39:38.

metre line. St Helens on the attack. Jack Owens took a great kick from

:39:38.:39:44.

James Roby when he tried the 40-20. He has spotted a weakness down the

:39:44.:39:48.

right side and he has done it again with a fantastic kick from James

:39:48.:39:52.

Roby. It is difficult to stop that type of play in an early tackle

:39:53.:40:02.
:40:03.:40:05.

game. That was tackle three. If you kick the ball from behind the 40

:40:05.:40:10.

metre line-out of your opponent's' 20 metre line and get ahead, you

:40:10.:40:16.

cannot make a forward pass in the next move. James Roby has jumped

:40:16.:40:23.

out from the scrum and gone lateral across field and run behind, which

:40:23.:40:28.

has given Widnes penalty and some respite, because you felt they were

:40:28.:40:34.

on the back foot. It is a massive relief for Widnes. James Roby way,

:40:34.:40:39.

and the man coming in adjudged to have caused and obstruction

:40:39.:40:49.
:40:49.:41:08.

knocked on at the very last. Head and feed for St Helens. That was a

:41:08.:41:15.

shame because it was a lovely run. But you can see it there. Tackle

:41:15.:41:20.

four, they had an opportunity to put more pressure on the same side.

:41:20.:41:30.
:41:30.:41:58.

now. -- This is. Field by his early success. -- fuelled. St Helens are

:41:58.:42:04.

getting a roll now, and you can feel the momentum. Lance Hohaia put

:42:04.:42:14.

the kick behind. It was awkward, but taken well enough. They need

:42:14.:42:24.
:42:24.:42:25.

runs like that to get themselves out of danger, Widnes. Widnes have

:42:25.:42:29.

put their outside backs in. They are looking fatigued in the middle

:42:29.:42:33.

area of the field. The forwards have done a lot of defensive work.

:42:33.:42:37.

The backs have taken over to give them an opportunity to release

:42:37.:42:44.

their line. That wasn't bad from Danny Craven, he had found the

:42:44.:42:54.
:42:54.:43:13.

Helens player wearing skins. Concern over the damage the pitch

:43:13.:43:23.
:43:23.:43:25.

might do to knees and elbows. James Roby used Zizi as a foil and almost

:43:25.:43:35.
:43:35.:43:49.

hopeful. The again, the attack came on the back. James Roby out of

:43:49.:43:54.

dummy-half, playing fast. Then Lomax jumped out the back. Looking

:43:54.:44:01.

dangerous, Saints. Widnes have to tighten up because the damage is

:44:01.:44:05.

coming from the Saints side. They need to tighten up slightly, the

:44:05.:44:15.
:44:15.:44:31.

here. That was a good offload. And look at the pace from Rhys Hanbury!

:44:31.:44:38.

Electrifying. Absolutely electrifying. And if Widnes needed

:44:38.:44:42.

a kick start back into the game, they have just been given it by

:44:42.:44:50.

Rhys Hanbury. What a try! We talked about a James Roby jumping out to

:44:50.:44:59.

dummy-half, and they did the same. What a turn of pace. It was a

:44:59.:45:05.

fantastic try. Clarke jumps out and teases the defence. Rhys Hanbury,

:45:05.:45:12.

fantastic pace. Amazing. He ducked in between the two. He is a great

:45:12.:45:18.

talent with the ball in hand. Extremely good. He is holding his

:45:18.:45:21.

hands to him there and there will be concerned. Be it looks like a

:45:21.:45:28.

problem he has brought into the game -- it looks like. He seems to

:45:28.:45:33.

be OK at the moment. And the turn of pace had tested the injury but

:45:33.:45:43.
:45:43.:46:10.

all square again, at 10-10. Dennis Betts knows his side are showing

:46:10.:46:17.

character here. There was every excuse to maybe let their heads to

:46:17.:46:25.

drop when St Helens got into the lead. A great response from Rhys

:46:25.:46:30.

Hanbury and Widnes. We spoke beforehand about that 20 minute

:46:30.:46:40.
:46:40.:46:45.

mark. We spoke about Widnes still being in the game. He was in the

:46:45.:46:50.

field of play, when he led to catch it. Had he stepped out of the field

:46:50.:46:57.

of play, you can see he was in the field of play and let out to

:46:57.:47:06.

capture its, that could have been a penalty back on the halfway line.

:47:06.:47:15.

Instead, St Helens have a terrific attacking position here. Soliola.

:47:15.:47:25.
:47:25.:47:44.

James Roby, rolling up at dummy are some confidence. -- though

:47:44.:47:54.
:47:54.:47:55.

Widnes side. They are looking pretty good at the moment, Widnes.

:47:55.:48:05.
:48:05.:48:42.

Mrs Clarke. Hanbury. -- this is Clarke. A great trays by Widnes. --

:48:42.:48:52.
:48:52.:48:59.

great chase. Again, Danny Craven. A great tackle. Great play there.

:48:59.:49:09.
:49:09.:49:15.

underdogs are having their day. Last night, Wakefield gave it to

:49:15.:49:21.

Leeds for 40 minutes. They were beating them until half-time. Here,

:49:21.:49:31.
:49:31.:50:05.

Widnes and making it a battle for -- Hanbury again. Widnes rarely

:50:06.:50:15.

challenge St Helens NFU areas then. -- Widnes really challenged St

:50:15.:50:23.

Helens in a few areas then. McCarthy-Scarsbrook is on from the

:50:23.:50:33.
:50:33.:50:50.

interchange bench. I think that was a bit of fatigue. Suddenly, a

:50:50.:50:58.

chance for St Helens. Paul Clough is another who has appeared from

:50:58.:51:08.
:51:08.:51:09.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

:51:09.:52:00.

eight Interchange bench. -- from Widnes hanging on. They tested and

:52:00.:52:08.

tested that line, until I find breaking points. -- until they

:52:08.:52:12.

found breaking points. St Helens now have the lead again. Saints

:52:12.:52:21.

must have had a few offload. Was this a lot destruction? I am not

:52:21.:52:30.

sure. Possibly. Lovely ball from Lomax that. Flannery just slices

:52:30.:52:40.
:52:40.:52:44.

the defence. Lovely ball, lovely ball. Great try from the Saints.

:52:44.:52:54.

Little bit of controversy. Lomax has the chance to add the two. That

:52:54.:53:04.
:53:04.:53:08.

would give his side a 6 point lead. We know Widnes are capable of

:53:08.:53:17.

scoring tries, but they also capable of conceding a lot of

:53:17.:53:27.
:53:27.:53:30.

points. A Lomax goal gave St Helens 86 point lead. Anthony Watts is

:53:30.:53:35.

with me. What are you making of eight? The boys are putting in a

:53:35.:53:43.

good performance. We have just got to watch St Helens. You are looking

:53:43.:53:53.
:53:53.:53:53.

good. It is that defence, always. Yes. We have been good at tackling.

:53:53.:54:02.

How frustrating for you to be watching mess! Yes, very

:54:02.:54:06.

frustrating. I have come over from Australia. I hope I will get back

:54:06.:54:16.
:54:16.:54:17.

on the field next year. Shaun Briscoe is another fairly long-term

:54:17.:54:27.
:54:27.:54:42.

absentee fathers Widnes side. They thing St Helens have been very good.

:54:42.:54:52.
:54:52.:54:55.

Widnes have kicked well as well. It is very important Widnes do not let

:54:55.:55:05.
:55:05.:55:23.

this game slip away. They have just important forward ASBO. If they can

:55:23.:55:27.

go into half-time just with this lead, they will be thinking, we can

:55:27.:55:32.

make a game out of this. It is whether they can hold back this St

:55:32.:55:42.
:55:42.:55:42.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

:55:42.:56:30.

Helens defence for the next 10 looking for the video here. We will

:56:30.:56:36.

have a look at this now. Widnes came up with an error. When you

:56:36.:56:41.

allow St Helens to this part of the pitch, it is very difficult to stop

:56:41.:56:51.
:56:51.:56:52.

them. I think that is OK. It is no problem. It will only be rolled off

:56:52.:56:57.

if they say his elbow touch the floor. I think that is all in one

:56:57.:57:05.

movement. I think this one will be OK. Absolutely nothing wrong with

:57:05.:57:13.

that. The referee is right to make sure. The video referee has the

:57:13.:57:19.

chance to push the Button, surely to confirm this will be a trite for

:57:19.:57:27.

St Helens. They are beginning to take control. Chances are they will

:57:27.:57:37.
:57:37.:57:39.

have at least a... It is looking a little bit ominous for Widnes.

:57:39.:57:44.

can score points, we have seen that, they can score points, but when

:57:44.:57:51.

they are coming away and they come up with a few mistakes which has

:57:51.:58:01.
:58:01.:58:11.

given Saints the ball. 10 points for Widnes, 22 for St Helens. That

:58:11.:58:21.
:58:21.:58:34.

was Lance Hohaia's latest effort. In his LEA career, -- in his early

:58:34.:58:39.

career, he was used in different positions. This is certainly his

:58:39.:58:47.

position and where he is most lot of confidence, as are most of

:58:47.:58:50.

St Helens. When you play with confidence, you can play with a bit

:58:50.:59:00.
:59:00.:59:16.

with that. John Kite is the man who looks like he is wearing tracksuit

:59:17.:59:26.
:59:27.:59:56.

defending down here. -- St. -- Saints. Lloyd White is another of

:59:56.:00:06.
:00:06.:00:11.

your ex players. It is a really good set from Widnes. Wellens led

:00:11.:00:21.
:00:21.:00:21.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

:00:21.:01:04.

St Helens man. James Roby wants to earlier knock-on. It will be

:01:04.:01:12.

Widnes's ball. A few of the Widnes players are starting to drop-off a

:01:12.:01:21.

few tackles. Just could not take that in. So am big work to do. They

:01:21.:01:31.
:01:31.:01:33.

would love to score a try, and get some points into this deficit.

:01:33.:01:43.
:01:43.:02:14.

Denis Betts is still barking out Meli was having another go. Tearing

:02:14.:02:24.
:02:24.:02:41.

there is an interception. Has he not got there, Lomax would have

:02:41.:02:48.

been under the sticks. He might have delayed the inevitable. That's

:02:48.:02:58.
:02:58.:03:03.

was a try savour from Jack Owens. He almost came up with the into set

:03:03.:03:13.
:03:13.:03:16.

-- he saved a try. A on the pitch, looking at this pitch, people will

:03:16.:03:22.

think it gives a home advantage to Widnes. I do not think that is the

:03:22.:03:27.

case. If a team like to play like St Helens do, they get the

:03:27.:03:32.

advantage, because it is a quick surface. They will test the resolve

:03:32.:03:39.

as St Helens to the limit. Crashing over. It was only delaying the

:03:39.:03:47.

inevitable. It is another St Helens tried. McCarthy-Scarsbrook this

:03:47.:03:53.

time. James Roby, the dummy half. The in letting James Roby dictate

:03:53.:04:01.

the play, that is too much now. He skips out. A lovely boy. McCarthy-

:04:01.:04:06.

Scarsbrook crashes through. James Roby should be put under pressure

:04:06.:04:13.

in this area. McCarthy-Scarsbrook took full advantage and crash

:04:13.:04:18.

through the line. Widnes will be disappointed. But take nothing away

:04:18.:04:26.

from these skill of James Roby. London boy. McCarthy-Scarsbrook, a

:04:26.:04:35.

proper Cockney. He was born in Bow, within the sound of Bow Bells. And

:04:35.:04:40.

there is a happy interim coach, Mike Rush. His side in complete

:04:40.:04:49.

control. Jonny Lomax has already succeeded with three from his four.

:04:49.:04:59.
:04:59.:05:07.

You would back him to make this the relative ease of the conversion

:05:07.:05:14.

attempt and it is four out of five. It is an awful long way back for

:05:14.:05:19.

the home side from this situation with half-time looming. Rob people

:05:19.:05:25.

got it spot on when he said it is a dangerous time for their Widnes

:05:25.:05:35.
:05:35.:05:36.

side -- Robbie Paul. He got it spot on. I still think Widnes can get

:05:36.:05:41.

back into the game if they lift the tempo, but it is difficult. It was

:05:41.:05:46.

a bright start for Widnes with Patrick Ah Van leading the way. But

:05:46.:05:56.
:05:56.:06:04.

a steam roller provided by St And it got off to such a great

:06:04.:06:09.

start for the home side. Patrick Ah Van's try giving Widnes the first

:06:09.:06:18.

points. At one stage Rhys Hanbury went over for Widnes, 10-10 at that

:06:18.:06:25.

stage. Denis Betts was happy as he drank his coffee and then Widnes...

:06:25.:06:33.

St Helens, rather, with four tries have gone clear of Widnes at half

:06:33.:06:43.
:06:43.:06:43.

time. It means the scored board, ten points for Widnes Vikings. St

:06:43.:06:45.

ten points for Widnes Vikings. St Helens have 28 and they have

:06:45.:06:50.

touched down five times. Before we touched down five times. Before we

:06:50.:06:51.

get the thought of the studio, get the thought of the studio,

:06:51.:06:58.

let's go to Robbie Paul. It is cold down here. Not much to

:06:58.:07:05.

warm the home fans. They started well. They got the first try. You

:07:06.:07:14.

thought maybe they could ramp it up. The mistake. I was wondering

:07:14.:07:19.

whether they could hold the closeness into the second half.

:07:19.:07:26.

Anything can happen in the 40 minutes. If the fans get behind you.

:07:26.:07:36.
:07:36.:07:37.

St Helens looked like they can go again. Can Widnes get back into it?

:07:37.:07:42.

What they needed doing is kick the ball out. They need to knock Saints

:07:42.:07:52.

off the rhythm. They have another gear, Saints. If everything is

:07:52.:07:57.

positive and productive, they are keeping Widnes on the back foot.

:07:57.:08:04.

Widnes need to break the rhythm. Maybe kick the ball out. Make it

:08:04.:08:14.
:08:14.:08:18.

come to a scrum, everybody stop. come to a scrum, everybody stop.

:08:18.:08:22.

We can take a look at the facts from the match after that. St

:08:22.:08:29.

Helens have more possession, as you can see. The Vikings have made six

:08:29.:08:35.

errors compared to the two for St Helens. And the majority have been

:08:35.:08:41.

particularly costly. We can look at the home side dressing room with

:08:41.:08:47.

Denis Betts talking. Will they be shell-shocked? I am not so sure

:08:47.:08:55.

about shell-shocked. For a while it was a reasonable contest. The

:08:55.:09:01.

Magennis comes on and Paul Clough, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, and they

:09:01.:09:09.

generate enough for James Roby. I think there bench has been more

:09:09.:09:16.

powerful than Widnes. James Roby has been allowed to dictate the

:09:16.:09:26.
:09:26.:09:27.

pace of the game. Widnes Moss combat that. -- must. It was an

:09:27.:09:32.

even tussle for 25 minutes. Suddenly, James Roby was finding

:09:32.:09:35.

more holes around the middle and you have to defend where the ball

:09:35.:09:41.

is. You have to put more troops in there if you are not handling that.

:09:41.:09:46.

When Widnes are near their own line, it's as if they are not confident

:09:46.:09:51.

in their movements and the belief that they can defend a set of six.

:09:51.:09:57.

The great thing about our game is your recognised for your defence if

:09:57.:10:02.

performance also. We have seen one team defend better than the other.

:10:02.:10:05.

We have to cure that aspect of James Roby having a free hand

:10:05.:10:10.

around the middle with Flannery, Flanagan, Lance Hohaia, punching

:10:10.:10:20.

holes around the ruck. The a got off to a good start. -- they got.

:10:20.:10:25.

There is good support on the inside. He holds Paul Wellens for this bit

:10:25.:10:35.

second. The winger is back. Is that the pitch? Paul Wellens is held by

:10:35.:10:41.

the Inside runner. It is a fantastic start. When St Helen see

:10:41.:10:47.

an opportunity, based which on, they go up a couple of beers. They

:10:47.:10:54.

are so slow in reacting to what Saints are doing -- couple of beers.

:10:54.:11:01.

Just Jones's first try in his St Helens career. -- Josh Jones.

:11:01.:11:08.

do you need to offload their? Is watching the ball a little bit. He

:11:08.:11:13.

gets on the outside shoulder. He should not score, really. In this

:11:13.:11:19.

quality league, rarely do you see that simple try. He is a young

:11:19.:11:26.

player, Josh Jones. And whether Chris Dean has more experience and

:11:26.:11:33.

he has underestimated him as well. The wing left him one on one. In

:11:33.:11:37.

today's game anyone who can get one on one should feel reasonably

:11:37.:11:41.

comfortable. We're are sitting above the home fans and they were

:11:41.:11:51.
:11:51.:11:52.

not pleased with the Paul Wellens try. Why are you smiling?

:11:52.:11:55.

attacks the first marker. When the first marker has gone, a great

:11:56.:12:05.

angle run by Lomax and when that has happened, it is good night.

:12:05.:12:11.

do you fix it? You get the water balls Adam sage instead of standing

:12:11.:12:19.

there, stand there and defend where the ball... -- where the balls are,

:12:19.:12:27.

and to fend. We have to have a fight around the middle. Stop James

:12:27.:12:37.

Roby and low -- Lomax having a field day. The best players are the

:12:37.:12:41.

number nines. In one instance St Helens had six players behind to

:12:41.:12:47.

play the ball and they have a wide defence. We saw them going for 40-

:12:47.:12:54.

20s. I have no idea what matters, it appeared to be a kick in the air.

:12:54.:12:58.

The 40-20s are maybe easier to attend on this pitch. Just north

:12:58.:13:06.

and said it is probably best playing on this pitch -- Jonathan

:13:06.:13:14.

said. If you are playing fast. It is so hard to defend. On played

:13:14.:13:24.
:13:24.:13:27.

three, most wingers -- on play three. Not benign, Jon Clarke. The

:13:27.:13:35.

defender is slow getting off the ground. -- number nine. If the

:13:35.:13:39.

second man reads it, as he does, it is a great finish, but it comes

:13:39.:13:49.

from the 9th. A Rhys Hanbury hits. That's what makes it easier. Widnes

:13:49.:13:55.

replicated it here. It is really hard to defend. Players getting up

:13:55.:14:03.

late from tackles was a problem for Widnes. The bench plays a big part

:14:03.:14:10.

in any team. Apart from individual defensive stuff, the young Widnes

:14:10.:14:16.

full-back, you could maybe organising better and close down

:14:16.:14:24.

some staff, and James Roby and Lomax are big threats. The full-

:14:24.:14:30.

back could stand closer of. It is tough, especially when you go

:14:30.:14:40.

backwards. They need to do anything they can to get some help. Those

:14:40.:14:46.

guys kicked through the gears after a 10-10. Watch again. Poor

:14:46.:14:52.

defensive communication. Chris Flannery must have thought, what is

:14:52.:14:57.

going on here? Bit his concentration. They are struggling

:14:57.:15:04.

with concentration. -- it is. You cannot afford to lose your

:15:04.:15:09.

concentration at Super League level. Good sides will take you to pieces.

:15:09.:15:16.

It is as if they are slowly going back and... In his it tiredness,

:15:16.:15:25.

the concentration? In it might be mental tiredness. -- it might be.

:15:25.:15:29.

There is indication that they are not quite off the ground as quick

:15:29.:15:35.

as they should be. Is it a physical state that causes you to have a

:15:35.:15:40.

lack of urgency? The urgency you need to and the enthusiasm, it is

:15:40.:15:50.
:15:50.:15:56.

are good enough and are not good enough, and then they will make

:15:56.:16:02.

changes. Coming up this week, quite a momentous day. We are 100 days

:16:02.:16:12.
:16:12.:16:16.

away, later this week, from the People want to be involved, even if

:16:16.:16:25.

it is just carrying a stick! Olympic Games, where Wright grew up.

:16:25.:16:33.

I am proud of that. It is all about 2012. I am excited to see what

:16:33.:16:43.
:16:43.:17:00.

London does. What else would you 10:20pm. Tomorrow, or the other

:17:00.:17:10.
:17:10.:17:10.

side from Manchester. The Chinese Grand Prix is live on the BBC this

:17:10.:17:20.
:17:20.:17:25.

weekend. Coverage begins at 7am. That is tomorrow morning. Widnes

:17:25.:17:35.
:17:35.:17:36.

have it all to do in the second half here. There are 28 to 10 down.

:17:36.:17:44.

History tells you that St Helens at going to have this today. There

:17:44.:17:54.
:17:54.:17:56.

have been in much better form than Widnes. St Helens have the

:17:56.:18:01.

confidence soaring through their veins. They know everything is with

:18:01.:18:08.

them at the moment. How do Widnes 10 is around now? Considers

:18:08.:18:15.

fractured. How do they make it better? -- confidence fractured.

:18:15.:18:24.

You have to work your way back into the game. You have to defend

:18:24.:18:32.

solidly in the middle of the field. They have to work their way back in.

:18:32.:18:37.

They have just come up with a mistake there. That was an

:18:37.:18:47.
:18:47.:18:51.

accidental touch. Widnes find themselves here. Hammered down the

:18:51.:18:57.

field by Danny Craven. Not disastrous. Just a little sign how

:18:57.:19:06.

things are not going as they wanted. They have had problems off field

:19:06.:19:10.

this week, haven't they? The departure of Scott Moore, about

:19:10.:19:19.

which very little has been said. Shenton made very good distance

:19:19.:19:23.

then. What does that do to the morale of players? I know you do

:19:23.:19:29.

not want to comment specifically about the Scott Moore situation.

:19:29.:19:33.

it only affects you if you let it effective. If you are a strong

:19:33.:19:38.

group, a strong club, you can deal with things that happen through a

:19:38.:19:42.

season. All sorts of things happen on and off the field. You have to

:19:42.:19:47.

be strong as it unit and deal with it. Dennis Betts alluded to that in

:19:47.:19:57.
:19:57.:20:21.

and not finding any. Widnes cannot afford to concede the next try.

:20:21.:20:28.

They cannot. They have to get to the end of their set and put a good

:20:28.:20:35.

kick in, and push St Helens back and make them work for everything.

:20:35.:20:43.

You cannot try to come up with big plays. Clachan that dummy-half

:20:43.:20:49.

position a game there. -- clerking in that dummy-half position again

:20:49.:20:59.
:20:59.:21:36.

times this game, hasn't he? chance here thought Widnes. If they

:21:36.:21:41.

are to get back in again, this is the kind of opportunity they simply

:21:41.:21:51.
:21:51.:21:51.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

:21:51.:22:38.

four to go. Opportunities still is a try for Widnes. A red face for

:22:38.:22:45.

that St Helens defence! Widnes have both hookers on the field at the

:22:45.:22:55.
:22:55.:22:56.

moment. Their cars St Helens a bit of a problem. -- they cause to St

:22:56.:23:04.

Helens. Lloyd White got himself in the dummy half. They took the St

:23:04.:23:12.

Helens players by surprise. It was a great turn. Great play by Lloyd

:23:12.:23:19.

White. A good start to the second half. They have been conservative.

:23:19.:23:29.
:23:29.:23:38.

They have put pressure on the game, a hint of a contest. If

:23:38.:23:48.
:23:48.:24:07.

Patrick Ah Van can put this over, Widnes, 28 for St Helens. -- 16th

:24:07.:24:17.
:24:17.:24:22.

all Widnes. 28 the 16th. Widnes may be back in it. Dennis Betts was

:24:22.:24:26.

telling his team to cut out the errors at half-time. He was very

:24:26.:24:30.

disappointed with the last 10 minutes. Mike Rush told his side to

:24:30.:24:40.
:24:40.:24:51.

stick with what is working, but charge next season. They can enjoy

:24:51.:25:01.
:25:01.:25:05.

themselves this season. That is easier to say and do! Five gone.

:25:05.:25:15.
:25:15.:25:45.

That was it a decent booked. -- that position, especially if you

:25:45.:25:55.
:25:55.:25:55.

will play 80 minutes, which James Roby is capable of doing. Yes. When

:25:55.:26:01.

Widnes started to fatigue in the first half, James Roby looked

:26:01.:26:11.
:26:11.:26:35.

extremely dangerous. I'm sure they eight. Not convincing. How

:26:35.:26:41.

different is the Barnes on this pitch? Is it higher? I think the

:26:41.:26:51.
:26:51.:26:52.

first bounce a. If fault back -- for full-backs who play unless,,

:26:52.:27:02.
:27:02.:27:04.

the first one is. A penalty has been given. That was a decent piece

:27:04.:27:14.
:27:14.:27:17.

of refereeing. I think it was a good piece of refereeing. St Helens

:27:17.:27:22.

have been a little bit lethargic. They are trying to pick the

:27:22.:27:32.
:27:32.:28:02.

second try in his St Helens career by Josh Jones! He will remember

:28:02.:28:12.
:28:12.:28:13.

this match for an awful long time. Paper-thin defending. The first one

:28:13.:28:21.

that St Helens have had in his second half. That high shot gave

:28:21.:28:31.
:28:31.:28:36.

them the opportunity. James Roby jumped out, Lance Hohaia, a nice

:28:36.:28:46.
:28:46.:29:11.

short ball. It was a little bit granted here. Jonny Lomax is such a

:29:11.:29:21.
:29:21.:29:51.

tones that Mike Rush has masterminded. They have played some

:29:51.:29:56.

of their bigger clubs. He has tested them on Australian sound and

:29:56.:30:06.
:30:06.:30:09.

given them a grounding. It pays off. Since Hirons -- St Helens, built on

:30:09.:30:16.

firm foundations. Seven miles separate these towns, but it is a

:30:16.:30:22.

very big distance in terms of pedigree at the moment. It is.

:30:22.:30:27.

Dennis Betts spoke about the confidence, and about it being

:30:27.:30:32.

paper-thin at times. I hope Widnes can keep their confidence and stay

:30:32.:30:38.

in this game. Send a very good at scarring back to back tries. --

:30:38.:30:48.
:30:48.:31:03.

that. It is the last thing ibid, a big fella coming in to knock the

:31:03.:31:10.

living daylights out of you. -- the last thing you need. That was a

:31:10.:31:19.

great shot. Plenty down this side in terms of numbers, but the

:31:19.:31:26.

defence was also there to meet Hep Cahill. Clarke, on the halfway line,

:31:26.:31:33.

not the pass that was required. But the kick got away nonetheless. St

:31:33.:31:39.

Helens will start from 30 yards away from their own line.

:31:39.:31:45.

We were talking at half-time but St Helens are running close to

:31:45.:31:51.

stepping up a gear. We are witnessing that now. They are

:31:51.:31:58.

making easy yards up the field. They have just forced a penalty.

:31:58.:32:05.

Widnes seemed to be tiring. Widnes will have to step up if they are

:32:06.:32:14.

going to stay with this game. Free schools the difference, and

:32:14.:32:22.

you suspect it might get more than that before long -- 3 scores. This

:32:22.:32:32.
:32:32.:32:58.

game is a real test of the spirit work rate of the Widnes defence.

:32:58.:33:08.
:33:08.:33:26.

might be a question of offside and the referee is going to the video

:33:26.:33:36.
:33:36.:33:40.

referee to make sure. I think Paul Wellens was on side. I think he was.

:33:40.:33:47.

We will have to see. St Helens, back-to-back sets. It gave them the

:33:47.:33:54.

opportunity to get into this area. You cannot see from that angle.

:33:54.:34:02.

is a strange role. Who is the player to his left? Flanagan? If he

:34:02.:34:07.

is in within ten yards of Paul Wellens when he collects the ball,

:34:07.:34:17.

it will not be a try. It is a churlish law. That is the rule and

:34:17.:34:27.
:34:27.:34:36.

if he is within ten metres, it will playing no part in this move. And

:34:36.:34:41.

yet, in a letter of the law, if he is within ten metres when the ball

:34:41.:34:51.
:34:51.:34:57.

is collected by Paul Wellens, it for the sake of the try, that it is

:34:57.:35:03.

given. He had nothing to do with this. How good is Paul Wellens in

:35:03.:35:08.

that area? How many times have we seen him challenge for that type of

:35:08.:35:16.

kick. He has made his mind up and house, thank goodness, given the

:35:16.:35:26.
:35:26.:35:35.

career, Paul Wellens, today. It is a landmark he has reached today and

:35:35.:35:45.
:35:45.:35:54.

hasn't he? Perhaps not the best kicker at the club. I think that

:35:54.:35:59.

attribute falls to Tony Foster, but he is not playing today -- Jamie

:35:59.:36:09.
:36:09.:36:10.

Foster. But this fella is not bad. He puts it over, six out of seven.

:36:10.:36:17.

40 points for St Helens. It is a question of retaining pride for

:36:17.:36:24.

Widnes. We can see the try again. It was a lovely kick from Lomax and

:36:24.:36:29.

Paul Wellens gets on the end of it. It is the second time in this half

:36:29.:36:35.

that St Helens have had back-to- back sets from Widnes giving

:36:35.:36:40.

possession away. You cannot do that. They have too many good players

:36:40.:36:44.

that will hurt you. Widnes need to make sure their discipline is good

:36:44.:36:53.

for the next 25 minutes. And that has worked out just fine! That will

:36:53.:37:03.
:37:03.:37:34.

the nickname... Torville. Craven was fumbling a little. Widnes are

:37:34.:37:43.

tapping at the door. That was an untidy pass by Clarke. That sums up

:37:43.:37:52.

the afternoon. City macro will be disappointed with that. -- Widnes.

:37:52.:38:02.
:38:02.:38:21.

They came up with a couple of loose they can take these gambles now.

:38:21.:38:31.
:38:31.:39:06.

They're camp. James Roby is is becoming more and more involved.

:39:06.:39:16.
:39:16.:39:27.

It is slow play. Clarke's binned it back. -- -- spinning it back. You'd

:39:27.:39:33.

have to have the imagination but that would spark a comeback.

:39:33.:39:38.

shows that St Helens are vulnerable. We have seen Widnes do it twice in

:39:38.:39:44.

this game. St Helens have scored two tries off the back. Pushing a

:39:44.:39:48.

little bit, and they come up with the error and in the next set,

:39:48.:39:55.

lovely play from the Widnes side. You see him digging himself under

:39:55.:39:59.

the defenders and burrowing into the try-line. He made it difficult

:39:59.:40:09.
:40:09.:40:23.

for the defenders. Lomax could not attempt. A word for a player who

:40:23.:40:28.

graced both these sides, Steve Prescott. And his mate, Paul

:40:28.:40:38.

Sculthorpe, and Steve Prescott was given five months to live... That

:40:38.:40:47.

was a terrific live. -- kick. But, five years on, he is taking on

:40:47.:40:55.

wonderful challenger has. His latest has taken him over to Paris,

:40:55.:41:03.

entering the Paris marathon, with Paul Sculthorpe. Then they will

:41:03.:41:08.

kayak across the Channel and then a cycle from Dover and then they

:41:08.:41:12.

finish with the London Marathon. spoke to Paul Sculthorpe last week.

:41:12.:41:17.

I said he looked fitter now than when he played. I wish them the

:41:18.:41:24.

best with that. It is an absolute marathon. At he is an inspiration,

:41:24.:41:33.

Steve Prescott. -- and he is. The marathon will be on BBC next Sunday

:41:33.:41:38.

and keep an eye out for Steve Prescott. Things are looking up for

:41:38.:41:48.
:41:48.:41:48.

Widnes. They had a back to back set. We see them again. In if they were

:41:49.:41:55.

to get another try, doubt might appear in the mind of St Helens.

:41:55.:42:02.

But they cannot afford to do that, can they? St Helens are back to the

:42:02.:42:12.
:42:12.:42:12.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

:42:12.:42:54.

penalty has gone to St Helens. can see Ben Cross going into the

:42:54.:43:01.

challenge. I am not sure there is too much malice in that, he seemed

:43:01.:43:10.

to slip up after the contract. -- contact. And now a word from the

:43:10.:43:20.
:43:20.:43:20.

referee. Be careful where it is going. We have to be very careful.

:43:20.:43:25.

The Widnes fans are not happy and Ben Cross is certainly not happy.

:43:25.:43:30.

He anticipated the tackle and just pushed the arm, maybe not with

:43:30.:43:36.

intent, but he caught McCarthy- Scarsbrook at around the bottom of

:43:36.:43:46.
:43:46.:44:08.

the chin. And here he is, McCarthy- this lark is about. But wrapped up

:44:08.:44:18.
:44:18.:44:42.

handled that well. We saw Paul Wellens score a try from a similar

:44:42.:44:47.

kick. This time, he got himself in the right position and came up with

:44:47.:44:56.

the ball. Jack Owens is 17 years of age. What were you doing when you

:44:56.:45:06.
:45:06.:45:25.

the sidelines. I have Jamie Foster with mate. Is it getting a bit too

:45:25.:45:35.
:45:35.:45:38.

comfortable? At think so. It is NIE's breadth of experience you

:45:38.:45:48.
:45:48.:45:51.

have. It says. -- it is. And do you fancy a trip to Wembley? Death and

:45:51.:46:01.
:46:01.:46:05.

La. -- definitely. Jamie Foster has been to Wembley a few times, but

:46:05.:46:13.

support same Wigan! That is unforgivable, supporting one team

:46:14.:46:23.
:46:24.:46:48.

territory in the second half. Oh, dear. Oh, dear. St Helens make it

:46:48.:46:58.
:46:58.:46:58.

very difficult for Widnes to gain any momentum. Jon Clarke tried to

:46:59.:47:04.

play, and straightaway comes under pressure. Dennis Betts has talked

:47:04.:47:14.
:47:14.:47:14.

about the little victories he has seen on the field. What kind of

:47:14.:47:21.

little victories has he seen today? I think St Helens have been

:47:21.:47:30.

threatened a few times. They are not letting St Paul away from them

:47:30.:47:40.
:47:40.:47:42.

too much. -- they are not letting Saints Paul away from them to watch.

:47:42.:47:52.
:47:52.:47:52.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

:47:52.:48:37.

in the first half. St Helens are really trying to turn the screw

:48:37.:48:47.
:48:47.:48:55.

here. Good kick, taken by Francis Meli. Adam Swift wants to get

:48:55.:49:00.

involved here. He will remember his debut. Tough circumstances. He has

:49:00.:49:07.

handled himself well. Danny Craven has put high balls in his area and

:49:07.:49:14.

he has dealt with them consistently. He has handled himself extremely

:49:14.:49:23.

well. St Helens is beginning to wind things up again. The dam may

:49:23.:49:33.
:49:33.:50:03.

very good. They are making it extremely difficult for Widnes.

:50:03.:50:12.

Widnes need to make sure they complete. 12 minutes left. Once we

:50:12.:50:22.
:50:22.:50:22.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

:50:22.:51:06.

finish, there is the red Button. command of he went. -- James Roby

:51:06.:51:16.
:51:16.:51:23.

saw a bit of a gap and off he went. Now with an opportunity! Patrick Ah

:51:23.:51:33.
:51:33.:51:50.

Van's way was blocked. Shenton was Widnes's target is not to concede

:51:50.:52:00.
:52:00.:52:02.

any more. Jon Clarke, 33 years of age, very much the old man of the

:52:02.:52:12.

game. That was a desperate act of a man who knows his team is well and

:52:12.:52:22.
:52:22.:52:28.

truly beaten. In tis difficult. You probably want to get into the game.

:52:28.:52:38.
:52:38.:52:41.

Anthony Laffranchi, the former Australian international. For a

:52:41.:52:51.
:52:51.:52:52.

moment, there was a space for Wellens to run into. Halcrow was

:52:52.:53:02.
:53:02.:53:04.

that by Jack Owens? -- how cool was that? Yellow card produced. That

:53:04.:53:14.
:53:14.:53:19.

was James Roby. The referee says, off you go. He tried to be a bit

:53:19.:53:29.
:53:29.:53:36.

sneaky. It is a chance for Widnes. St Helens are down to 12th man. --

:53:36.:53:46.
:53:46.:53:49.

down to 12 men. St Helens are down to 12 men. There might be a problem

:53:49.:53:59.
:53:59.:53:59.

here for Anthony Laffranchi. Everything St Helens have done,

:53:59.:54:04.

pretty much for the past 70 minutes, have come on the back of James Roby.

:54:04.:54:11.

He has gone for the rest of the game. Offensively, St Helens have a

:54:11.:54:21.
:54:21.:54:40.

big thing taken off them. This is a big finish? -- the heart. Paddy

:54:40.:54:50.
:54:50.:55:19.

by Adam Swift. Not bad. Anthony Laffranchi has been taken to the

:55:19.:55:25.

dressing room to have his head looked at. He has a nasty gash on

:55:25.:55:35.
:55:35.:55:37.

his head. Danny Craven, with that high kick, that was great. How many

:55:37.:55:47.
:55:47.:55:59.

times have we seen back to back set push a dense in the big lead. --

:55:59.:56:09.
:56:09.:56:12.

push a dent. Hep Cahill! Hope springs in abundance. Widnes have a

:56:12.:56:22.
:56:22.:56:36.

try! Have they got the time, with There was nothing Wellens could do

:56:36.:56:46.
:56:46.:56:51.

about that. That was a great finish from Hep Cahill. The gap is down to

:56:51.:56:56.

12. You never know. You never know. Strange things happen in this game.

:56:56.:57:06.
:57:06.:57:07.

Six minutes left. If Widnes score of this next set, there will be

:57:07.:57:17.
:57:17.:57:18.

some panic in the St Helens team. You feel there is a bit of momentum

:57:18.:57:28.
:57:28.:57:32.

now for Widnes, a bit of belief. Saints have gone down to 12 men.

:57:32.:57:35.

Helens might have taken their foot off the accelerator a little,

:57:35.:57:40.

thinking the job was done, but the unexpected exit of James Roby and

:57:40.:57:50.
:57:50.:57:51.

then that try, suddenly it is not such a gap between them. James Roby

:57:51.:58:01.
:58:01.:58:06.

is looking with a grimace from the sidelines. There is a hint of

:58:06.:58:16.
:58:16.:58:40.

referee says it is not stolen. There is an opportunity, and a

:58:40.:58:50.
:58:50.:59:15.

penalty for Widnes! What a chance! They have lost a little ground.

:59:15.:59:25.
:59:25.:00:01.

They are desperate to keep it alive another look. Jon Clarke spotted an

:00:01.:00:11.
:00:11.:00:27.

hard. If he touch the line, you would have thought the touch judge

:00:27.:00:33.

would have called it. The plant is left foot did not seem to hit the

:00:33.:00:40.

line. This will tell us. What a moment, if this is given. Patrick

:00:40.:00:47.

Ah Van with plenty of power. Did he touch the line there? What do you

:00:47.:00:54.

reckon? Well, if I am brutally honest, I have not got a clue. It

:00:54.:01:03.

is difficult to tell. Does he get the ball down? It is a difficult

:01:03.:01:11.

angle to tell. This is a big decision from the video referee.

:01:11.:01:16.

There is nothing wrong there in terms of what is happening up front.

:01:16.:01:24.

The touchdown looked fine. But the question is... We are trying to

:01:24.:01:29.

hold the frame. The frame where he touches down is this frame. The

:01:29.:01:35.

ball has touched down there. That is where it has frozen. You would

:01:35.:01:41.

have to give the benefit of the doubt. It is impossible to tell

:01:41.:01:46.

from the angles we have seen. It looks OK to me. Does he have

:01:46.:01:53.

control? He does. Even with the technology, with the his camera

:01:53.:01:59.

angles, it is almost impossible. What did referees do before we had

:01:59.:02:03.

the video referee? They simply guest on occasions like this and we

:02:03.:02:11.

might be left guessing the at. Did his left foot touch the line?

:02:11.:02:19.

is it in the air?! It's is a big decision he has to make. If this is

:02:19.:02:25.

given... How long do we have to play? We still have four minutes.

:02:25.:02:30.

If this is given and he kicks the goal, which is not a given, we have

:02:30.:02:40.
:02:40.:02:42.

a real finish. He has to get this right, if he can. Frame by painful

:02:42.:02:50.

frame. Widnes fans wanted given. has got himself in a great position,

:02:50.:02:58.

Patrick Ah Van, with the defenders coming after him. There is nothing

:02:58.:03:02.

wrong with the grounding. We are trying to marry the grounding and

:03:02.:03:12.

then twisted around. What will he give? Try! Widnes fans reach for

:03:12.:03:18.

the air. Widnes might just be reaching for the impossible. Just a

:03:18.:03:27.

few minutes ago and suddenly, from a try, comes the kick. He needs

:03:27.:03:35.

this. He needs this. If he puts this over, one try, one goal puts

:03:35.:03:42.

it level. And it has gone wide. A question of millimetres on the try

:03:42.:03:49.

and equally a question of mm. was a great effort. I thought it

:03:49.:03:56.

was going to bend it in, but a great finish on the try. They have

:03:56.:04:06.
:04:06.:04:06.

momentum. I think they will run out of time. The mathematics for those

:04:06.:04:10.

not up to date with rugby league scoring, they will have to score

:04:10.:04:16.

twice. The conversion having been missed, that is how big the kick

:04:16.:04:26.

was. Widnes is still have to score twice. This set is key to it all.

:04:26.:04:30.

If St Helens can keep Widnes pin- down, they are into the draw for

:04:30.:04:37.

the next round, should Widnes find a way through. It is a better

:04:37.:04:44.

finish than we dared imagine a short while ago. Widnes battling to

:04:44.:04:50.

the end. Suddenly, tension among the coaches. Penalty for Widnes,

:04:50.:04:57.

that will carry them into the opponents' half. They have to score.

:04:57.:05:03.

Certainly this last set of six. This is the only chance. They will

:05:03.:05:13.
:05:13.:05:13.

throw everything they have got at this St Helens team. Hep Cahill has

:05:13.:05:21.

led with such mighty, muscular example all day. Wanting to play it

:05:21.:05:29.

quickly. They have the options. Whyte scores! It is absolutely

:05:29.:05:37.

incredible! --ish scores. They still need another, but there is

:05:37.:05:43.

just about enough time -- Lloyd White with the try. Brilliant play

:05:43.:05:50.

from Lloyd White. He tested the defence. McCarthy-Scarsbrook taking

:05:50.:05:54.

the dummy on that occasion. But to get through that gap, he has no

:05:54.:06:03.

right to score from that position. He got it nice and low. Patrick Ah

:06:03.:06:09.

Van kicked the goal quickly. A he was not taking any time. While we

:06:09.:06:15.

watched the conversion, he put the cake between the sticks. It is

:06:15.:06:21.

Widnes, 38, St Helens 40. My word. We were tongue-in-cheek when we

:06:21.:06:27.

were talking about the comeback even ten minutes ago. 15 minutes

:06:27.:06:32.

ago, it was absolutely impossible. What do they say about momentum in

:06:32.:06:38.

this game? Is it is unbelievable. We never thought they could get

:06:38.:06:44.

back into this game. When James Roby gave the penalty away and got

:06:44.:06:49.

himself into the sin-bin. seconds left to play. Widnes might

:06:49.:06:56.

get three tackles out of this. St Helens, all they have to do is put

:06:56.:07:00.

their shoulders into this, bent their backs and stop Widnes. Seven

:07:01.:07:10.
:07:11.:07:12.

seconds. Saints beaten at the last early this year, but not this time.

:07:12.:07:19.

The next stoppage will be at the end of it. Widnes trying everything.

:07:19.:07:26.

WHISTLE BLOWS And by the skin of their teeth, they have escaped with

:07:26.:07:31.

this cup-tie. Widnes almost pulling off the impossible. What about that

:07:31.:07:41.
:07:41.:07:44.

for a finish? A fantastic finish. We it was slipping away -- we felt.

:07:44.:07:50.

Jonny Lomax was probably the stand out for me. He has this afternoon's

:07:50.:08:00.

man of the match. He was pretty good in three or four different

:08:00.:08:06.

plays for the St Helens team and kept them on the front foot. Widnes

:08:06.:08:11.

gave a great account of themselves. Paul Wellens, his try, it seemed

:08:12.:08:18.

simply a question of how many more St Helens were going to score. And

:08:18.:08:26.

Widnes, with 22 points, in the final minutes, very near the

:08:26.:08:32.

snatched it for Widnes. What eight- game. St Helens have won it and

:08:32.:08:42.
:08:42.:08:45.

Tanya is with Mike Rush. Relieve? Disappointed, to be honest. We

:08:45.:08:49.

started maybe playing for individuals rather than the team.

:08:49.:08:54.

We have seen Widnes do that to Wigan earlier in the year and we

:08:54.:08:59.

knew it was coming. It is disappointing. Were they

:08:59.:09:05.

complacent? Too comfortable at times? That is not good enough. We

:09:05.:09:11.

are better than that as a team and as a group. We cannot afford to do

:09:11.:09:18.

this. But you are through to the next round. Yes, it is good.

:09:18.:09:25.

John Lomax, you are the man of the match. Can you hold on to the

:09:25.:09:30.

champagne with the strapped up hand? Widnes pushed has all the way

:09:30.:09:35.

to the end and we lost James Roby and they got on a roll and kept

:09:35.:09:42.

coming at us. As Mike Rush said, we will not be happy with the

:09:42.:09:46.

defensive effort and we will have to look at that and be honest with

:09:46.:09:56.
:09:56.:09:56.

each other. He is it a bittersweet victory? Definitely. We have to be

:09:56.:10:00.

disappointed with the defence. I think it was energy rather than

:10:00.:10:05.

anything else. You are battered and bruised, including yourself. It is

:10:06.:10:11.

not too bad. I will keep its strapped up. You are still in the

:10:11.:10:15.

Challenge Cup. Well done. We can bring in Paul Wellens. That got

:10:15.:10:25.

quite close. It was an awful second half. When

:10:25.:10:30.

you switch off, the opposition come and burn you. It has been quite a

:10:30.:10:36.

month for you. You are a long way forward from way you were. Yes. You

:10:36.:10:41.

have to keep doing it, every week. You cannot perform inconsistently,

:10:41.:10:46.

and if you do that, you will be burned. We were fortunate to get

:10:46.:10:50.

out of that game. It seems you are an honest bunch and the senior

:10:50.:10:56.

players are taking the lead. have to be honest. If you turn in

:10:56.:11:06.
:11:06.:11:10.

performances like that, well, you have to improve on that. Thank you.

:11:10.:11:17.

We will bring you more reaction to the game on the red button shortly.

:11:17.:11:26.

Widnes turned the possession around, did make? They made 10 errors in

:11:26.:11:34.

the end, compared to St Helens' six. It was as if, at the end, Widnes

:11:34.:11:43.

had won and St Helens have lost, given the reaction. St Helens have

:11:43.:11:47.

been in Super League for 16 years and at the top and Widnes had just

:11:47.:11:51.

come in. At the moment, Widnes, they have players who have played

:11:51.:11:57.

nationally, they have journey men from around and they have put a

:11:57.:12:01.

team together. They have already beat Wigan this year and should be

:12:01.:12:08.

proud of what they are doing. It is not easy to start. I imagine they

:12:08.:12:15.

have a five-year plan in place. Three or four years ago, we were

:12:15.:12:20.

close to the bottom of the table. It takes time and development of

:12:20.:12:27.

younger players. Positives and negatives. Absolutely. More

:12:27.:12:31.

positives in the second half. Do not take anything away from them.

:12:31.:12:38.

St Helens went to sleep. Widnes were on the front foot and

:12:38.:12:42.

enthusiastic and the crowd noise changed. We said if you can get the

:12:42.:12:49.

crowd behind you, you will win more than you lose. They have to work on

:12:49.:12:55.

the defence, when they have not got the ball, that is when they switch

:12:55.:13:05.
:13:05.:13:05.

off. We can look at the results so far. There has been a shop today

:13:05.:13:15.
:13:15.:13:17.

with Castleford going out at Burnaston. -- Featherstone. We will

:13:17.:13:23.

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