Making 60 tackles per game has become business as usual for Roby, and it is something that the ex-St Helens coach remembers with fondness. Jake Wingfield (19), Josh Simm (21), Ben Davies (22), Dan Norman (24), Matty Foster (25) and Sam Royle (26) all move up in number from the 2021 season. In 2006, the ground was treated to something of a makeover, after financial input from St Helens big money sponsors Earth Money. [230][231], Leeds have arguably the strongest rivalry with St Helens, out of all the Yorkshire clubs that have a history with St Helens. SINK. only to lose out to the Leeds Rhinos in the final, 1810, making the Leeds Rhinos the only team to win the Grand Final three times consecutively. [233][234] However, the derby is often noted for its bad behaviouron and off the field. Many strongholds of support also come from the Eastern side of the town; areas like Blackbrook, Haydock, and Parr. St Helens R.F.C. [159], Daniel Anderson saw his new team become the first team to top the Super League and fail to reach Old Trafford in 2005. The away strip used in 2005 was the famous blue strip with a dark blue V. 2009 saw the long red V of 1985's design appear again, before, in 2010, a casual thin red V was seen. "I saw he was a good competitor but his engine is what stood out and he didn't put a foot wrong. [128] They also lost the Premiership Final that season, losing to Wigan. The Wolves also beat the Saints in the reverse fixture to do the league double for the first time in 17 years. NEW ARRIVALS; 2023 KIT. [137][138] In 2023 they then beat Penrith Panthers 13-12 in Australia to win it for a third time. [17] However the two Divisions became one League to save the club from a second relegation. Under Sullivan, St Helens reached, and lost, the 195253 Challenge Cup final. St Helens Women Squad profiles | St.Helens R.F.C. St Helens have, also, branched even into rugby union territory and other wider national areas for youth players; most recently, Daniel Brotherton, a winger from Northampton, signed a professional contract with the club, and has made great strides in the under 18s after his signing from Northampton Demons. With a galaxy of stars including Tom van Vollenhoven, Alex Murphy, Dick Huddart, Cliff Watson, Ray French and Vince Karalius, the 1960s was a decade of great success for the Saints. Women's Treble Thatto Heath Crusaders / St Helens. [205], St Helens ended the 2022 regular season as League Leaders, thus earning them a bye to the semi finals. "It doesn't matter if he is defending for all 80 minutes of a game, he will do it the right way with hard work and honesty. Remarkably, the first encounter between the fierce rivals ended in a 00 draw at Knowsley Road,[215] The games were traditionally played on Boxing Day, however were moved to Good Friday, during the busy Easter period in rugby league. [7][42] They won their first ever National Championship in the 193132 season,[43] defeating Huddersfield 95 in the final. The team then won again under the new St Helens name in 2021.. Bradford Bulls. is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside who compete in the Super League, the top tier for rugby league in Great Britain. St Helens scores, results and fixtures on BBC Sport. After retiring from professional rugby in 2015, Wellens has been involved with the St Helens coaching staff and has said it has only made him appreciate Roby more as a leader. 2023 . In their rugby football days and early years as a rugby league club, St Helens wore a vertically striped blue and white jersey with blue shorts and socks. In both sides first year in coexistence, St Helens finished yet again in a disappointing low midtable finish. [75] St Helens won the Western Division Championship under McCormick's rule, beating Swinton 107. St Helens won the World Club Challenge over Penrith Panthers under head coach Paul Wellens in February, but they have claimed just four wins in eight so far in Super League. St Helens are one of the best supported teams in Super League, averaging 11,543 according to 2014 figures. Wellens said: "Since retiring, I have had the pleasure of being on the coaching staff as he has taken over the captaincy and led the club through one of its most successful ever periods. On 26 February 2011, Warrington Wolves beat St. Helens for the first time in 10 years ending the Saints Hoodoo over the club. Especially recently, with incidents like the Ryan Bailey "chicken wing" tackle on Maurie Fa'asavalu in 2008, the presence of James Graham when the two meet, as well as the numerous fights that have broken out between the two sets of players, the game is certainly regarded as a feisty one, as well as one that produces entertaining rugby. Although initially, players were signed either from other clubs, or would go straight into first team reckoning after being signed from their amateur club at a much later age than today's system; as the game became more widespread in the town, across the NorthWest and nationally, a system had to be introduced in order to suffice the amount of youth talent that the club homed. The full-back says Saints' win over the Penrith . They also won the 1953 Lancashire Cup, beating Wigan 168 at Swinton, the first time the two old rivals had clashed in a major final, Saints. [110] Eric Ashton left the club after this disappointing year. 2021. [247] Situated, prior to their recent move to Widnes, in Eccleston and Thatto Heath, a lot of support naturally derives from that area. Bradford Bulls became the second team to complete the women's treble a year later in 2017. . [166], After a slow start to the 2007 season, Saints added to their history by beating Brisbane 1814 to win the 2007 World Club Challenge.[138]. St Helens' former stadium was Knowsley Road, renamed in 2008 to the GPW Recruitment Stadium for sponsorship reasons. They left this stadium in 1890 for Knowsley Road and played there for 120 years. St Helens are the oldest members of the Rugby Football League. Papers: Big Sam or Bowyer to replace Gracia at Leeds? The club reverted to this kit for one season during the rugby league centenary season in 1995. [61][111] However, his spell as coach was not nearly as successful as his spell as a player, and St Helens won nothing whilst under Coslett's command, finishing mid-table in both seasons. [61][114] Not in-keeping with several of his predecessors, Benyon did not enjoy any success in his first season as St Helens coach, losing the Lancashire Cup final of that year to Warrington. [61] Under Hughes, St Helens only reached the one, Regal Trophy Final, where they lost to Wigan in 1996 by 25 to 16. 2. The 1985 New Zealand tour jersey was similar to the home shirt of 2009, sponsored also by Pilkington. cup and league games combined, show that in the 366 games played, St Helens have won 141, there have been 19 draws and Wigan have won 206. They, however, lost to Widnes in the Premiership Final at Old Trafford at the end of the season, further showing this team's ability to get to finals and not be able to compete on the best stage. "All these qualities are why James Roby is the most reliable player I have ever coached. St Helens RFC's 10 Greatest Players Rugby League Opinions The 2022 Super League Grand Final was the 25th official grand final and championship-deciding rugby league game of Super League XXVII. [84] St Helens retained the Lancashire Cup the year later,[85] whilst also winning the Lancashire League for being the highest placed Lancashire side in the National standings,[86] and they also reached the final of the Floodlit Trophy that season, where they were beaten 74 by Wigan. coming to the club, it was constantly argued that, unlike other big clubs, St Helens did not have the stadium to suit their onfield talent. [97] No success was achieved in seasons 197273 and 197374, with St Helens finishing third and second in the respective years. Saints success in the Challenge Cup continued in 2008 with a victory at the new Wembley Stadium, this time defeating Hull F.C. [206], Before the start of the 2023 Super League season, St Helens travelled to Australia for the 2023 World Club Challenge. with the fans, a kit that featured a white dropdown V with a black and red mesh design at the bottom of the jersey. "He was so good at being consistent throughout the game and then not even looking like he had played.". [3] The first match of the new code was an 83 win at home to Rochdale Hornets before 3,000 spectators, Bob Doherty scoring St Helens' first try. However, despite all the problems faced, St Helens defied the odds to reach their 11th Challenge Cup semi-final in a row, and at the end of the season they qualified for their sixth consecutive Grand Final. [184] Names like Royce Simmons,[185] Mal Meninga,[186] and assistant coach Kieron Purtill,[187] were linked with the job for 2011. Such activities off the field and between games like fights between supporters, has led to some fans being discouraged from attending the fixture at Knowsley Road; shown by somewhat disappointing crowd figures, such as an example of 11,048 in 2010. "His competitive and tough nature is hidden by how humble he is as a man. players. The arrival of Alex Murphy as coach in 1986[61][120] produced some colourful displays from a team that was widely regarded as an entertaining team to watch, but seemed to be constant runners-up. [283] 2011 saw the Puma contract expire, and Australian manufacturing giants ISC take over the making of the jerseys. [49], Like during the First World War, the club could not enjoy having a fulltime squad during the Second World War and struggled to compete. [199], At the end of the Super League XXIV regular season, St Helens won the League Leader's Shield for a second consecutive year after finished 16 points clear of second placed Wigan. [65], The following year saw Saints win the 1956-7 Lancashire League 195657[66] and they won it again in 195859. [61], Former club player and Welsh international Kel Coslett took over as coach in June 1980. Super League LIVE: Hull KR v Leeds & St Helens v Wakefield scores and In fact, it was only in the 1950s that St Helens won their first Challenge Cup and National League, and at this time, when St Helens were establishing themselves and improving in the 1950s, and 1960s, Bradford were disproving, and in fact folded in 1963. "To play alongside him was a huge honour, and he is quite simply one of rugby league's best players in any era. [3] Founded as St Helens Football Club on 19 November 1873 at the Fleece Hotel by William Douglas Herman,[4] they played their first ever match on 31 January 1874 against Liverpool Royal Infirmary. However, the season started with a terrible run of results, which culminated in Royce Simmons being sacked in March. In their 137 year history, St Helens have won no fewer than 12 league titles and 12 Challenge Cups, as well as honours like the Rugby League Premiership, the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy and the John Player Trophy, and the players that have and continue to make the success at the club possible . Jack Welsby headlines the squad number switches, as he takes over the coveted number one jersey, held by so many previous legends of the Club. St Helens 24 - 12 Leeds Rhinos (Rhyse Martin) 72 mins. Jake Wingfield (19), Josh Simm (21), Ben Davies (22), Dan Norman (24), Matty Foster (25) and Sam Royle (26) all move up in number from the 2021 season. statistics and records, List of St Helens R.F.C. A League[79] and Cup[7][80] double was achieved under Coan in the 196566 season, whilst they lost the Floodlit Trophy final against Castleford. [7][108] St Helens lost the Floodlit Trophy in the 197879 season, going down to Widnes. ', James Roby hits 500 games for St Helens: 'He is undeniably one of the games greats', Savelio proud to be Hull FC's running man. "Former Saints, Widnes and Leigh hooker Eric Hughes has died", "Agnatius Paasi: Tonga prop signs two-year St Helens deal", BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_St_Helens_R.F.C._players&oldid=1134940357, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Drafted in for one game when the first team went on strike, Drafted in when Saints 1st team went on strike, The first black player for England RU, and later for St Helens, This page was last edited on 21 January 2023, at 16:41. When known as Bradford Northern, Bradford experienced their period of success largely in the 1940s, at a time when St Helens struggled to compete due to the commitments of World War II. Close player. (@Saints1890) / Twitter Follow St.Helens R.F.C. List of St Helens R.F.C. international players - Wikipedia "Robes leads by example more than any other leader I have come across, he displays all these attributes and he is an inspiration to all at the club who have had the pleasure of working with him on a daily basis. After competing as the fiercest of rivals, O'Loughlin and Roby then lined up alongside each other for both England and Great Britain, the experience of playing with Roby living up to what O'Loughlin had hoped. Sione Matautia takes number 11 and Joe Batchelor moves up to number 12, following a strong season. St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) / Twitter Academy graduates, Jon Bennison (27), Lewis Baxter (28) Jumah Sambou (30), and Taylor Pemberton (31) along with new signing Danny Hill (29) round out the squad numbers. [96] The club reached the Championship final in that season, but were beaten. St Helens would go on to win the World Club Challenge game 13-12 in golden point extra-time to claim their third trophy in the competition. In addition to this, an iconic bridge, directly linking the ground to the town centre went under construction on 9 August 2010. This was Mizuno's first design, taking over from Stag. There is a massive[clarification needed] junior and youth contingent of rugby league players in St Helens. Listen: Hull KR v Leeds & St Helens v Wakefield. St Helens would go on to reach the 2019 Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford against Salford. [137][150] Millward then lead Saints to the top of Super League VII, and to reclaim the Super League title in the 2002 Grand Final,[151] Sean Long snatching a last minute 1918 win over the Bradford with a dropgoal. The kit used first by the club was reverted to during their centenary year in 1995. After easily accounting for Catalans Dragons in the semi-final, St Helens played against Wigan in the 2020 Super League Grand Final. [219] The two have traditionally met each other in the Magic Weekend too. It was from here that the criticism began, and questions were raised particularly of his tactics and his activity (or lack of) in the transfer market. [1] St Helens are also the second most successful side in super league and are third in the Challenge Cup with 13 wins in 23 Final appearances. This was also the first jersey to feature the famous stickman of St Helens insignia. Despite such high honours, when speaking to those who have played with him, worked with him or lined up against him, they all highlight the one aspect of Roby they admire more than anything else: his humbleness. Since the end of World War II, St Helens have seen 24 new bosses at the helm at Knowsley Road. Mick Potter was announced as the successor to Anderson, which received many plaudits from the St. Helens fans and the European game as a whole, as the year previous he had led the Catalans Dragons to a recordhigh thirdplaced finish in the league. On Friday, they will see him wearing that jersey for the 500th time against Leeds Rhinos, cementing himself as one of the greats of the Super League era. Players are listed alphabetically. [1] Prior to this, in particular when St Helens were playing simply rugby football, they shared the City Ground with St Helens Recs. This would be Anderson's last game in charge of the club, as he announced he was to return to Australia and the Parramatta Eels of the NRL. Kel Coslett has made the most career appearances for St Helens, having . Formed in 1873, St Helens are one of the 22 original members of the Northern Rugby Football Union founded in 1895. Women's team squad profiles. As well as playing full-back for St Helens and England, the 27-year-old is an ambassador for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in England and a Super League pundit on Sky. [15] Promotion was gained at the first attempt,[16] only for another poor year to see them finish once again in a relegation position. This aided the ground in gaining international rugby, with a fixture between Great Britain and New Zealand being held there in 2006. Criticisms from club legends like Paul Sculthorpe and Sean Long regarding his personal skills with the fans,[180] as well as the continued fan rejection saw him let his contract run out and, initially, seek a job in the NRL,[181][182][183] but eventually, and perhaps surprisingly, join Bradford on a twoyear contract. [31], The aftermath of the war was still taking its toll on national sport, not merely the club's ability to compete and complete fixtures, on 31 January 1918 'close down' due to a lack of finances following a 220 defeat by Widnes. [2] St Helens are founding members of the Super League and are one of only four teams to have appeared in every season since its creation in 1996. [145] Ian Millward was appointed as Hanley's successor as head coach. World Club Challenge: Penrith Panthers 12-13 St Helens - Super League St Helens R.F.C. Throughout 2010, a select panel of fans, journalists, former players and club officials voted for the best 17 players ever to have played for St Helens, to commemorate the club's 120th and final year at Knowsley Road. However, in 2009, the mascots changed to Boots and Bernard; happy and angry masculine characters. You've made a. In the shortened 19181919 season, St Helens played only nine times. However, in 2008, St Helens were given a warning letter from the RFL, as a result of the ensuing licensing system that was to be introduced into Super League in 2009, stating that the quality of their current stadium was too poor for the expected quality of a licence in the league. [156], St Helens followed up their Challenge Cup win by claiming the League Leader's Shield,[163] before cementing their reputation as the team of the year by defeating Hull 26 points to 4 in the Super League Grand Final. Academy graduates, Jon Bennison (27), Lewis Baxter (28) Jumah Sambou (30), and Taylor Pemberton (31) along with new signing Danny Hill (29) round out the squad numbers. Currently, the position is held by Kristian Woolf. [26], During the First World War, St Helens struggled to compete and failed to complete the full fixture list of the Emergency War League on two occasions,[27][28][29] with the club finishing midtable in the first year of the war,[30] as well as being beaten by 37 points to 3 by Huddersfield in that year's Challenge Cup Final. A look back as St Helens edged out Catalans Dragons 12-10 to win Super League's Grand Final in 2021. With assistant coach Kieron Purtill also leaving, the coaching reins were taken up by youth coach Mike Rush for the remainder of the 2012 season, with Keiron Cunningham acting as his assistant. This was illustrated by the defeat by Halifax in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley, 1918, in 1987. [44] This was the same season that they won their second Lancashire League,[45] the first coming in the 192930 season. 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[118] In Benyon's last season as coach, 198586, nothing was won.[119]. However, Cunningham would not be leaving without leaving a lasting legacy on the club. Our 2022 Home and Away Shirts will be revealed very soon, with a little snippet of the home shirt visible in our graphic above. [171] James Roby, however, became the second St Helens player, and homegrown talent in two years to win the Man of Steel Award. To understand Roby's longevity, you have to first understand the breakthrough he made as a youngster, which no one understands more than his former team-mate and current assistant coach of St Helens and England, Paul Wellens. St Helens won this epic 126,[7][71] and the kit has since become synonymous with the club. [68] A second Lancashire County Cup came in 196061,[69]. Following St Helens's defeat by Wigan in the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup, which ended a run of 11 consecutive semi-final appearances, it was announced that Nathan Brown would be taking over as head coach for 2013, with Rush moving back into his previous role. Williams, Pearce-Paul and Welsby are the only members of last year's Rugby League World Cup squad involved too, yet Wane is enjoying working with a new group which he hopes will form a significant . 28 Apr 2023 08:13:43 . St Helens defeated Bradford 86 in the 1999 Super League Grand Final, their first Grand Final, with more than 50,000 people witnessing Chris Joynt lift the trophy at Old Trafford. [54][55][56][57][58] The first two years of the 1950s, the last two years of Peter Lyons' reign, also ended trophyless.[59][60]. [107] In 1978 Leeds avenged their 1972 loss against St Helens, emerging winners by 1412. All times are UK and subject to change. As St Helens are unbeaten at Knowsley Road against the Wire since 1996, as well as boasting a generally impressive record against the Wolves in all meetings in Super League, the game is seen as an opportunity for Warrington to rectify their record against the Saints. "I am so happy for Robes in what he has achieved so far and he deserves all the accolades he gets even though he would be happy not to get any, he just wants to get on with it and win the next game for his town of St. In Super League Grand Finals, St Helens and Bradford met twice, in 1999 and 2002, St Helens again winning all encounters. Won caps for Wales while at St. Helens in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup against England, Australia, England, and Australia, in 1977 v England . A lifelike bronze statue of Cunningham was built and placed on display in the town, before being transported to the club's new stadium upon its construction in 2012. [162] Scrum-half Sean Long was awarded the Lance Todd trophy for a record third time for his manofthematch performance during the final. [294] It was announced that the new complex, to be built on an unused glass site in Peasley Cross, was to feature at least 12,000 seats, a large car park, and a Tesco store next to the ground. [48] St Helens reached no finals or achieved any more honours during the remainder of the 1930s. However, the 2011 season saw the emergence of a new crop of talent, with players such as Jonny Lomax and Lee Gaskell stepping up to fill the gaps left by senior players and earning rave reviews for their performances. A number of serious injuries to further key players such as Leon Pryce and Ade Gardner meant the team was facing an uphill battle on the field all season. They honour ten years at the club, and the most recent player to receive one was fullback Paul Wellens for 2010.[304]. However, for the fifth year in a row they were on the losing side, as the injury-plagued squad finally succumbed to Leeds. The success of the Saints in Super League began under the leadership of Shaun McRae in 1996. However, there exists considerable support towards Newton, Billinge and Ashton also. [88], The 1970s were also seen as a successful spell for St Helens, as they reached three Challenge Cup finals in the period. [164] Once more St Helens confirmed their status as the outstanding team of the summer era.