St Helens Clinch Convincing 40-10 Victory over Leeds Rhinos, but Pay Injury Toll
St Helens produced a clinical display to defeat Leeds Rhinos 40-10 in their latest Super League outing, but their impressive win came at a cost, with key duo Jonny Lomax and Joe Batchelor sustaining injuries during the match.
Back-rower Batchelor was forced off the field just six minutes into the game and did not return, having been helped by the Saints medical staff, while Lomax went down the tunnel in the 35th minute clutching his hand.
“Joe Batchelor seems like he’s got an ankle ligament injury which is obviously really unfortunate,” Wellens said. “The scans will dictate how long he will be out for, but the fact he couldn’t play on, and Joe is a tough bloke, is probably a sign that he won’t be there for a few weeks.”
Regarding Lomax, Wellens added, “The medical staff feel Jonny has got a fracture to his hand, so we will have to assess that and see how he is.”
Despite the injury setbacks, Wellens was delighted with his team’s overall performance, which saw them return to the top of the Super League table.
“I was delighted with our performance,” he said. “I think we got caught on the back foot in the first five minutes or so and Leeds run us around a little bit, but once we warmed to the occasion I thought we were very good.”
Wellens praised the resilience of his squad, highlighting their ability to “rise to adversity” when faced with challenges such as player suspensions or injuries.
“What I love about this group the most, don’t get me wrong we’re not perfect at times and we’ve dropped our standards a number of times this year, but what they do better than any team I’ve been involved with is rise to adversity, whether that’s losing players through suspension or injury,” he said.
The win over the Rhinos marked St Helens’ ninth victory in 12 Super League matches this season, and Wellens was proud of the way his team displayed their “identity and DNA” despite the player absences.
🔗 Source
