Rugby League Disappointment for St Helens as They Succumb to Hull KR Defeat
On a tough Saturday afternoon, Paul Wellens and his St Helens squad fell to a comprehensive 40-20 defeat at the hands of Hull KR. This humbling loss in East Yorkshire comes just three weeks after another resounding defeat to Warrington Wolves in the Challenge Cup, putting pressure on head coach Wellens.
The match report painted a bleak picture for the 10-time Super League champions, summarizing how “a tight game turned into a hammering” as Saints were second best in every aspect. The St Helens Star newspaper noted that the Robins “backed up their win against champions Wigan with a resounding second half display” that saw Saints’ usually tough defense picked apart.
Wellens acknowledged the defensive shortcomings that allowed Rovers to run in 40 points, a far cry from the stingy St Helens teams of recent seasons. “Whenever you play big teams and whenever you play in big games, if you don’t hold up defensively you don’t give yourself a chance,” said the Saints legend.
Despite still being joint top of the table, the back-to-back defeats have left fans and media seemingly losing patience with Wellens’ style of play. Some fans went as far as to suggest the players “would not have dared put in that performance under Kristian Woolf,” Wellens’ predecessor.
The disappointing day was compounded by reports of crowd trouble, with St Helens and Hull KR supporters requiring separation in footage shared online.
As Wellens looks to address the issues that led to this comprehensive defeat, the pressure remains on the former player to quickly turn things around and restore the high standards expected at the Super League powerhouse.
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