St Helens showed their class and composure to eventually overcome a stubborn Hull FC side, who played the entire second half with 12 men, to reach the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, while a dazzling debut from Tanguy Zenon helped injury-ravaged Hull KR sweep aside Salford to join them in the last four.
The Saints game was on a knife edge at half-time, with the scores locked at 12-12, before Hull star Josh Griffin was sent off for dissent by referee Chris Kendall as the players were leaving the field for the break.
Saints showed patience to grind out the result with a man advantage in the second half, winning 32-18 at the MKM Stadium.
The reigning Super League champions had to show resilience after losing both Mark Percival and Tommy Makinson to injury in the first half but just had too much physicality and speed for Tony Smith’s side in the second period.
The visitors were steered to victory brilliantly by their spine, with Jack Welsby in particular starring at the back. The England international scored a try and set two up to ensure his side advanced one step closer to Wembley and subjected Hull to their second successive defeat.
Meanwhile, Zenon immediately showed his class to help Hull KR to a 28-10 win over Salford at Craven Park.
Drafted in on loan from Catalans Dragons this week to ease Willie Peters’ increasing list of absentees, the 21-year-old Frenchman scored one try and inspired a gutsy response to his side’s miserable run of four straight defeats.
Those losses, which have seen Rovers sink from near the top of the table to outside the play-off zone, included a Magic Weekend defeat to the same side a fortnight ago and it was Salford who entered Saturday’s game on a high on the back of eight wins from their last nine.
But, despite a promising spell at the start of the second half, Salford came out distinctly second best and a pair of late tries from Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Dean Hadley sealed Rovers’ place in the semi-finals for the second straight year.
