It is rare in an all-action game like rugby league that a moment during a stoppage in play can be so decisive. But if it is St Helens who end up lifting the famous trophy at Wembley come August, how they and Hull FC will look back on Josh Griffin’s moment of madness at half-time in this Challenge Cup quarter-final as being pivotal.
The reigning Super League champions were in a real battle with the scores level at 12-12. You could even have argued the home side were marginal favourites, given how Saints had lost two backs – winger Tommy Makinson and centre Mark Percival – to injury. Which is what makes what happened next even tougher to take for those associated with Hull.
Griffin was initially sent to the sin-bin for dissent, after saying something towards the referee, Chris Kendall. But Griffin did not stop there. He returned to say something else to Kendall and his yellow card was upgraded to red.
Suddenly, a game in which Hull FC had the slight edge was flipped on its head and against a side as good as St Helens, you can not afford to make such costly mistakes. Saints took full advantage after half-time, scoring four tries to Hull’s one to book their place in the semi-finals.
“The discipline cost us – not only in that moment but in other instances,” said Hull’s coach, Tony Smith. “It’s not just on one person. We collectively didn’t win and Saints were that little bit too good.”
Before Griffin’s red, Saints knew they were in a contest. They forged an early 8-0 lead through Joe Batchelor’s try and two goals from the boot of Makinson, but he soon departed with a hamstring injury. He was then followed by Percival, who suffered a possible concussion.
Hull grew into the half and they scored their first try when Griffin, who would soon go from hero to villain, finished a fine Tex Hoy break before Andre Savelio claimed a Jake Trueman kick. Two conversions from Liam Sutcliffe made it 12-8 to the hosts.
Saints levelled matters by half-time through Konrad Hurrell’s try, but the decisive moment came after the hooter when Griffin was sent off.
“I had mixed emotions after the red card,” the St Helens coach, Paul Wellens, said. “Going down to 12 men can really galvanise a team, so I was strong with our players about not changing things. We needed to stick to what we’re good at.”
His players certainly did that. They remained patient and took their chances well, first through Curtis Sironen, who was too strong for the defence close to the line to put Saints back in front. This time, it was a lead they would not relinquish.
Zenon dazzles to salve Rovers’ woes
A dazzling debut from Tanguy Zenon helped injury-ravaged Hull KR sweep aside Salford and seal their place in the semi‑finals with a 28-10 win at Craven Park. Drafted in on loan from Catalans Dragons, 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 included a Magic Weekend defeat to the same side a fortnight ago 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 Challenge Cup last four for the second straight year. PA Media
On the hour mark, they went further ahead when Lewis Dodd scored after a superb break from Tee Ritson and while a mix-up in the Saints defence involving Ritson and Jack Welsby allowed Trueman to narrow the gap to six Saints snuffed out any threat of a grandstand finale.
Two minutes after Trueman’s try, the ever-impressive Welsby ghosted through the line to put the result beyond doubt. In the final two minutes, James Bell’s try added a touch of dominance to the scoreline Hull’s efforts perhaps did not deserve.
