Saints too strong for Broncos

Mark Flanagan: crossed twice to help the hosts run out comfortable winners

Paul Wellens: the St Helens skipper scored for the fifth successive game

Skipper Paul Wellens and Mark Flanagan both bagged a brace of tries to help St Helens ease to a 30-0 victory over the London Broncos.

Saints only led 6-0 until just before the break but moved clear in the second half to move a step closer to clinching a top-four berth ahead of the play-offs.

The Broncos were in confident mood after three wins in a row - the last a 62-18 hammering of cup winners Warrington a fortnight ago - but their cause wasn't helped by the absence of several key players.

The capital club were without Chris Bailey, Chris Melling and Michael Witt, with Dan Sarginson still out after a month's absence with an ankle problem.

Puletua burst

Saints, who won 34-24 at the Stoop on the opening day of the season, took only three minutes to go ahead when Tony Puletua burst on to a James Roby pass to score near the posts and Jonny Lomax converted.

A high tackle by Tony Clubb, one of 10 penalties in the opening 17 minutes, had laid the plaform for Puletua's opener but the Bronco made partial amends by intercepting a Lomax pass to deny Saints a second try.

Saints introduced Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook off the bench midway through the first half and he immediately made his presence felt against his old club with some tough tackling.

A storming burst by Sol Soliola tested the Broncos defence, which was equal to the task until another penalty allowed Lomax to carve out a try for Mark Flanagan after 35 minutes.

Lomax missed the straightforward conversion to leave Saints ahead 10-0 with Paul Wellens having a try disallowed just before the break for a forward pass.

Storming start

But Saints made a storming start to the second half with Luke Dorn, making his 200th appearance in the British game, forced to race back to pull off a try-saving tackle on Francis Meli.

Omari Caro didn't do so well when he was left to deal with a Lomax kick, his error allowing Flanagan to pounce for his second try after 45 minutes.

Wellens added Saints' fourth touchdown to score for his fifth successive match but Lomax missed his third conversion from four attempts.

Clubb was held up over the line for the Broncos before Wellens took Puletua's pass to grab his second try and make it 24-0 on the hour mark.

Dorn almost notched a Broncos try in front of the 13,262 crowd but his hopes were dashed due to a forward pass from Chad Randall. Instead it was Saints who had the last word, Anthony Laffranchi crashing over for the final try in the last minute.

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