Saints cut down Giants

Wellens: try on his 400th appearance

St Helens consolidated their grip on third place in the Super League with a 19-6 victory over their closest pursuers Huddersfield.

The Gaints would have leapfrogged Saints into the top three with a win at the Stobart Stadium, but they never looked likely to claim a first away victory at St Helens since 1978.

Of more concern to coach Nathan Brown will be that this was his side's fifth loss in eight games and on this evidence, their hopes of contending for a Grand Final place look slim.

Saints' defence completely dominated and with the Giants' kicking game misfiring, the visitors offered little in attack.

Both sides forced a series of goal-line drop-outs in the opening quarter, but the first points did not arrive until the 25th minute when a glorious dummy from Leon Pryce bamboozled the Huddersfield defence and the veteran stand-off trotted 20 metres to score beneath the posts.

Jamie Foster added the extras and although Tom Armsttong knocked on a kick in the closing stages of the half, Luke Robinson's grubber was too deep and the scores remained at 6-0 at the break.

Celebrate

Within two minutes of the re-start the Giants paid for an error by Lee Gilmour, as his knock-on gifted Saints field position and Paul Wellens crashed over to celebrate his 400th game for the club with his 10th try of the season.

The Giants were clearly affected by a serious injury to Luke O'Donnell, who was stretchered off after a lengthy delay, and within two minutes Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook ran 50 metres and held off three defenders to score under the posts, with Foster kicking his third goal from three.

Huddersfield's hopes were briefly raised when Kevin Brown did well to flick back Danny Brough's kick in-goal and David Fa'alogo touched down.

But the Giants' ball-retention remained a problem and they wasted three good chances with knock-ons and forward passes, before Lee Gaskell wrapped up the win for Saints with a sweetly-struck drop goal.