[61] Hanley led Saints to Grand Final success against Bradford in October of his first year in charge. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "What he has done is unprecedented and to play 500 games for St. Helens with such consistency and durability, I tip my hat to him.". All times are UK and subject to change. [175] James Graham, on a positive note, made it a hattrick of exBlackbrook Royals to win the Man of Steel Award whilst playing for St Helens. In their initial period at Knowsley Road, St Helens wore a similar jersey, but the stripes were horizontal, and the colours were blue and grey. Since then, more than 1,200 players have appeared for the club's first team. (@Saints1890) / Twitter Follow St.Helens R.F.C. [84] St Helens retained the Lancashire Cup the year later,[85] whilst also winning the Lancashire League for being the highest placed Lancashire side in the National standings,[86] and they also reached the final of the Floodlit Trophy that season, where they were beaten 74 by Wigan. Jack Welsby headlines the squad number switches, as he takes over the coveted number one jersey, held by so many previous legends of the Club. [171] James Roby, however, became the second St Helens player, and homegrown talent in two years to win the Man of Steel Award. Listen: Hull KR v Leeds & St Helens v Wakefield. Wellens said: "Since retiring, I have had the pleasure of being on the coaching staff as he has taken over the captaincy and led the club through one of its most successful ever periods. St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) / Twitter Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors have won nine of the past 10 Grand Finals The Rugby Football League has approved plans to raise the salary cap in Super League from 1.825m to 2.1m by 2020.. In 2010, the club used the first kit they played a rugby league game design as a commemorative strip, to celebrate their 110th and final year at the ground. After the great schism of 1895, and St Helens joining the NRFU, their first game at Knowsley Road under traditional rugby league rules was against Rochdale, in front of 3,000 spectators. [132] McClennan was head coach until December 1993, when Eric Hughes succeeded him as head coach in 1994. Rugby Super League Betting Odds | St Helens Vs Hull Fc | BetUS "The best thing about him is he is the most humble and pleasant bloke you wish to meet. In 2006, the ground was treated to something of a makeover, after financial input from St Helens big money sponsors Earth Money. This article is about the English rugby league team. In 1997, yet another change of design that was controversial[according to whom?] [157] He was sacked for gross misconduct a week later. However, the season started with a terrible run of results, which culminated in Royce Simmons being sacked in March. While at Thatto Heath she was first selected for the England women's national rugby league team in 2008, aged 16. "It doesn't matter if he is defending for all 80 minutes of a game, he will do it the right way with hard work and honesty. "To play alongside him was a huge honour, and he is quite simply one of rugby league's best players in any era. Evans' first full season in charge at the club saw him win the club's eighth Lancashire Cup in 1968; winning 1310 against Warrington after a replay. The jersey had a single broad red horizontal band, on a white background, and was used until 1961. [143] 1998 proved to be a trophyless year,[144] and Ellery Hanley succeeded McRae in 1999, after the Australian left for new Super League side Gateshead. Won caps for Wales while at St. Helens in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup against England, Australia, England, and Australia, in 1977 v England . players. ExSt Helens captain and prop-forward Alan Prescott took over from Jim Sullivan as head coach in 1959. The club reverted to this kit for one season during the rugby league centenary season in 1995. [303], 18 players have had benefit years or testimonials at St Helens, organised jointly by the club and the RFL. [215] Both being founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union, the derby has been played since 1895, making it amongst the most historical derbys in both British and global rugby league. Roby has worked under 10 different head coaches at his hometown club, including Justin Holbrook, who coached St Helens in 2019 when they secured their first Grand Final victory in five years. [137][138] In 2023 they then beat Penrith Panthers 13-12 in Australia to win it for a third time. Saints inflicted a 287 defeat on their visitors,[78] their biggest loss of the tour. Remarkably, the first encounter between the fierce rivals ended in a 00 draw at Knowsley Road,[215] The games were traditionally played on Boxing Day, however were moved to Good Friday, during the busy Easter period in rugby league. The fixture was played at the Saints temporary home at Widnes. 2022 Super League Grand Final - Wikipedia [77] The 1965 New Zealand tourists appeared at Knowsley Road on Wednesday 15 September. The Official Online Shop of St Helens Rugby League Football Club. Last year, the Rugby Football League announced that there had been a 214 per cent growth in the number of girls teams since the governing body embarked on their current strategy in 2017. St Helens won the Challenge Cup for the first time in 13 years as they overturned a half-time deficit to beat Castleford. 1985 saw the first jersey that was supported by a visible sponsorSt Helens Glass. [61][111] However, his spell as coach was not nearly as successful as his spell as a player, and St Helens won nothing whilst under Coslett's command, finishing mid-table in both seasons. England v France: Welsby says England can end Australia dominance F or almost five years, few teams have captivated British rugby league quite like St Helens. [83] This would be Coan's last year in charge at St Helens after a highly successful period as boss. At the end of the Super League XIX regular season, St Helens claimed the League Leaders' Shield and reached the 2014 Super League Grand Final against Wigan where they won the match 146 claiming their 13th premiership. Clubs such as Thatto Heath and Blackbrook Royals have produced many of the former and current superstars in St Helens' squads over the years, and continue to do so. St Helens R.F.C. - Wikipedia Papers: Big Sam or Bowyer to replace Gracia at Leeds? The club moved from the City Ground in 1890 where they had shared with St Helens Recs when neither were members of the Northern Rugby Football Union. Especially recently, with incidents like the Ryan Bailey "chicken wing" tackle on Maurie Fa'asavalu in 2008, the presence of James Graham when the two meet, as well as the numerous fights that have broken out between the two sets of players, the game is certainly regarded as a feisty one, as well as one that produces entertaining rugby. But St Helens' youth roots do not stop in the St Helens area. St.Helens R.F.C. After retiring from professional rugby in 2015, Wellens has been involved with the St Helens coaching staff and has said it has only made him appreciate Roby more as a leader. [3] The first match of the new code was an 83 win at home to Rochdale Hornets before 3,000 spectators, Bob Doherty scoring St Helens' first try. Formed in 1873, St Helens are one of the 22 original members of the Northern Rugby Football Union founded in 1895. 28 Apr 2023 08:13:43 . In Super League Grand Finals, St Helens and Bradford met twice, in 1999 and 2002, St Helens again winning all encounters. [134][135] The lack of trophies in the St Helens cabinet, after the club had suddenly become so accustomed to success, would need to change in the "new" brand Super League that formed in 1996; hence Hughes' departure in 1996 and replacement with Australian Shaun McRae.[61]. Proudly founded in 1873. St Helens R.F.C. [7][42] They won their first ever National Championship in the 193132 season,[43] defeating Huddersfield 95 in the final. Super League: St Helens 22-4 Wigan Warriors - BBC Sport 2023 . Most tries in a match: 6 by all of the following: Highest International tour match attendance: 29,156 vs, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 14:36. As well as a $9.5m (5.1m) salary cap - two and a half times Super League's caps - the NRL also has a 95% salary floor: in other words, every club has to spend almost the same on players. They, however, lost to Widnes in the Premiership Final at Old Trafford at the end of the season, further showing this team's ability to get to finals and not be able to compete on the best stage. "He has time for everyone and is always there for anyone who needs him. This accolade recognises the best team in any sport within the United Kingdom. [123] Nothing was achieved in the next two seasons,[124][125] including a defeat in the 1989 Challenge Cup Final[126] and Murphy stood down as coach. The ground at the time of its construction was considered modern, with one seated stand, and three standing areas that could, prior to strict safety regulations set in place, hold up to 40,000 people, shown by their record home crowd of 35,695 against Wigan in 1949. [129] In 1993 the club avenged their defeat by Wigan the season previous to win the Premiership,[130] in the same season that they won the Charity Shield,[131] and lost the Lancashire Cup final. Since the end of World War II, St Helens have seen 24 new bosses at the helm at Knowsley Road. The kit used first by the club was reverted to during their centenary year in 1995. In the week leading up to the World Club Challenge game against Penrith, many pundits, former players and coaches predicted St Helens would lost the match heavily with Phil Gould stating "Penrith should be allowed to declare at half-time". The full-back says Saints' win over the Penrith . Super League LIVE : Huddersfield Giants v St Helens - radio commentary Super League LIVE: Hull KR v Leeds & St Helens v Wakefield scores and A look back as St Helens edged out Catalans Dragons 12-10 to win Super League's Grand Final in 2021. Grand Final stage set for Catalans Dragons history or St Helens hat Saints success in the Challenge Cup continued in 2008 with a victory at the new Wembley Stadium, this time defeating Hull F.C. Celebration: James Roby lifts the Challenge Cup trophy for St. Helens in 2021, on the club's first win at Wembley since 2008. IN. In 2003, a tripleV design was seen, and the first to be used by longserving kit designers Puma AG. In addition, they suffered upheaval in terms of the playing squad; having already lost the influential Cunningham to retirement and other club legends like Sean Long, the start of the season was overshadowed by the news that Kyle Eastmond, who had been earmarked as Long's replacement, and inspirational leader James Graham were both looking to leave the club. ST HELENS vs HULL FC - Rugby sevens is another type of rugby that has just seven players per side. [117] They also won the Premiership in the same season with a 3616 victory over defending champions Hull Kingston Rovers at Elland Road in Leeds. Close player. JUST. Despite working with hundreds of players both in the Super League and the NRL, Holbrook believes that there is no one as "reliable" as the Saints captain. Although O'Loughlin broke into Wigan's first-team ranks a few years before Roby was starring for St Helens, he remembers coming up against the St Helens hooker in the derby and being impressed with his work off the bench. [112][113] He held the post for two years before handing over to Billy Benyon. [18] The Champion fortunes that St Helens fans' greet today were certainly not apparent in this period, with the club finishing fourth to bottom in 1907,[19] third to bottom in 1908,[20] and consistently midtable between 1909 and 1913. Appearances are for first-team competitive matches only. Making 60 tackles per game has become business as usual for Roby, and it is something that the ex-St Helens coach remembers with fondness. Since the inception of Super League in 1996, they have won the title on eight occasions, and have added seven Challenge Cups to their five previous successes. Established in 1873 the St Helens based side are one of the most successful teams in British Rugby League history. St Helens won the 2006 Challenge Cup Final at Twickenham Stadium, beating Huddersfield 4212. Recap all the updates from St Helens' 20-12 Super League . Sullivan took Saints to their first victory in the Challenge Cup final (against Halifax in 1956),[7][64] On Saturday 24 November 1956, St Helens inflicted a touring Australia its biggest ever defeat with a 442 win. Williams, Pearce-Paul and Welsby are the only members of last year's Rugby League World Cup squad involved too, yet Wane is enjoying working with a new group which he hopes will form a significant . [154] In this season, they failed to win a trophy after being knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Leeds at the semifinal stage, and the Super League playoffs by Wigan at the same stage. In 2000, a more regular V was seen again. [10][11][12] They finished second to bottom in the 190001 Lancashire League season, meaning they did not qualify to compete in the national league the year later. Jodie Cunningham: 'Rugby league has made my life better a million times "It is a pleasure to get to talk about James Roby," says Holbrook. Leeds and St Helens have also a historical background, contesting the 197172 and 197778 Challenge Cup Finals, each team winning one each. The 31-year-old St Helens player believes the recent moves by Hollie-Mae Dodd and Georgia Roche to sign professional deals in Australia's NRLW heralds an exciting opportunity to improve the game . [184] Names like Royce Simmons,[185] Mal Meninga,[186] and assistant coach Kieron Purtill,[187] were linked with the job for 2011. He is widely regarded not only as one of the greatest St. Helens players of all time, but also as one of the best rugby league players of the Super League era. Since 2015 St Helens' kit has been supplied by O'Neills. [26], During the First World War, St Helens struggled to compete and failed to complete the full fixture list of the Emergency War League on two occasions,[27][28][29] with the club finishing midtable in the first year of the war,[30] as well as being beaten by 37 points to 3 by Huddersfield in that year's Challenge Cup Final. Academy graduates, Jon Bennison (27), Lewis Baxter (28) Jumah Sambou (30), and Taylor Pemberton (31) along with new signing Danny Hill (29) round out the squad numbers. "His leadership style is selfless and his consistency in how he trains prepares for, and plays games is what makes him so great.". St Helens won the match 2412, to win their fourth final in a row, and by doing so, they become the first team in Super League history to win four in a row. [294] It was announced that the new complex, to be built on an unused glass site in Peasley Cross, was to feature at least 12,000 seats, a large car park, and a Tesco store next to the ground. He is the younger brother of rugby league footballers Les and Eric Chisnall.All three Chisnalls played for the Leigh squad at times during their careers, with Dave and Les playing there together for at least one season. [5] They became known as St Helens Rangers up until the 1880s. "I am so happy for Robes in what he has achieved so far and he deserves all the accolades he gets even though he would be happy not to get any, he just wants to get on with it and win the next game for his town of St. [98][99] This could be a possible reason for Jim Challinor's replacement with Eric Ashton as head coach. Saints Superstore [153] They were hammered in the 2003 World Club Challenge by Sydney by 38 points to 0. Such activities off the field and between games like fights between supporters, has led to some fans being discouraged from attending the fixture at Knowsley Road; shown by somewhat disappointing crowd figures, such as an example of 11,048 in 2010. St Helens had lead the match 12-0 until a late try by Penrith took the game into extra-time. In their rugby football days and early years as a rugby league club, St Helens wore a vertically striped blue and white jersey with blue shorts and socks. Klopp: We will do business | Chelsea transfer model impossible for manager, Carra: Everton display will worry rivals | 'Big Sam makes sense for Leeds', Transfer Centre - Neville: Spurs can't afford to lose Kane this summer, Arteta: This is not over | Lampard: Arsenal still in the title race, Brecel holds off Selby fightback to win World Snooker final, Sprint beef, Ferrari respite & reignited title fight | What we learnt in Baku, Ref Watch: 'Klopp case closed but Jota got lucky! In both sides first year in coexistence, St Helens finished yet again in a disappointing low midtable finish. [61] Perhaps the golden era of the club came in the 1960s, as well as more lately in the Super League era. [145] Ian Millward was appointed as Hanley's successor as head coach. [216] All competitive games, i.e. coming to the club, it was constantly argued that, unlike other big clubs, St Helens did not have the stadium to suit their onfield talent. However, a criticism of the St Helens scouting system is that they tend not to look at players beyond the junior ages (616 years old), and talented players who continue into amateur rugby tend to be signed very rarely. [188] In light of these decisions, neither Cunningham nor Potter halted their personal and the St Helens team quest for success; shown by their tenth successive semifinal appearance in the Challenge Cup. with the fans, a kit that featured a white dropdown V with a black and red mesh design at the bottom of the jersey. With assistant coach Kieron Purtill also leaving, the coaching reins were taken up by youth coach Mike Rush for the remainder of the 2012 season, with Keiron Cunningham acting as his assistant. Kel Coslett has made the most career appearances for St Helens, having . Players A Name Country Caps From To Notes Kyle Amor Ireland: 5 . [285], The club's jerseys were initially adorned by the town's coat of arms. Many strongholds of support also come from the Eastern side of the town; areas like Blackbrook, Haydock, and Parr. This was used until 1996, when, with the implement of Super League into the British rugby league calendar, Saints chose to display a badge that featured an overlapping "S" and "H" in red, with the club's name around the border. [87] The 196970 season would be the year that Evans would leave his post, but not without winning a National Championship, beating Leeds in the final after finishing third overall. Jake Wingfield (19), Josh Simm (21), Ben Davies (22), Dan Norman (24), Matty Foster (25) and Sam Royle (26) all move up in number from the 2021 season. [199], At the end of the Super League XXIV regular season, St Helens won the League Leader's Shield for a second consecutive year after finished 16 points clear of second placed Wigan. BBC is not responsible for any changes. James Roby will wear his . Rhyse Martin, who has looked more likely than anyone to brings Leeds back into this, scores after some neat passing between him and. is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside who compete in the Super League, the top tier for rugby league in Great Britain. In July, they beat Super League rivals, Bradford,[167] to reach the first Challenge Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium. Australian Royce Simmons took over from compatriot Mick Potter for the start of the 2011 season. 2004 saw a double curvy red V used, before, in 2005, yet again tradition was reverted to in the design and this design was used until 2009. St Helens scores, results and fixtures on BBC Sport. "I saw he was a good competitor but his engine is what stood out and he didn't put a foot wrong. Roby's career is one in which the statistics speak for themselves, with his 18-year run for St Helens presenting a list of individual and team accolades that any rugby league player would be envious of. [224] Wigan's biggest win was a 6512 win in Super League II, 1997. [9], Between 1897 and 1901, St Helens were not successful, even generally considered a midtable side. As he prepares to step out against the Leeds Rhinos at Headingley, Roby's current St. Helens team-mate, Tommy Makinson, is relishing the opportunity to take to the pitch with the Saints captain in his landmark 500th game on Friday, placing the St Helens No.9 as the best player he has lined up alongside. "The Tonga players and officials, led by coach Kristian Woolf, have pioneered the rise of international Rugby League since the 2017 World Cup and they will create further history by becoming the . The Official Online Shop of St Helens Rugby League Football Club. The traditional red V was once more reverted to, after the controversial design, with a more circular design used for the 1999 season. They did not compete in the National Championship until a 17 team Emergency War League was formed in the 194142 season,[50] and did not win any regional honours. Playing at Wembley is all St Helens skipper can think about LET. Despite such high honours, when speaking to those who have played with him, worked with him or lined up against him, they all highlight the one aspect of Roby they admire more than anything else: his humbleness.