Leigh Leopards beat St Helens 48-10 to see the Saints miss out on the Super League play-offs for the first time in their history. That result, along with Hull KR's 36-6 victory over Huddersfield, confirmed the top six as Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Warrington Wolves, the Leopards, and the Robins. It means St Helens finish seventh, without the chance to compete for a spot at the Grand Final, in what marks their lowest ever ebb in Super League.
The unwanted history comes on the back of a torrid season which saw them sack head coach Paul Rowley after less than a year in charge. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Now, they will welcome Australia head coach Kevin Walters for 2027 as he looks to bring the once four-in-a-row champions back into trophy contention. It was a happier scene over in East Hull as Willie Peters got to sign off what is potentially his last home game as head coach with the play-off sealing win before he heads to NRL new franchise PNG Chiefs in 2027.
The task on the night for St Helens at the Progress with Unity Stadium was simple: Win to keep your slim hopes of play-off rugby alive. Early on they had chances to do that, but through errors lost the momentum and with a light bench, that meant trouble. Leigh then found a foothold in the contest and took it.
A kick left acres of space for Josh Charnley to walk in for his try, signing his contract extension with the club in celebration. Two minutes later, Innes Senior broke downfield and David Armstrong's pace was too much to stop, giving the home outfit a 12-0 lead in less than 15 minutes. St Helens hit back as they have good territory through the scrum and Tristan Sailor sent a nice flick pass out for Jacob Douglas to dive over in the corner.
They then came up with a sensational team try as Sailor came out to the left and then sent it out to Harry Robertson on the right who dummied and broke through. His fullback was there in support to finish off the play and then add the conversion to bring the score to 12-10. However, it took just three minutes for Leigh to reinstate their advantage.
Senior ripped through the left edge once again and this time, Umyla Hanley went through a huge gap left as Matty Evans looked to be taken out by Adam Cook. With the try confirmed and extras added, Leigh made sure to add one more blow just before the break as Cook kicked on a speculative pass from Edwin Ipape to score under the sticks then convert for a 24-10 lead at half-time. Things went from bad to worse early in the second half as stalwart centre Percival was sent to the sin bin for a high shot, the Saints faithful sending off their man with applause after he announced he will retire as a legend of the club at the end of this season.
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