Rugby League: Anderson warns Saints against complacency

Aug 17 2007 by Ian Laybourne, Liverpool Daily Post

TABLE-TOPPING duo St Helens and Leeds have pledged to guard against complacency when they take on Super League relegation-threatened opponents tonight.

Leaders Saints, whose two-point cushion was erased by their shock defeat in Perpignan last Saturday, visit bottom-of-the-table Salford while Leeds – who trail their title rivals only on points difference – are at home to 11th-placed Hull KR.

If St Helens coach Daniel Anderson had been hoping to rest players ahead of next week’s Challenge Cup final against Catalans Dragons, their 21-0 defeat in France quickly forced a change of plan.

“All the blokes are disappointed and will be looking to redeem themselves,” he said. “We are definitely wary of Salford, who are a side that are pretty desperate for points at the moment. We have had some tough matches there over the years and it is always a difficult place to visit.”

The champions will be without four members of their likely Cup final squad, with Paul Wellens, Maurie Fa’asavalu and Willie Talau having picked up injuries in Perpignan and Leon Pryce still suspended. They have called up Scott Moore, Matty Smith, Stephen Tyrer, Dean McGilvray and Chris Dean, who is set to make his debut.

Ten years on from guiding Saints to a successful defence of their trophy at Wembley, Shaun McRae – now into his eighth match as Salford coach – has every sympathy for Anderson but is not anticipating any favours from his old club.

“I remember back in 1997 I certainly didn’t rest anybody,” said McRae. “I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, perhaps we didn’t have the same size of squad in those days.

“If players are injured, they are injured. I would do exactly the same, if I was coaching a team in the Cup final. If I had anybody with any niggling injury whatsoever I wouldn’t play them. But, whoever turns up for St Helens, I would expect an intensity in the way they play. I would expect they would be very upset at losing last week in France. They’ll be hurting form the fact that they didn’t score a point. It’s just another massive challenge for us. I think after losing last week, there will be less chance of any complacency. I think that might have been a wake-up call – they’ve been woken up too early from my point of view.”

Leeds will also be wary of Hull KR, having suffered a surprise 22-20 defeat at Craven Park in March, a result which briefly put the Super League newcomers at the top of the table after five rounds.

Rovers have won two of their last four matches to pull three points clear of Salford and Rhinos coach Tony Smith insists he is taking nothing for granted against Justin Morgan’s team.

“We saw last week how competitive Super League is this year with the team that was in 10th beating the team that are top and it just goes to show that no result these days are unusual,” said Smith. “We need to make sure that we don’t fall victim to a results like that. Hull KR have done really well in their debut season in Super League and we will need to be at our best against them.”

“They have got a lot of experienced players who have gelled well together and they will have no fear coming to Headingley Carnegie.”

Tomorrow’s other match brings together two of the competition’s form teams, with Wakefield and Hull doing battle at Belle Vue for a play-off spot.

The Wildcats have won six of their last nine games to give themselves a great chance of a top-six finish, while Hull have surged to fourth place after losing just one of their last six matches.

“It’s fifth versus fourth so it’s a big game,” said Wakefield coach John Kear.

“They played really well against Warrington last week. They’ve always had exciting strike players and Matthew Head has added another organisational dimension to them.”

Hooker David March, one of five players being released at the end of the season, will lead the Wildcats out for their last home game of the regular season.

He is being cut, along with twin brother Paul, full-back Mark Field, winger Waine Pryce and forward Mark Applegarth, and Kear admits it was a tough decision.

“Paul has been her six or seven years in his two spells and David has been here 10 so they’ve made big contributions to the club,” said Kear.

“I can’t speak highly enough of them. It has been a tough decision. They’re great characters and contribute so much.

“If somebody doesn’t snap them up, they’d be foolish because they’ve still got a lot to contribute.

“We feel as if we’ve identified people who can take the club forward. It’s the harsh realities of business and only time will tell if it’s the right decision.

“Our captain Jason Demetriou was the one who suggested David leads the team out tomorrow. I thought it was a touching suggestion.

“I think it will be an emotional time for both of them and I’d love the crowd to come along and get behind them and acknowledge what they’ve offered to this club.”

Meanwhile, Challenge Cup finalists Catalans Dragons are to rest ever-present forwards Jerome Guisset and Alex Chan for this weekend’s engage Super League match at Warrington.

Guisset and Chan are two of only three players to have appeared in all the Dragons’ 27 League and Cup matches this year, and coach Mick Potter wants to make sure they are fresh for the Wembley clash with St Helens on Saturday week.

Their places are taken by Adel Fellous and Lionel Teixido, while centre Vincent Duport and prop Mathieu Griffi also return on Sunday after missing last week’s 21-0 win over Saints through injury.

Catalans may give a debut to Test three-quarter Cyril Stacul, who has joined the club from Villeneuve and is named in Potter’s initial 20-man squad.

Stacul made his debut for France in their 42-14 defeat by Great Britain at Headingley in June.

Australia-born Ashley Klein has been appointed as referee for the Carnegie Challenge Cup final, while between Catalans Dragons and St Helens at Wembley on Saturday week. Warrington’s Phil Bentham will be the video referee.