Moses Mbye kicked a crucial drop-goal to secure a thrilling 17-16 victory for St Helens over Salford Red Devils in a heated encounter between the two sides competing for a spot in the Betfred Super League playoffs.
The match ended dramatically, with the teams tied 16-16 at full time after a contest marked by four sin-binnings. However, five minutes into extra time, Mbye delivered the decisive one-pointer, sparking jubilation among the home fans at Totally Wicked Stadium.
The first half saw St Helens take an early lead with an unconverted try from Tommy Makinson, followed by two penalties from Salford’s Marc Sneyd, ending the half at 4-4.
In the second half, tries from Joe Batchelor and Waqa Blake were answered by Nene MacDonald and Ryan Hankinson, resulting in a deadlock at the end of regular time.
Match Highlights
The rain-soaked match started with St Helens striking first, utilizing good field position to put Makinson over in the corner for a 4-0 lead. The momentum seemed to favor Saints when Salford’s Joe Shorrocks received a yellow card for a shirt pull on Daryl Clark, but the home side failed to capitalize on this advantage.
Sneyd then leveled the score at 4-2 with a penalty, and just before halftime, he added another to make it 4-4. The second half began with Blake putting St Helens back ahead, but Salford responded quickly with a contentious try from Hankinson, making the score 10-10.
Batchelor’s try—set up beautifully by Jake Burns—put the Saints in front again, 16-10. However, a chaotic sequence followed, with Morgan Knowles and Joe Batchelor both sent off, allowing MacDonald to equalize for Salford at 16-16.
In golden point extra time, St Helens won the coin toss and chose to receive the kick-off. After a patient build-up, Mbye seized the opportunity from a great break by Harry Robertson, slotting the drop-goal to clinch the win.
Post-Match Reactions
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens stated, “It was a really attritional game. Neither team backed down, which is great to see. Today was all about character, and it has to stay that way until the end of the year.”
Salford’s head coach Paul Rowley expressed pride in his players despite the disappointment, acknowledging, “We expect to win, so we are disappointed. Those moments—like letting the full-back break into drop-goal territory—are what we learn from. We have a remarkable knack of bouncing back.”
As the teams prepare for their next matches, St Helens will look to build on this momentum, while Salford reflects on another hard-fought clash in the ever-competitive Super League.
Credit: Sky Sports
