St Helens coach hints at major changes after dismal Hull KR defeat

St Helens coach Paul Wellens has suggested he may make wholesale changes after their latest humiliating defeat on Saturday.

The Saints were thumped 42-6 by league leaders Hull KR to leave their play-off hopes firmly in the balance. They trailed 26-0 at half-time and did not perform much better after the break.

It means the Saints are just two points clear of seventh-placed Leeds – and Wellens warned he may now deliver major changes: before suggesting his experienced players have perhaps ‘had too much success’.

When asked if he now have to make wholesale changes, Wellens said: “Potentially.

“We spoke all week around standards as they’ve been really high for a long time and we’ve got to meet those.

“If you’re not meeting those standards, you’re not helping the team be successful.”

Wellens summed up the Saints’ display as ‘really poor’.

“We were really poor, the first 15 minutes set the tone for the game,” he said.

“There was an improvement but not the levels we need to go to. I’m loathe to say too much but we’ll make some decisions off the back of that.”

When asked what the reasons for another indifferent display were, Wellens was reluctant to comment.

He said: “There’s a number of different reasons but at the minute, I’m loathe to say too much.

“Maybe the more experienced players have had too much success.”