Ben Barba’s silky double caps impressive St Helens win at Warrington

With the League Leaders’ Shield and a home semi-final in the play-offs long since secured for St Helens, it is easy to suggest there is little riding on their final two league games before the serious stuff gets underway in a fortnight’s time.

However, with Wigan and Castleford both showing signs of hitting form at just the right time in recent weeks, and the Saints doing anything but, it was perhaps important that the runaway Super League leaders showed at least a semblance of the early-season form that saw them sweep aside all comers. In the end, that is exactly what they produced here.

Perhaps too much has been made of the dip in form that saw many assess the Saints as vulnerable going into the play-offs – but this was a welcome return to form for the league leaders as they dispatched a Warrington side who they will meet again in a fortnight’s time in the play-offs.

“It’s been awkward, knowing you’re playing them again in two weeks,” the St Helens coach Justin Holbrook, said. “But we’ve only lost four times in the league this year, how can that be a bad thing? When you’re guaranteed a home semi before the Super 8s even start, motivation levels can’t stay that high. The buzz is coming back now.”

Here, the Saints were worthy winners, and as well as a fine all-round display from Holbrook’s side, how pleasing it must have been for their supporters to see Ben Barba, like his teammates, show signs of his destructive best once again.

Barba’s future has been in the headlines, with the Man of Steel favourite almost certainly returning to the NRL with North Queensland in 2019. That has coincided with a dip in form but here his 26th and 27th tries of the league season underlined a superb individual performance from the Australian.

“He’s had some niggling injuries in the last few weeks, but he’s over them,” Holbrook said of the full-back. Barba was just as impressive defensively here, helping the Saints to a 12-6 half-time lead with tries from Luke Douglas and Regan Grace for the visitors.

“I was looking for a better display,” said the Warrington coach Steve Price, and they were well-beaten in the second half here. First Jonny Lomax scored from a sublime Mark Percival pass, and on the following set Danny Richardson started and finished a move that had earlier seen Ryan Morgan break away.

Then Barba took centre stage. First, he scampered through a tiring Warrington defence for his first, before again showing all his skill for his second in the final quarter.

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