Feldt scores four tries as Saints thrash Salford

Betfred Super League

Salford (0) 4

Tries: Hill

St Helens (20) 46

Kyle Feldt scored four tries and kicked three goals as St Helens thrashed bottom side Salford Red Devils.

Saints beat Paul Rowley’s troubled team 82-0 on the opening day of the Super League season in February and went close to bookending it with another nilling at the Salford Community Stadium.

Sam Hill went over for the hosts in the final minute to avoid another shutout, after Feldt’s tries, two from Harry Robertson and one each for Alex Walmsley, Curtis Sironen and debutant Owen Dagnall set up the rout.

Saints’ victory was their third in their past four matches and moved them into fifth place in the table, three points adrift of Leigh Leopards in fourth and four behind Leeds Rhinos in third.

This was a strange watch at times, with dominance from Saints and indiscipline and handling errors from Salford framed by patches where the hosts might have made more of their possession.

Yet they were on the back foot early, with the visitors racing into a 20-0 lead in 25 minutes, with tries from Sironen, Alex Walmsley and the first two of a quartet from Feldt.

The hosts gained a foothold of sorts after cutting out errors from that point to the half-time siren, but it did not translate into points and in the second half they were blown away.

The understandable frustration spilled over into a couple of flashpoints after Robertson and Feldt extended the lead to 30-0.

Saints’ Walmsley and Matty Foster sparked a mass confrontation around the hour mark and the match simmered from there to the hooter.

With the club still operating under salary-cap restrictions, ongoing uncertainty over the ownership and this being a 13th defeat in 14 matches, Salford fans deserve credit for sticking behind their side.

At the close, Rowley’s team received notable recognition from the stands as the home support acknowledged that effort levels did not dip despite the scoreline.

Yet warm applause will not move them up the table and ultimately once again they found an opposition in St Helens too slick in the crunch moments up front and too solid in defence.

St Helens coach Paul Wellens

“Curtis (Sironen) came off – he had pretty bad back spasms – George (Whitby) failed a HIA and Joe (Batchelor) came off with what seems calf issue. It was good to come here and get a result but it has come at a bit of a cost.

“Given it’s Sunday and we play Friday (against Leeds Rhinos), it’s asking a lot for them to turn things around for Friday.

Salford: Connell, Vaughan, Hankinson, Warren, Hill, Marsters, Brierley, Ormondroyd, Morgan, Hill, Wright, Foster, Shorrocks

Interchanges: Sangare, Wilson, Glover, Chan

St Helens: Sailor, Feldt, Robertson, Cross, Dagnall, Lomax, Whitby, Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Whitley, Knowles

Interchanges: Batchelor, Mbye, Delaney, Stephens