St Helens take on Halifax Panthers on Friday night in the Sixth Round of the Betfred Challenge Cup, with kick-off scheduled for 7:45pm. Ahead of the game Paul Wellens has named his 21-man squad for the knockout fixture, with the winning side booking their spot in the quarter-finals.
This match will be broadcast live on Viaplay Sports – details of how you can tune in are listed at the bottom of this page.
It is the Red V’s first visit to Halifax’s home stadium The Shay in twenty years, and our first meeting against the West Yorkshire side since 2019 when we faced off in the semi-final of the Challenge Cup in Bolton, and on that day Saints beat a stubborn Halifax side 26-2.
There are three changes to the St Helens squad that was declared for last Saturday’s victory over Salford Red Devils. Curtis Sironen picked up a one-match suspension, and Matty Lees following an independent tribunal received a two-match suspension, meaning both are unavailable for this game.
Captain James Roby made history last Saturday by becoming St Helens R.F.C.’s all-time match appearance record holder with his 532nd game in the famous Red V, but he is not named in the 21-man side for this Friday’s fixture against Fax. Wellens squad is hugely boosted though with three key forwards stepping into the 21-man squad.
Sione Mata’utia is back in the squad declaration for the first time since the Good Friday Derby where he received a bad head knock requiring him to be stretchered off the field, but following clearance from a specialist he could make his return to action against Halifax.
Agnatius Paasi has also not featured since the Easter game due to a knee injury that required minor surgery, but the Tongan powerhouse prop could be back on the field for Saints on Friday night.
Morgan Knowles has now finished his five-match suspension and is available for selection too.
Wellens confirmed ahead of the game on Saturday that Konrad Hurrell was stood down due to needing to see a neck specialist. During his pre-match press conference this week Wellens confirmed that the centre has seen the specialist and that active measures are being taken to stop the symptoms Hurrell is experiencing and so will be unavailable until they have subsided.
21-man squad vs Halifax Panthers
1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Will Hopoate, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 8. Alex Walmsley, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 12. Joe Batchelor, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Joey Lussick, 15. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jake Wingfield, 19. James Bell, 20. Dan Norman, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 25. Tee Ritson, 30. George Delaney, 34. Wesley Bruines.
Over 1,100 of the Saints faithful are making the journey to West Yorkshire and tickets are still available to be in that number!
CLICK HERE FOR TICKET & COACH TRAVEL DETAILS
How to watch Halifax Panthers vs St Helens with Viaplay in the UK
- Sky customers signing up at www.viaplay.com can watch live this Friday on Viaplay Sports 1, channel 412. New customers can subscribe from just £11.99 per month with no connection fee. Viaplay customers on Sky will also receive free access to the Viaplay streaming service by registering here – https://viaplay.com/gb-en/premier-sports
- Online Streaming Service (Web, iOS App, Android App): www.viaplay.com Watch live online just £11.99 per month.
- Virgin customers: Viaplay Sports channel 551. You can subscribe for £12.99 per month via the provider with no connection fee or minimum contract. Call 0845 840 7777 or set up viewing via box. (Press Home > Apps and Games > All Apps > TV Upgrades.)
- Amazon Prime. Viaplay is available on Amazon from £14.99 per month for Prime customers. New customers can sign up here – https://rb.gy/cpmg3e
- Samsung. Viaplay is available on Samsung from £14.99 per month. New customers can sign up directly on the Samsung platform.
- Roku. Viaplay is available on Roku from £14.99 per month. New customers can sign up directly on the Roku platform.
