Game Two of the 2026 Saints Academy Tour, proudly sponsored by ASW Solicitors, saw our team dig deep to win 22-18 against Central Coast Sports College.
St.Helens’ Academy side produced a determined performance to secure the victory, holding off a spirited late comeback from their Australian opponents.
It was a contest played across three thirds, and the Saints showed attacking quality and defensive resilience to build a 16-point lead before having to dig deep in the closing stages.
Central Coast started the brighter of the two sides, using their physicality to gain an early foothold. An early Saints error handed the College possession deep inside the Saints half, and the Australian side capitalised to score the opening try.
CCSC continued to apply pressure, with an attacking kick forcing another Saints mistake close to their own line. However, a forward pass relieved the pressure and allowed Saints to regroup.
Strong carries from Cal Holmes helped Saints work their way back into the contest before a moment of attacking quality brought their first points. A superb kick over the defensive line from Joe Hart was collected by Fin Haigh, who showed excellent awareness to find Barnes on his inside. Barnes finished in the corner, with Finn James adding the conversion to level the scores.
Saints began to grow in confidence and enjoyed further attacking opportunities. Hart’s kicking game continued to cause problems, and another well-placed effort put the College fullback under pressure. One of the opposition failed to deal with a bouncing ball, allowing Haigh to pounce and finish in the corner. James added the conversion to give Saints a 12-6 advantage.
Into the second third, CCSC made an early handling error, giving Saints an opportunity to build on their lead. A late challenge off the ball then resulted in a penalty and another attacking set, although Saints were unable to turn the pressure into points.
The contest remained fiercely fought, with both sides enjoying spells of possession. A Saints chip over the defensive line was countered by the College, who broke downfield before Schuster produced an important covering effort to stop the attack developing.
St.Helens were then forced to defend a sustained spell of pressure in their own half, showing discipline before earning an offside penalty to relieve the pressure.
At the other end, Saints continued to create opportunities but struggled to find the finishing touch. A dangerous CCSC kick towards the corner was confidently collected by Cavell, who made an excellent break to gain valuable metres. His efforts were rewarded with a penalty, allowing Saints to maintain their momentum.
The standout moment of the second period followed, as Finn James produced a brilliant piece of improvisation. A clever chip over the College defensive line was not gathered by the fullback, allowing James to volley the loose ball forward. Cal Holmes added another kick to keep the move alive, and James followed up to complete a spectacular team try before converting his own score.
Saints entered the final third leading 18-6, having produced some excellent attacking rugby alongside committed defensive work.
Into the final third, the Red V started positively, with Redford producing a strong return to put his side on the front foot.
St.Helens quickly moved into attacking territory, with slick handling keeping the ball alive as they shifted play across the field. Redford produced an excellent offload to continue the move, allowing the ball to be worked back towards the outside, where Haigh finished brilliantly for his second try of the contest. The conversion was unsuccessful, leaving Saints 22-6 ahead.
However, Central Coast Sports College were far from finished. After a Saints penalty gave College the chance to kick downfield, a knock-on from the resulting tap handed possession back to St.Helens. Saints worked through their next set but were halted by a forward pass, giving College another opportunity to attack. The visitors threatened, but determined Saints defence forced an error.
St.Helens continued to put pressure on their opponents and forced another mistake in good field position, only for an obstruction penalty to bring their momentum to an end. The College made the most of the opportunity, producing an impressive attacking passage to move downfield and score. The successful conversion reduced the deficit to 22-12.
With renewed belief, CCSC came back firing. A series of powerful carries took the Australian side deep into Saints territory before they shifted the ball towards the edge, where a long-range finish brought them another try. The conversion was successful, cutting Saints’ lead to just four points at 22-18.
With the College looking to complete the comeback, Saints needed a big defensive response. Paddy Sheppard provided it, producing a thundering tackle to halt the visitors’ momentum shortly after they regained possession. CCSC continued their set but were unable to maintain possession, with a knock-on bringing their attack to an end. Saints held firm through the closing stages to secure a hard-earned 22–18 victory!
Saints will take plenty from a competitive encounter against a physical Australian side. Plenty of important contributions came from the whole squad. Although Saints will be disappointed to have allowed their opponents back into the contest after establishing a 16-point lead, they showed enough character to close out the victory and make it another valuable test on tour.
