FROM THE ARCHIVES

Big Wraps

For anyone watching sport in the winter months, there were certain items that were deemed to be essential to keep warm. Overcoats, hats and of course scarves were common. There was not the range of heavy-duty clothing like today in your favourite team’s colours, for the colder months.

It was possible to identify with your favourite team by wearing a bobble hat – as worn today – in red and white, and scarves too.

Many fans had the names of the team embroidered onto the scarf itself to customise it. Two years after I was born my grandmother gave me a red and white scarf that she had put the players’ names on from the 1956 Challenge Cup final. My first Wembley was 1961 and by then, my scarf was ‘out of date’ with only Austin Rhodes and Vince Karalius who were left!

I’ve kept the scarf and was previously displayed in Heritage Alcove at the rear of the Saints’ Store.

Bucket List

St.Helens R.F.C. bucket hats would originally come into vogue during the boiling hot summer of 1976. Bucket hats are also called fishermen’s hats, Irish country hats or even session hats.

It features a narrow downward sloping brim. These were usually made of cotton fibre such as denim or canvas, or even heavy-duty wool such as tweed. They sometimes have metal eyelets placed on the crown of the hat for ventilation – an absolute must at the scorching ‘Dad’s Army’ Challenge Cup final at Wembley in 1976. Only one problem with them. Unless logos are embroidered, rather than screen-printed, they soon lose their appearance after successive washings and fade rapidly.

The example shown here has never been worn and was probably made for the 1987 Wembley final against Halifax. Since their appearance as a high fashion item in the 1960s, they remain popular with festival goers today.

NAME’S THE SAME

Ahead of the Round 11 game against Catalans Dragons, we take a look at two of our overseas stars from the early and latter days of Super League!

#1057 Vila Matautia [1995-2001]

81 [41] appearances 8 tries 27 points
Debut: 14th April 1995: Wigan 34 St Helens 18 [Lge]
Last match: 6th October 2001: Wigan Warriors 44 St Helens 10 [SLEF]
Club Honours: Challenge Cup final [1996 1997 2001] Grand final [1999] World Club Challenge [2001]
Representative honours: Western Samoa [1995] USA [2000]

Vila Matautia first came to our attention for newly-promoted Doncaster against St Helens in a First Division fixture at Knowsley Road at the start of the 1994-95 season which the Saints duly lost. Fans will recall a huge guy in the centres with his socks rolled down, who took several players to stop his progress every time he got the ball.

It was not long before Doncaster`s financial troubles meant that Vila Matautia was headed for Knowsley Road and over the next few years he developed into one of the most explosive impact players in the Super League competition. Vila is from a Western Samoan family who moved to Auckland when he was young.

At times his tackling technique needed some fine tuning, but it always seemed his reputation was instrumental in him getting more than his fair share of fines and suspensions.

Vila won virtually every honour in the game whilst at St Helens and he had a final fling with Leigh Centurions before retiring from the game. Many people were breathing a sigh of relief on hearing that news!

#1260 Sione Matautia [2021-24]

85 appearances 17 tries 1 goal 70 points
Debut: 26th March 2021: St Helens 29 Salford Red Devils 6 [Lge]
Last match: 28th September 2024: Warrington Wolves 28 St Helens 22 [SLEF]
Club Honours: Grand final [2021 2022] World Club Challenge [2023]

A top class signing for the Saints with a fabulous pedigree in the game: captain of Australian Schoolboys and represented the Green and Golds at full international level aged just 18 years and 129 days – the youngest player to do so; 124 games for Newcastle Knights [captain aged 20], scoring 31 tries, who also represented Samoa and the NRL All Stars.

Sione is the younger brother of Peter [Castleford Tigers/Warrington] as well as NRL players Chanel and Pat. The complete forward, with surging runs and bone-crunching tackles, essentially as a second-rower, he missed the 2021 Challenge Cup final through suspension but came back with a vengeance to help Saints to Grand final glory at the end of the campaign and made it a ‘double’ after the defeat of Catalans Dragons at Old Trafford in 2022.

Sione was a key member of the team that lifted the World Club Championship after the defeat of Penrith Panthers in their own backyard in 2023. A great player and true fans’ favourite.