Just watched the game back, and on reflection we were about 6 or 7 out of 10. Saints, particularly in the first half, hit close to what they can deliver on their best day (currently, yes they’ve been better, and probably will get better again, but in that moment in time, they couldn’t have done anything more).

That could give comfort, that we have more gears to go through as the test next up is significantly more challenging. But equally, we need to find a way to find calm in the chaos.

We’ll need to defend kicks in the corners well, particularly Thewlis’s side, having seen what they did to Leigh. I think back to basics is best here, Yates, Powell and Vaughan start and just be comfortable and disciplined early on.

I hear what you're saying - and Friday night will certainly be a very stern test - but I think we are actually downplaying how good a win that was on Saturday. We have got used to an under-strength Saints side being pretty average this season, but their starting 13 on Saturday contained nine of the players who became world champions just last year. They showed how good they can still be - yet we still beat them. We weren't perfect, admittedly, but it was still one hell of a win, especially given how we had to come back not only from 12 points down but also from the psychological blow of conceding that try at the death. We have a team to be proud of.

I agree - it really was a superb win.

absolutely, worse saints teams than that have took us to the cleaners in the past.

I couldn't agree more with The Speculator's post above (without being weird if I could double thumb it, I would).

The score before half time was pivotal as I'm sure that Burgess has instilled that 'we are never out of the game' mentality particularly a one score deficit. BUT to regroup and galvanise after a last minute equaliser shows some steel that we see all to rarely in such a big game environment.

BRAVO

It was a great win but if I was Burgess I would be looking at how Saints managed to get such an overlap on the last try, off something that was just straight hands out wide, there appeared to be some lazy defending in the last few minutes

I'm sure Sam will look at every area in which we could have been better. But after a brutal 78 and a half minutes by that point, I think it's fair to say that any defensive lapse was due to being knackered, and certainly not because of laziness.

Excactly this, but not obvious to all.

I have no doubts that it was a brutal game, but in those last few minutes you need to make those defensive reads, tired or not, it looked far too easy to go in at the corner, even the Saints earlier try on the right wing looked all too easy, it looked at first glance they would have been shut down easily but the shift across was too slow resulting in the try.

Fix those momentary lapses and you will be hard to break down, but if you want to go on and win silverware and do it consistently, these are the effort areas a team has to fix up and become almost a habit

Thank you so much for visiting us. It is a pity you didn't visit the forum prior to the game. Such wisdom & knowledge. Hopefully our players & coaching staff will pick up on the advice. For ever grateful.

Some lazy defensive efforts really need addressing from the 4-40 tonking we gave you not so long ago.

So to summarise Warrior Whinger, and I hope I’m not doing them a disservice “don’t make mistakes…ever…and you may win something”

I’ts like Saints fans criticising Percival for his kick. He had run his blood to water and he was on empty by that point, luckily for us.

The last minute try was a direct result of a poor kick followed by a silly ball steal. It's those two little things that allowed Saints to be in the position they were with one minute remaining. Two schoolboy mistakes that a team hoping to go to Old Trafford and win the big prize can't afford to make again. I'm sure that is Burgess' bigger gripe with the situation.

I actually wonder if our relatively easy run of games did us no favours? To suddenly rise to a game of that intensity can’t be easy. Saints had had a dry run against Leigh. Likewise Leigh v Salford. The curse of playing a second team coming back to haunt them.
By the way have I ever mentioned how much I hate it when we score really early?