Disappointed with the amount of gloom, we have a few players to come back, Catalan was always a banana skin, and a win at saints was always a tuff ask with injuries and some players not fully fit, however we are third, and have already put rhinos to the sword, and I see no crisis ahead, but gradual improvement, the return of England will ease pressure on hilly and Simms, and Joel will give us that cutting edge finishing we need,, so on to Huddersfield ,, victory and we are nicely positioned !!
We are always in the fight!!

Exactly we were far worse off this time last season and smith found a way for us to get some momentum. We weren't far off last year and we will be there or thereabouts again once we get some rhythm. It'll come.

The negativity on here is rather astonishing.

We have just a lost a game (that we could have won) to the 2014 GF winning side away from home.

It is impossible to play at your very best every week!

Thought overall we were very comfortable last night and should have won by a bigger margin. We seemed to switch off towards the end and the tries we gave away to Higham (albeit earlier in the night) and Hill were diabolical! We'll need to work on our concentration if we want to win it again this year, which we SHOULD do, as I feel we've got the best squad. Not counting chickens though, should have won it in '07 and '08, you should have won it in '11, so we know what can happen.

All that said, I still think you're the team that's going to contest the trophies with us this year. I thought last night was an off night for you rather than an indication of where you're at. You were much better against Leeds last week. Also agree with the sentiments from a few of you about Penny, been really impressed with him. Probably your best back throughout the season so far! No need to panic for you lads, you'll be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. You were much worse at the beginning of last year and you still managed to come close. Probably should have beat Wigan in that semi.

And had we'd beaten wigan we'd have rinsed saints in that final!

No chance. It was written in the stars that Saints would win that day. Instead of Ben Flower taking leave of his senses, it would just have been Benny Westwood. If anything you saved yourself the misery and expense.

I think you will do it this year. Leeds are having one last push before retiring Peacock, Sinfield, McGuire and Burrow and disappearing into a transitional year or three but will ultimately fall short, Wigan are shocking and will be lucky to avoid relegation and Saints are again resembling an infirmary during the war more than a honed outfit. If we got our first choice 17 available for the play offs I genuinely don't think we'd be beaten, but what are the chances of that actually happening? Law of averages has it you'll win it this year, you've been strong enough to for about five years now.

Saddened in "talking out of his a**e" shocker......

Saints fans genuinely believe that game was won in the middle?

Their backs made most of the yards and mainly down their left.

Didn't think it was a particulary great forward game from either side.

Is Mugwump still going to try to fish?

Our top 3 of our top 4 metre makers were forwards? Vea (202m), Walmsely (180m) and Amor (108m)

That's decent forward play.

More than the metres made, our middle kept you contained in general and limited the creative play you were able to pull off, much in the same way you did to Leeds the week before. Just my opinion.

Almost everybody that actually watched the game did...

the game was won at half back..average wilkin bossed it aginst our clueless 2

nowt too much in the backs, although they did kick much better than ours, I thought last night Sir A M.

We were out muscled up front, I think our props were/are just too dam soft. Sims isn't the enforcer he was bigged up to be. He's up to a stone too light to be a big hitter. I wouldn't start with him as prop until he has second helpings of everything for the next month.

I know Asotasi isn't the Messiah either but it takes 4 men to stop him unlike Sims who get downed by the standard 2 plus a covering 3rd.
I start with Big Roy for the first 10 and use him like a Paliasina, to soften them up and them get the more mobile Sims on for the next 30.

I say RD don't you be praising Roy ,the men in white coats will be coming to take you away. Roy is much better than his first season display & will probably be one of our best forwards this year.

Ha ha big Roy!! If he's the answer to our forward play then we are in the poop!!
He was that shocking last year that anything will be an improvement this season from last ,, he walks the ball in!! And is riding his 160,000 a year contract with out over exertion ready to cash in his pension and hang his boots up,, Simms and hill backed by a fit England will give the boost we need, and I'm hoping he's off the team list, Simms will come good once conditioned, but that's just IMO,,
Up wire!!!

Saints won, and deservedly, because of their control of the "ruck". If you watch the game again and count how many times we were tackled on to our backs, slowing down the ptb, and the watch how, when Saints were tackled, they fought to go to ground on their fronts and facing the right way. That speeds up their ptb.
Mind you, I wasn't overly happy with the inconsistent refereeing at the "ruck" when the shout of "move" was heard before the tackle was complete on occasions.