BANK holiday Monday’s breathless blockbuster between Warrington Wolves and St Helens was generally considered to be one of the games of the season so far.

The action was intense, absorbing and pulsating, perhaps enhanced – and even encouraged – by the electric atmosphere generated by The Halliwell Jones Stadium’s largest crowd since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

Two of the tries scored, including the one by stand-off George Williams on his home Wire debut, were Super League try-of-the-season contenders befitting the quality of the encounter.

Add to that, some of the defence on show was absolutely bonecrunching.

It was credit to these arch-rivals that such a spectacle could be served up after having only played four days earlier and knowing that another monster battle awaits them in Newcastle this weekend.

The fact that Warrington ended up on the wrong side of the 24-14 scoreline was down to conceding too many penalties and failing to heap pressure on St Helens deep inside their own territory.

Through those penalties, Steve Price’s men handed their guests too much possession too easily and they are too good a team not to make the most of their time with the ball in good field positions.

The key period turned out to be the start of the second half when Warrington infringed three times leading to a hard-earned and seemingly unlikely 14-10 half-time lead was overturned.

And Saints, with the best defensive record in the competition, went on to nil The Wire in the second period to make amends for the 6-2 home loss to Warrington in July.

The Wire were second best for much of the first period and it was only through their energetic defensive performance that they kept the deficit down to 10-0.

Warrington then burst into life, with right-sided half back Williams cropping up on the left to fool Saints, break away and put the impressive Ben Currie away for a try on his 200th club appearance.

Then a shift play on the last tackle and perfectly executed offload by Jake Mamo put Josh Thewlis in space. He kicked ahead, Williams beat full-back Lachlan Coote to the bounce and then hared over for a wonderful off-the-cuff try.

But that 10-minute purple patch was as good as it got for The Wire.

INTERESTING NOTES:

- Wire's first loss to Saints in five meetings

- Ben Currie's 200th Wire appearance

- George Williams' home debut

- Tom Lineham's yellow card leads to two-match ban

MATCH FACTS:

Warrington Wolves...14 St Helens...24

Wolves: Stefan Ratchford; Tom Lineham, Jake Mamo, Toby King, Josh Thewlis; George Williams, Gareth Widdop; Chris Hill, Daryl Clark, Joe Philbin, Ben Currie, Jack Hughes, Jason Clark. Subs: Ellis Longstaff, Danny Walker, Rob Mulhern, Sitaleki Akauola.

Saints: Lachlan Coote; Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival, Regan Grace; Jack Welsby, Lewis Dodd; Alex Walmsley, James Roby, Matty Lees, Sione Mata’utia, James Bentley, Morgan Knowles. Subs: Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Agnatius Paasi, Joe Batchelor, Jake Wingfield

Scoring: Naiqama try, 15mins, 0-4; Dodd try, 19mins, Coote goal, 0-10; Currie try, 32mins, Ratchford goal, 6-10; Williams try, 37mins, Ratchford goal, 12-10; Ratchford penalty goal, 40mins, 14-10; Percival try, 47mins, Coote goal, 14-16; Bentley try, 57mins, Coote goal, 14-22; Coote penalty goal, 14-24.

Penalties: Wolves 5 Saints 9

Sin bin: Lineham, 74mins, high tackle; Widdop, 80mins, high tackle; Bentley, 80mins, retaliation

Referee: Liam Moore

Attendance: 10,006

Top Man (readers’ poll): George Williams