St Helens' Jack Welsby praises referee for dramatic call in Leeds Rhinos drama

05 March 2023 , 11:20

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St Helens' Jack Welsby clashes with Leeds Rhinos' Sam Walters (Image: PA)

Penalised St Helens star Jack Welsby was shocked by Chris Kendall’s controversial call - but praised the referee for showing a “strong mind” as the World Club Challenge champions fell.

Less than a fortnight after beating NRL premiers Penrith by a point in Sydney, Saints were on the wrong end of a drop-goal defeat against Leeds on Friday. The Super League champions blew a 24-12 lead before seeing Rhinos’ Blake Austin’s snatch a 25-24 success with just 25 seconds remaining.

But Saints were seething after Rhinos’ forward Sam Walters escaped punishment for an alleged shoulder charge on Matty Lees in front of the Leeds posts shortly before Austin’s killer play.

The officials deemed it a fair challenge and a penalty was instead given against the hosts after England full-back Welsby ran in, starting a melee. Welsby, 21, admitted: “I was a bit shocked. I thought it was a clear shoulder charge and that’s why I reacted how I did. But obviously it’s gone the other way.

“You can’t blame the ref. He’s got to make a decision on the spot and I’m glad he made the decision he did with a strong mind and wasn’t umming and ahhing. I have to take it on the chin and learn from it.”

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Four-peat champions Saints were then reduced to 12 men when Konrad Hurrell was red-carded for a high tackle on Richie Myler. There’d been fireworks beforehand to celebrate their homecoming but, in a rematch of last year's Grand Final, Rhinos ruined the party. Saints kicked off their title defence with a win at Castleford last Sunday and, on the back of their Australian trip, they did look jaded at times against Leeds.

But Welsby insisted: “There’s no excuses. I know we went Sunday/Friday but we’d enough time to prepare and were well in it. We knew Leeds would come with loads of energy. But we felt pretty comfortable going into that last 20. We should have wrapped the game up. Instead, they turned it on and got a well-deserved win at the end.”

David Craven