Campbell double sets up St Helens win over Catalans

Betfred Super League

St Helens (6) 34

Tries: Cartwright, Campbell 2, Robertson 2, Welsby Goals: Hastings 5

Catalans (12) 18

Tries: Staines, Cotric 2 Goals: Aispuro-Bichet 3

Teenager Jack Campbell scored twice on his debut as St Helens bounced back from last week's humiliation to beat Catalans Dragons in a Super League thriller at the BrewDog Stadium.

The 18-year-old, drafted in on the morning of the game after Nene Macdonald was added to Saints' lengthy injury list, joined Harry Robertson in touching down twice during a scintillating second-half fightback.

Whitewashed 46-0 by Toulouse a week ago on home turf, Saints needed a response and their patched-up side delivered it despite trailing 12-6 at the interval to all but end Catalans' play-off hopes after a fourth successive defeat.

The result moved Saints up to fifth in the table, six points off leaders Leeds Rhinos, while Catalans remain in eighth after their 11th defeat of the season.

The visitors took an eighth-minute lead through Charlie Staines after a searing break down the left from Aispuro-Bichet with Saints shorthanded as full-back Jack Welsby received treatment.

Saints hit back in the 18th minute when on-loan second-row Jed Cartwright took a chip kick from Jackson Hastings one-handed in mid-air to score against the team his father John coaches.

But Catalans regained the lead on the half hour with a fine finish from Nick Cotric after Solomona Faataape had made inroads down the left.

They could have had more but tries by Lewis Dodd and Ben Condon were disallowed and Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet was denied by a desperate last-gasp tackle by Campbell, who was playing on the wing rather than his usual full-back position.

But everything changed after the interval with Saints scoring three times in the first eight minutes.

Tristan Sailor produced a fabulous offload to send Campbell over for his first try before Tom Humphreys delivered two contrasting assists for scores by Robertson and Welsby with a pirouetting chip and a great break from the 21-year-old hooker.

Cotric crossed for his second try with another good finish in the corner as Catalans regathered themselves.

But man-of-the-match Campbell went over on the hour mark for his second try after some slick handling by Saints and Robertson finished off the scoring with a lovely jinking score at the death.

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'I was nervous as hell' - reaction

St Helens wing Jack Campbell told BBC Radio Merseyside:

"It was an unexpected call-up this morning. Half eleven I got a call. I was just sat there eating my breakfast thinking I was going to be in the squad, 20th man or something like that, then I got told I was playing on the wing. That was unexpected as well because I'm a natural full-back.

"As soon as I got the call my heart dropped, I was nervous as hell but excited as well and I loved it.

"I love playing with the reserves with my mates every week but I loved it out there as well.

"Every single one of them looked after me and took care of me."

Catalans Dragons head coach John Cartwright said:

"I think there's been three or four times since I've been here we've given up three or four tries in a ten-minute period and you've just got to start looking at where we are as a group.

"You can't be doing that. It's attitude, it's just a will and a want and getting through some tough periods."

St Helens: Welsby; Douglas, Sailor, Davies, Campbell; Robertson, Hastings; Suluka-Fifita, Burns, Host, Sironen, Cartwright, Shorrocks.

Interchanges: Sinclair, Humphreys, Marsh, Evans.

Catalans Dragons: Staines; Cotric, Aispuro-Bichet, Faataape, Laguerre; Sexton, Dodd; Allen, Tison, Maria, Rogers-Smith, Lipowicz, Bousquet.

Interchanges: Condon, Leeming, Martin, Lis.

Referee: Tom Grant.