St.Helens Women delivered a statement 102-0 win on home turf, gliding past Warrington Wolves in a scintillating first game of the Group Stage for the Betfred Women's Challenge Cup!
First Half
The first five minutes were cagey, with both teams making mistakes in their first few sets, but huge tackles from the likes of Channy Crowl kept Wire in their own half. After a series of quick passes, Shona Hoyle broke the deadlock in the 8th minute, scoring the Saints’ first competitive try of the year and quickly marking her return to the Red V with a score. Faye Gaskin kicked her opening conversion of the afternoon to make it 6-0.
Saints’ second came shortly after the restart. Captain Jodie Cunningham found Gaskin, who broke through down the middle of the primrose and amber line to increase the advantage and convert her own try, 12-0.
The third try came in the 12th minute from Phoebe Hook, closely followed by Amy Hardcastle bagging her first back in Saints colours. Cunningham then grabbed one of her own in the 16th minute after a breakthrough from debutante Caitlin Casey. Gaskin made two out three of those kicks to make it 28-0.
Warrington got their first chance to break their deadlock midway through the first half. Zoe Harris lost the ball amid a tackle, the opposition tried to profit, but to no avail. Rachael Woosey played a key part in the defensive set, dragging the Wire carrier five yards back towards her own line.
After a great defensive set, the hosts struck again, with Amy Hardcastle bursting through the overworked defensive line, making a strong 30-yard run and grounding the ball perfectly beneath the sticks. Gaskin made her fifth conversion of the game, 34-0.
A late tackle on Beri Salihi saw St.Helens take advantage of a given penalty kick. Gaskin made the kick into the opposition half and Hardcastle was on hand to collect and score her third in the 34th minute. Gaskin added the extras to round it up to 40-0.
In the closing minutes of the first half, Hardcastle scored her fourth underneath the sticks, quickly followed by Woosey finding Hook on the edge, who dived into the corner to make it 50-0.
⏸️ Half time here at @twstadium for the Challenge Cup Group Stage #COYS pic.twitter.com/pjqTYQWvjh
— St.Helens Women (@saints1890women) April 12, 2025
Second Half
Warrington came out fighting at the start of the second half, wanting to put a dent in the game that was running away from them. Emily Downs was held off the line, but Saints were desperate to keep the visitors scoreless.
A knock on from Wire gave Saints an advantage. The scrum broke and Katie Mottershead made an incredible run after a quick play-the-ball from Hardcastle. Gaskin converted, 56-0.
The Saints managed to keep a strong line throughout the sets in the beginning of the half, making no room for defensive error.
The next try came in the 54th minute from Georgia Sutherland, who finished off a stunning break by Woosey, following a massive lead-up run from Gaskin. Though Gaskin missed the conversion, Saints didn’t let up, 62-0.
Zoe Harris was next to cross, finding a gap in the Warrington line and grounding the ball under the posts in the 58th minute. This time, Gaskin added the extras to make it 66–0.
Just moments later, Caitlin Casey marked her official Saints debut with a stunning try to the right of the sticks, off the back of an offload from Channy Crowl. Gaskin made the kick, 72-0.
Winger Dani McGifford then broke through four Wire bodies to score under the sticks, before Gaskin linked up with Sutherland for the latter’s second, grounding it after a well-timed dummy.
An interchange saw Faye Gaskin leave the pitch for Katie Mottershead, who made instant impact on the score, before Zoe Harris added the two, taking it to 90-0.
Georgia Sutherland secured her hat trick in the 73rd minute, with a conversion from Harris, before the crowd saw a stunning solo run from Katie Mottershead that saw her burst nearly the full length of the field, to make it 100-0. Harris added the two to close out the match.
An emphatic victory for the Saints Women’s team and a perfect start to a fourth straight Challenge Cup trophy defence.
⏹️ Full time here @twstadium
🤩 What a win for the Saints #COYS | 📸 Katie Richardson pic.twitter.com/uiocslvfve— St.Helens Women (@saints1890women) April 12, 2025
Match Summary
Saints Team: Beri Salihi, Phoebe Hook, Rachael Woosey, Amy Hardcastle, Dani McGifford, Faye Gaskin, Zoe Harris, Channy Crowl, Caitlin Casey, Darcy Scott, Shona Hoyle, Emily Rudge, Jodie Cunningham.
Interchanges: Katie Mottershead, Georgia Sutherland, Erin McDonald, Luci McColm.
18th player: Erin Stott.
Tries: Shona Hoyle (8), Faye Gaskin (10), Phoebe Hook (12, 39), Amy Hardcastle (14, 28, 34, 36), Jodie Cunningham (16), Katie Mottershead (47, 71, 75) Georgia Sutherland (54, 65, 73), Zoe Harris (58), Caitlin Casey (60), Dani McGifford (62)
Conversions: Faye Gaskin (12 from 15), Zoe Harris (3 from 3)
Warrington Wolves Team: Sydney Alderman-smith, Kerrie-Rose Evans, Hannah Goddard, Helena Turner, Libby Hadfield, Hollie Gregory, Emma Knowles, Arabella Reed, Abbie-Marie Singleton, Charlotte Nixon, Jessica Panayiotou, Olivia Argent, Emily Downs.
Interchanges: Albany Coates, Ellie Dooney, Olivia Hill, Chelsea Newton.
18th player: Regan Davies.
HT: 50-0
FT: 102-0
