St Helens will be without star full-back Jack Welsby for up to four months with Saints plunged into spine uncertainty for a second season in a row.
After the full-back suffered a dislocated shoulder in the loss to Warrington Wolves, Paul Rowley confirmed that Welsby would miss the next three to four months, with that news throwing Saints’ spine into disarray once again.
One of the biggest talking points at St Helens has been the spine, something that Rowley himself admitted when addressing the media today (Tuesday), and it’s now a hot topic once again after Welsby’s injury.
Previous coach Paul Wellens’ apparent inability to nail his spine selection was evidenced by the fact Jack Welsby and Jonny Lomax were made half partners for the first time all year in round 27, and it seemed to be a lesson that Rowley had learnt from.
Saints quickly confirmed that Jack Welsby, Tristan Sailor, Jackson Hastings and Daryl Clark was the preferred quartet for 2026 but those plans are now up in the air just one week into the season.
Rowley admitted: “The spine chat has been going on for a long time here at St Helens and we’ve nailed our colours to the mast somewhat, which has now been derailed, not through design but more through a bit of luck.”
That bad luck now means fresh options need to be explored, with Paul Rowley explaining what those plans may be.
What options to St Helens have at full-back?
“We’ve got several options,” Rowley announced, revealing them as: “We’ve got Harry (Robertson), Nene (Macdonald) and Tristan (Sailor) there, who all play comfortably at full-back, so we’ll decide on which way we take that one.”
Of course, all three of those players have starting spots so shifting them to full-back creates a domino effect with Rowley confirming that any change may revolve around the minimal disruption to other positions.
Asked if that was the plan, Rowley said: “It is, however, we have practised with different combinations and people in different spots, so I guess our job is to pick the players that A, have performed consistently in training and earned the right, and B, that will facilitate the rest of the team the best they can.
“We feel like we’re comfortable that we’re on the right path with that and we’ll have a look at that this week against Leigh. As anything in rugby, the situation is fluid, so every week will present different challenges and every week will present us with different players that have stepped up in training or earned the right.”
One thing that he did underline was that he wants consistency in whichever route he takes given the fact this spine will be in place for up to 14 Super League games, if Welsby’s return takes the full four months.
The Saints boss said: “We’ll try and get some consistency in that area because it’s a long period of time, so we don’t want to be swapping and changing if we can help that. If we can get some consistency in that area, that’s the preferred route.”
Jonny Lomax plans explained
He also spoke separately about Jonny Lomax, revealing the former captain will be used as a utility in 2026 though he didn’t confirm if Welsby’s injury means Jonny Lomax will be parachuted back into the halves.
“It’s not changed anything because Jonny has always been, in my eyes, that person who’ll fill any of those gaps, so he’s a half or a hooker,” he explained.
“We’ll continue to use that versatility and the fact that he’s the champion bloke and player that he is. He’ll fill each role that he fulfils and he’ll do it brilliantly, so I’m not telling you.”
Should St Helens opt to move Tristan Sailor to full-back then it would open up a spot in the halves with either George Whitby or Jonny Lomax the likely man to fill that role. Alternatively, should one of Robertson or Macdonald move to full-back, Lomax would likely retain his utility role off the bench.
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