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Paul Rowley has given his verdict on how he felt his first game in charge of St Helens went, after his side defeated Castleford Tigers yesterday.<\/p>\n
Forming part of skipper Matty Lees\u2019 testimonial, the Red Vee dismantled the Tigers 40-10, in a convincing first showing under Rowley.<\/p>\n
The new boss joined from Salford Red Devils in the off-season, and signed a three-year deal to replace Paul Wellens.<\/p>\n
Whilst the competitive action doesn\u2019t start for another fortnight, Rowley got his first taste of life as St Helens boss, and his squad\u2019s showing is a positive sign of things to come.<\/p>\n
New recruit Nene MacDonald opened the scoring, before 2025 Young Player of the Year Harry Robertson crossed shortly after. Deon Cross rounded out Saints\u2019 first half-scoring, as they went into the break with a 16-6 lead.<\/p>\n
The second half was much more dominant, and four further tries helped them to the hefty victory.<\/p>\n
Whilst they were by no means perfect, Rowley was happy with his side\u2019s efforts, and highlighted the attacking style of rugby that worked for them throughout the game.<\/p>\n
Speaking post-match, he said: \u201cI\u2019m pretty chilled about [the performance], really.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some good signs. I don\u2019t think we should ever misinterpret the want to play and express yourselves with being reckless.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019ll be some things we can tidy up. If we\u2019d have had a little bit more discipline with what we are doing, we could have put the foot on the throat a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n
As mentioned, the celebrations pre and post-match surrounded testimonial man Lees, who is celebrating a decade of service to the club and the sport.<\/p>\n
The boss had nothing but praise to say about his star forward, and praised how much of a role model he is to everyone around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fans probably emulate what the people internally think about him as well, and how can you not,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026People like Matty Lees are what the game is about. He\u2019s a true warrior, he\u2019s born and bred in the northern towns and represents them brilliantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s tough. He\u2019s a warrior. He\u2019s selfless as a captain and I think it\u2019s really pleasing he got a good turn out today in the start of what will hopefully be a really successful year for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Check out the latest episode of The Serious About Rugby League Show on our YouTube channel here.<\/a><\/p>\n Paul Rowley gives new signings verdict after strong St Helens win<\/p>\n In the game, four new signings featured, and Rowley had nothing but positives to say about their efforts.<\/p>\n Try scorer Macdonald, Joe Shorrocks, Jackson Hastings and David Klemmer all had their first taste of playing in a St Helens jersey, and each individual all played their part in the victory.<\/p>\n Giving a round-up, Rowley explained: \u201cI thought [they] all made a positive impact.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe went about his business in the way that I knew he would. He\u2019s that conduit between middles and edges He\u2019s industrious in the middle. His workload is good\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Jacko did what it says on the tin. He\u2019s a world class player and he dominates and controls games and he did exactly that.<\/p>\n \u201cKlem was what we expected, a really solid figure in the middle\u2026 and then Nene does what Nene does \u2013 entertains.\u201d<\/p>\n The Saints now don\u2019t have a fixture until they enter the Challenge Cup Third Round at the beginning of February. They will travel to the winners of the tie between Blackbrook and Workington Town, and that tie will be played today (January 25).<\/p>\n Paul Rowley gives his thoughts on our performance, Matty Lees, and our new signings following our win over @ctrlfc<\/a> in @mattylees_ Testimonial \ud83d\ude4c<\/p>\n Subscribers can watch the full video now on Saints TV \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa https:\/\/t.co\/FpxoAm2KjE<\/a>#COYS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) January 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768085712_213_srl-logo.png\"\/){kind=logo}
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