Injuries made it difficult for us, says Saints boss Kristian Woolf

St Helens coach Kristian Woolf says losing Mark Percival and Jack Welsby to injuries were contributing factors to their defeat against Warrington.

The Saints fell short to a 20-18 defeat against the Wolves in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

England centre Percival sustained a recurring hamstring injury while teenage winger Welsby suffered a head knock.

REPORT: Warrington 20-18 St Helens: Wolves edge past Saints in Challenge Cup classic

Woolf said: “Mark Percival is a key player for us and you could see in the first 15 or 20 minutes how much impact he was going to have on the game.

“We thought we had done everything we could to get him right so we’ve got to figure out what’s going on because we can’t afford that.

“We didn’t play our best today, coupled with the fact injuries made things really difficult.

“I was happy with the effort, they played brave, but you certainly don’t plan to lose a centre and winger. We were all over the place at the end. The injuries knocked us around.”

Listen to The Final Hooter podcast, featuring exclusive interviews, every week. SUBSCRIBE to Love Rugby League on Apple Podcasts.