NRL coach named as St Helens ‘number one target’ amid growing Paul Wellens exit rumours

Louis Chapman Coombe
Ben Gardiner

Ben Gardiner has been named as the leading pick to replace Paul Wellens.

Penrith Panthers assistant coach Ben Gardiner is being lined up to take over as St Helens head coach should Paul Wellens depart, according to reports Down Under. 

Pressure has been building on Wellens for a number of weeks, and following Saints’ 17-4 defeat to Leeds Rhinos at Magic Weekend on Saturday night, boiling point was reached as supporters tried to personally confront him at St James’ Park.

That defeat, which is the Red V’s third in a row, leaves Wellens’ side sat sixth on the Super League ladder: but they are only clinging on to a play-off spot on points difference as things stand having already lost five league games this term.

Their record of five wins and five defeats in Super League is identical to that of Catalans Dragons, Wakefield Trinity and Warrington Wolves, who occupy seventh, eighth and ninth spots on the ladder respectively.

Penrith Panthers assistant coach lined up for Saints job amid growing Paul Wellens exit rumours

Saints enjoyed a roaring start to the season, winning four of their first five games in all competitions and scoring 186 points in the process.

But since then, they have won just two games in Super League and were knocked out of the Challenge Cup by a Warrington side they’ve now lost seven games in a row against across all competitions.

It comes as no surprise that rumours of Wellens’ departure from Saints have been growing stronger over the last 24 hours or so, and if they prove true, reports suggest that the Merseyside outfit could well look Down Under for their new head coach.

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NRL columnist Peter Lang has added fuel to the fire, suggesting that Gardiner – who combines his role at Penrith as Samoa’s head coach on the international front – is being lined up by Saints’ bigwigs as the number one target.

Panthers assistant Gardiner joined them ahead of the 2023 campaign after spells with Wests Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Cronulla Sharks, the City Origin and New South Wales U20S.

He has gone on to help Ivan Cleary’s side to back-to-back NRL Premierships, and took on the Toa Samoa job ahead of the 2023 Pacific Championships.

With previous international experience on his CV as the New Zealand Kiwis’ assistant, Gardiner was the man that brought Samoa on their tour of England last autumn, losing the Test Series 2-0 against Shaun Wane’s side.

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NRL Ben Gardiner

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