Smith and Ratchford return for Friday crunch

Both St Helens and Warrington are boosted by the return of key men for Friday night’s televised clash at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Smith, 29, is set to play his first Super League game for Saints since the 2010 Grand Final defeat to Wigan, having returned from the Warriors in the close season.

The former Widnes, Crusaders and Salford scrum half suffered a broken leg in the pre-season clash with the Vikings and has been forced to wait to don the red-vee once again.

Ratchford, meanwhile, suffered a serious knee injury in England training prior to the Four Nations and makes a welcome return to a Wolves side that has lost five out of five in Super League so far this season.

Saints are still waiting for full-back Jonny Lomax to return, while Warrington have lost Ryan Atkins to injury since last week’s latest defeat, at Leigh.

Saints 19-man squad: Makinson, Morgan, Percival, Swift, Faces, Smith, Walmsley, Roby, Amor, Wilkin, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Douglas, Walker, Lee, Peyroux, Richards, Owens, Ashworth, Taia.

Warrington 19-man squad: Ratchford, Evans, Russell, Brown, Gidley, Hill, Clark, Sims, Hughes, Westerman, Cooper, Dwyer, Crosby, Savelio, King, Philbin, Johnson, Livett, Westwood.