St Helens coach lauds ‘phenomenal’ Jack Welsby: ‘Scary thing is there’s still more improvement in him’
Jack Welsby in action for St Helens
St Helens boss Paul Wellens labelled superstar Jack Welsby as ‘phenomenal’ after the full-back produced an inspiring display in their win over Leeds Rhinos.
The England international scored two tries to help Saints return to winning way, with his spectacular second effort sealing a 22-18 victory for Paul Wellens’ side on Friday night.
Asked about Welsby after the game, Wellens told Sky Sports: “Phenomenal. He can probably do things on the rugby field that others can’t do.
“I think in the competition there’s only him, Jai Field and Bevan French who can score that try and his quality is there for all to see.
“The scary thing about Jack is that there’s still a bit more improvement in him, the way he manages games at times can improve but when you can do stuff like that you can always affect a game.”
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Wellens added: “Jack’s try was absolutely breathtaking.
“There’s only him and maybe Bevan French and Jai Field in the competition who could score that try. The fans come to games to see moments like that.
“It has been a challenging week for us as a club and a disappointing week. But we had a choice on where to channel our emotions and I am so lucky we have a group of individuals who are honest who want to go out and perform.
“Our squad is fairly deep and what we have is a lot of lads who aren’t getting regular opportunities. But we saw tonight that they gave everything – absolutely everything they have got.”
‘Hopefully we can build on this’ – Will Hopoate hails St Helens spirit in Leeds win
Saints were without nine first team squad members for the home game against Leeds, and Hopoate praised the side’s character to get the win.
“Obviously it came to the wire and I think it shows the character of our team with a number of players out, to come away with a gutsy win like that is pleasing,” Hopoate told Sky Sports after the game.
“This game and the past couple of games has felt like finals rugby. I think it puts us in the good stead for the back end of the season when things really matter, so hopefully we can build on this.”