St Helens tie down key England international with length of contract revealed

St Helens have secured the services of England international prop Matty Lees until the end of the 2029 campaign. 

The front-rower rose through the Saints academy and has spent the entirety of his career with the club.

St Helens tie down Matty Lees to long-term deal

Commenting on the news, Lees said: “I’m really excited, this is such a great club and I’ve got lots of great memories here over the last few years. We’ve probably struggled the last couple of years but the memories I have at this club are unbelievable and I want to try and carry that on.”

“I want to try and get us back on track, that’s a real focus of mine and the next big challenge for me as a leader in this team. I want to try and put my mark on it now and really hold our own.”

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“I want to win silverware, that’s what everybody wants out of this club. Especially for the new players, for them to experience what it’s like winning, it’s a great feeling and I very much think that we can achieve this in the next few years.”

Lees made his senior debut for the Saints back in 2017, and has become a mainstay in the squad ever since. To date, he has notched a solid 166 appearances in the Red Vee.

He has also become a key cog in Shaun Wane’s England pack since his Test debut in 2022, and has won nine caps at the time of writing.

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens added: “Matty has been incredible from the very first day he came into the Club, and his influence on the team has grown. Now, he is very much a leader in every sense of the word and we are delighted that Matty will continue his career with us.”

“His teammates look up to him and respect him, and that will only grow moving forward. Matty is an elite player, an international-class player, and someone that I think not just people in this club but everybody can look at with the way he plays and you have to respect him for what he does on the field.”

“We want to build our team around people like Matty Lees and he’s a great influence not only on the senior players but also the young players. The likes of George Delaney and Noah Stevens, young middle forwards have that role model in Matty to look up to.”

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