A HAT-trick of tries by St Helens’ prop Shona Hoyle ended Warrington Wolves’ Women’s dreams of appearing at Wembley.
The home team powered to a 36-0 win despite missing stars like Jodie Cunningham and Chantelle Crowl in the quarter-final of the BetFred Challenge Cup at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Warrington had little answer to the power of Saints through the middle but had enough possession on the Saints’ line to have at least registered on the score board.
Warrington started the brightest and forced a drop-out from straight from the kick off but a knock-on from winger Georgia Sutherland set the pattern of the game as time and time again the Wire made a mistake close the line when it seemed easier to score.
The home team took advantage of another mistake to send winger Lucie McColm in for the first of her two tries on 8 minutes.
With the conversion missed it looked like Warrington had levelled the scores when Sammi Simpson – playing her 50th game for the Wire – crashed over in the corner only for the referee to harshly rule she had lost the ball.
And two minutes later the home team took full advantage when a break by second rower Paige Travis – who ran hard all afternoon – ended in Darcy Stott cashing in under the sticks to make the conversion a formality for Amy Taylor.
Poor handling and a lack of discipline were to cost the visitors as they tried to find a way back into the game, and the Saints took full advantage to go into the break at 16-0 with McColm grabbing her second after the Wire were caught offside.
Wire looked up for the fight after the restart with Claire Mullaney and Abigail Latchford coming off the bench to join Amy Daniels in making some hard metres down the middle.
But any hopes of a comeback were dashed on 50 minutes when Simpson looked to have cleanly caught a kick along the line but was adjudged to have knocked the ball on. Saints did what they had been doing all afternoon and punished the mistake, with Hoyle going over for her first of the afternoon.
Hoyle ended the game as a contest when she punished some weak tackling to cross in the 62nd minute, despite a period of domination from the visitors, with both Mullaney and strong-running second rower Kacy Hayley trying to make inroads into the St Helens defence.
A try from Eboni Partington, who scythed through the Warrington defence on 70, and Hoyle’s hat-trick try in the dying seconds of the game added gloss to the scoreline and see St Helens through to the semi-finals 36-0.
St Helens:
6 Zoe Harris
3 Eboni Partington
2 Lucinda McColm
4 Naomi Williams
1 Rebecca Rotherham
7 Faye Gaskin
21 Amy Taylor
17 Philippa Birchall
9 Tara Jones
16 Darcy Stott
11 Paige Travis
12 Emily Rudge
8 Shona Hoyle
Subs
14 Victoria Whitfield
15 Alyx Bridge
16 Katie Mottershead
22 Hannah Roberts
18th player
28 HookWarrington:
1 Michelle Davis FB
2 Abigail Johnstone W
5 Sammi Simpson C
6 Shannon Stephens C
21 Georgia Sutherland W
6 Lucy Eastwood SO
7 Charlie McGraw SH
8 Armani Sharrock P
14 Grace Ramsden H
13 Amy Daniels P
11 Katie-May Williams SR
12 Kacy Hayley SR
16 Georgia Westwood LF
Subs
20 Ellie Jelves
15 Emily Downes
22 Claire Mullaney
24 Abigail Latchford
18th player
26 Amy Boardman
23 Jenna Friery
