Pre-season you would have got very long odds that Saints would be taking on Warrington Wolves in round six with both sides in the bottom three. The Wolves are still looking for their opening win of the season while a decent win for the Saints would see them propelled up the table.

Coach Cunningham was delighted to be able to name half-back Matty Smith in starting line up for the first time in 2017, but Tony Smith welcomed back inspirational full-back Stefan Ratchford, also making his first start this campaign.

It was an early season must win game for both sides.

The sides were evenly matched in the early encounters with both sides falling foul of forward passes and knock-ons. There was exactly thirty minutes on the clock when Matty Russell failed to ground a James Roby grubber kick as it bounced into goal and Zeb Taia was first on the scene to ground the loose ball. Mark Percival added the extra two for Saints to take the lead.

After waiting for thirty minutes for the first try we had to wait just a further three for the second, when a Matty Smith kick to the corner was grounded in goal by Jack Owens. Percival converted in off the upright for a 12-0 lead.

The gap was again three minutes to Saints third of the evening. An expansive passing move down the left wing ended with Adam Swift taking a Percival pass to wrong foot Stefan Ratchford and touch down one-handed. Percival made it a personal three from three and a triple whammy had stunned the Wolves who trailed 18-0 at the interval.

After a diabolical end to the first half, the Wolves had the best start to the second when Kurt Gidley took a Kevin Brown pass to dive over under the sticks. Ratchford added the simple extra two for 18-6.

Percival missed a penalty a forty-eight, but made the most of a second opportunity on fifty-three after Warrington were penalised for interference at the play the ball.

The game was in the bag for Saints on sixty-two when Adam Swift grabbed his second try when he picked up a Jon Wilkin bouncing grubber and avoided two tacklers to twist and he went to ground to score. Percival slid the ball wide of the uprights but with an eighteen point lead and sixteen left on the clock the points were in the bag.

A seventy-third minute Matty Smith drop goal from twenty metres ended any Wolves hopes of a fightback and extended the lead to nineteen points at 25-6.

Alex Walmsley scored Saints fifth try of the night on seventy-seven as he wove his way through a tired Wolves defence. Percival added the extras for a big 31-6 win for the Saints.

There was little to choose between these two sides in the opening half-hour but a six minute blitz, during which the Saints went 18-0 ahead, was enough to win the game over a Wolves side low on confidence and low on ideas. This wasn't a vintage Saints performance but was more than enough on the night to secure the two points which will lift them into the top eight.

It was another woeful night for Warrington and their supporters and after six straight Super League losses perhaps 2017 is not going to be Warrington's year.

Saints: Makinson, Owens (T), Morgan, Percival (5G), Swift (2T), Fages, Smith (DG), Walmsley (T), Lee, Douglas, Taia (T), McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Wilkin. Subs: Amor, Roby, Walker, Peyroux.

Wolves: Ratchford (G), Russell, Evans, King, Johnson, Brown, Gidley (T), Hill, Clark, Cooper, Westwood, Hughes, Westerman. Subs: Sims, Dwyer, Crosby, Livett.

Referee: James Child.

Half-Time: 18-0.

Full-Time: 31-6.

Attendance: .