Day two, game two of Magic Weekend in Newcastle: St Helens versus Huddersfield with the Saints hoping for a victory to get the second half of a stuttering season on track.
Huddersfield Giants had an even worse record from the last six rounds: just two wins, against Castleford and Catalans.
Saints kicked off in their 1890s retro kit of chocolate and blue, keeping the Giants within their own half and and forcing them to kick from half-way, allowing St Helens to start their first attacking kick from 20m out.
But a good Giants defensive segt forced them to kick from half-way too.
Tui Lolohea made sure that it was the Fartowners who scored first when hen he kicked to the corner after six minute for former Saints favourite Kevin Naiqama to win the race into the in-goal area and ground the ball before the dead-ball line.
Jake Connor made no mistake with the kick and Huddersfield led 0-6.
It took no time for St Helens to hit back with their own attacking high kick. The ball was caught and passed to Konrad Hurrell who powered over. Tommy Makinson's conversion attempt didn't find the posts, but Saints had narrowed the gap to 4-6.
They built on that as the half hit he midway mark, a traditional Saints move of players running, running, passing and supporting ball carriers saw Welsby dash down the left touchline before offloading in-field to Mark Percival to score under the posts. This time, Makinson made no mistake with the conversion and St Helens now had the lead in a 10-6 scoreline.
Just after, on 23 minutes, the Giants' Luke Yates was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes for a cannon ball tackle. To add to Huddersfield's woes, Joe Greenwood was knocked unconscious in a tackled by Alex Walmsley. He left the field for a head injury assessment.
Just as Yates was due to re-enter the field from the sin bin, Makinson scored a trade-mark flying try next to the corner flag - and successfully kicked the conversion - to take the score to 16-6 with five minutes to half time.
The teams returned to the field with the news thatHuddersfield's Greenwood had failed his HIA. Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook made it worse for the Giants, when the 37-year-old powered over to open the half scoring and push the scoreline to 20-16, which soon became 22-6 with Makinson's conversion.
Makinson nearly added another for two tries in five minutes when he raced away from a Theo Fages pass to touch down in the corner, only for Fages pass to be called forward.
But he repeated the move two minutes later - and this time it counted. His touchline conversion sailed through the posts and the team in chocolate and blue led 28-6.
Hurrell was the next to add to Saints' score when he ran onto the ball and planted it over the line for a 32-6 score. Makinson missed the conversion for a second time.
But he crossed Saints' fourth-second-half try on 60 minute to notch up a hat-trick and a 30-point lead in the 62nd minutes. Faced with another touchline conversion, the winger made no mistake in converting his try for a 38-6 scoreline.
Makinson added his fourth try in the corner in the 66th minute before lining up for another touchline conversion attempt – but missed it. But Saints' dominance was shown in at the 42-6 score.
Not content with that though, Wesley picked up a Huddersfield kick in the Saints 10m and set off up field before passing to Makinson who - faced with a tackle 20 yards out – slipped it out of the back of his hand Joey Lussick who scored in the corner. Makinson's touchline conversion gave him a new individual points record for Magic Weekend at 28.
Oh, and St Helens' score was 48.
But despite pressure in the final 90 seconds they couldn't make it 50 and the final score stood at 48-6 when the final hooter sounded.
Half Time: 16-6.
Full Time: 48-6.
Score progression: 0-4, 0-6, 4-6, 8-6, 10-6, 14-6, 16-6. HT. 20-6, 22-6,26-6, 28-6, 32-6, 36-6, 38-6, 42-6, 46-6, 48-6. FT
Lead Exchanges: Huddersfield - St Helens.
St Helens: Welsby; Makinson (4G, 4T). Hurrell (2T), Percival (T), Ritson; Lomax, Dodd; Walmsley, Roby, lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Bell. Subs: Mata'utia, Lussick (T), McCarthy-Scarsbrook (T), Paasi. 18th Man: Bennison.
Huddersfield Giants: Lolohea; Senior, Marstars, Naiqama (T), Bibby; Connor (G), Fages; Hill, Pats, English, Cudjoe, McQueen, Yates (Y 23min). Subs: Milner, Iahihifo, Rushton, Greenwood (HIA 25). 18th Man: Livett.
