The flap of a wing: How St Helens let success become stagnation
The flap of a wing: How St Helens let success become stagnation. Skip to content Explainer How St Helens let Super League success become long-term stagnation – the flap of a wing!
What happened
Wigan show Leeds the difference between champions and challengers Super League fixtures & results | Super League tableGet Sky Sports or stream contract-free on NOWChoose the Sky Sports notifications you wantThe famous question posed by meteorologist Edward Lorenz back in the 1970s was 'can the flap of a butterfly's wing in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? ' Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Leigh Leopards secured their Super League play-off place with a 48-10 victory over St Helens, who missed the play-offs for the first time in the club's history Can the smallest of changes lead to significant outcomes in the most complex of systems?
The question posed was what was St Helens' 'flap of a wing'. If this low ebb for Saints is their tornado, what exactly was the flap of the wing? Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player St Helens captain James Roby analyses the incredible try that helped them beat Penrith Panthers to win the World Club Challenge You have won it all, your players have provided every success you have asked for.
That is three people who have had eyes on St Helens' successes and failures, consistently since the 1990s. Frankly, it seems that what caused their tornado in 2026 is that they spent four years not flapping their wings at all. It was predetermined when option B was chosen – the option of standing still and attempting to not cause disruption by flapping your wings.
The wider picture
The dust has settled on the fact that St Helens have missed out on play-off rugby for the first time after their seventh-placed finish in Super League. Sky Sports' Megan Wellens dissects how St Helens succumbed to their worst-ever Super League finish in 2026; the regular Betfred Super League season concludes with Round 27 from Thursday September 10 live on Sky Sports Megan Wellens Sports Journalist @MegWellensX Monday 7 September 2026 15:12, UK Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Relive how St Helens became the first Super League side to win a record four Grand Finals in a row The dust has settled on the fact that St Helens have missed out on play-off rugby for the first time after their seventh-placed finish in Super League.
2019: The start of a run like never before Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Highlights from the 2019 Super League Grand Final where St Helens beat Salford 23-6 at Old Trafford Midway through 2017, St Helens were sitting mid-table and made the decision to part ways with head coach Keiron Cunningham and bring in Justin Holbrook. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Luke Thompson was the first prop since 1992 to win the man-of-the-match award in the Super League Grand Final Their 23-6 win over Salford Red Devils in the Grand Final was the moment that cemented that St Helens were here once again.
They had to then overcome a change of head coach but, under Kristian Woolf, success would continue. . . A collaboration between a stern coach and a group striving for success – and continuing to achieve it – was born. World Club Challenge: Everest complete Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player St Helens beat Penrith Panthers to win the World Club Challenge in dramatic fashion with an extra-time golden point winning drop goal!
When St Helens headed down under for the World Club Challenge in 2023, no one believed they could beat Penrith Panthers.
What has been reported
They had climbed to the top of Everest and planted the St Helens flag. By this point, the likes of Makinson, Lomax, Walmsley, Mark Percival, Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Sione Mata'utia had brought unprecedented success. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Jon Wilkin and Sam Tomkins were shocked by the way St Helens lost to Hull FC and looked at the massive decline of the club But, if contracts are being upgraded year on year, the space on a salary cap dwindles.
Over the next three seasons under Wellens, St Helens would make just 11 signings to replace the likes of Regan Grace, James Roby, Will Hopoate, Makinson, Lewis Dodd and Mata'utia. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player St Helens lift their fourth Grand Final trophy in a row after a 24-12 victory over Leeds Rhinos Those signings were Tee Ritson, Wesley Bruines, Daryl Clark, Waqa Blake, Kyle Feldt, Tristan Sailor, Lewis Murphy, Moses Mbye, Matt Whitley, Shane Wright and Deon Cross.
Or if they have been filled, the successor has not matched up to their predecessor. Back in 2025, former St Helens CEO Mike Rush described the club's recruitment strategy as 'Moneyball'. You sign players to fulfil particular roles, for example making lots of tackles or making metres, knowing they lack in other areas, so that you can still compete despite being hampered by a budget.
What happens next
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player On The Bench podcast with Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin, St Helens CEO Mike Rush responds to recruitment criticisms around the club "We're always going to get stuff wrong because whether it's an overseas player or not, you take risks and you gamble," Rush told Sky Sports. "Without people knowing the salary-cap value, it's very difficult. But did that mean St Helens built a cost-effective squad of players who did not deliver what was asked of them?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Jon Wilkin and Jamie Jones-Buchanan assess the problems facing St Helens after their 48-10 defeat at Leigh saw them miss the Super League play-offs for the first time in the club's history, with recruitment and squad balance coming under scrutiny "I've said it a number of times but Saints' recruitment has been shocking," Sky Sports' Jon Wilkin said. "Not only that, St Helens are not the spending force they once were.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Jon Wilkin says St Helens were irresponsible to give Paul Wellens the top job at the club so early on in his coaching career If quality drops, senior players age and suffer injuries, and more is asked of youngsters, then naturally, outcomes of seasons will change. St Helens fans did not enjoy the attritional approach to rugby under Wellens that brought them third, sixth and fifth-placed finishes that saw them make the play-off semi-finals twice in those three seasons.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across skysports.com, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.