St Helens v Leeds Rhinos predictions & rugby league tips: Saints set for history

Rugby league tips, best bets and stats for the Betfred Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Arena & Main Event, 6pm Saturday

Best bets

St Helens -6
2pts Evs general

St Helens penalty first scoring play
1pt 6-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Leeds penalty first scoring play
1pt 13-2 Betfair, Paddy Power

Drop goal to be scored
1pt 5-2 bet365

Already advised

St Helens to win the Grand Final
3pts 5-4 Sep 9

St Helens to win the Grand Final
5pts 9-4 Feb 9

Grand Final preview

The two most successful sides in the Betfred Super League lock horns in the Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday evening with reigning champions St Helens set to etch their names further in the history books at the expense of old rivals Leeds Rhinos.

It's eight titles apiece with Saints looking to be crowned league champions for the fourth consecutive year, and it's hard to see the Red Vee slipping up now with an unprecedented quadruple within touching distance.

Kristian Woolf's men are warm favourites for victory inside 80 minutes in Manchester and they would love to send their departing coach back down under clutching another winners ring.

Woolf, who will take up a role as assistant coach to Wayne Bennett at new NRL side the Dolphins, has led Saints to two league titles and a Betfred Challenge Cup win in his time at the Totally Wicked Stadium, and his side have dominated the Rhinos in recent times, winning each of their last 11 meetings and with something to spare on most occasions.

The last seven tussles have yielded an aggregate score of 258-52 in St Helens' favour with Leeds limited to single-figure scores on three occasions and nilled twice in that time.

You have to go all the way back to March 2018 to find the last time the Rhinos beat Saints and that highlights the enormity of the task facing them on Saturday.

However, Saints won't take the Rhinos lightly, and nor should they, as the Headingley men pitch up at Old Trafford as the form side in Super League.

Leeds have won 13 of their last 18 matches to lift themselves from the doldrums to title contenders in the space of four months. Their recovery under new coach Rohan Smith has been astonishing and they find themselves just 80 minutes away from becoming the competition's most successful side once again.

But standing in their way is a red and white wall and the Rhinos must find their way through the best defence in the competition.

St Helens conceded just 386 points in the regular season, an average of just under 14 per game, with Leeds' failure to post scores against their old foes already highlighted.

Grand Finals are notoriously tight, the last eight have featured winning margins of two, four, 17, eight, 18, six, two and eight, but this could be one occasion where victory may be more comfortable.

Leeds are pitching up in the season decider for the first time since 2017 and the majority of their squad are tasting the big occasion for the first time.

Saints, on the other hand, are brimming with Grand Final experience and there is every chance the Rhinos could freeze under the Old Trafford floodlights.

St Helens have covered the handicap in eight of their last nine meetings with Leeds and a six-point line looks well within reach at Old Trafford.

Points will be taken at every opportunity on Saturday evening, so back either side to open the scoring courtesy of a penalty goal, while a successful drop-goal also looks a decent wager with so much at stake.

Leeds have faced two bruising contests to reach this stage and will have to make do without star half-back Aidan Sezer and long-term absentees Harry Newman and Morgan Gannon.

St Helens will miss the go-forward of England prop Alex Walmsley but the availability of fellow forward Morgan Knowles is a huge boost. Knowles was initially banned for two matches for a dangerous tackle in their semi-final win over Salford last week and an appeal against the decision was thrown out on Tuesday, but a second challenge on Wednesday was, somewhat controversially, successful.

James Roby and Jack Welsby have also been cleared to play for the reigning champions who look set to hold on to their title following the final hooter at Old Trafford.

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