Daryl Clark’s eight-minute hat-trick helped Super League high-flyers St Helens run out 52-6 winners against London Broncos at the Twickenham Stoop.
Clark managed three quickfire scores early in the second half to pile on the disappointment for the Broncos, who failed to build on their two-point tally at the foot of the table.
St Helens showed signs of their creative best early on and Moses Mbye’s quality was on full display when a well-executed kick found Waqa Blake who grounded for the first score in the seventh minute.
Saints relished the physical encounter as the northern club were patient in attack, opting for midfield carries which took a toll on the Broncos defenders.
Their patience was rewarded when they scored another try, an excellent exchange of quick passes ending with Blake diving into the right-hand corner to claim his second. Mark Percival converted from a difficult angle as his side stormed into a 12-0 advantage.
Mbye, who had been Saints’ star man up to that point, produced another piece of magic, this time showing a turn of pace to break through the defence before combining with Sione Mata’utia and Lewis Dodd for the latter to touch down.
Percival made it three from three with the boot before Mbye grabbed a deserved try for himself. The Australian opted against spreading the ball into the wide space, dummied and burrowed his way into a gap to score.
The Broncos were having a day to forget as they were limited to a handful of chances in south London. Mike Eccles’ side did manage a break on 33 minutes but a spirited recovery from Blake ensured half-time arrived with the score 24-0.
Smart play from James Bell set up another score early in the second half. Bell drew the tackle, freeing his hands and delivering a quick offload to the surging Clark, who managed to get in on the action.
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Saints hooker Daryl Clark goes over three tries at the start of second-half against London for an incredibly fast hat-trick.
And the hooker did not have to wait long for his second which came in the 50th minute. Clark combined with Bell once more as he stormed the Broncos’ scattered back line.
As the Saints fans serenaded Clark to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark”, he completed his hat-trick – taking advantage of open space in midfield and showing magnificent speed to touch down. Percival extended his perfect kicking record to seven goals.
It seemed too easy at times for St Helens as they simply wandered into spaces left unoccupied by bottom-of-the-table London. It was a reminder why the Wimbledon club have struggled to adapt to life in the top flight.
Saints extended their lead to 46-0 through the powerful Konrad Hurrell as Broncos began to fall apart. Percival missed his first kick of the evening before scoring himself and making it eight conversions from nine.
London finally managed a consolation score through Lee Kershaw, Oliver Leyland with the extras, but Saints ran out convincing victors.
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