Halifax 22 Saints 46

SIZZLING Saints put on a champagne super show of running rugby to delight their vocal travelling army of fans and leave their opponents shell-shocked.

Matches between the two sides have traditionally been close, nerve-jangling, last-gasp affairs -- but Saints were having none of that on Sunday and had the game wrapped up with three unanswered tries in the first quarter.

Some of the rugby on display was simply breathtaking, with each player doing their best to off-load in the tackle and keep the ball alive at all costs with their characteristic flair

"It's just like watching Brazil", sang the magnificent massed ranks of Saints fans behind the posts although Harlem Globetrotters may have been more appropriate such was the nimbleness of the finger work on display.

Saints' second try summed it up with the ball going through at least a dozen pairs of hands as they toyed with the beleaguered Blue Sox. With the home side run ragged, Paul Sculthorpe fed the supporting Paul Wellens, whose back-flipped pass launched Keiron Cunningham on on diagonal route to the line.

On form like this Saints are irresistible. No side can produce a game plan to stem such off-the-cuff rugby. Sculthorpe again turned in a towering display and he was duly targeted, taking three consecutive he-high tackles late in the game.

Coach Ian Millward was keen to single out Sculthorpe, alongside Cunningham and powerhouse prop David Fairleigh, for special praise. But there was not a weak link in the side.

Wellens, rotating between full-back and scrum-half was constantly in the thick of the attacking action and was his usual solid self in defence -- his last-ditch tackle on second-rower Shayne McMenamy prevented a certain try and stopped Halifax from getting a toe-hold in the game.

Both wingers ran well, with Anthony Sullivan racing onto Kevin Iro's pass for Saints'opening try to set the ball rolling after five minutes

Steve Hall's wing was constantly the target of kicks from the scheming Halifax halves Andrew Dunemann and Gavin Clinch, but he handled the pressure, taking each one and clearing his line well.

Faced with a pack containing big men like home man-of-the-match Brett Goldspink, Andy Hobson and Jim Gannon, Saints'forwards did not flinch from the physical challenge, but refused to get sucked into a war of attrition.

Insetad, the visitors' mobile packmen set the tone with great off-loading, support play and probing for gaps.

Cunningham, earning the title of the best hooker in the world from his coach Millward, constantly punched holes in the home defence and capped a great all-round display with a brace of tries.

Although Millward won't be getting carried away, this was an utterly comprehensive, feel-good win to set their away-day bandwagon rolling -- next stop Salford.

As mean as it sounds, the two long-range late Halifax scores which came from Saints' attempts to keep the ball moving probably gave a false impression, prompting their coach Steve Linnane to take comfort from the fact they "did not get a hiding".

But the 5,142 fans at The Shay saw the reigning champions display the full range of skills and champagne rugby at its very best -- the perfect tonic for those forced to swallow anti-League propaganda all week by the national press!