St Helens cruised past Wakefield Trinity but head coach Paul Wellens saw one of his key utility players suffer what could be a serious injury.

In a very dominant 34-4 win over Wakefield, Jake Wingfield went down midway through the second half after carrying into contact with the Saints man visibly in pain and holding his lower leg area.

He would then be helped off the field with the physios and play no further part before being seen in a boot and on crutches, a sight that no St Helens fan would have wanted to see.

Paul Wellens was asked about the nature of Wingfield’s injury when speaking post-match to Sky Sports and when asked if it was ‘serious’, responded: “Potentially, it doesn’t look good and he’s in a fair bit of pain.

“He’s not had much luck in recent times so we’ll obviously put an arm around him and get him assessed as soon as we can, and hope for good news.”

St Helens building for play-offs as Wellens praises performance

Wingfield has played in a number of positions for St Helens this year and has been one of their most underrated players, performing well in the pack but also in the spine when needed.

His injury was the only blot on an otherwise perfect night for Saints with Paul Wellens’ side running in six tries and winning with ease against play-off rivals Wakefield.

“I was really happy,” Wellens explained before noting the loss of Wingfield and Curtis Sironen (HIA), adding: “There was a bit of adversity in the game which we dealt with, like we did a few weeks ago against Leeds, so it’s great to see the team responding the way they did.”

He did ensure to credit Wakefield, explaining: “It was a strong start and we racked up some points but I think if you come into your house and turn the TV on and see the scoreline, you’d probably think it was an easy game but it was anything nut.

“They’re a real quality side, really tough to handle so I thought the way we stood up tonight was excellent.”

It’s a win that propels St Helens back to fourth but with a tough fixture run, Wellens conceded that it will be a hard final six games with his side not getting ahead of themselves.

“We’ve got to keep going in the fashion that we are. It’s always challenging, Super League is a long season and it seems like every week we’re talking about must-win games so next week is another really important one for us and we want to keep climbing that ladder.”

“We hope (that we’re finding form at the right time) but a couple of weeks is a long time in the world of rugby league so we’ll keep our feet on the ground, keep working hard and look for improvements.”