St Helens: Kristian Woolf pleased with the character of his team in their Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Wigan Warriors

His side exited the competition following a 20-18 defeat at Elland Road.

Woolf states he was pleased by how his team came out fighting in the second half despite the defeat.

He said: “It was a real game of two halves I suppose. I didn’t think we were quite ourselves in the first half, and didn’t quite have the same intensity or defensive resolve as we usually do, which gave us a bit of catching up to do.

“We were a little bit all over the place to be honest. The third try was a really good example of the defence not being up to scratch, it was really poor from us. I didn’t think we built enough pressure either.

“We didn’t quite get our fifth play right, but that is something Wigan did really well, they built a lot of pressure which tends to put you in good positions to find points.

“I thought we were terrific in the second half, we showed a bit of character and a bit of toughness to find our way back on top. I was really proud of our effort, it really showed the character of the team, because we could’ve really felt sorry for ourselves.

“At the end of the day it came down to one play. Sometimes you need a bit of luck and for the bounce of the ball to go your way.”