Posted Feb 9th 2007, 11:40pm

Saints Play As Devils

In tonight's Engage Super League fixtures, both home teams were beaten.

Last year's Champions St Helens, suffered a surprising 6-14 reverse at Knowsley Road to Harlequins RL.

On a snow-covered pitch, Quins gave a workmanlike performance to record the first shock in the opening fortnight.

Danny Orr crowned his debut with a sixty-yard run after he intercepted James Roby's pass.

But Saints recovered almost immediately to as Sean Long cleverly assisted Leon Pryce, who in turn set up Matt Gidley, but Long missed the conversion.

But Long turned from hero to villain as his attempted grubber kick was swooped on by Chris Melling, with Lee Hopkins finishing off the move.

Then with Julien Rinaldi sin-binned, Long gave the hosts a lifeline with a penalty before the break, and straight away they could have taken the lead through Pryce, but for excelling defending by Melling.

Jon Wells completed the scoring with a quarter of the game remaining, and a superb defensive performance allowed Harlequins to top the 2007 Super League.

Not far from St Helens, their arch-rivals Wigan Warriors crashed to an opening round defeat against the Warrington Wolves at the JJB Stadium.

There were two tries apiece, but Lee Briers' kicking was exemplary and gave the Wire a great start to the season.

Both the visitors' tries came in the first period as Richie Barnett pranced and dance his way over the Wigan line to open the scoring, somewhat against the run of play.

A dummy by Briers' allowed Vinnie Anderson to dive in from a couple of yards to increase their advantage.

Wigan coulc only muster a penalty before the break from Stand Off Pat Richards.

In the second half the sleet changed to rain and the conditions underfoot turned slippery, but the Warriors clawed their way back into the match, through tries from Mark Calderwood and David Vaealiki, but Briers' kicking held firm and reliable to give Warrington an opening win.