Jon Bennison powers St Helens past battling Salford and into Grand Final

Rugby league immortality is now tantalisingly within reach for St Helens. Never before in the Super League era has a team won four consecutive league titles; in the entire history of the sport, dating all the way back to 1895, it has been achieved only once. There have been occasions this year when one has wondered if the all-conquering Saints would have to settle for three in a row.

But next Saturday at Old Trafford, St Helens will aim to assert their grip on a trophy that they have held for more than 1,000 days. They were made to work incredibly hard by Salford, who were in pursuit of a first league title since the mid-1970s. But in the end, the expected outcome came to fruition and St Helens did what they always seem to do: find a way to win.

It means that this year’s Grand Final has a distinctly familiar feeling, with the fifth meeting of St Helens and Leeds Rhinos in the season’s showpiece event. No two teams have met each other at Old Trafford on more occasions. When they do it again next Saturday, Leeds will be looking for a record ninth Super League title while the Saints will be seeking to create genuine history.

Not even when Jon Bennison became the latest homegrown St Helens star to write his name into the club’s legacy with the winning try seven minutes from time did the result feel secure. That is to the credit of Salford, the competition’s lowest spenders: they more than played their part in an enthralling and entertaining semi-final.

But when the chips fall down in this sport, they often go the way of the Saints. “I’m always confident in this group,” their coach, Kristian Woolf, said. “They turn up and they fight. When they’re under pressure they keep fighting and that’s why they give themselves a chance