Paul Sculthorpe reveals who St Helens should appoint as Kristian Woolf's successor

St Helens legend Paul Sculthorpe believes former team-mate Paul Wellens is the ideal candidate to succeed Kristian Woolf at the reigning Super League champions. Woolf is widely expected to head home to Australia at the end of the season, possibly to take up a position at an NRL club, after three years at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

The 46-year-old, who will coach Tonga at the Rugby League World Cup later this year, has remained guarded about his future but highly-rated Wellens is currently his assistant and could now land the top job. The iconic former Saints full-back also serves England’s coaching staff as assistant to Shaun Wane and won every trophy on offer in the Red Vee alongside Sculthorpe.

“If Kristian does decide to leave, there is no doubt that Paul Wellens is capable of doing the job,” Sculthorpe told Rugby League Live. “He’s served his time in the assistant role at Saints and he’s done a magnificent job within the England set-up.

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“He’s coached at the highest level and Wello’s ambition is to be a head coach, so I don’t think there would be anyone better suited than Paul.”

Saints have traditionally looked overseas when appointing a new head coach and Woolf follows a long line of men who have arrived from down under and delivered success. The revered former St Helens hooker Keiron Cunningham, whose feats as a player have seen him immortalised in a statue outside the Totally Wicked Stadium, had an ill-fated spell in charge between 2015 and 2017.

Yet Sculthorpe does not worry about a similar scenario unfolding should 42-year-old Wellens succeed Woolf.

He explained: “I think the board have the trust in Wello to do the job. For me personally, I didn’t