Coach: Emlyn Jenkins

Won: Lost: Drawn:

News of the appointment of Emlyn Jenkins was announced in the Bradford Observer [17th January 1951] as follows: “St Helens Rugby League Club have engaged the services of Emlyn Jenkins as Coach. Jenkins, who has coached Leigh and Warrington, is the former Salford, Wigan, Keighley and Bradford Northern international half-back.” An experienced practitioner, for sure.

He found fame with Salford [246 apps, 88 tries, 44 goals from 1930-38] and was a member of their French touring squad in 1934 dubbed Les Diables Rouges. The ex-Treorchy and Cardiff RUFC man made some wartime appearances for the Saints and he was a ‘big name’ who would take over the coaching duties, while the previous incumbent, Peter Lyons, would remain as Trainer. The Liverpool Echo [20th January 1951] scotched rumours of financial folly at Knowsley Road: “The fears expressed in some quarters that the Saints were adding very considerably to their financial commitments by signing up Emlyn Jenkins as their player-coach are not well founded. While it is true that in his Leigh days Jenkins was probably the highest paid coach in the game, he has treated St Helens very fairly and has now accepted terms which are said to be most satisfactory to the club.”

As for the playing part, he turned out just once in the Testimonial match for winger Sonny Doyle on 30th April 1951. It became clear that steady progress of the club towards the feted Top Four, despite signing players of real quality, was not forthcoming. The team lost 10-33 to New Zealand on 20th October 1951, followed by just one win and a draw in the next ten matches. By early January 1952, the die was cast. Jenkins was to leave the club with Trainer Peter Lyons remaining in charge until the season’s end. The team eventually finished 20th in the league after attaining 6th place in 1950-51.

Chairman Harry Cook said in the press that it had been hard “with his school duties” for Emlyn “to give the job all the attention he and we would have liked.” Despite his undoubted ability, the parting of the ways came by mutual consent and Saints’ enterprise had been unrewarded. Yet they went ‘big’ once more for the start of the 1952-53 campaign with the appointment of another Welshman who had also played for Wigan, but this time on a full-time contract. Jim Sullivan was able to kick on with virtually the same squad and the club would soon be members of the rugby league elite. It is supposition whether Emlyn could have replicated Sullivan’s success in similar circumstances. Who knows?
Coach from : Jan 20th 1951 to Jan 12th 1952
DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
1951-01-20 1
W
 Barrow L H 10 6 VIEW
1951-01-27 2
W
 Whitehaven L A 3 2 VIEW
1951-02-03 3
W
 Salford L H 10 0 VIEW
1951-02-10 4
L
 Bradford Northern CC1(1) A 6 11 VIEW
1951-02-17 5
W
 Bradford Northern CC1(2) H 4 0 VIEW
1951-02-24 6
L
 Hunslet L A 4 8 VIEW
1951-03-03 7
W
 Hull L H 39 13 VIEW
1951-03-17 8
W
 Belle Vue Rangers L H 13 4 VIEW
1951-03-23 9
L
 Wigan L A 13 22 VIEW
1951-03-24 10
W
 Warrington L H 5 3 VIEW
1951-03-26 11
L
 Oldham L AB A 0 3 VIEW
1951-04-04 12
W
 Leeds L H 22 14 VIEW
1951-04-07 13
L
 Oldham L A 4 17 VIEW
1951-04-12 14
W
 Widnes L A 5 2 VIEW
1951-04-14 15
W
 Leeds L A 9 3 VIEW
1951-04-18 16
L
 Huddersfield L H 9 14 VIEW
1951-04-21 17
W
 York L H 31 3 VIEW
1951-04-25 18
L
 Leigh L A 7 10 VIEW
1951-04-30 --
W
 Players Union * Fr H 45 38 VIEW
1951-08-11 --
W
 Barrow* Fr Ward Cup H 16 7 VIEW
1951-08-18 19
W
 Widnes L A 20 11 VIEW
1951-08-21 20
W
 Rochdale Hornets L A 20 2 VIEW
1951-08-25 21
W
 Liverpool City L H 23 3 VIEW
1951-08-29 22
D
 Swinton L H 12 12 VIEW
1951-09-01 23
L
 Belle Vue Rangers LC1(1) H 4 8 VIEW
1951-09-06 24
D
 Belle Vue Rangers LC1(2) A 2 2 VIEW
1951-09-08 25
W
 Dewsbury L H 14 8 VIEW
1951-09-15 26
L
 Oldham L A 7 13 VIEW
1951-09-22 27
W
 Barrow L H 16 3 VIEW
1951-09-29 28
W
 Warrington L A 19 13 VIEW
1951-10-06 29
L
 Hull L H 10 15 VIEW
1951-10-13 30
W
 Halifax L A 20 9 VIEW
1951-10-20 31
L
 New Zealand Tour H 10 33 VIEW
1951-10-27 32
L
 Workington Town L A 8 11 VIEW
1951-11-03 33
W
 Rochdale Hornets L H 5 2 VIEW
1951-11-17 34
L
 Workington Town L H 11 20 VIEW
1951-11-24 35
L
 Dewsbury L A 2 6 VIEW
1951-12-01 36
W
 Widnes L H 14 3 VIEW
1951-12-15 37
L
 Salford L H 6 14 VIEW
1951-12-22 38
L
 Salford L A 0 5 VIEW
1951-12-25 39
L
 Leigh L A 3 13 VIEW
1951-12-26 40
D
 Wigan L H 2 2 VIEW
1951-12-29 41
L
 Swinton L A 2 27 VIEW
1952-01-01 42
W
 Leigh L H 9 0 VIEW
1952-01-05 43
L
 Belle Vue Rangers L H 5 6 VIEW
1952-01-12 44
W
 Batley L H 22 2 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 24 | LOSSES : 19 | DRAWS : 3




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