St Helens boss Rowley leaves club day before derby

St Helens head coach Paul Rowley has stepped down from his position with the Super League club with immediate effect less than a year into the role.

The 51-year-old joined the club before the 2026 season, having previously taken charge at Salford Red Devils, ending his tenure there after their financially-challenged 2025 campaign.

Since joining Saints, however, the club have struggled for form and, with an injury crisis, are currently sixth in the table and six points behind leaders Leeds Rhinos.

They have also lost six of their past 10 games in all competitions with Rowley's departure announced prior to Friday's derby against Wigan Warriors.

"The decision was an extremely difficult one for all concerned, and we fully recognise the extra challenges that Paul faced with us this particular season," chairman Eamonn McManus said.

"We as a club must now look forward and do all within our powers to preserve our position as the most successful club in the history of Super League and to restore our position as a silverware contender going forward."

Assistant coach Eamon O'Carroll will take over on an interim basis, the club said, adding it commended Rowley for his achievements during a challenging period.

Former Ireland international O'Carroll played for Wigan, Hull FC and Widnes before going on to coach with the Vikings after his retirement.

Having had multiple spells as assistant at Catalans Dragons, O'Carroll has also been head coach at Newcastle Thunder and Bradford Bulls.

Rowley joined a club which had dominated domestic rugby league in the northern hemisphere at the turn of the decade, culminating in four successive Super League Grand Final wins as well as a memorable World Club Challenge victory.

Former boss Paul Wellens had opted not to extend his contract following a season which saw Saints pull off one of the greatest comebacks ever when they beat Leeds Rhinos in last season's Super League play-offs.

Rowley stepped in, having led the Red Devils for four seasons, the last of which came in unenviable circumstances with the club plunged into financial turmoil.

Having begun Rowley's tenure with a Challenge Cup victory over Workington, Saints started their 2026 Super League campaign with a defeat by Warrington but won 10 of their following 11 matches in all competitions.

A particular highlight under Rowley's stewardship came in their Easter derby comeback win over Wigan but they were well beaten by their rivals in the Challenge Cup soon after, during which Warriors boss Matt Peet questioned Saints' identity.

Injuries aside, St Helens' spiralling form since that semi-final loss, including another dispiriting defeat by Wigan at Magic Weekend and a 46-0 hammering by Toulouse earlier this month, has seen them drop off the pace at the top and in jeopardy of failing to make the play-offs.

'Sometimes it doesn't work, regardless of fit'

It was supposed to be the perfect marriage; St Helens had the defensive mettle but sometimes looked clunky in attack, Paul Rowley was the man who had charged Salford with a flowing adventure before their financial problems set in.

As he put it himself in a pre-season interview, Rowley was going to help Saints "pull the trigger" when it came to the point-scoring prowess, albeit with a bucketload of caveats. That has not necessarily been the case.

Injuries have shorn Saints of a number of their key stars and with significant absences too - Matty Lees out for the season, Daryl Clark needing surgery, Alex Walmsley also ruled out for a spell.

How to get the best combination position-wise of Tristan Sailor, Jack Welsby and Jackson Hastings has also been a tough conundrum to solve, though against Catalans last time out it was the smoothest accommodation yet of that quality trio.

The big issue for Rowley and Saints seemed that in trying to unlock the attack someone metaphorically forgot to bolt the door and, defensively, they, at times, lost their mojo.

Notably the Challenge Cup semi-final where despite having plenty of chances they were beaten 32-0 by rivals Wigan who were conversely clinical, while the ultimate nadir was the 46-0 home defeat by Toulouse.

Still, with Saints in sixth and at one stage top it feels a bit premature to dispense with Rowley, particularly given this was a project to rebuild a club with a new identity.

It is a barometer of the concern within the hierarchy that they have acted with this haste.

Saints are one of the blue riband 'brands' in rugby league and should not be short of candidates for the vacancy, both domestically and abroad.