Merseyside | Head coach Wellens leaves St. Helens

Paul Wellens to leave St. Helens after three seasons in charge

The 45-year-old is a club icon who made 495 appearances in red and white before joining the coaching staff in 2015 after a glittering playing career. 

Author | Sarah W

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Wellens took over as head coach in 2023 and began his tenure in spectacular fashion, leading Saints to a dramatic victory over Penrith Panthers in Australia to claim the World Club Challenge. However, he was unable to maintain the domestic dominance established under his predecessors Justin Holbrook and Kristian Woolf.

Wellens guided the team to this season’s Super League play-off semi-finals, where they produced a thrilling late win over Leeds Rhinos in the eliminator before falling to Hull KR. With his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, the club has decided not to offer him an extension.

Chairman Eamonn McManus described Wellens as a “supreme ambassador” for St Helens and said the decision to part ways was “the most difficult” the club had faced.

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Wellens’ time in charge

As assistant to Holbrook and Woolf, Wellens was part of one of the most successful eras in the club’s history, contributing to four consecutive Super League titles between 2019 and 2022 and the 2021 Challenge Cup triumph. He succeeded Woolf after the 2022 season and signed an extension in 2024 to remain in charge through 2025.

During his tenure, Saints were usurped by fierce rivals Wigan Warriors, who began a dominant spell of their own. In his first year, Wellens’ side finished third in the table and narrowly missed out on the League Leaders’ Shield before losing to Catalans Dragons in the semi-finals.

The following year proved more challenging. A spate of injuries hampered their campaign and they scraped into the play-offs in sixth, losing narrowly to Warrington in a tense eliminator.

Saints began 2025 in fine form, scoring 166 points and conceding only six across their opening three matches, but their momentum faded mid-season. They eventually finished fifth and, after a spirited victory over Leeds in the play-offs, saw their season end with defeat to Hull KR in the semi-final.

Club statement

Via the St.Helens website, Club Chairman Eamonn McManus has stated: “Paul’s contribution to the history of our club has been without equal. As a player, he won every honour available in our sport and was at the epicentre of our incredible success story during his seventeen-year playing career at the Saints.

“Who can ever forget his on-field reaction as our captain at the end of our 2014 Grand Final victory over Wigan. It epitomised his devotion to the Saints and encapsulated his lifelong passion and dedication to our club and to this town.