SAINTS will welcome back skipper Jonny Lomax for Saturday’s tough home game against Super League leaders Hull KR.

It will mean that at least coach Paul Wellens has one experienced first choice half back to slot into the side after being forced into a makeshift pairing at 6 and 7 for the disappointing defeat at Magic.

Last week’s newly assembled spine malfunctioned and looked decidedly disjointed at times.

However, preparations knitting that 1, 6, 7, 9 and 13 together had not been helped by stand-in scrum half Moses Mbye being sick in the week building up to the match leaving that combination with just one session to click together.

Asked whether he had any further thoughts on that combination, given the end result, Wellens responded: “Hindsight is a wonderful thing but when I picked the team going into the game it was one I felt could go there and get the results.

“Obviously, that didn't work out for us so off the back of that, like we do every week, we review the performance of the team, individuals within it and see if there's any way we can find the improvements and that's what I look to do this week.”

With first choice components Jack Welsby, Lewis Dodd and Daryl Clark sidelined for a month or longer, Saints have to find a combination that will give them stability, whilst providing a spark.

Wellens said: “We have got some decisions to make there in the spine again.

“Similar to last week, there's a number of options. Moses Mbye’s has obviously been doing a good job for us in the halves, we have two young halves in George Whitby and Will Roberts and Ben Davies played there on the weekend.

“So again we have a number of options and decisions to make but a lot of what happens in Wednesday’s training session will determine my decision making.”

With Clark out, Mbye would normally be expected to start at nine – but there has been a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul with the former NRL utility being switched to half back.

It is something Wellens recognises, although he has also noted there has been a silver lining in the performances of understudy 9 Jake Burns.

“One of the challenges in the squad is that we have great players who are very versatile, but they can only play one given position at any time,” he said.

“Moses falls into that category and he does a good job at 7 but we obviously miss what he brings at 9 as well.

“Jake Burns and the way he has approached it has been fantastic and he made 52 tackles on the weekend.

“He continued to keep turning up and showed true toughness throughout the course of that game and I was very pleased that he is getting an opportunity and was one of the people on the weekend that did not lack commitment and effort.

“Every week we come away from every game, whether won or lost and there are positives and negatives to be taken.

“Certain things that we did, OK, certain things that you know we need to build at the same time, and we need to focus on the improvement areas.

“Obviously it wasn't our finest hour, so to speak, as a team but there are there are always bits within that where individuals or players have stood out which still need to be recognised and applauded.”