St Helens appoint Salford's Rowley as head coach

St Helens have appointed Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley as their new boss on a three-year deal.

The 50-year-old replaces Paul Wellens after Saints opted not to extend his contract.

Rowley spent the past four seasons in charge of the Red Devils, who were demoted from Super League on Thursday after a year of financial turmoil, and had been due to move in to a director of rugby role with them next season.

The former Leigh and Toronto head coach said it was "a great privilege to be joining St Helens".

"It feels like an exciting challenge for me, different in many respects, and I'll be looking to step in to put my own stamp on things with positive changes and have a real influence," he told the club website.

"I'm coming in with an open mind and new ideas, but I want to learn about all the people involved at the club – and I mean everyone, from the boardroom, all the staff, and the supporters."

Rowley will replace club-legend Wellens after the club announced earlier this month that he would be leaving following three seasons in charge.

Wellens, who made 495 appearances for St Helens as a player, was unable to continue the superb run of success they had under Justin Holbrook and Kristian Woolf which saw them win four successive Grand Finals between 2019 and 2022.

Saints finished fifth in Super League last season before losing to eventual Grand Final winners Hull KR in the play-off semi finals.

Rowley spent four years in charge of Leigh between 2012 and 2016 before spending two years as head coach of Toronto Wolfpack.

He initially joined Salford as a coaching consultant in 2019 and stepped up to the top job for the 2022 campaign.

His first three seasons in charge brought two play-off finishes but any hopes of building on those in 2025 were scuppered by a litany of off-field issues.

The Red Devils were beset by financial problems, which led to the vast majority of the senior playing squad leaving and Rowley being forced to pull together sides week to week.

Against that chaotic backdrop they managed three Super League wins and ended with two points deducted for failing to fulfil a fixture against Wakefield.

Before their final game of the season last month he admitted that he was "relieved to have reached the end of the year."

"I'm pretty proud that I managed to get the team to the finish line," Rowley told BBC Radio Manchester as he reflected on the 2025 season.

"That's a bit sad really because you should never want the finish line to come in rugby league where the last game is the most important.

"Everybody at the club, certainly the staff, have been immense. I'm surrounded by good people. My staff have become my best friends and I think the moral compass of the staff at this club is unparalleled."

Analysis - Matt Newsum, BBC Sport rugby league journalist

Rowley's appointment should fill fans with excitement at the prospect of attacking rugby league given the evidence of his time in charge at Salford, Toronto and Leigh previously.

While defensive steel was set in place by Woolf and continued under Wellens, Saints have never quite taken the handbrake off going forward in the same way since Holbrook departed after 2019.

Rowley's sides have had flair as a hallmark, and the way in which his Salford team unpicked the visiting champions-elect Saints in 2022 remains a masterclass in breaking down elite defence.

Popular with his players, Rowley has evoked loyalty wherever he has coached, and it has paid off. Leigh were led into Super League, he established a completely new club in Toronto and at Salford he helped deliver play-off campaigns as a regular occurrence before their off-field issues bit this season.

Saints will be his biggest job yet, but it is an opportunity hard earned after building excellent squads and delivering progress throughout his career.

To some extent it is a different challenge to what Rowley has been used to, getting the best from elite players such as Jack Welsby and young Harry Robertson, rather than building a team from those perhaps not necessarily deemed to be at the top of the game.