ONE of the side-effects of Saints’ poor start to the Super 8s has been to throw the qualification for the semi-finals back into the melting pot.

A few weeks ago Saints were in second and had accumulated such a cushion over the team in fifth that all the focus, rightly, was whether they could overhaul Leeds for top spot or see of Wigan for second.

If the results had gone differently we could have quite easily been looking at a relatively tame seven-week campaign that, but for the tussle between Cas and Huddersfield, was simply going to sort out homes and aways for the semis.

Two Saints losses, made worse by they were dealt by the two lowest ranked teams left in the top eight, have left Saints looking over their shoulders.

And there they see Huddersfield and Castleford – two teams who traditionally bobble along under the radar – holding their nerve.

Two things come into focus as a result of that opening two weeks. The first is the harsh reality of Super 8s means that, no matter who you are, if you get into a hole of bad form then there is no easy way out.

Warrington have found this out despite all the hype over new arrival Chris Sandow.

Admittedly the Wolves started behind the pack after a pretty awful league campaign that saw them lose almost half of their regular fixtures, but they have found themselves unable to pick themselves up after putting so many eggs in the Challenge Cup basket and then dropping it.

I wonder if there is any significance in the fact that neither of the beaten cup semi-finalists have won a game since. Should we factor in how much that kick in the guts, being so close to Wembley, can drain teams?

Well they will get nobody rushing to put an arm around them in the Super 8s.

Under this system there are no soft games against perennial Super League whipping boys, who in the past acted as rugby league’s equivalent of a cup of Complan. No visit of London Broncos to ease off-colour teams back on to the horse. As a result, without trying to be too dramatic, it is not inconceivable that an off-form team could lose the lot.

There will be plenty of fans now looking at Saints staring into the abyss as they study the remaining fixture card – Huddersfield at home, Leeds and Cas away, then Wigan and Warrington.

Tonight’s clash against a pretty decent Huddersfield side, with big pack, crafty halves and strike out wide, will probably give a good indication of what ambition the defending champions have for this year.

It is a genuine four-pointer, and nothing less than a full-blooded effort and a win will do.