A superb Super League round 20 weekend saw three sides post 40+ points with one crossing for a total of 72 points while six of the games saw a win for the hosts.
Wakefield Extend Unbeaten Streak
Wakefield move into contention for a play-off place after extending their stunning unbeaten run over new coach James Webster with a narrow 12-10 win over Widnes.
Widnes got off the mark first with a try from Tickle but an acute angle or the conversion saw him fail to add to his own try meaning a 0-4 lead. A very tight first half based mainly on strong defence meant the next scoring chance came with just two minutes left of the first 40 minutes as Owen looked to have levelled for Wakefield only to have his effort denied after a video review.
Wakefield did draw level when Smith crossed for a try in the 49th minute and a successful conversion from Sykes put the Wildcats in front at 6-4 and they extended the lead just six minutes later when Scruton crossed for a try but a review was needed and after a replay of the footage, the try was awarded and Sykes converted for 12-4.
Widnes responded and reduced the deficit when Marsh crossed but it was no surprise when a review was asked for as it became the fourth effort in a row to be scrutinised but the try was awarded and Tickle converted for 12-10.
Wakefield's unbeaten run looked to be over in the final minute when Ah Van crossed for Widnes but the intensity grew as the try was sent for a review and both sets of fans looked to the screen for the replays and to the joy of the home fans, the try was denied meaning the Wildcats unbeaten streak was still intact. A correct result but slightly off with the prediction of 30-22.
Tigers Overcome Battling Giants
Castleford rose to third in the Super League standings after a 44-30 win over a Huddersfield side that lacked the kicking prowess of the talismanic Danny Brough.
Huddersfield made the better start as Bailey looked to have crossed for the opening try in the fifth minute and after a review by the video referee, the try was awarded and Cudjoe converted for a 0-6 lead. However, Castleford responded rapidly as a superb run from Sneyd allowed him to pick out Holmes on the wing who crossed for a try but an awkward angle meant a failure to convert from Sneyd at 4-6.
A superb break from Cudjoe via an intercept saw the Giants increase the lead as he crossed for an easy try and duly converted his own effort for 4-12. Castleford did reduce the deficit but 12 minutes later as Carney his fine scoring form with a try and Sneyd converted for 10-12.
Huddersfield were looking good for a slim lead at the interval but Castleford had other ideas as a clever try from Finn put the Tigers in front and after a review the effort as awarded with Sneyd converting for a 16-12 score at half-time.
Castleford continued where they left off in the first half with two tries in the opening seven minutes of the second half from Milner and Dixon with a single conversion from Sneyd opening up a 14 point lead at 26-12 which soon became 32-12 when Finn crossed for his second try of the evening and Sneyd converted for a fourth time.
Two tries in three minutes for the Giants gave them hopes of staging a comeback when Wardle and Bailey scored with Cudjoe converting both to reduce the gap to eight points and four minutes later a stunning break from Broughton looked to have closed the gap further but after a review he was shown to have crept into touch.
Huddersfield suffered double disappointment as three minutes after the try was refused, Castleford scored through Mariano to increase the deficit between the sides with Sneyd's conversion making it 14 point game with just 13 minutes remaining.
Crabtree crossed in the 72nd minute to give Huddersfield slim hope of a comeback and Cudjoe's conversion made it 38-30 but with two minutes to go, the win was confirmed for Castleford as Millington crossed or a try and Sneyd converted for a final score of 44-30. A correct result and close with the prediction of 32-24.
Burrow Double Clips Robins Wings
Leeds remain in the fight for top spot after a late charge against a Hull KR side who still have good hopes of sealing a place in the top eight.
This game of course took place alongside the televised Tigers v Giants game and many viewers thought that for the Rhinos and Robins to be level at 0-0 at half-time was a mistake but an error strewn first 40 minutes from both sides proved to be the main reason.
Both sides remained scoreless until the hour mark when Burrow finally broke the deadlock with a well-worked try and Sinfield converted for a 6-0 lead. After waiting an hour for the first score, the tries began to flow as Sutcliffe added a second for the hosts in the 64th minute with Sinfield converting successfully for 12-0 before Ablett crossed three minutes later and Sinfield converted for 18-0.
Hull KR ended the Rhinos scoring spree when Hodgson crossed for a try in the 69th minute but despite Burns converting for 18-6, a mighty effort was needed to avoid a defeat and unfortunately or the Robins it was Leeds who scored next.
McGuire crossed with just three minutes remaining and with Sinfield converting for 24-6 the result was confirmed but just to add the gloss to a try scoring return for himself, Burrow scored his second effort of the evening in the 79th minute and Sinfield converted for a final score of 30-6. An incorrect result and of course a failed prediction of 20-22.
Saints Survive Bulls Charge
St Helens remain top of the table after a 46-22 win over Bradford who as a result could be just one defeat away from relegation to the Championship.
Two tries in the first 16 minutes set the Saints on their way as Roby and Wellens crossed for the hosts with Percival converting both for a 12-0 lead. Bradford did well to prevent a scoring spree but fell further behind to a streak of three tries in eight minutes before the interval.
Masoe, Percival and Swift all crossed with Percival converting two out of three for a half-time lead of 28-0 and sadly for Bradford, Saints continued their scoring spree just two minutes into the second half as Hohaia crossed for a try and with Percival's conversion creating a 34-0 lead, the game seemed over as a contest.
Even more so when Makinson scored in the corner in the 50th minute and Percival converted to make it 40-0 and after a 50-0 humbling in the reverse meeting, Bradford could have been on the way to a huge thrashing but seemed to respond well to conceding 40 points as they staged a great comeback.
The Bulls ran in four tries in 16 minutes with Gale, Arundel, Purtell and Foster all crossing with the latter converting the first three but failing to convert his own for a score of 40-22 with seven minutes remaining.
However, Wellens scored his second effort of the evening with a superb try and with Percival converting for 46-22 the result was confirmed and meant the Saints stayed top but left Bradford knowing that a Salford win over Hull would mean a defeat in round 21 to Huddersfield would confirm their relegation. A correct result and not too far away with the prediction of 38-12.
Warriors Slay Fiery Dragons
After dropping out of the top three on Friday, Wigan took on Catalan in Perpignan on a humid Saturday evening with the Warriors aiming to be only the second side to get a result against the Dragons on French soil.
Both sides had edgy starts with a mix of knock-ons disrupting the flow and meaning not a single set was completed until the tenth minute when Catalan used up all five tackles and kicked to the corner only to have Charnley collect. The winger's take from the kick began two good sets for the Warriors that ended with the opening try coming for Wigan after a quick play from Williams to Clubb crossing for a try under the posts. Smith converted well for 0-6.
Wigan could have gone further in front just four minutes later but a strong Catalan defence forced Burgess into touch with the Dragons using the resulting possession to great effect as a superb run from Escaré saw him cross for a try. Child elected to go to the screen and after a quick review the try was awarded but a tough kick for Williams saw him fail to convert meaning a 4-6 score.
Wigan blew the chance to increase their lead in the 19th minute when a nice passage of play saw O'Loughlin rush his pass and find touch rather than a team-mate while in a good position and Catalan were able to take advantage of the error as a kick from Pryce was eventually collected by Whitehead who went on to score a try. Williams converted well to put the Dragons ahead at 10-6.
However, their lead lasted just four minutes as a mazy run from Bowen saw him outfox the Dragons defence and cross for a well-worked try with Smith converting or a second time to regain the lead at 10-12 but Wigan powered on and went into the interval clearly in control after two tries in three minutes.
A nice set of passes saw Gelling look odds-on to score but a kind offload allowed Charnley to cross unmarked and continue his fine scoring spree with Smith converting for 10-18 before Bowen and Charnley exchanged passes with the former crossing the Dragons line for his second effort of the evening and Smith kept up his kicking record for a 10-24 half-time lead.
Traditionally, a side losing at half-time receives the 'come out fighting and strong' rallying call but Catalan seemed to take it literally as just two minutes into the second period, Duport looked to strangle Charnley in the tackle and was yellow carded and sent to the sin-bin with a minor brawl between the sides forming in the following set.
Four successive penalties were awarded to Wigan as Catalan were just going too far in the tackles and of course that meant a team warning for the Dragons but it seemed to be ignored as a shot from Garcia on Powell saw the Dragons now down to 11 mean after his sin-binning.
Wigan used the two man advantage instantly as Taylor crossed for a try through the open Dragons defence and Smith converted for a 20 point lead at 10-30. The next set saw the Warriors stretch their lead as Sarginson picked out Burgess with the young Winger crossing the Catalan line with ease and Smith added a sixth conversion for 10-36.
Wigan looked to have reached the 40 point mark when Williams put in a dangerous kick and Gelling looked to have collected and touched down for the try but after a review the effort was denied. The two man advantage came to end as the two sin-binned Dragons returned but the damage had been done as Wigan had a 26 point lead.
A frantic few minutes around the hour mark saw two of the stars of the game injured with Burgess suffered a bloody knee in a tackle and in the next set a fumble from Escaré saw him tackled hard by a committed Clubb but in a challenge that saw the full back come off badly.
Catalan's attacking prowess had grown since they were back to the full complement and it may have been strange when 26 points ahead but Smith sent a superb drop goal through the posts for 10-37 with just ten minutes remaining.
Catalan did have the final say on the result after a quick pass from a scrum allowed Escaré to pick out Cardace on the wing to cross for a try to reduce the deficit and Williams converted for a second time to make the final score 16-37. A correct result and but way off with the prediction of 20-26.
Salford Survive Hull Comeback
Salford held off a late comeback from Hull to record back-to-back wins and keep up their hopes of a play-off place.
Two tries in eight minutes put Salford in front at 10-0 as Chase and Caton-Brown crossed with Darrell Griffin converting the former and from there it was a close fist half with the only other points coming in the final two minutes as Josh Griffin converted a penalty and Chase scored a drop goal for a 13-0 lead at the interval.
Hull went down to 12 men when Rankin was sin-binned in the 46th minute and Josh Griffin crossed for a try in the 53rd minute to increase the woe for Hull coupled with a conversion for 19-0 but Hull responded with a try from Hadley but a failure to convert meant the score was 19-4.
Yeaman scored for the visitors to reduce the gap further on the hour and Rankin having returned from the sin-bin converted for 19-10 but two tries in as many minutes from Darrell Griffin and Johnson with a conversion from the former made it 29-10 and surely meant a second win in a row for the Red Devils.
Hull had other ideas as they scored twice in the space of three minutes through Yeaman and Shaul with Rankin converting both to narrow the score to 29-22 but Salford had the last say as Caton-Brown crossed for a second time in the game in the final minute and Chase converted for a final score of 35-22. A correct result and perfect predicting Hull's 22 points but wrong in predicting 25 for Salford.
Four Star Monaghan Relegates London
Warrington kept up their hopes of a top four finish with a 72-12 demolition of a London side who as a result of the defeat have been officially relegated into next season's Championship.
Two tries from Monaghan in the first 13 minutes put the Wolves 8-0 in front after Bridge failed to convert either effort but London responded with a try three minutes later through Keyes and with Drinkwater converting it was certainly game on at 8-6.
Four tries in ten minutes put Warrington in firm control as Hill crossed ahead of two from Currie and a hat-trick try for Monaghan with Bridge converting all four for a 32-6 lead which lasted into the interval.
Warrington's attacking prowess continued into the second half with two tries in the first 15 minutes of the half either side of a Moore try and Drinkwater conversion for London with Currie completing his hat-trick and
Wood crossing with Bridge converting once for 42-12.
Another spree of tries saw the win confirmed for the Wolves and the impeding relegation for the Broncos as Ormsby and Hill scored with Monaghan crossing for his fourth and Bridge on hand to convert all three for 60-12.
London's miserable trip was completed with two late tries from Harrison and Hill's third with Bridge converting both for a personal tally of 20 points and a final score of 72-12 which ends London's 19 year stay in Super League. A correct result and correct with London's 12 but off in predicting 42 for Warrington.
Wakefield move into contention for a play-off place after extending their stunning unbeaten run over new coach James Webster with a narrow 12-10 win over Widnes.
Widnes got off the mark first with a try from Tickle but an acute angle or the conversion saw him fail to add to his own try meaning a 0-4 lead. A very tight first half based mainly on strong defence meant the next scoring chance came with just two minutes left of the first 40 minutes as Owen looked to have levelled for Wakefield only to have his effort denied after a video review.
Wakefield did draw level when Smith crossed for a try in the 49th minute and a successful conversion from Sykes put the Wildcats in front at 6-4 and they extended the lead just six minutes later when Scruton crossed for a try but a review was needed and after a replay of the footage, the try was awarded and Sykes converted for 12-4.
Widnes responded and reduced the deficit when Marsh crossed but it was no surprise when a review was asked for as it became the fourth effort in a row to be scrutinised but the try was awarded and Tickle converted for 12-10.
Wakefield's unbeaten run looked to be over in the final minute when Ah Van crossed for Widnes but the intensity grew as the try was sent for a review and both sets of fans looked to the screen for the replays and to the joy of the home fans, the try was denied meaning the Wildcats unbeaten streak was still intact. A correct result but slightly off with the prediction of 30-22.
Tigers Overcome Battling GiantsCastleford rose to third in the Super League standings after a 44-30 win over a Huddersfield side that lacked the kicking prowess of the talismanic Danny Brough.
Huddersfield made the better start as Bailey looked to have crossed for the opening try in the fifth minute and after a review by the video referee, the try was awarded and Cudjoe converted for a 0-6 lead. However, Castleford responded rapidly as a superb run from Sneyd allowed him to pick out Holmes on the wing who crossed for a try but an awkward angle meant a failure to convert from Sneyd at 4-6.
A superb break from Cudjoe via an intercept saw the Giants increase the lead as he crossed for an easy try and duly converted his own effort for 4-12. Castleford did reduce the deficit but 12 minutes later as Carney his fine scoring form with a try and Sneyd converted for 10-12.
Huddersfield were looking good for a slim lead at the interval but Castleford had other ideas as a clever try from Finn put the Tigers in front and after a review the effort as awarded with Sneyd converting for a 16-12 score at half-time.
Castleford continued where they left off in the first half with two tries in the opening seven minutes of the second half from Milner and Dixon with a single conversion from Sneyd opening up a 14 point lead at 26-12 which soon became 32-12 when Finn crossed for his second try of the evening and Sneyd converted for a fourth time.
Two tries in three minutes for the Giants gave them hopes of staging a comeback when Wardle and Bailey scored with Cudjoe converting both to reduce the gap to eight points and four minutes later a stunning break from Broughton looked to have closed the gap further but after a review he was shown to have crept into touch.
Huddersfield suffered double disappointment as three minutes after the try was refused, Castleford scored through Mariano to increase the deficit between the sides with Sneyd's conversion making it 14 point game with just 13 minutes remaining.
Crabtree crossed in the 72nd minute to give Huddersfield slim hope of a comeback and Cudjoe's conversion made it 38-30 but with two minutes to go, the win was confirmed for Castleford as Millington crossed or a try and Sneyd converted for a final score of 44-30. A correct result and close with the prediction of 32-24.
Leeds remain in the fight for top spot after a late charge against a Hull KR side who still have good hopes of sealing a place in the top eight.
This game of course took place alongside the televised Tigers v Giants game and many viewers thought that for the Rhinos and Robins to be level at 0-0 at half-time was a mistake but an error strewn first 40 minutes from both sides proved to be the main reason.
Both sides remained scoreless until the hour mark when Burrow finally broke the deadlock with a well-worked try and Sinfield converted for a 6-0 lead. After waiting an hour for the first score, the tries began to flow as Sutcliffe added a second for the hosts in the 64th minute with Sinfield converting successfully for 12-0 before Ablett crossed three minutes later and Sinfield converted for 18-0.
Hull KR ended the Rhinos scoring spree when Hodgson crossed for a try in the 69th minute but despite Burns converting for 18-6, a mighty effort was needed to avoid a defeat and unfortunately or the Robins it was Leeds who scored next.
McGuire crossed with just three minutes remaining and with Sinfield converting for 24-6 the result was confirmed but just to add the gloss to a try scoring return for himself, Burrow scored his second effort of the evening in the 79th minute and Sinfield converted for a final score of 30-6. An incorrect result and of course a failed prediction of 20-22.
Saints Survive Bulls ChargeSt Helens remain top of the table after a 46-22 win over Bradford who as a result could be just one defeat away from relegation to the Championship.
Two tries in the first 16 minutes set the Saints on their way as Roby and Wellens crossed for the hosts with Percival converting both for a 12-0 lead. Bradford did well to prevent a scoring spree but fell further behind to a streak of three tries in eight minutes before the interval.
Masoe, Percival and Swift all crossed with Percival converting two out of three for a half-time lead of 28-0 and sadly for Bradford, Saints continued their scoring spree just two minutes into the second half as Hohaia crossed for a try and with Percival's conversion creating a 34-0 lead, the game seemed over as a contest.
Even more so when Makinson scored in the corner in the 50th minute and Percival converted to make it 40-0 and after a 50-0 humbling in the reverse meeting, Bradford could have been on the way to a huge thrashing but seemed to respond well to conceding 40 points as they staged a great comeback.
The Bulls ran in four tries in 16 minutes with Gale, Arundel, Purtell and Foster all crossing with the latter converting the first three but failing to convert his own for a score of 40-22 with seven minutes remaining.
However, Wellens scored his second effort of the evening with a superb try and with Percival converting for 46-22 the result was confirmed and meant the Saints stayed top but left Bradford knowing that a Salford win over Hull would mean a defeat in round 21 to Huddersfield would confirm their relegation. A correct result and not too far away with the prediction of 38-12.
After dropping out of the top three on Friday, Wigan took on Catalan in Perpignan on a humid Saturday evening with the Warriors aiming to be only the second side to get a result against the Dragons on French soil.
Both sides had edgy starts with a mix of knock-ons disrupting the flow and meaning not a single set was completed until the tenth minute when Catalan used up all five tackles and kicked to the corner only to have Charnley collect. The winger's take from the kick began two good sets for the Warriors that ended with the opening try coming for Wigan after a quick play from Williams to Clubb crossing for a try under the posts. Smith converted well for 0-6.
Wigan could have gone further in front just four minutes later but a strong Catalan defence forced Burgess into touch with the Dragons using the resulting possession to great effect as a superb run from Escaré saw him cross for a try. Child elected to go to the screen and after a quick review the try was awarded but a tough kick for Williams saw him fail to convert meaning a 4-6 score.
Wigan blew the chance to increase their lead in the 19th minute when a nice passage of play saw O'Loughlin rush his pass and find touch rather than a team-mate while in a good position and Catalan were able to take advantage of the error as a kick from Pryce was eventually collected by Whitehead who went on to score a try. Williams converted well to put the Dragons ahead at 10-6.
However, their lead lasted just four minutes as a mazy run from Bowen saw him outfox the Dragons defence and cross for a well-worked try with Smith converting or a second time to regain the lead at 10-12 but Wigan powered on and went into the interval clearly in control after two tries in three minutes.
A nice set of passes saw Gelling look odds-on to score but a kind offload allowed Charnley to cross unmarked and continue his fine scoring spree with Smith converting for 10-18 before Bowen and Charnley exchanged passes with the former crossing the Dragons line for his second effort of the evening and Smith kept up his kicking record for a 10-24 half-time lead.
Traditionally, a side losing at half-time receives the 'come out fighting and strong' rallying call but Catalan seemed to take it literally as just two minutes into the second period, Duport looked to strangle Charnley in the tackle and was yellow carded and sent to the sin-bin with a minor brawl between the sides forming in the following set.
Four successive penalties were awarded to Wigan as Catalan were just going too far in the tackles and of course that meant a team warning for the Dragons but it seemed to be ignored as a shot from Garcia on Powell saw the Dragons now down to 11 mean after his sin-binning.
Wigan used the two man advantage instantly as Taylor crossed for a try through the open Dragons defence and Smith converted for a 20 point lead at 10-30. The next set saw the Warriors stretch their lead as Sarginson picked out Burgess with the young Winger crossing the Catalan line with ease and Smith added a sixth conversion for 10-36.
Wigan looked to have reached the 40 point mark when Williams put in a dangerous kick and Gelling looked to have collected and touched down for the try but after a review the effort was denied. The two man advantage came to end as the two sin-binned Dragons returned but the damage had been done as Wigan had a 26 point lead.
A frantic few minutes around the hour mark saw two of the stars of the game injured with Burgess suffered a bloody knee in a tackle and in the next set a fumble from Escaré saw him tackled hard by a committed Clubb but in a challenge that saw the full back come off badly.
Catalan's attacking prowess had grown since they were back to the full complement and it may have been strange when 26 points ahead but Smith sent a superb drop goal through the posts for 10-37 with just ten minutes remaining.
Catalan did have the final say on the result after a quick pass from a scrum allowed Escaré to pick out Cardace on the wing to cross for a try to reduce the deficit and Williams converted for a second time to make the final score 16-37. A correct result and but way off with the prediction of 20-26.
Salford Survive Hull ComebackSalford held off a late comeback from Hull to record back-to-back wins and keep up their hopes of a play-off place.
Two tries in eight minutes put Salford in front at 10-0 as Chase and Caton-Brown crossed with Darrell Griffin converting the former and from there it was a close fist half with the only other points coming in the final two minutes as Josh Griffin converted a penalty and Chase scored a drop goal for a 13-0 lead at the interval.
Hull went down to 12 men when Rankin was sin-binned in the 46th minute and Josh Griffin crossed for a try in the 53rd minute to increase the woe for Hull coupled with a conversion for 19-0 but Hull responded with a try from Hadley but a failure to convert meant the score was 19-4.
Yeaman scored for the visitors to reduce the gap further on the hour and Rankin having returned from the sin-bin converted for 19-10 but two tries in as many minutes from Darrell Griffin and Johnson with a conversion from the former made it 29-10 and surely meant a second win in a row for the Red Devils.
Hull had other ideas as they scored twice in the space of three minutes through Yeaman and Shaul with Rankin converting both to narrow the score to 29-22 but Salford had the last say as Caton-Brown crossed for a second time in the game in the final minute and Chase converted for a final score of 35-22. A correct result and perfect predicting Hull's 22 points but wrong in predicting 25 for Salford.
Warrington kept up their hopes of a top four finish with a 72-12 demolition of a London side who as a result of the defeat have been officially relegated into next season's Championship.
Two tries from Monaghan in the first 13 minutes put the Wolves 8-0 in front after Bridge failed to convert either effort but London responded with a try three minutes later through Keyes and with Drinkwater converting it was certainly game on at 8-6.
Four tries in ten minutes put Warrington in firm control as Hill crossed ahead of two from Currie and a hat-trick try for Monaghan with Bridge converting all four for a 32-6 lead which lasted into the interval.
Warrington's attacking prowess continued into the second half with two tries in the first 15 minutes of the half either side of a Moore try and Drinkwater conversion for London with Currie completing his hat-trick and
Wood crossing with Bridge converting once for 42-12.
Another spree of tries saw the win confirmed for the Wolves and the impeding relegation for the Broncos as Ormsby and Hill scored with Monaghan crossing for his fourth and Bridge on hand to convert all three for 60-12.
London's miserable trip was completed with two late tries from Harrison and Hill's third with Bridge converting both for a personal tally of 20 points and a final score of 72-12 which ends London's 19 year stay in Super League. A correct result and correct with London's 12 but off in predicting 42 for Warrington.
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