NRL Claim Series In Style

A break from the Super League programme this past week allowed the inaugural World Club Series to take place which saw two NRL V Super League meetings ahead of the main event of the World Club Challenge.

The series began on Friday night as Warrington Wolves hosted St George/Illawarra Dragons with the Dragons gracing UK soil for the first time since their World Club Challenge win at Wigan in 2011 and they made a superb start to the game by taking the lead inside two minutes.

A dash from Tyson Frizell saw him cross for the first try with England international Gareth Widdop converting for a 6-0 lead which lasted until the 14th minute when Gareth O'Brien crossed for Warrington before converting his own effort to level the score.

The Dragons regained the lead within five minutes as a dangerous grubber kick from Widdop found Joel Thompson who touched down for a try which was awarded via a video review and with Widdop converting, the Dragons led 12-6.

Warrington battled back with a try from Ryan Atkins on 31 minutes but a tough angle meant a conversion didn't follow with them behind by two at 12-10 but they did draw level on the hour mark with a penalty from O'Brien/

However, they fell behind again just four minutes later when a clever reverse kick from Benji Marshall found the arms of Josh Dugan who eased over for a try but had the effort awarded via a video review with Widdop following up with the conversion for 18-12 which is how it remained until the end.

Saturday night's game between Wigan Warriors and Brisbane Broncos can be seen in the previous blog post.



Sunday night saw the series end with the hallowed World Club Challenge as St Helens hosted South Sydney Rabbitohs in a clash that had been billed as a close fight between two top sides but the billing failed to live up to expectation.

South Sydney made a perfect start with Adam Renyolds' kick finding Glenn Stewart for a try inside two minutes with Renyolds converting for 6-0 which soon became 8-0 as Renyolds swept over a penalty in the seventh minute.

St Helens had an effort from Mark Percival chalked off after a video review before Dylan Walker crossed for the Rabbitohs and despite no conversion they now led 12-0 but the lead soon increased as four minutes later, Bryson Goodwin found Greg Inglis who crossed for a try which Renyolds converted for 18-0.

South Sydney continued their superb first half performance with another try in the 32nd minute as Joel Reddy collected a cross field kick to score and with Renyolds converting they were in control at 24-0. St Helens thought they had reduced the deficit just before the interval when Percival crossed but alike his earlier chance, the effort was denied after a video review.

The Rabbitohs wasted no time in advancing their lead in the second half as Luke Keary crossed in the 47th minute with Renyolds conversion bringing up the 30 point mark which was soon added to by Chris McQueen's effort for 34-0.

Reddy claimed his second try of the evening with 13 minutes left and in doing so ended any slim hopes of the Saints coming back with the score at 38-0 and with the Super League sides just seconds away from a 3-0 series loss, Adam Renyolds score a drop goal to end a miserable evening for St Helens made it three record WCC losses in their history with the 39-0 scoreline. 

Broncos Golden Point Stuns Warriors

Almost a year to the day since they suffered defeat to the Sydney Roosters in the World Club Challenge, Wigan hosted NRL side Brisbane Broncos in the second game of the inaugural World Club Series.The meeting of the sides rekindles memories of  the famous clash in 1994 which saw underdogs Wigan stun favourites Brisbane to become World Champions.

Wigan came so close to an early score when Joe Burgess collected a high kick close to the Brisbane line but a strong Broncos defence kept him out before the Broncos attack caused some trouble at the other end as despite Joe Burgess claiming a high kick, he spilled the ball and allowed Andrew McCullough to touchdown for a try. The decision went to a review before being awarded with Corey Parker converting for a 6-0 lead.

Both sides seemed to be strong in both defence and attack as the game went on but Wigan looked to have found a chink in the Broncos armour in the 25th minute when Matty Smith's high kick found the arms of Liam Farrell who dived over the line for a try which was soon given via a review with Matty Smith converting for a 6-6 scoreline.

The sides remained level into the half-time interval and the momentum seemed to be split between that two but in the 50th minute that changed as a quick passing move from Brisbane saw Lochlan Maranta cross for a try in the corner but the tight angle prevented Corey Parker from converting at 10-6.

However, the Broncos kicker did make it 12-6 with 13 minutes remaining after Wigan had gifted Brisbane a penalty which Parker converted with ease, Wigan seemed to be favouring a newly devised move on the wing between Joel Tomkins and Josh Charnley as the game entered the final ten minutes but the Brisbane defence quelled such danger.

As the game entered the final few minutes, Brisbane were caught out by what is becoming a traditional Wigan late-show as akin to his last-gasp trick against Warrington in last season's play-offs, Joe Burgess raced down the wing before combining with George Williams who returned the favour just metres from the Brisbane line to allow Burgess to complete a superb try. All of the pressure was on Matty Smith to ensure a potential move into Golden Point and he dealt superbly with such pressure to convert and make it 12-12.

The final seconds saw Wigan collect the kick-off but to no effect as the hooter sounded to signal a potential first Golden Point period for the Warriors. Both sides exchanged sets which resulted in failed drop goal attempts and with the first period of ten minutes almost over, Wigan conceded a penalty which would surely end the game.

Corey Parker stepped up but saw his effort bizarrely charged down by Anthony Gelling who was sin-binned in a strange but comical incident before Parker retook the kick and converted to seal a 14-12 victory which put the NRL 2-0 up overall and sealed the series for the Aussies.

Young Warriors Defeat Wolves

The postponement of their season opener at Salford meant Wigan U19s began 2015 with a repeat of last season's Academy Grand Final on Saturday as Warrington U19s visited the Solid Strip Community Stadium.

Wigan a perfect start with Joe Bretherton crossing for a try inside two minutes and with Jake Shorrocks converting, the Warriors took a 6-0 lead. Both sides were strong in attack in the first half but resolute defence from both packs kept the score at 6-0, that was until a try apiece in the final minutes sent Wigan into the interval ahead at 12-6.

Warrington drew level with a close range effort from Toby King in the 37th minute with Morgan Smith converting well from a tough angle before Gabriel Fell raced over for Wigan in the final seconds with Jake Shorrocks converting for a second time.

Wigan began the second half in a similar vain to how they ended the first as they crossed for a try in the 43rd minute with a superb run from Oliver Gildart resulting in a superb try for the Warriors centre and despite a tough angle, Jake Shorrocks maintained his perfect record with the boot for 18-6.

Tempers flared between the sides just four minutes later with Wigan paying the price for the incident as Brad Lawrence and Luke Waterworth were both sin-binned leaving Wigan to defend with just 11 men. Warrington piled the pressure on their depleted hosts but were unable to punish the Warriors who were restored to their full compliment without losing the lead.

An unfortunate turn of events saw Wigan concede in the 63rd minute when a rapid passing move close to the Wolves line saw Jake Shorrocks pass intercepted by Declan Kay who raced the length of the field and crossed for his sides second try of the game. Morgan Smith converted and Warrington were not just one score behind at 18-12.

In their pursuit of drawing level and potentially sealing a win, Warrington were caught out twice in the final 12 minutes as Tom Davies crossed on 68 minutes before Jake Moore scored a 76th minute effort with Jake Shorrocks converting both for a 10 point personal haul which wrapped up a comfortable 30-12 victory.

Super League Round Two Review

The 'Every Minute Matters' mantra for this season seems to be growing after this weekend's second round of games saw the aforementioned mantra result in two games decided by a single point on Friday and Saturday.

Super Saints Crush Sloppy Salford

Thursday night's clash between Salford Red Devils and St Helens had been billed as a tough clash between two strong sides but the outcome was a million miles away from such a clash as St Helens cruised to a 52-6 triumph.

The rout began in the 11th minute when a pacy run from Mark Percival saw him open the scoring but Travis Burns missed with the boot at 4-0 before Jordan Turner added a second try in the 19th minute followed by Percival's failure to convert at 8-0. Percival was successful though in converting a close range try from Joe Greenwood just three minutes later at 14-0.

Salford got off the mark in style as Ben Jones-Bishop intercepted near his own line before racing down the field to score a try which was converted well by Michael Dobson for 14-6 but the hosts went into half-time with a 14 point deficit after a try from Luke Thompson which when converted by Percival pushed St Helens to 20 points.

The visitors made a perfect start to the second half with Tommy Makinson crossing for a try which Mark Percival converted for 24-6 and from there it was classy show from the Saints as Percival crossed and converted before Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook added a score (Percival conv) for 36-6.

Salford went down to 12 men with the sin-binning of Gareth Hock on the hour and the resulting 10 minute period, St Helens ran in two tries with Joe Greenwood and Jordan Turner registering their second efforts of the evening before Andre Savelio's last-gasp effort and Percival's conversion brought up 50 points and sent the Saints top of the table.

Wolves Edge Past Airlie Birds 

After opening wins for both sides, something had to give as Hull FC hosted the Warrington Wolves on Friday night, Warrington made the trip back across the Pennines with a win but a truly narrow one in a 7-6 victory.

Reigning 'Steve Prescott Man of Steel' Daryl Clark opened the scoring for Warrington in the 27th minute with his first senior try with Gareth O'Brien adding the conversion for a 6-0 lead before he swept over a drop goal on the half-time hooter to make it 7-0. Hull responded in the 65th minute with a try from Tom Lineham which Marc Sneyd converted for 7-6 before missing a late drop goal attempt which would have salvaged a draw in a really tight meeting.

Warriors Comeback To Stun Giants

After being held to a draw in at Widnes in round one, Wigan began their home campaign with the traditional visit of Huddersfield who have revelled in spoiling the joy of the opening game at the DW Stadium in recent years.

The Giants did open the scoring in the seventh minute with a battling drive that saw Anthony Mullally cross the Wigan line with Danny Brough sweeping over the conversion for a 6-0 lead. The Warriors opened their account after a heavy hit on Matty Bowen resulted in a penalty which saw a quick passing move to the left find Joel Tomkins who crossed for the try but sadly Sam Powell was unable to convert from a tough angle at 6-4.

Another rapid passing move in the 24th minute saw Wigan take the lead but via a review after John Bateman had latched on to Sam Powell's pass to cross under the sticks which gave Ryan Hampshire an easy conversion which he kicked successfully for 10-6.

The lead lasted barely a few minutes as a Liam Farrell fumble from the restart gave Huddersfield possession in a dangerous position which they utilised superbly with Jamie Ellis crossing after a clever run from Wigan loanee Jack Hughes. Danny Brough converted to give the Giants a 12-10 lead

Jake Connor clipped forward a grubber kick and with Josh Charnley caught infield, Aaron Murphy was wide open to cross for a try in the corner but the tough angle meant Brough's perfect record with the boot ended with the score at 16-10, a lead that lasted into the half-time interval.

Wigan reduced the deficit with a flurry of passes allowing Joel Tomkins to score his second try of the evening which went unconverted after Ryan Hampshire's close attempt at 16-14. Wigan took the lead with 11 minutes remaining with a superb run from John Bateman saw him offload to Michael McIlorum who capped off the move with a try but a miss from the conversion attempt set up a two point game at 18-16.

Both sides were back to their full compliment of 13 with just seven minutes left and the spell on the sidelines seemed to help Ryan Sutton as he latched on to a rapid passing move to cross for his first senior try and gave Ryan Hampshire an easy conversion to put Wigan ahead at 24-16.

Rhinos Ease Past Vikings

The third game on Friday night saw Leeds Rhinos host the Widnes Vikings with both looking to continue unbeaten starts to the but it was the hosts who came out on top in a comfortable 38-6 triumph.

A close first half saw Zak Hardaker open the scoring for the Rhinos with a 16th minute try which Kevin Sinfield converted but Widnes hit back instantly with an effort from Manase Manuokafoa which Danny Tickle converted for 6-6 to send the sides in level at the interval.

Ryan Hall's 46th minute try (Sinfield conv) put Leeds 12-6 in front before Adam Cuthbertson crossed for his first Rhinos try ten minutes later to make it 16-6 before Leeds raced in four tires in the final 13 minutes with Tom Briscoe, Danny McGuire, Kallum Watkins and Kevin Sinfield all crossing for the hosts with Sinfield converting all four to complete a near perfect evening for the Rhinos.

Dureau Drop Goal Settles Fiery Battle

Saturday afternoon saw Castleford Tigers make the long trip to the South of France to face the Catalans Dragons with both sides looking to bounce back from defeats in round one. 

Castleford opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a Justin Carney try which was followed up by a Luke Gale conversion for 6-0 in a half that saw both sides go into the interval with players in the sin-bin. A fracas in the 35th minute saw Eloi Pellisier and Oliver Elima carded for the Dragons while Jake Webster left the field for the Tigers.

The first score of the second half came just seconds after both sides returned to their full complement as Morgan Escare crossed for the Dragons who levelled through Scott Dureau's conversion before the Dragons halfback put them in front with a penalty three minutes later.

Elliot Whitehead extended the Dragons lead in the 65th minute but Dureau's failure to convert meant Castleford were still in the game at 12-6 and they drew level with just six minutes left of the 80 with a Jordan Tansey try which was converted by Luke Gale for 12-12. As the game entered the final two minutes, a draw looked the likely outcome but the Dragons had other ideas as Scott Dureau swept over a drop goal to seal victory by a single point at 13-12.

Miller and Riley Treble To Shock Robins

The final game of the round saw the Sunday afternoon clash between Wakefield Wildcats and Hull KR with the Robins eager to bounce back from the opening defeat while the Wildcats looked to record back-to back wins.

Both sides struck early with Albert Kelly scoring for the Robins in the ninth minute (Mantellato conv) and Matty Ashurst crossing for the Wildcats in the 12th minute with Craig Hall's conversion levelling the game at 6-6. Tyrone McCarthy regained the Robins lead in the 32nd minute (Mantellato conv) before two tries in three minutes from Jacob Miller coupled with a Craig Hall conversion gave Wakefield a 16-12 lead at the interval.

Wildcats captain Danny Kirmond extended the hosts lead in the 48th minute (Hall conv) before Ken Sio crossed for the Robins four minutes later (Mantellato conv) to bring the score to 20-18. Chris Riley ran in three tries in ten minutes to put the Wildcats in control and by converting his third effort put Wakefield in control at 38-18.

Ryan Bailey scored a debut try for the Robins four minutes from the end with Josh Mantellato's fourth conversion putting the score at 38-24 but Wakefield had the last say with Jacob Miller completing his hat-trick in the final minute with Craig Hall's fifth conversion securing a 44-24 victory.

Warriors Comeback To Stun Giants

After being held to a draw in at Widnes in round one, Wigan began their home campaign with the traditional visit of Huddersfield who have revelled in spoiling the joy of the opening game at the DW Stadium in recent years.

Wigan suffered a blow ahead of kick-off which led to a delay in proceedings as George Williams left the warm-up in pain and had to be swiftly replaced in the starting 13 by Ryan Hampshire who alongside Sam Powell started in a very young halfback partnership.

The delay seemed to affect Wigan who kicked out on the full from the opening kick-off but luckily were strong enough in defence to prevent Huddersfield from an early score. However, the Giants did open the scoring in the seventh minute with a battling drive that saw Anthony Mullally cross the Wigan line with Danny Brough sweeping over the conversion for a 6-0 lead.

Wigan should have opened their account in the 12th minute when a clever flurry of passes allowed Anthony Gelling to find space but his rapid offload found touch rather then the supporting Josh Charnley on the wing. The Warriors did open their account just six minutes later as a heavy hit on Matty Bowen resulted in a penalty which saw a quick passing move to the left find Joel Tomkins who crossed for the try but sadly Sam Powell was unable to convert from a tough angle at 6-4.

Another rapid passing move in the 24th minute saw Wigan take the lead but via a review after John Bateman had latched on to Sam Powell's pass to cross under the sticks which gave Ryan Hampshire an easy conversion which he kicked successfully for 10-6.

The lead lasted barely a few minutes as a Liam Farrell fumble from the restart gave Huddersfield possession in a dangerous position which they utilised superbly with Jamie Ellis crossing after a clever run from Wigan loanee Jack Hughes. Danny Brough converted to give the Giants a 12-10 lead.

The Giants thought they had extended their lead in the 31st minute when a grubber kick from Brough saw Jake Connor collect the ball and touchdown for a try but after a review, the effort was chalked off but it served as a warning for Wigan and one they failed to heed just six minutes later.

Jake Connor clipped forward a grubber kick and with Josh Charnley caught infield, Aaron Murphy was wide open to cross for a try in the corner but the tough angle meant Brough's perfect record with the boot ended with the score at 16-10, a lead that lasted into the half-time interval.

A cagey start to the second half from both sides saw both sides make mistakes with Huddersfield's forward pass in the 49th minute proving costly as from the resulting scrum, Wigan reduced the deficit with a flurry of passes allowing Joel Tomkins to score his second try of the evening which went unconverted after Ryan Hampshire's close attempt at 16-14.

Just before the hour mark, a notable piece of history was written as for a few seconds at least, Wigan had the Farrell and Tomkins brothers both on the field as Connor Farrell entered the fray in place of Sean O'Loughlin but just seconds later, Logan Tomkins departed for Michael McIlorum.

One topic of discussion in the opening round was the flurry of sin-bins and the count threatened to rise in the 62nd minute as tempers flared between the two sides which resulted in Craig Huby and Ryan Sutton being sent to the sin-bin for punching. The reshuffling for the sides seemed to benefit Wigan as they took the lead with 11 minutes remaining with a superb run from John Bateman saw him offload to Michael McIlorum who capped off the move with a try but a miss from the conversion attempt set up a two point game at 18-16.

Both sides were back to their full compliment of 13 with just seven minutes left and the spell on the sidelines seemed to help Ryan Sutton as he latched on to a rapid passing move to cross for his first senior try and gave Ryan Hampshire an easy conversion to put Wigan ahead at 24-16.

Huddersfield looked to respond instantly but a short restart proved to be too short and gave Wigan the chance to extend their lead and they came achingly close in the final seconds with a dangerous grubber kick caught by Joel Tomkins in goal but his momentum denied him a hat-trick as he fumbled but it mattered little at the hooter as Wigan celebrated a hard-fought victory. 

Super League Round 2 Weekend Preview

A busy day meant I was unable to preview what turned out to be a one-sided game between Salford and St Helens last night with a victory for the Saints but the weekend is still early and there are five more games to preview starting with a trio of clashes tonight.

Wigan Warriors host the Huddersfield Giants with both sides looking for their first win of the season after the Warriors let a 22-12 lead slip to draw 22-22 at Widnes and the Giants suffered a 19-0 loss at home to Hull FC. The last meeting between the sides saw Wigan stroll to a 57-4 play-off win over the Giants in September but despite their play-off exit at the DW, Huddersfield doubled the Warriors in 2014 with a 24-8 win in last season's opening round so will be keen to stage a repeat.

Two players who will have mixed emotions tonight are Jack Hughes and Larne Patrick after swapping sides on loan with Hughes set to face Wigan as an opponent for the first time while Patrick's home debut for the Warriors sees him face-off against friends and temporary enemies.

Wigan make one change from last week's 19 man squad with the suspended Matty Smith replaced by Ryan Hampshire while Huddersfield name an unchanged 19 from the defeat to Hull.

Wigan Warriors: Bateman, Bowen, Burgess, Charnley, Clubb, Crosby, L. Farrell, C. Farrell, Gelling, Hampshire, McIlorum, O'Loughlin, Patrick, Powell, Sutton, Tautai, J. Tomkins, L. Tomkins, Williams.
Huddersfield Giants: McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, Murphy, Brough, Robinson, Crabtree, Lunt, Huby, Ferres, Hughes, Bailey, Kopczak, Ta'ai, Broughton, Mullally, Ellis, Connor, Johnson.

This could be a close one but I feel that the atmosphere of a first home game will spur the Warriors to a win so Wigan 28 Huddersfield 18.

After comfortable victories in the opening round, Hull FC and the Warrington Wolves meet with hopes of securing back-to-back wins after Hull beat Huddersfield 19-0 and Warrington defeated Salford 22-8. The previous meeting between the two sides saw Warrington seal a 24-18 win as part of a double over the Airlie Birds. Despite the doubling, Hull will be confident in the knowledge that 2013 was a double in their favour so the odd numbered year may strike twice for them.  

Hull make one change from last weekend with James Cunningham replacing Dean Hadley while Warringon are unchanged for their trip across the Pennines, a trip that last year caused problems with some Wolves fans only arriving with an hour on the clock and led to humour on social media.

Hull FC:  Bowden, Cunningham, Ellis, Green, Houghton, Lineham, Minichiello, Paea, Paleaaesina, Pryce, Sa, Shaul, Sneyd, Talanoa, Thompson, Watts, Westerman, Whiting, Yeaman
Warrington Wolves: Asotasi, Atkins, Bridge, Clark, Currie, B Evans, R Evans, Harrison, Higham, Hill, Laithwaite, Monaghan, Myler, O'Brien, Penny, Ratchford, Sims, Westwood, Wheeler.

Both sides look strong and this could be close so a drop goal win is my tip for Hull so Hull 25 Warrington 24.

Two sides with different opening weekends complete tonight's schedule as Leeds Rhinos host the Widnes Vikings with Leeds looking for a second consecutive win after a 40-30 comeback against Hull KR while Widnes secured a late 22-22 at home to Wigan. Leeds hold a superb record against Widnes with wins in all of the last five meetings including the most recent which saw them secure a 38-28 win last June.

Leeds Rhinos include a potential debutant in Andy Yates who replaces Josh Walters in an other wise unchanged 19 while Widnes are without the suspended Patrick Ah Van and injured captain Kevin Brown as Magraff Leuluai and Danny Galea come in.

Leeds Rhinos: Hardaker, Briscoe, Watkins, Moon, Hall, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Aiton, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Sinfield, Ward, Achurch, Cuthbertson, Sutcliffe, Singleton, Yates.
Widnes Vikings: Cahill, Carberry, Clarkson, Craven, Dean, Galea, Gerrard, Hanbury, Heremaia, Isa, Kavanagh, Leuluai, Manuokafoa, Marsh, Mellor, O'Carroll, Owens, Phelps, Tickle.

Widnes's missing duo could hinder them and with Leeds at full strength, I tip them so Leeds 26 Widnes 14.

Saturday afternoon features a single game as Catalans Dragons begin their home campaign against fellow round one losers Castleford Tigers with the Dragons  keen to continue their fine home from from last season which saw only two defeats. Catalans came out worse in an 18-7 loss to St Helens while Castleford suffered a late 24-22 defeat to neighbours Wakefield.

The sides claimed a win each last season with the Dragons winning in this meeting with a 28-6 score back in September but the Tigers will hope for a repeat of just over a year ago when they sealed a 32-6 win last February.

Catalans are without Remi Casty (hand) but are able to include Willie Tonga who played just 12 seconds in round one after a heavy hit while Castleford are missing Ashley Gibson (hamstring) and Adam Milner (knee) so Liam Finn may deputise at hooker and Ben Roberts at half-back.

Catalans Dragons: Anderson, Baiteri, Bosc, Carney, Duport, Dureau, Elima, Escaré, Garcia, Henderson, Lima, Maria, Mounis, Oldfield, Pelissier, Pomeroy, Taia, Tonga, Whitehead.
Castleford Tigers: Boyle, Clare, Carney, Channing, Crossley, Finn, Gale, Holmes, Lynch, Massey, Millington, Moore, Moors, Roberts, Shenton, Solomona, Tansey, Webster, Wheeldon.

Catalans are strong at home and the long trip won't help Castleford too much but this will be close so Catalans 30 Castleford 24.

The final game of the round takes place on Sunday as the Wakefield Wildcats host Hull KR with the Rovers eager to bounce back the defeat to Leeds which saw them go from 30-16 in front to lose 40-30 while the Wildcats will look to secure a second consecutive win after edging past neighbours Castleford 24-22.

Wakefield will hope to avenge the double suffered to the Rovers in 2014 with the most recent meeting seeing the Rovers win 42-16 at Wakefield after 44-6 win earlier in the season. Alike the Hull/Warrington trend mentioned earlier, Hull KR's 2014 double came on the back of suffering one in 2013 so Wakefield will hope the trend strikes twice.

Wakefield include Matty Ashurst in place of Matt Ryan in an other wise unchanged 19 with Craig Hall on course to face the Rovers for the first time since leaving in the off-season. Hull KR are missing Michael Weyman (knee) and James Donaldson (thumb) with Liam Salter included alongside potential debutant John Boudebeza.

Wakefield Wildcats: Anderson, Annakin, Ashurst, Collis, Godinet, Hall, Kirmond, Lauititi, Lyne, McShane, Miller, Owen, Paea, Riley, Scruton, Simon, D Smith, T Smith, Washbrook
Hull KR: Allgood, Bailey, Blair, Boudebza, Burke, Campese, Carlile, Cockayne, Dixon, Goulding, Green, Horne, Kelly, Mantellato, McCarthy, Salter, Sio, Walker, Welham

Another potential cracker is on the cards here and I think a drop goal could be the difference here so Wakefield 22 Hull KR 23.  

An Exciting Start to the RLNewEra

A tough off season for a number of sides with comings and goings came to an end last week with the 'New Era of Rugby League' beginning with the opening round of Super League XX.

12 man Vikings Comeback Stuns Warriors

The season kicked off on Thursday night with Widnes Vikings hosting 2014 Grand Finalists Wigan Warriors and a superb clash saw the sides share a point in a 22-22 draw. Wigan got off to a great start with the Joel Tomkins crossing for the opening try of 2015 before Anthony Gelling (Smith conv) added a second for 10-0 inside 15 minutes. Widnes suffered a blow with the dismissal of Patrick Ah Van on 24 minutes with the punishment being a second score for Gelling (Smith conv) four minutes later for 16-0.

Widnes battled back to get on the board with a pacy try from Joe Mellor (Tickle conv) four minutes before the interval before a second score six minutes after the interval from Rhys Hanbury (Tickle conv) for 16-12. Joe Burgess put Wigan over 20 points and Smith's third conversion put them at 22-12 but a try from Cameron Phelps in the 67th minute gave the Vikings hope which bore fruit in the 78th minute as Chris Dean's try (Marsh conv) levelled the score with the following melee resulting in a sin-binning for Matty Smith.

Damaged Dragons Defeated By Saints

In what was one of the longest matches in Super League history, St Helens made a winning start to the defence of their 2014 Grand Final title with a 18-7 victory over a bruised Catalans Dragons side who played their part in a game that lasted over two hours.

The length of the game was due to a 10 minute delay after 12 seconds for a bad injury to Willie Tonga before Thomas Bosc also suffered a knock but managed to power on. Atelea Vea scored a debut try for the Saints inside eight minutes (Makinson conv) in a tight first half that saw Catalans level in the 37th minute through an Eloi Pelissier try (Bosc conv) before Bosc added a drop goal on the hooter to make it 7-6.

Saints battled back in front with a try from Jordan Turner in the 44th minute before they benefited from the sin-binning of Michael Oldfield in the 56th minute with a first senior try for Andre Savelio for 14-7. Catalans response was limited and Tommy Makinson's try (Percival conv) five minutes from the end secured the win.

Jones-Bishop Doubles in Salford Loss

Saturday afternoon saw Warrington host Salford in a long awaited meeting between two sides buoyed by their off-season recruiting but it was the Wolves who came out on top in a 22-8 win. Warrington opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a try from former Salford man Richie Myler ) for 6-0 (Ratchford conv) before a quick second from Mick Higham just four minutes later (Ratchford conv).

Ryan Atkins extended the lead in the 55th minute with Stefan Ratchford's third success with the boot opening up an 18 point gap which was cut by a debut try from Ben Jones-Bishop just before the hour mark. Warrington passed the 20 point mark with nine minutes remaining through Rhys Evans effort while Salford gained some consolation in the final seconds with Jones-Bishop's second score for 22-8.

Sneyd Stars as Airlie Birds Nil Giants

Sunday's trio of games began with Huddersfield Giants hosting hosting Hull FC with the Black and Whites securing a 19-0 win influenced by newly recruited half-back Marc Sneyd, Hull got off the mark with a try from Fetuli Talanoa in the 21st minute before Sneyd added a penalty on half-time for 6-0. 

A double from Jamie Shaul in the 54th and 59th minutes put the visitors in control with Sneyd converting both for a 18 point lead which was added to in the 64th minute by the half-back's drop goal to seal a miserable afternoon for the Giants who suffered their first blank in four years.

Rhinos Comeback Stuns Robins

In front of a record attendance at the KC Lightstream Stadium, Leeds and Hull KR posted a combined 70 points which included a stunning Rhinos comeback from 30-16 to win 40-30 against a Robins side featuring 12 debutants.

Leeds made the perfect start with a Tom Briscoe try in the opening minute but were soon pegged back in style by a trio of scores for the Robins in the space of 15 minutes, a debut double for Albert Kelly in the fifth and 15th minutes sandwiched fellow debutant Mitch Allgood's score with all three converted by Josh Mantellato for 18-4. 

The Rhinos responded with efforts from Kevin Sinfield and Danny McGuire with Sinfield's duo of conversions closing the gap to 18-16. However, KR ensured a 24-16 lead at the interval with yet another debut scorer as Terry Campese crossed two minutes from the half (Mantellato conv) before Kris Welham pushed them to 30 points with a 42nd minute score which Mantellato converted to make it 5/5 with the boot.

Leeds ended 2014 with a run of defeats which looked to continue into 2015 but they staged a superb comeback with McGuire's second try in the 49th minute (Sinfield conv) followed by an effort from Kallum Watkins just before the hour mark (Sinfield conv) for 30-28.

Zak Hardaker put the Rhinos ahead for the first time with a try in the 69th minute (Sinfield conv) before Brad Singleton wrapped up the win with a late try three minutes from the end which was followed by Kevin Sinfield's sixth conversion for 40-30.

Wakey Edge Out Cas In Derby Clash

The final game of the round saw the opening derby clash of the season as Castleford Tigers hosted neighbours Wakefield Wildcats in an exciting meeting that saw the Wildcats come from behind to claim a 24-22 victory.

Denny Solomona made a superb start to his Tigers career with a double in the 11th and 16th minutes with a single conversion from Luke Gale making the score 10-0, Paul McShane put the Wildcats on the board in the 26th minute with Craig Hall converting for 10-6. Luke Gale added to his earlier conversion with a try and conversion in the 33rd minute for 16-6 at the interval.

Justin Carney pushed the Tigers past 20 points with Gale's conversion just before the hour but Wakefield hopes rose in the 65th minute through Pita Godinet's score and Hall's conversion for 22-12 before a late show from the Wildcats saw them seal the win with tries from Ali Lauitiiti and Danny Washbrook in the 74th and 78th minutes with Craig Hall converting both to complete the comeback.

Wolves Host Red Devils

The first weekend of the Super League season sees a single Saturday clash as Salford Red Devils open their campaign for the top eight with a trip to face 2014 play-off semi finalists Warrington Wolves.

Warrington will look to improve on a 2014 season which saw them fail to make the Grand Final for a third successive year which has led to them recruiting well in the off-season with the marquee signing of Ashton Sims from the NRL following the acquisition of 2014 Man of Steel, Daryl Clark with both joined in this afternoon's squad by recent signing Gary Wheeler.

Alike the Wolves, Salford have also bolstered their squad in the off-season with the notable signings of halfback Michael Dobson and winger Ben Jones-Bishop both of whom have a rich amount of Super League experience to draw on as they make their debuts for the Red Devils. Joining Dobson in the squad from the NRL is Cory Patterson who is tipped to be a hot prospect for Salford and features in a strong 19 that also includes the talismanic Adrian Morley.

Warrington Wolves : Asotasi, Atkins, Bridge, Clark, Currie, B Evans, R Evans, Harrison, Higham, Hill, Laithwaite, Monaghan, Myler, O’Brien, Penny, Ratchford, Sims, Westwood, Wheeler.2 Ben Jones-Bishop

Salford squad: Caton-Brown, Chase, Dobson, Evalds, Fages, Griffin, J Griffin, Hansen, Hauraki, Hock, Johnson, Lee, Locke, Morley, Tasi, Taylor, Paterson, Walne

This should be a cracking game given the off-season recruiting from both sides but I see Warrington shading a win so Warrington 24 Salford 18.

Super League Friday's Are Back!

After a superb 80 minutes between Widnes and Wigan last night kicked off the 2015 season superbly, Super League Friday night's begin with tonight's clash between 2014 champions St Helens and Catalans Dragons.

Saints new coach Keiron Cunningham starts his career as head coach with a tough tie against a Catalan side who have reinforced in the off season after missing out on the Grand Final with a 30-12 defeat to tonight's hosts.

St Helens include Jonny Lomax who returns after knee surgery and joins off-season acquisitions Atelea Vea and Travis Burns who will boost the Saints pack which will be without first choice half-back Luke Walsh who is still to return to fitness after missing the back end of last season.

Catalan include the re-signed Remi Casty who returns for a second spell at the Dragons after a short spell in the NRL as does Willie Tonga, Scott Dureau misses out as does marquee signing Todd Carney who has suffered a calf strain. 

St Helens : Lomax, Makinson, Turner, Jones, Swift, Burns, Masoe, Roby, Amor, Vea, Wilkin, Walmsley, Flanagan, Hohaia, Percival, Richards, Wellens, Greenwood, Savelio.
Catalans Dragons : Escare, Duport, Pomeroy, Tonga, Oldfield, Carney, Elima, Henderson, Casty, Taia, Anderson, Mounis, Bosc, Lima, Pelissier, Whitehead, Garcia, Bousquet, Baitieri.

The Carney-less Dragons I see suffering an opening defeat by 12 points so Saints 28 Dragons 16. 

Full previews of the weekend's remaining games will follow early tomorrow morning.  

12-Man Vikings Comeback Denies Warriors

After a mixed pre-season away from home, Wigan made the short trip to the Select Security Stadium to face Widnes in the opening game of the 2015 Super League season ushering in 'The new era of Rugby League.'

The Warriors starting 13 included a couple of surprises with Logan Tomkins and Ryan Sutton both starting in the second row in the absence of the injured Michael McIlorum and the suspended Ben Flower in an otherwise predictable selection.  The pre-match atmosphere between both sets of fans was electric and included a touching tribute from Widnes to loyal warrior Adam Cunliffe who passed away earlier in the week and will be missed amongst the Wigan community.

Both sides made a reasonable start to the game by exchanging sets before a clever move down the left allowed Joel Tomkins to cross for the first try of the game and the season itself in front of the joyful Wigan end. Matty Smith attempted to convert from a tough angle but sent the ball just to the left of the posts at 4-0.

Wigan could have added a rapid second try when a pacy run down the middle from John Bateman saw him pick out Matt Bowen just metres from the line but Bowen's momentum saw him fumble and end the move. Widnes responded instantly with Stefan Marsh racing clear from the scrum only to be excellently denied by Anthony Gelling.

The Vikings continued to advance with a sweeping kick from Joe Mellor finding the grasp of Patrick Ah Van who touched down in the corner but James Child elected to go to the video review who agreed with his decision to deny the try for a knock-on. The intensity rose just seconds later when Kevin Brown's dummy failed to fool Ryan Sutton who floored him with a superb tackle but the impact meant the Vikings captain was unable to continue.

Wigan regained possession and utilised it cleverly as a quick passing play saw John Bateman and Matt Bowen combine to find Anthony Gelling who crossed for the Warriors second score which was added to by Matty Smith's conversion for a 10-0 lead. The visitors looked to strike for a third time in the 23rd minute when Josh Charnley found space on the wing but with the line in sight he was caught by the swinging arm of Patrick Ah Van who after a delay was dismissed leaving Widnes with 12 men for the majority of the game.

Wigan took just five minutes to use the extra man to their advantage as the combination of Bateman and Bowen paid off fr a second time as Anthony Gellng crossed for his second try with Matty Smith converting for a second time to give the Warriors a 16-0 lead. Widnes looked to be heading into the interval scoreless as the minutes ticked down but benefited from a Joe Burgess knock-on which saw Joe Mellor react quickest before blazing down the wing to cross for a try. Danny Tickle converted and Widnes were on the board at 16-6.

Widnes defied their numerical disadvantage to record a successive score just six minutes into the second half as a clever grubber from Joe Mellor evaded the arms of Matt Bowen to leave Rhys Hanbury with an easy take and try. Danny Tickle made it two from two with the boot for a 16-12 scoreline.

Wigan responded with an effort in the 53rd minute with Joel Tomkins looking to have crossed for his second try but after a video review the try was denied meaning four points still served as the gap between the sides. However, Wigan did extend their lead just three minutes later with Tomkins influential by picking out Joe Burgess on the wing who crossed for a try which saw Matty Smith convert well to make it 22-12.

Although many expected Widnes to suffer with just 12 men, the Vikings proved the critics wrong with a rapid move across the field which allowed Cameron Phelps to cross with ease on the overlap to the dismay of the onlooking fans in the East stand. Stefan Marsh took over the kicking duties but was unable to convert leaving the score at 22-16.

Aside from being the new era of rugby league, the slogan for 2015 is 'Every minute matters' and with just five minutes left on the clock in a six point game, the phrase proved true as a Wigan mistake gave Widnes good field position which saw Chris Dean cross for a try before chaos ensued.

A melee between the players began after the celebrating Rhys Hanbury received a kick from Matty Smith leading to the aforementioned melee which also saw Joel Tomkins grapple Cameron Phelps, both Wigan players were spoken to by James Child but with no punishment. Stefan Marsh converted to level at 22-22 to set up a tight finish.

The restart saw a delay as James Child called over Matty Smith and sent the Warriors half-back to the sin bin for the final minute which saw Wigan waste the final possession and leave both sides with a point each.

The Time Has Come For Widnes/Wigan

Barely a day goes by without thoughts of that fateful day in October where just three minutes into the Grand Final, Wigan's hopes of back-to-back titles were dashed but tonight's opponents Widnes suffered an earlier exit after succumbing to a Warrington comeback in late September.

Both sides will be eager to begin the season on a high with the Warriors looking to avoid back-to-back defeats at the Select Security Stadium after a humbling 24-10 loss in their final away game of 2014 back in August. Widnes will hope lightning strikes twice as to defeat the bookies favourites for glory this year would be the perfect start for the Vikings.

In terms of records, Wigan have won four of the last five meetings with an interesting statistic being that they have only conceded four points in three of the four games but to repeat such a feat for a fourth time would rely on Widnes being uncharacteristically poor which is unlikely.

Recent years have seen Widnes tagged as 'Wigan B' at times due to a flurry of ex-Warriors in their squad and with the pre-season acquisition of Gil Dudson, the Vikings boast eight former Warriors so will have an extensive knowledge of the workings of tonight's visitors. The Vikings have named all but the injured Dudson in the 19 so for the travelling fans their will be a lot of familiar faces in Black and White.

Aside from Dudson, Widnes have strengthened across the field with the arrival of Manase Manukafoa (Bradford), Chris Clarkson (loan from Leeds) and a big signing in the form of Aaron Heremaia (Hull).

Wigan traditionally suffer an exodus in pre-season but for once, their have been more arrivals than departures with the returning home of talismanic half-back Blake Green coupled with the permanent exit of the aforementioned Gil Dudson and Hull KR bound Darrell Goulding. Scott Taylor and Jack Hughes have joined Salford and Huddersfield on loan with fellow forward Greg Burke going on loan to Hull KR.

Arrivals at the DW Stadium see the return of Lee Mossop after a short stint in the NRL with Wigan finally completing their pursuit of Larne Patrick who joins on loan from Huddersfield as part of a swap with Jack Hughes while Taulima Tautai joins after a mid-2014 signing from Wakefield and is valued as a good prospect.

Both sides have named strong 19's ahead of what will surely be a superb opening to the 'New Era of Rugby League'

Widnes:  Ah Van, Brown, Cahill, Carberry, Clarkson, Craven, Dean, Gerrard, Hanbury, Heremaia, Hulme, Isa, Kavanagh, Manuokafoa, Marsh, Mellor, O'Carroll, Phelps, Tickle.
Wigan : Bateman, Bowen, Burgess, Charnley, Clubb, Crosby, L. Farrell, C. Farrell, Gelling, McIlorum, O'Loughlin, Patrick, Powell, Smith, Sutton, Tautai, J. Tomkins, L. Tomkins, Williams.

Widnes v Wigan Feb 5th 2015 | Create infographics

Young Warriors Fall to Workington Defeat

Wigan's pre-season programme ended with a loss as a youthful Warriors side slipped to a 24-6 defeat away to dual-reg partners Workington Town of the Championship earlier this afternoon. The Warriors fielded senior players Sam Powell and Dom Manfredi in a side comprised mainly of U19s players.

A windy day in West Cumbria began with both sides making decent starts but it was the hosts who opened the scoring as a nice from Callum Phillips picked out brother Brett who battled through the Warriors defence to cross for a try which was added to by a conversion from Carl Forber for a 6-0 lead.

Alike their previous two outings, errors seemed to be main problem for Wigan and Workington took full advantage just before the end of the first half with two scores in the final four minutes starting with a try for Jarrad Stack who edged over after a knock-on from Joe Bretherton and with Forber converting for a second time, the hosts led 12-0.

After scoring himself, Stack turned creator as he picked out Jason Mossop who crossed for Town's third try with just 11 seconds left of the first period and with Forber maintaining his perfect record with the boot, Workington went into the interval leading 18-0.

A switch-around at half-time saw Wigan return without Sam Powell who was replaced by Jake Shorrocks but as in a similar vain to the first half, Workington scored the first try of the period as a solo run from Callum Phillips saw him evade challenges from Bretherton and Tierney before crossing the Wigan line. Carl Forber made it four from four with the boot for a 24-0 lead.

Wigan's errors and indiscipline let them down at St Helens last week and with four scores needed in 27 minutes to avoid defeat, something had to change quickly to prevent a repeat and change it did as the Warriors got on the board in the 56th minute.

A succession of kicks from Jamie Doran and Jack Higginson resulted in a collection of the ball from James Greenwood who touched down for a try, Jake Shorrocks converted easily to reduce the deficit to 24-6

Despite a battling response from the Warriors, 24-6 was how the contest ended meaning with the exception of the Academy victory over London Skolars, Wigan as a club will go into Thursday's Super League opener against Widnes looking for a first senior win of 2015.