Friday, 29 May 2015

Young Warriors Defeat Wildcats

After being postponed earlier in the month after an incident on the M62 prevented Wakefield from arriving, the rearrange meeting between Wigan and Wakefield Under 19s took place on Thursday evening.

Wigan made a great start with Nick Gregson crossing for the opening try which Jake Moore converted for 6-0. The Warriors raced in three further tries before the 20 minute mark as Joe Bretherton and Liam Paisley scored ahead of Gregson's second effort with Moore successfully improving all three with the boot for 24-0.

Wakefield needed to stem the Wigan charge but failed to hold out the Warriors who excelled with four scores in 11 minutes as Liam Paisley completed his hat-trick among tries from Jack Wells and Liam Marshall with Moore continuing his kicking perfection for 48-0. However, Wakefield did manage to end the half with the last say as two minutes from the interval, Kieran Holt claimed their first try which Max Jowitt converted for 48-6.

Wigan replicated their first half start with the first try of the second half as Gabriel Fell crossed with Moore converting for 54-6 but from there Wakefield seemed to spring into action as they ran in four successive tries. Joe Capless, Max Jowitt, Sam Blake and Fraizer Morris all crossed for the Wildcats with Tom Megretton converting three after Jowitt failed to convert the first and moving the score to 54-28. Wigan confirmed the win late on with Liam Paisley scoring a superb fourth try which Moore converted to end with a 20 point haul as Wigan secured a 54-28 victory.

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

Super League Round Fifteen Review

After a break for the Challenge Cup sixth round, Super League resumed with round 15 as sides looked to prepare for Magic Weekend with a positive result but such luck only came for half of the sides.

Hudds Halt Cas Charge

Thursday night saw the round begin with the Yorkshire derby between Castleford and Huddersfield with both eager to bounce back from exiting the Challenge cup to Hull and Leeds a week earlier. 

A tight first 20 minutes between the sides was broken by Craig Huby's try against his former club which Danny Brough converted to give the Giants a 6-0 lead before Aaron Murphy added  a second try five minutes later which Brough also improved for 12-0. Castleford responded with a try from Jake Webster five minutes before the interval for 12-4 but Ukuma Ta'ai restored the Giants 12 point lead just before the hooter with Brough's conversion resulting in an 18-4 half-time lead.

Ben Roberts and Michael Shenton both crossed for the Tigers either side of the hour mark with Luke Gale converting both efforts for 18-16 but the win was sealed for the Giants six minutes from the end as Eorl Crabtree crossed for a try which when converted by Brough ensured a 24-16 victory.  

Wonderful Wire Punish Sorry Salford

Friday night's televised action saw Salford host Warrington with the Wolves keen to extend their good form at the expense of the mixed form Red Devils. 

Warrington opened the scoring with an 11th minute try from Ben Currie (Ratchford conv) for 6-0 before Cory Paterson ran in a self-converted try to level  at 6-6 on 14 minutes. Gene Ormsby restored the Wolves lead on 18 minutes with Ratchford converting before adding a converted try of his won seven minutes later for 16-6. Salford reduced the gap to four points at the interval with Junior Sau's try and Paterson's conversion for 16-12 at the interval. 

Ormsby and Evalds exchanged tries either side of the hour mark with Ratchford and Paterson converting for 22-18 to the Wolves before Brad Dwyer extended the Wolves lead to four ahead of Ratchford's conversion for 28-18. Salford hopes were dashed with eight minutes remaining as Ormsby completed his hat-trick and Ratchford converted for a 34-18 final score. 

Hull Joy Despite Saints Defeat 

In the second challenge for the Steve Prescott Cup, Hull FC hosted St Helens and despite suffering a narrow loss secured the trophy via a 38-37 aggregate score. 

A tight first 20 minutes between the sides was broken by the opening try for Shannon McDonnell for Saints which Tom Makinson converted for 6-0 before Lewis Charnock converted a penalty for 809 on 26 minutes. Leon Pryce cut the gap four minutes before the interval with Marc Sneyd's conversion making it 8-6 into half-time.

Charnock added a second penalty on 45 minutes to put Saints 10-6 ahead before Jordan Abdull levelled for the hosts at 10-10 with Sneyd unable to put them ahead for the first time as he failed to convert. Four minutes later, Makinson sealed a self-converted try for 16-10 and the win was sealed for St Helens in the final minute as Jordan Turner swept over a drop goal for 17-10.

Robins Rue Rhinos Rise

Friday's other action saw table toppers Leeds host Hull KR with the Robins keen to build on last week's Cup win over Wigan while the Rhinos looked to continue their good form. 

Stevie Ward opened the scoring for the Rhinos inside five minutes with Kevin Sinfield converting for 6-0 before a rapid brace from Kieran Dixon put the Robins ahead at 8-6 on 14 minutes. However, Leeds were back in front after Mitch Achurch's try three minutes later and with Sinfield converting for 12-8, the Robins' failure to convert looked to be costly. 

Ryan Hall extended the lead with a 21st minute try which Sinfield converted for 18-8 but the Robins were able to to cut the gap to six as Ben Cockayne crossed for a try but another failed conversion put them at 18-12. They went into the interval just two points behind as Josh Mantellato scored a try on the hooter but wasted the chance to level the score with a conversion at 18-16.

Brad Singleton improved Leeds' lead just nine minutes into the second half for 22-16 before Ryan Hall's second try and Sinfield's conversion moved the Rhinos clear at 28-16. The Leeds captain added a penalty on 72 minutes before scoring a self-converted try to end the match on 16 points and move to third in the all time point scoring list as Leeds secured a 36-16 triumph.

Devastating Dragons Demolish Wobbling Warriors

Saturday's solitary game saw Catalans host Wigan in a game that will be remembered by both sides but for very different reasons as the Dragons handed the Warriors their worst SL defeat since 2005.

Wigan made the better start as Josh Charnley scored his first try since coming back from injury and Matty Smith converted for 6-0 but from there it all went wrong for the Warriors. Catalans struck three tries in fifteen minutes as Fouad Yaha, Tony Gigot and Zeb Taia all crossed with Scott Dureau converting two from three attempts for 16-6.

Dan Sarginson responded for Wigan on the half hour mark for 16-10, Catalans struck in style as Taia and Gigot registered their second tries with Dureau converting both before adding another conversion after Yaha's second effort on the hooter for a 34-10 half-time lead.

Joe Burgess cut the gap for Wigan just four minutes into the second half with Smith converting for 34-16 but the effort was cancelled out within five minutes as Michael Oldfield crossed for the Dragons with Dureau improving the lead to 40-16. Any slim hopes of a Warriors comeback washed away as Catalans ran in three tries in ten minutes as Taia and Gigot completed their hat-tricks either side of an effort for Morgan EscarĂ©. 

Dureau continued his near perfect run with the boot by converting all three for a total of nine successes from ten and an 18 point personal haul as the Dragons routed the Warriors with a 58-16 win. 

Valiant Vikings Extend Wildcats Woes

 The round came to an end with Sunday's game between Wakefield and Widnes with the Wildcats desperate to end their woeful league form while the Vikings looked to continue their rise away from the bottom of the table. 

Rhys Hanbury opened the scoring for the Vikings inside five minutes for 4-0 before a six minute brace from Stefan Marsh opened up a 12-0 lead with Jack Owens adding a further effort on 25 minutes which Lloyd White converted for 18-0. Wakefield prevented a first half blank with a last-gasp try from Tom Johnstone which Jacob Miller converted for 18-6 going into the interval.

White scored a self-converted try nine minutes into the second half to put Widnes in control at 24-6 before Marsh completed his hat-trick on the hour with White's conversion moving the lead to 30-6. Wakefield responded with a try from Matt Ryan on 65 minutes which Miller converted for 30-12 to give the Wildcats hope and they added a further score eight minutes from the end through Dean Collis which Miller converted for 30-18 but it proved to be in vain as Widnes held on for the win. 

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

Challenge Cup Sixth Round Review

After the 'New Era' restructuring of the Challenge Cup, this weekend's sixth round saw the first entry of last season's Super League top eight which included Wembley finalists Leeds and Castleford while League One side York featured as the lowest ranked side. 

Robins Rise As Warriors Wither

Friday night saw a trio of games with the biggest surprise coming in Wigan's 'home' tie against Hull KR at Leigh Sports Village in drizzly conditions. Wigan opened the scoring on 14 minutes with a Matty Smith penalty for 2-0 before Maurice Blair crossed for the evening's first try on 19 minutes which Josh Mantellato converted for a 6-2 lead.

Joel Tomkins drew Wigan level three minutes before the break at 6-6 but Mantellato could have sent the Robins into the interval ahead with a last-gasp penalty but saw his effort drift wide. However, he redeemed his miss with a successful penalty eight minutes into the second half for 8-6 before Smith replied for Wigan to level at 8-8.

Mantellato restored the lead on the hour mark with another penalty for 10-8 before the second try of the evening came on 64 minutes as Joe Burgess's diving effort gave the Warriors a narrow 12-10 lead but Smith's failure to convert left the tie to close to call. However, the Robins spoiled the Warriors joy with five minutes left of the 80 as a Dan Sarginson error allowed Ken Sio to touchdown for a try which Mantellato improved for a 16-12 scoreline which proved to be enough to secure a place in the last eight. 

Wonderful Warrington Deny Dewsbury

In the first cross-league tie of the round, Super League side Warrington travelled to face Championship side Dewsbury with the Rams eager to stage a shock over the in-form Wolves.

Brad Dwyer opened the scoring for the Wolves on four minutes for 4-0 before James Delaney replied with a 12th minute penalty for the Rams to make it 4-2. Warrington took control with four tries in eight minutes as Ryan Atkins, Ashton Sims, Ben Currie and Declan Patton all registered efforts with Chris Bridge converting three of four attempts for 26-2.

Dewsbury claimed their first try of the evening on the half hour mark as Joel Farrell crossed with Delaney converting for 26-8 to give the Rams hopes of a comeback in the second half. However, such hopes were dashed within 11 minutes of the second half as Kevin Penny struck a brace and Bridge claimed a try while adding a single conversion at 40-8.

The Wolves wrapped up the comfortable victory with a try from Richie Myler before Ben Currie added his second try with Bridge converting both for 52-8 but it was the Rams who had the last say on the scoreline as Delaney swept over a last-gasp penalty to move them to double figures at 52-10.

Super Saints Stroll Past Youthful York

Friday's third tie saw League One side York travel to face Super League side St Helens with the City Knights looking to pull off potentially the biggest shock in the competition's history.

St Helens made a perfect start with Adam Swift scoring inside three minutes for 4-0 before Tom Makinson crossed on 12 minutes to extend the lead to 8-0. Makinson crossed for his second try on the half hour mark for 12-0 as the hosts built up the lead. Swift also claimed a second try five minutes later with Makinson converting for the first time for 18-0 before Mark Percival crossed in the final seconds of the half for a 22-0 half-time advantage.

Makinson completed his hat-trick and added a fourth score within 16 minutes of the second period as well as converting both effort for a huge 34-0 lead before Mark Flanagan's 68th minute try converted by Lewis Charnock breached the 40 point mark. Swift completed his hat-trick with six minutes remaining with Charnock's conversion making it 46-0 but the biggest cheer of the evening came as York avoided a nilling with Tyler Craig's try on 77 minutes which Adam Dent converted for a 46-6 final score.

Rampant Rhinos Rout Guts Giants

Saturday's action saw two all-SL ties with the first featuring holders Leeds who hosted Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield with both sides eager to secure a win over their fierce rivals after drawing earlier in the season. 

Two early tries from Kallum Watkins inside 12 minutes put the Rhinos ahead with Kevin Sinfield converting both for 12-0 before Ryan Hall and Paul Aiton added further scores before 22 minutes for 22-0. Huddersfield responded with a try from Kyle Wood on 36 minutes for a 22-4 half-time score.

Leeds ran riot in the second half with four tries in 16 minutes as Danny McGuire, Adam Cuthbertson crossed ahead of Ryan Hall's second try while Sinfield added a penalty and three conversions for a huge 42-4 lead. Huddersfield reduced the deficit with scores from Brett Ferres and Scott Grix with Danny Brough converting both for 42-16 but the Rhinos ensured their title defence continued with a 77th minute effort from Carl Ablett with Sinfield converting for a 48-16 final score.

Heroic Hull Crush Castleford

The second game of the afternoon saw last season's runners-up Castleford make the trip to face fellow Super League side Hull FC with the Tigers keen to build on last year's run to the final.

However, the Tigers hopes suffered an early dent as Hull raced into a 16-0 lead inside 17 minutes with a Curtis Naughton brace followed by a Mickey Paea effort with Marc Sneyd converting two of three efforts. Ashley Gibson got the Tigers off the mark with a 33rd minute try before James Clare and Mike McMeeken added efforts shortly after the interval with Luke Gale converting once for 16-14.

Jordan Rankin pushed the hosts to 20 points on 62 minutes before Sneyd added a penalty for 22-14 with 12 minutes remaining before Naughton's third try sealed the win on 72 minutes with Sneyd converting for 28-14 before Rankin's second effort and Yeaman's last-gasp try completed the rout with Sneyd converting both for a 40-14 final score. 

Classy Centurions Extend Wildcats Woes

Sunday afternoon saw the final three ties of the round with the trio featuring Super League v Championship clashes, the first saw SL basement boys Wakefield host Champ table toppers Leigh with the Centurions looking for back-to-back wins over top flight sides.
Wakefield started superbly with Chris Riley opening the scoring inside eight minutes with Craig Hall converting for 6-0 before a brace from Joe Arundel either side of a Nick Scruton effort put the hosts in control with Hall's conversions putting them in control at 22-0. Leigh fought back with a try from Ryan Brierley on 34 minute which Martin Ridyard converted for 22-6 before Hall scored a penalty on the hooter for 24-6 at the interval.

Leigh cut the deficit inside seven minutes with Jonny Pownall's effort which Ridyard converted for 24-12 before two tries in as many minutes from Bob Beswick and Tom Armstrong saw the Centurions draw level after Ridyard's conversions made it 24 all.

Wakefield's regained the lead with a try from Jon Molloy on 62 minutes with Hall converting for 30-24 but Leigh battled back with a try from Sam Hopkins with 11 minutes remaining and with Ridyard converting, the sides were level at 30 all. Leigh completed a superb second half fightback by taking the lead for the first time as former Wildcats forward Oli Wilkes cross on 73 minutes with Ridyard converting to seal a majestic 36-30 triumph. 

Valiant Vikings Edge Battling Bulldogs

The second tie saw Super League side Widnes hosts Championship side Batley with the Vikings keen to avoid an upset in their pursuit of a consecutive semi final place while the Bulldogs hoped for a giant killing.

Widnes opened the scoring through Lloyd White on 19 minutes with Jack Owens converting for 6-0 but the lead was short lived as Batley levelled with Chris Rowe's effort and Scott Leatherbarrow's conversion for six all. The Vikings restored the lead with three tries in seven minutes before the interval as Patrick Ah Van crossed ahead of a Kevin Brown brace with Owens adding a conversion for 20-6. 

Cameron Phelps extended the lead just five minutes after the break with Owens converting for 26-6 but Batley remained in the hunt with three tries in 15 minutes as Wayne Reittie claimed a brace either side of a try for Matty Fozzard with Leatherbarrow converting two of three attempts for 26-22. A tense last ten minutes saw Widnes hold firm to secure a narrow win and avoid a huge scare.

Dragons Delight After Rovers Rallying Scare

The final game of the round saw Super League side Catalans host Championship side Featherstone on Sunday evening with the Dragons wary of a slip-up to a Rovers side with aspirations of promotion to the top flight.

Featherstone's hopes were boosted early on as they opened the scoring on 10 minutes through Alex Foster with Remi Marginet converting for 6-0 before Stan Robin levelled for the Dragons with Thomas Bosc converting for six all on 13 minutes. Julian Bousquet and Luke Teasdale exchanged tries with Bosc and Marginet converting for 12 all. Elliot Whitehead restored the lead for the Dragons seven minutes before the interval with Bosc converting for an 18-12 half-time lead. 

However, Catalans's suffered a blow with the dismissal of Jeff Lima on 48 minutes with Rovers taking an instant advantage as Jack Ormondroyd crossed with Marginet converting to level at 18-18 before Teasdale claimed his brace on 51 minutes to give 'Fev' the lead for the first time with Marginet converting for 24-18. 

Catalans replied through Michael Oldfield with Bosc converting to level at 24-24 but Featherstone proved their original lead wasn't a fluke as they edged ahead on the hour mark through Sam Day's try which Marginet converted for 30-24. The Dragons were level again with nine minutes remaining as Morgan Escaré scored and Bosc converted for 30 all before Bosc added a converted try two minutes later for 36-30.

A tense finish saw Stan Robin kick a drop goal on 77 minutes before Ryan Verlinden gave Rovers hope in the final minute with a try but Marginet's refusal to convert in the final seconds left the final score at 37-34.

Wednesday, 13 May 2015

Super League Round Fourteen Review

In a week where the country decided on a new government, Super League saw the trend of shocks in 2015 continue with round 14 featuring just one of the big four winning while two sides secured clean sheets on a drenching Friday night.

Rampant Robins Rout Wildcats

The round began on Thursday night as Hull KR hosted Wakefield with both eager to bounce back from damaging defeats in the previous round. However, it was the Robins who bounced back in superb style with a 54-6 triumph.

Kris Welham and Josh Mantellato got the Robins started with a try each inside 16 minutes for an 8-0 lead before Joe Arundel put the visitors on the board with a 24th minute try which Craig Hall converted for 8-6. Albert Kelly crossed for the Robins on 28 minutes and with Mantellato converting, the lead moved to 14-6 before Mantellato scored and converted his own try for a 20-6 lead at the interval.

Graeme Horne crossed on 50 minutes for the Robins' sixth try with Mantellato converting for 26-6 before a six minute brace from Kieran Dixon coupled with  a single conversion from Mantellato put the hosts in firm control at 36-6. The Wildcats hopes of a first win since their opening double ended with three further tries from the Robins as Ken Sio, John Boudezba and Tyrone McCarthy all registered efforts which were all converted by Mantellato for 54-6.

Wonderful Warriors Trounce Tigers

Friday night saw a torrential downpour at the DW Stadium as Wigan hosted Castleford with the Warriors utilising the bad weather to their advantage to secure a 28-0 win which was sweet revenge for their worse loss of the season in the reverse fixture.

A tight opening from both sides saw a flurry of errors and knock-ons  so when Wigan were awarded a close range penalty on 14 minutes they chose to kick at goal which saw Matty Smith open the scoring at 2-0. Smith added a second penalty goal on 23 minutes before Joe Burgess collected Smith's long kick to register the first try of the game with Smith converting well for a 10-0 lead at the interval.

As the conditions deteriorated, Wigan extended their advantage with Smith's third penalty goal on 5 minutes before a rare try from Michael McIlorum on 63 minutes saw Smith convert for a comfortable 18-0 lead. The win and the subsequent nilling of the Tigers was wrapped up by two late tries from Dan Sarginson and Dom Manfredi with just the first effort improved by Smith for a 28-0 final score.


Giants Glide As Salford Suffer

Friday night's second game also suffered the wrath of the conditions as Salford hosted Huddersfield in a game that saw the Giants secure a 19-0 victory to dent the Red Devils charge up the table. 

Two early tries from Leroy Cudjoe and Jamie Ellis inside 15 minutes opened up a 10-0 with Danny Brough's single conversion. 

Brough added a penalty just before the interval for a 12-0 lead but Salford were unable to mount a response and fell further behind to a Brough drop goal on 56 minutes. Kyle Wood completed the win on 62 minutes with Brough converting.



Dragons Deny Swift Saints

Saturday afternoon saw Catalans host St Helens with the visitors eager to avoid a repeat of last season's 42-0 humbling to the Dragons but despite avoiding the nilling they suffered a 33-26 defeat.
Adam Swift opened the scoring for the Saints inside three minutes for 4-0 before two tries in four minutes from the Dragons put them 12-4 ahead as Ben Garcia and Zeb Taia both crossed with Scott Dureau converting both tries.

Swift completed a 32 minute hat-trick to put the Saints back in front at 14-12 with Luke Walsh converting the latter of the two before improving an effort from Shannon McDonnell four minutes later for 20-18. Catalans reduced the gap to two points at the interval with Garcia's second score and Dureau's conversion for 20-18.

Morgan Escare crossed on the hour mark to put the Dragons in front at 22-20 before Dureau added a conversion and a penalty goal to move the score to 26-20 but Swift continued his haul for the Saints with a fourth try of the game which when converted by Walsh drew the Saints level at 26 all.

However, Swift's four try haul proved to be in vain as Taia claimed his second try with four minutes remaining followed by the conversion from Dureau who swept over a drop goal in the final seconds for 33-26.

Last Gasp Hull Deny Warrington 

Sunday's action began with Hull's visit to Warrington with both sides keen to boost their mixed form with a win but after sealing a late victory in the previous round, the Wolves suffered became victims to such a fate as Hull triumphed 27-26.

Jordan Thompson opened the scoring for the visitors with a try in the 12th minute which Marc Sneyd converted for an early 6-0 lead though Joel Monaghan responded for the Wolves within three minutes with Stefan Ratchford converting to level at 6-6. The turnaround was complete on 18 minutes as Ben Currie put the Wolves ahead with Ratchford's second conversion making it 12-6 but Hull fought back  rapidly with a try from Setaimata Sa on 22 minutes but Sneyd's miss with the boot left them behind at 12-10.

However, Sneyd redeemed himself with a converted try on the half hour mark for a 16-12 lead which meant Hull led at the interval. Warrington were soon level though as Monaghan struck his second try on 50 minutes for 16 all before a 12 minute salvo from Gene Ormsby put the Wovles in control at 24-16 followed by Chris Bridge's conversion for 26-16.

Hull reduced the deficit with Mark Minichello's try on 69 minutes which Sneyd converted for 26-22  ahead of an equalising try from Tom Lineham on 75 minutes which set up a frantic finish resulting in a last-gasp drop goal from Sneyd with three seconds left on the clock to secure a famous comeback for the Black and Whites.

Valiant Vikings Vanquish Rueful Rhinos

The final game of the round saw table toppers Leeds travel to Widnes with the Rhinos looking to restore their four point gap at the top but they were stunned by superb Vikings side who stormed to a 38-24 victory.

Widnes loanee Chris Clarkson opened the scoring with a fourth minute try against his parent club  for 4-0 before Stevie Ward levelled for the Rhinos on eight minutes for four all. Joel Moon put the Rhinos in front on 15 minutes before Liam Sutcliffe converted for 10-4 but Widnes drew level ten minutes later with a Stefan Marsh try converted by Jack Owens for 10 all. 

Joe Mellor regained the Vikings' early lead with a 34th minute try which Owens improved for 16-10 and they led into the interval despite a late try from Kallum Watkins for 16-14 with Sutcliffe unable to convert.  Two tries in five minutes from Dan Galea and Manase Manuokafoa with both converted by Owens put the Vikings in control at 28-14 before Watkins second try and an effort from Jimmy Keinhorst narrowed the deficit at 28-24 after Sutcliffe's conversion.

However, Leeds' fight back proved to be in vain as a try eight minutes from time from Chris Dean (Owens conv) put the Vikings ten points clear at 34-24 before Aaron Heremaia simply walked through the Rhinos defence to seal a 38-24 victory.

Monday, 4 May 2015

Super League Round Thirteen Review

The new 'era' of Super League crossed the halfway point this weekend with round 13 which saw five home wins and all but two sides score 20 points. However, the weekend ended with sadness after the passing of Danny Jones who while playing for League One side Keighley Cougars suffered a suspected cardiac arrest at the age of 29, thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.

Lucky Leeds Hold Huddersfield

The round began with a huge Yorkshire derby between Huddersfield and Leeds ahead of a Challenge Cup date in a fortnight. Last season, the sides shared the spoils in a 12-12 draw but this season doubled the effort in a 24-24 draw.

Joe Wardle opened the scoring for the Giants inside four minutes with Danny Brough converting for a 6-0 lead but Leeds were level on 15 minutes with a Brett Delaney try which Liam Sutcliffe converted for 6-6. Carl Ablett, Joel Moon and Kallum Watkins all crossed in a 14 minute period to put Leeds in control at 22-6 with Sutcliffe converting twice from three attempts.

Danny Brough cut the gap just before the interval with a penalty which left the Giants with a 14 point deficit to overturn after the break and such a comeback took until the hour mark to surface as Michael Lawrence secured a try which Brough converted for 22-14. The Giants comeback was in full swing just seven minutes later as Jermaine McGillvary crossed ahead of Wardle's second try of the evening and with Brough converting the latter, the Giants led 24-22.

Leeds were stunned by the comeback and with three minutes left looked to be on the way to back-to-back defeat but were saved by a Liam Sutcliffe penalty for 24-24, both sides attempted drop goals to secure the win but to no avail as they shared the points.

Wonderful Warriors Rout Robins

Friday night saw three games with the televised action coming from the DW Stadium as Wigan hosted Hull KR and alike Leeds/Hudds, the two sides also meet in the upcoming Challenge Cup sixth round. 

The Robins defeated the Warriors back in March but with Terry Campese and star goal-kicker Josh Mantellato unavailable it was always going to be a tough task to secure a double and a task that looked over inside just  22 minutes.

Wigan stormed into a huge 34-0 lead with six tries as they tore the Robins apart with Dom Crosby's third minute opener quickly followed by Joe Burgess' brace either side of an effort from Liam Farrell with Matty Smith converting all four for 24-0 inside 11 minutes. Joel Tomkins and George Williams increased the lead to 34-0 with Smith converting the latter.

The Robins only positive in the first half was keeping Wigan out after the 22 minute onslaught but thoughts turned to the 2013 double header in Hull which saw Wigan romp to an 84-6 win before winning 44-16 in the Challenge Cup which they later collected that year. 

Dan Sarginson crossed three minutes after the interval to extend the Robins woes with Smith converting for 40-0 before an eight minute salvo saw Dom Manfredi cross ahead of Taulima Tautai's first Warriors try before Williams sealed a brace. Smith converted twice from three attempts for devastating 56-0 lead. 

Burgess recorded back-to-back hat-tricks with his third try on 78 minutes to bring up the 60 point mark and condemn the Robins to 60-0 defeat as they became the second side in three games to register a point at the DW Stadium.

Super Saints Extend Wildcats Woes

After a narrow win in the reverse fixture, St Helens hosted Wakefield looking to secure a home/away double and they achieved the feat in style with a 44-4 triumph against a Wildcats side who are six points adrift at the bottom.

Luke Walsh opened the scoring in the 12th minute with Travis Burns converting for 6-0 ahead of a six minute brace from Lewis Charnock with Burns improving only the first of the two scores as they led 16-0. Tom Makinson made it 20-0 on 29 minutes before Academy product Tom Johnstone registered the Wildcats first try in the 35th minute for a 20-4 half-time scoreline.

St Helens moved past the 30 point mark with three tries inside nine minutes of the second half as Jordan Turner, Adam Swift and Mose Masoe all crossed with Burns converting two out of three attempts for 34-4. Walsh scored his second try of the evening on the hour mark with Burns converting for 40-4 before Makinson also sealed his brace three minutes from the end for 44-4.

Battling Hull Edge Out Wounded Salford

After submitting a postponement request due to injuries during the week, Salford came close to a superb win away to Hull but were edged out late on by a fightback from the hosts who secured a 24-20 victory.

Kevin Locke put the visitors ahead inside four minutes with Theo Fages converting before adding a penalty just minutes later for an 8-0 lead. Tom Lineham cut the gap on the half hour mark with a try which former Salford halfback Marc Sneyd converted for an 8-6 half-time scoreline.

Salford's injury and suspension woes led to the loaning of Wigan duo James Greenwood and Oliver Gildart and the former opened his Red Devils account on 44 minutes with Fages making it 14-6. Fetuli Talanoa responded for Hull with Sneyd converting for 14-12 before a first senior try for Gildart pushed Salford to the 20 point mark after Fages' conversion for 20-12.

Mark Minichello brought the hosts to within four points with a try on 65 minutes which Sneyd improved for 20-18 before Setaimata Sa put them ahead for the first time with a 72nd minute effort which Sneyd improved for 24-20. Salford pushed to draw level but to no avail as they extended their losing run.

Last Gasp Wolves Deny Vikings

After completing a double over the Rhinos, Warrington looked to avoid suffering a similar fate to fierce rivals Widnes who were eager to add to their comfortable win over the Wolves at Easter but were denied by a last gasp try in a 22-20 defeat.

Gene Ormsby put the Wolves in front on 10 minutes before Jack Owens levelled for the Vikings on 21 minutes for 4-4. Joel Monaghan made it 8-4 ahead of an effort three minutes later from Daryl Clark which Stefan Ratchford converted for 14-4. Widnes reduced the gap to six at the interval with Paddy Flynn's 35th minute try for 14-8.

Kevin Brown scored a nine minute brace to put the Vikings ahead at 20-14 with Jack Owens converting both efforts before Ben Westwood put the Wolves just two points behind at 20-18 on 65 minutes with Declan Patton missing he chance to level the score. Widnes looked to be on for a superb double over Warrington as the game entered the final minutes but after forcing a late goal-line dropout, Warrington sealed the win Monaghan's second try just 20 seconds before the hooter for a 22-20 triumph.

Classy Cas Deny Dragons

The round ended with a clash between Castleford and Catalans with the Tigers keen to avoid suffering a home/away double and secure revenge for the 13-12 defeat in the reverse meeting between the sides.

A tight first period saw Ashley Gibson open the scoring on 20 minutes before Michael Channing scored four minutes later with Luke Gale converting both ahead of a penalty goal on 27 minutes for a 14-0 lead. Grant Millington made it 18-0 on the half hour with Gale improving the lead to 20-0. In a round that had seen three Academy product register their first senior tries, Dragons youngster Fouad Yaha made it four with a 34th minute try which Scott Dureau converted for a 20-6 score into the interval.

Benjamin Garcia crossed twice in seven minutes to cut the gap with Dureau's converting of both making it 20-18 but Michael Shenton moved the gap to six before Gale converted for 26-18. Zeb Taia soon restored the narrow two point deficit with a 64th minute try which Dureau converted for 26-24.

Jordan Tansey and Scott Moore looked to have secured the win for the Tigers with tries in the 73rd and 77th minutes with Gale converting the first score for 36-24 but Catalans had the last say as Garcia completed his hat-trick in the final second for a 36-28 scoreline.