2019 Super League Round Three Review

 

Round three opened on Thursday night as Wakefield Trinity defeated Catalans Dragons 22-12 at the Mobile Rocket Stadium. The hosts opened the scoring on 16 minutes as Tom Johnstone crossed, Danny Brough converting for 6-0 but the lead lasted barely three minutes as Samisoni Langi touched down and Sam Tomkins converted for 6-6. The Dragons edged ahead on the half hour with a Tomkins penalty which was cancelled out inside two minutes by David Fifita's try and Brough's conversion for 12-8. Brough converted a penalty before adding the extras to a James Batchelor score for a 20-8 half-time lead. A second try for Langi closed the gap to 20-12 on 56 minutes with the final say on the scoreline coming ten minutes later with a Brough penalty for 22-12.

Friday's non televised action saw Warrington Wolves claim a 32-20 win over Huddersfield Giants at the John Smith's Stadium. A rapid start from the Wolves saw Ryan Atkins and Josh Charnley cross for tries which saw a single conversion from Stefan Ratchford who minutes later added a penalty goal for a 14-0 lead. Charnley extended the lead with his second try before Jermaine McGillvary cut the gap just before the interval for 18-4. Hudds cut the gap further six minutes after the restart through Matty English with Lee Gaskell converting for 18-10.  Three tries in 15 minutes put the Wolves back in full control as Atkins claimed his second score ahead of Blake Austin and Ben Murdoch-Masila touching down, Ratchford kicking twice for 32-10. Huddersfield had the final say on the scoreline with two late tries, Jordan Turner and Akuila Uate crossing with Gaskell converting the latter for 32-20.

The evening's televised game saw St Helens come from behind to win 27-22 over Leeds Rhinos at the Totally Wicked Stadium. The Saints raced out of the blocks with Theo Fages and Jonny Lomax scoring inside nine minutes, Mark Percival converting for 10-0. Leeds hit back quickly with Kallum Watkins and Konrad Hurrell touching down, Tui Lolohea converting both for a 12-10 lead which became 22-10 into the interval after tries from Ash Handley and Mikolaj Oledzki and a conversion from Lolohea. Leeds' lead only got shorter in the second half as a rapid brace from Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson score coupled with conversions from Percival and Lachlan Coote gave the hosts a narrow 26-22 lead. The final say went to James Roby as he swept over a last minute drop goal for 27-22.

Saturday saw two games, the first a tight contest at KCOM Craven Park as Salford Red Devils edged a 24-22 win over Hull Kingston Rovers. Ex-Red Devil Weller Hauraki put KR ahead inside seven minutes with Ryan Shaw converting for 6-0, Salford hit back rapidly with Robert Lui crossing for 6-4 before Josh Jones put Salford 8-6 ahead on 24 minutes. KR restored the lead with Craig Hall touching down ahead of two scores in the final seven minutes of the half, George Lawler and Jimmy Keinhorst crossing while Shaw improved both with the boot for 22-8.

The second half saw the hosts kept scoreless as Salford cut the gap though Derrel Olpherts and a try and conversion from Ken Sio for 22-18 before completing the comeback ten minutes from the end with a Joey Lussick try converted by Sio for 24-22.

The day's televised action came from Ealing Trailfinders as Castleford Tigers eased to a 40-6 victory over London Broncos. The Tigers struck a fifth minute opener through Peter Mata'utia with Paul McShane kicking for 6-0 before a Rhys Williams try and Kieran Dixon conversion drew the Broncos level.

Castleford took control from that small blip with Jake Truman, Junior Moors and Jesse Sene-Lefao all crossing before half-time with McShane adding three conversions for 24-6.  Liam Watts extended the lead within four minutes of the restart, McShane's conversion bringing up the 30 point mark ahead of a Greg Eden try and self-converted effort from Jordan Rankin for 40-6.

In attendance on Sunday as Wigan Warriors became the first side to fall victim to the new golden point rule with a 23-22 loss to Hull FC. The Warriors struck first with Oliver Gildart crossing and Zak Hardaker converting for 6-0 inside seven minutes. Two tries in six minutes from FC saw Carlos Tuimavave and Joe Westerman go over with Marc Sneyd converting both for a 12-6 lead.

Debutants Ratu Naulago and Liam Byrne crossed for either side with Sneyd and Hardaker converting as FC led 16-12 into half-time. Naulago struck again three minutes after the restart with Sneyd kicking for 22-12. Wigan battled back with a Ben Flower try and Hardaker conversion before late drama as Gildart touched down in the final seconds for 22-22 with Hardaker's miss meaning the game would be the first Super League match settled by Golden Point. History was made with the first possession as Sneyd swept over a drop goal to claim a 23-22 win, FC's first since June 2018.  

World Club Challenge/ Super League Round 10 Pt1

The traditional World Club weekend returned with the bottom four of 2018 also facing off due to their early Challenge Cup entry clashing with the rest of Round 10.

In attendance on Sunday evening as Sydney Roosters become World Champions with a 20-8 win over Wigan Warriors at the DW Stadium.

A rapid start from the NRL side saw Brett Morris cross twice inside nine minutes with Siosiua Taukeiaho converting the latter for a 10-0 lead. Wigan hit back on 20 minutes with a Tom Davies try before Morris completed his hat-trick for a 14-4 half-time advantage.

A Taukeiaho penalty goal on the hour mark made it 16-4 with Wigan closing the gap five minutes later through Liam Marshall's acrobatic try at 16-8 but to no avail as the Roosters sealed the win on 77 minutes through Daniel Tupou.

London Broncos' mixed start continued as they fell to a 22-12 at Hull Kingston Rovers. Rovers raced out of the blocks with Kane Linnett crossing for 4-0 inside three minutes. London levelled with a Matt Gee try on ten minutes with Kieran Dixon's conversion giving them a 6-4 lead.

The advantage lasted into the interval but just seven minutes after the restart, KR turned it around with tries from Mitch Garbutt and Craig Hall converted by Josh Drinkwater and Hall for 16-8 before a second from Garbutt and Hall conversion extended the lead to 22-6. The final say on the score went to London though as Jay Pitts touched down six minutes from the end with a Dixon conversion for 22-12.

Leeds Rhinos claimed their first win of the season with a comfortable 46-14 win over Salford Red Devils at the AJ Bell Stadium.  The hosts struck first with Joey Lussick crossing and Ken Sio converting for 6-0 inside seven minutes.  Leeds hit back through Adam Cuthbertson and Jack Walker, Tui Lolohea converting both for a 12-6 advantage on 20 minutes.

Konrad Hurrell touched down two minutes later with Lolohea's kick making it 18-6 into the interval, Josh Jones cut the gap after the restart, Sio converting for 18-12. Both sides exchanged penalties with Lolohea kicking on 51 minutes and Sio on 58 for 20-14. The Rhinos took control with a second score from Hurrell ahead of a Matt Parcell try and Walker crossing twice to complete his hat-trick, Lolohea converting three times for 42-14. The rout was rounded off on 71 minutes by Ash Handley's try. 

2019 Super League Round Two

The round opened on Thursday night at the KCOM Stadium with Castleford Tigers claiming a 26-18 win over Hull FC.

An early double from the Tigers saw Michael Shenton and Jesse Sene-Lefao cross with Paul McShane converting the former for a 10-0 advantage. FC hit back through Joe Westerman with Marc Sneyd converting before adding the extras to Jake Connor's effort to make it 12-10. The Tigers regained the lead right on half-time as Shenton claimed his brace for 14-12 and their lead stretched to 24-12 as James Clare and Junior Moors touched down, McShane converting the latter. Hull cut the gap to 24-18 just before the hour mark, Jordan Lane going over and Sneyd kicking the goal but it was to be the Tigers' night as ex-Hull fullback Jordan Rankin converted a penalty goal on 62 minutes to secure the two points at 26-18.

Attended on Friday night at the DW Stadium as Wigan Warriors got off the mark with a 34-16 victory over Leeds Rhinos. The Rhinos stunned their hosts with a third minute opener from Ash Handley with Tui Lolohea converting for a 6-0 lead that lasted just three minutes, Dan Sarginson touching down after collecting a clever kick and Zak Hardaker converting to level.

Brett Ferres crossed to regain the Rhinos' lead, Lolohea kicking for 12-6 before Ben Flower touched down for 12-10 on 21 minutes. Wigan edged ahead with a Joe Greenwood try which Hardaker converted for 16-12 before a first Warriors score from Joe Bullock saw Hardaker kick for a 22-12 half-time advantage. Hardaker added a penalty goal after the hour mark before George Williams and Kallum Watkins crossed for either side making it 28-16. The hosts secured the win three minutes from the end as Liam Farrell touched down and Hardaker converted for a fifth time.

Saturday's televised action saw a second loss of the season for Huddersfield Giants as they went down 27-10 to Catalans Dragons at the Stade Gilbert Brutus. The Giants opened the scoring with Matt Frawley crossing and Izaac Farrell converting for 6-0 inside seven minutes but a rapid brace from Brayden Wiliame both converted by Sam Tomkins conversion gave the Dragons a 12-6 lead.

The hosts took control with a Tomkins penalty and Lewis Tierney try opening up an 18-6 half-time advantage that became 20-6 with another Tomkins penalty goal two minutes after the restart. A self-converted Tomkins try on 68 minutes looked to have confirmed the win but Hudds cut the gap to 26-10 with eight minutes to go through Oliver Roberts' effort who was denied the final say on the scoreline by a last minute drop goal by Matty Smith. 

Warrington Wolves made it two wins in a row at the Halliwell Jones Stadium as they claimed a 28-14 win over Hull Kingston Rovers. The visitors struck first as Ben Crooks crossed for 4-0 inside eight minutes before Harvey Livett's 20th minute try was converted by Stefan Ratchford making it 6-4. Blake Austin was sin-binned for the hosts who took instant advantage as Craig Hall crossed to put them 8-6 ahead.

Tom Lineham touched down just before the interval with Ratchford kicking for 12-8 into the break before converting a second try for Livett for 18-8 on 54 minutes. Josh Charnley extended the lead on 66 minutes with a try which was followed by a Danny Addy try and Josh Drinkwater conversion to close the gap to 22-14. Warrington wrapped up the win in the final minute as Mike Cooper crossed with Ratchford kicking his fourth conversion of the afternoon.

Sunday's review begins with Salford Red Devils moving atop the standings after a 24-0 win over London Broncos at the AJ Bell Stadium. 

The deadlock was broken on 20 minutes as Ken Sio crossed with Jackson Hastings converting for 6-0. The score was the sole mark on the first half score-board but the second half saw a rapid start with a self-converted effort from Hastings inside three minutes who then kicked a penalty goal on 55 minutes for 14-0. The comfortable win was rounded off by two tries in the final ten minutes with Niall Evalds and Josh Jones touching down, Hastings converting just the latter. 

A last-gasp try at Belle Vue saw St Helens claim a 24-18 victory over Wakefield Trinity to maintain their winning start to the season.

Saints struck first with Morgan Knowles crossing and Mark Percival converting for 6-0 inside eight minutes.Trinity hit back through Tom Johnstone for 6-4 before Tom Makinson  went in for the visitors making it 10-4 A second Johnstone score and first conversion from Danny Brough sent the sides level into the interval. 

Brough put the hosts 12-10 ahead with a penalty goal before Regan Grace's try turned it around to 14-12 and Saints increased their lead further with Makinson's second try for 18-14. Bill Tupou crossed just four minutes later for Trinity with Brough kicking for 18-18. Golden point looked to be on the way for the first time in 2019 but Saints had other ideas as Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook dived over to score with Percival kicking to confirm the win. 

2019 Super League Round One

A season that sees no more Super 8s and the prospect of golden point on a cold Thursday night began this weekend with Round One.

A derby clash at the Totally Wicked Stadium saw St Helens take the bragging rights with a 22-12 win over reigning Super League champions Wigan Warriors who started the season with a two point deduction due to salary cap irregularities from 2017.

A debut try from Kevin Naiqama and Jonny Lomax effort saw Mark Percival converting twice for a 12-0 lead before tries from Ben Flower and Liam Marshall both converted by Zak Hardaker saw Wigan go into the interval level. at 12 all. Saints regained the lead with a Regan Grace score ten minutes after the restart before a James Roby try and Percival conversion on 73 minutes wrapped up the victory.  

A comfortable 20-4 opening win over Catalans Dragons at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for Castleford Tigers begins Friday's review. An early self-converted try from Paul McShane put the Tigers 6-0 ahead with McShane adding a penalty goal for 8-0 before Greg Eden crossed for a 12-0 advantage into the interval. 

McShane's penalty goal on 47 minutes made it 14-0 with the Dragons cutting the gap after the hour through Lewis Tierney for 14-4. The hosts wrapped up the two points late on with a second Eden try which McShane converted for his fourth success with the boot. 




A superb opening win for Salford Red Devils saw them claim a 34-14 victory over Hudddersfield Giants at the John Smith's Stadium. Izaac Farrell kicked an early penalty goal for the Giants for a 2-0 lead before a tries from Junior Sa'u and Ken Sio opened up an 8-2 advantage. Akuila Uate crossed after the interval with Farrell converting to level at 8 all before a Joey Lussick penalty goal restored Salford's lead at 10-8. 

The visitors took control with a stunning 19 minute hat-trick from Niall Evalds which in addition to Sio's self-converted effort made it 30-8. Kruise Leeming cut the deficit late on with Farrell converting for 30-14 but the final say went to Darrel Olpherts who crossed in the final minute. 

The night's televised action saw Hull Kingston Rovers secure a tight 18-16 win over city rivals Hull FC at KCOM Craven Park. Rapid tries from Sika Manu and Matty Dawson saw Marc Sneyd convert both to give FC a 12-0 lead. KR fought back with tries from Joel Tomkins and Mitch Garbutt, Josh Drinkwater converted both before adding a penalty goal just before the interval for a 14-12 advantage. FC regained the lead on 67 minutes as Bureta Faraimo crossed for 16-16 but a last-gasp try from Jimmy Keinhorst secured a famous win for KR as he crossed for 18-16. 

Saturday evening's TV game saw Warrington Wolves ease to a 26-6 win over Leeds Rhinos at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. A self-converted Stefan Ratchford score and penalty goal put the Wolves 8-0 ahead inside 22 minutes with Josh Charnley and Daryl Clark crossing for tries which Ratchford converted for a 20-0 half-time advantage. 

Debutant Blake Austin crossed just before the hour mark for the Wolves who with Ratchford's fifth conversion led 26-0. Leeds avoided a nilling though with Stevie Ward going over three minutes from the end with Tuimoala Lolohea converting for a 26-6 final score.

Sunday afternoon featured a perfect start on their return to Super League for London Broncos at Ealing Trailfinders as they claimed a huge 42-24 victory over Wakefield Trinity. Wakefield raced out of the blocks with Craig Kopczak and Ryan Hampshire crossing for tries inside eight minutes with Danny Brough converting for 12-0. Matty Fleming  replied for London, Jordan Abdull converting for 12-6 before Brough converted a Jacob Miller effort to restore the 12-point lead at 18-6. 

London fought back to 18-14 with Rhys Williams crossing ahead of a self-converted try from Kieran Dixon  The Broncos led at the half though as Eddie Battye and Matty Fozard touched down, Dixon converted both for a 26-18 advantage. Trinity cut the gap to 26-24 on 53 minutes with Kyle Wood crossing and Brough converting but to no avail as the Broncos took full control, Williams and Battye completing braces either side of the hour mark before a late try from Elliot Kear breached the 40 point mark with Dixon completing the afternoon with four conversions for 42-24.