That's Magic For Wigan

May 17th 2014, a day to remember for the Cherry and White faithful as their youthful charges performed a magic trick on league leaders Leeds to leave the Rhinos stunning winning run just an illusion.

After a humbling at Headingley a fortnight ago, a wounded Wigan arrived at the Magic Weekend with a lineup that read like a university register with only five players above the age of 23 while Leeds boasted a strong squad in a quest to repeat their Headingley heroics of two weeks previous.

The early stages saw both sides exchange sets with no serious end product but in the ninth minute, Leeds broke the equilibrium as they forced a goal-line dropout after heavy pressure and Wigan held firm despite the Rhinos strong attacking play towards the line.

Wigan's superb defensive work turned to attack and a superb transformation saw Sarginson send Burgess dashing down the wing into a good position before the final tackle resulted a high kick to the corner being majestically collected by Gelling who crossed for the opening try as the Warriors faithful roared but to their surprise, Ben Thaler asked for a review and the roar returned as the try was eventually given. Matty Smith swept over the conversion and Wigan led 6-0.

Leeds blew their first chance of response with a loose carry which gave Wigan good field position which increased when Ablett conceded a penalty with Smith electing to to kick for goal which he did superbly for an 8-0 lead.

The pressure seemed to be getting to Leeds as another mistake arrived after a quick play across the middle resulted in the ball finding touch rather than a Blue and Yellow jersey but within minutes, the frustration boiled over as McIlorum went high on Peacock and all hell broke loose with Ben Thaler brandishing three yellow cards after the melee with Warriors duo McIlorum and Bateman sinbinned alongside Rhinos prop Bailey leaving the sides 11 v 12 after 25 minutes.

Wigan's resolve would be severely tested in the next ten minutes with Leeds forcing a goal-line dropout before using the advantage to cross for a try through Hall on the wing but Sinfield's missed conversion meant Wigan had a four point lead at 8-4.

Another scuffle ensued after Hall had been illegally stopped by Crosby with the young Warrior put on report by Ben Thaler, the sides were back to their full compliment a minute later and Wigan extended their lead in style as Green zipped through the Rhinos defence before crossing for a superb try that sent the Warriors faithful wild in the stands, Smith's conversion found the wrong side of the post but Wigan led 12-4 into the break after an amazing first half by the young charges.

Just 40 minutes away from a famous victory and with a Mexican wave travelling around the stadium, Wigan began the first half buoyant by successfully keeping the frustrated Rhinos at bay so much so that they lulled Leeds into a false sense of security with disastrous consequences in the 53rd minute.

The Rhinos defence readied for a final tackle kick from Green only for the halfback to attack the line and leave McIlorum in a race against Hardaker with the Loose Forward crossing for a try under the sticks and to the euphoric joy of the Cherry and White crowd who burst into a chorus of '"that's why we're champions" and with Smith converting successfully for a 18-4 lead, the belief of victory rose rapidly in the voices of the Warriors fans.

Joy turned to despair after a quick Leeds move allowed Ablett to breach the Wigan defence and cross for a try with Sinfield converting to narrow the deficit to 18-10 which seemed to unnerve Wigan with a mistake from Bowen gifting possession to Leeds who went on to force a dropout before spraying the ball out wide to Hall who crossed for his second try in the corner but Sinfield's miss with the boot left the gap achingly close at 18-14.

Fifteen minutes for the young Warriors to hold on but with a blow as Green left the field in a bad way, Leeds had a superb chance to exploit Green's exit when Hall intercepted but a knock on saw Wigan regain possession before the next set saw McGuire race clear before being denied by a superb chase and tackle from Williams with the hooker seemingly kicked in chest in the aftermath.  77 minutes on the clock and the win was in sight for Wigan but akin to last years fierce battle Leeds scored after a high kick found Moon who seemed to ground the ball with Thaler asking for a review.

The stadium fell silent as the crowd viewed the replay via the big screens, view after view and the Leeds fans began to cheer though Wigan responded with shouts of "knock-on!"and as I write, head in hands the belief from 2013 is still there, The screen displayed "Decision Time and No Try" to a raucous roar from the Wigan fans.

Wigan played a full set with Smith kicking into touch on the last tackle, Leeds had just 19 seconds to score and a kick and chase was a must, the play went backwards before Hardaker chip kicked only to see Crosby collect before being tackled as the hooter sounded to what can only be described as an eruption of joy from the Wigan fans in celebration of a stunning victory from a young side who before kick off were outsiders but triumphed in style.

Last week's humbling of Hull at the KC ranked as Wigan's best win of 2014 but this went one better as Wane labelled the victory as his best ever as a coach and as fan who left the Etihad with no voice and a gleaming smile on Saturday, I would certainly agree as I joined fellow Wigan fans to celebrate proudly and loudly in the stadium concourses. A correct result and a close prediction of 24-22 with Salford up next on Thursday.

Super League Magic Preview

After 12 exciting rounds of Super League in 2014, the most awaited weekend of the season is finally upon us as round 13 graces Manchester for the mercurial Magic Weekend, an idea that makes Rugby League unique as a sport.

The thought of the entire league playing in the same stadium across a single weekend was a strange idea back in 2007 but has flourished into a showpiece event that every year is the most awaited and exciting of the 27 regular season rounds.

Many factors of the event including the schedule and venue have changed over the years but the magnitude of the weekend has grown year-on-year with this weekend expected to be the best attended since its inception seven years ago.

After stints in Cardiff (Millennium) and Edinburgh (Murrayfield), the event seems to have found a home in the Etihad Stadium (Manchester) which hosts the event for a third year in a row this weekend and is set to be the most exciting yet with no clear favourites across the schedule after an unpredictable start to the season.

The weekend begins with four games on Saturday with the early kick-off featuring the Anglo-French derby between London and Catalan with the Broncos still searching for their first win of the season while Catalan are looking for a fourth win over their opponents in 2014.

The Dragons triumphed in pre-season and the Challenge Cup before a narrow win in round nine, a match that saw London's late comeback fail as they lost 22-28 but performance that many regard as being their best chance of a win so far this year.

After throwing away a 16-10 half-time lead against Huddersfield to lose 16-30, London are on a nightmare run of 12 consecutive defeats and a defeat on Saturday could potentially leave them five wins away from preventing relegation to the Championship.

This meeting has featured five times at Magic with London (Harlequins) winning three and Catalan winning two meaning the Broncos have at least one advantage going into the game as they hope to spring a Magic trick of their own on the Dragons who are in mixed form with five wins from 12 in the league.


London include Mike McMeeken and Maxime Herold in the 19 while Catalan bring in Olivier Elima, Thomas Bosc and Elliott Whitehead in place of Antoni Maria, Julian Bousquet and William Barthau who drop out of the 19.


London: Atkins, Bishay, Caton-Brown, Cook, Cunningham, Drinkwater, Farrar, Foster, Greenwood, Herold, Krasniqi, Macani, McMeeken, Minns, Moore, Slyney, Solomona, Vea, Wallace.
Catalan: Escare, Pryce, Oldfield, Bosc, Elima, Lima, Taia, Anderson, Pelissier, Whitehead, Millard, Pala, Simon, Paea, Baitieri, Duport, Garcia, Guasch.

Catalan have struggled on their travels this year and this could play into London's hands but I will go for a narrow win for the Dragons so London 18 Catalan 22.

The second game of the afternoon sees Widnes take on Salford with the Vikings looking for revenge after a last-gasp defeat in last seasons epic Magic meeting between the sides with the Red Devils looking for a repeat victory that would boost their mixed season.

At the pre-season Magic launch many expected this meeting to be between a side challenging at the top and another close to the bottom but the fact that Salford are the latter rather the former does show how their dream has faltered so far while Widnes have silenced many doubters with seven wins from eleven and also a place in the last eight of the Challenge Cup.

Salford's dream of challenging the top sides with a pack of stars has seen them win only four times in 12 attempts and a continuance of their poor form could see them drop to 12th by the end of the weekend something Widnes will be keen to influence with a win.

Widnes welcome Kevin Brown and Rhys Hanbury into their squad as they look for a repeat of the 32-18 win from earlier in the season while Salford include Greg Eden who sat out the 16-16 draw in the previous round against his parent club.

Widnes: Allen, Brown, Clarke, Clough, Craven, Dean, Flynn, Gerrard, Hanbury, Isa, Johnson, Joseph, Kavanagh, Lawton, Leuluai, Marsh, Owens, Tickle, White.
Salford: Ashurst, Chase, Eden, Gleeson, Griffin, Hansen, Hock, Howarth, Lee, Meli, Morley, Mullaney, Platt, Puletua, Rapira, Sa'u, Tasi, Tomkins, Williams.
This game could go close but I see Widnes coming out on top so Widnes 28 Salford 20.

Third up is a game many remark as the true Super League derby as Hull KR face city rivals Hull FC with the Black and Whites looking to gain revenge for the last-gasp loss to Rovers at Easter.

The sides have met five times at Magic with Rovers winning three and FC winning two so the bragging rights are firmly held by the red side of Hull who will look to claim victory against their rivals for a second time this season after a fierce Easter derby saw them win 21-20 with a last minute drop goal from Craig Hall.

Both sides do have a huge dilemma for the game with the kick-off only 30 minutes before the FA Cup Final which features neighbours Hull so the conflict has forced fans to choose with a few players also missing out namely Wigan's Scott Taylor who is gutted that the game has fallen on the same day as Magic Weekend.

Despite the sporting conflict, the game is one not to be missed as the Hull derby is always unpredictable and is one of the most exciting games of the season to watch with the result always a close one as can be seen from the previous Magic meetings with only one result ending with a winning margin of 6+ points.

The sides couldnt be closer this season with both sitting on ten points in eighth and ninth with FC higher due to five wins from 12 and Rovers with four wins and two draws from 12 making the prospect of a win and some potential bragging rights vital for a Hull side that come off the back of a huge loss to a youthful Wigan pack on Friday while Rovers drew with Salford.

Hull KR bring in Jonathan Walker in place of Wayne Ulugia while Hull FC recall Jordan Rankin and Dean Hadley in place of Josh Bowden and Ben Crooks as the Black and Whites look to overturn the winning run that Rovers have over them.

Hull KR: Burns, Cockayne, Costigan, Cox, Gardner, Green, Hall, D. Hodgson, J. Hodgson, Horne, Keating, Langley, Larroyer, Lovegrove, Netherton, Salter, J. Walker, Welham, Weyman.
Hull FC: Carvell, Crookes, Colbon, Ellis, Hadley, Heremaia, Horne, Houghton, Miller, Paea, Paleaaesina, Rankin, Shaul, Talanoa, Thompson, Watts, Westerman, Whiting, Yeaman.

As with every Hull derby, I see this being close but will got for a Rovers win so Hull KR 25 Hull 24.

The final game of day one is the clash between Wigan and Leeds in a tie that sees the winners of the last seven grand finals face off with the Rhinos winning 28-12 when the sides met a fortnight ago.

Tomorrow's meeting will be only the second time the sides have met at Magic with Wigan victorious 20-16 last year after the new schedule ended the traditional Bradford/Leeds and Wigan/St Helens Magic derbies.

The meeting in round 11 saw a injury ravaged Wigan side torn apart by a strong Leeds outfit and as with their last game, Wigan will field a youthful side while Leeds will be near full strength but the Rhinos will be wary of the fact that Wigan do excel when the sides meet in big occasions with last years win ranking alongside play-off and Challenge Cup victories in recent years.

Wigan will be eager to avenge their mixed display at Headingley with the confidence of a comfortable win at Hull for their young side boosting the morale of a team that tomorrow could be an average age of 22 with academy product Ryan Sutton the youngest at 18 being half the age of Leeds 'veteran' Jamie Peacock who at 36 is still a player to be wary of in Super League.

Wigan recall Matt Bowen and Greg Burke with Jordan James, Gil Dudson and Tony Clubb out after injuries at Hull with Ben Austin coming in as cover while Leeds are unchanged in the 19 with Ryan Hall  and Ian Kirke in contention for the 17 after missing out at Castleford but a huge miss for the Rhinos is Rob Burrow who will miss Magic for the first time since its inception as he recovers from a broken collarbone.

Warriors: Austin, Bateman, Bowen, Burgess, Burke, Crosby, Farrell, Gelling, Green, Goulding, Hughes, Manfredi, McIlorum, Powell, Sarginson, Smith, Sutton, Taylor, Williams.
Rhinos: Zak Hardaker, Jones-Bishop, Watkins, Moon, Hall, McGuire, Leuluai, Peacock, Ablett, Sinfield, Ward, Delaney, Bailey, Kirke, Clarkson, Achurch, Briscoe, Sutcliffe, Singleton.

Leeds will be favourites for this game but I think Wigan buoyed by a huge following in the stands will just edge a win so Wigan 24 Leeds 22. 


Sunday's action begins with the Yorkshire derby between Wakefield and Castleford with the Tigers having a superb season in fourth place with their local rivals sitting 12th after a mixed start.

The sides have met four times at Magic sharing two wins each with Castleford easing to a 49-24 win in last years meeting as well as a 20-43 win at Easter in round nine to claim the bragging rights ahead of a game that could go either way given the form of both sides in recent meetings.

Wakefield come into the game with four wins from 12 but on the back of two stunning wins at Hull and Widnes so will be brimming with confidence against a Castleford side who have eight wins from 12 but have suffered defeats to Huddersfield and Leeds in their last two outings so will be eager to bounce back.

Richard Owen is likely to face his former side after switching from the Tigers in midweek while Dean Collis is recalled in place of Andy Raleigh and Chris Annakin while Castleford recall Lee Jewitt in place of Ashley Gibson.

Wakefield: Mathers, Collis, Sykes, Godinet, Anderson, McShane, Kirmond, Washbrook, Ryan, Moore, Sammut, Walshaw, Smith, Molloy, Siejka, Scruton, Riley, Fairbank,Owen.
Castleford: Tansey, Dixon, Shenton, Webster, Sneyd, Carney, Lynch, Milner, Huby, Millington, Hauraki, Clark, Holmes, Marian, Wheeldon, Ellis, Channing, Finn, Jewitt.

This game has all the marks of a classic derby and could go either way but I see Castleford continuing their hold over their rivals so Wakefield 18 Castleford 26. 

The second game of the afternoon sees another Yorkshire derby as Huddersfield face Bradford with the Giants boasting a 66-18 win over their local rivals from earlier in the season.

The sides have have met only once at Magic with the sole meeting seeing Huddersfield triumph 42-6 at last years event and this year form suggests that a repeat result could be on the cards with Huddersfield having a decent start with six wins from 12 while Bradford despite their six point deduction have three wins from 12, the most notable a stunning win over Warrington in round 11.

A win for Bradford on Sunday would be a much needed boost for their flagging season which in recent weeks has been up and down with the win against Warrington sandwiched between heavy defeats to Wigan and St Helens while a win for Huddersfield would extend a run of four wins in a row which began after a humbling defeat at Hull in round eight.

Bradford welcome back Luke Gale with James Donaldson returning alongside young ooker Nathan Conroy with Manase Manuokafoa missing out while Huddersfield recall Brett Ferres after a five game suspension along with Scott Grix in place of Jermaine McGillvary and Jake Connor who were injured in the win at London.

Huddersfield: Grix, Cudjoe, Wardle, Murphy, Brough. Robinson, Crabtree, Lunt, Kopczak, Ferres, Chan, Bailey, Lawrence, Patrick, Faiumu, Ta'ai, Wood, Broughton, Mullally.
Bradford: Addy, Arundel, Conroy, Diskin, Donaldson, Foster, Gale, Gaskell, George, Henry, Kear, O'Brien, Olbison, Mellor, Pitts, Purtell, Sidlow, Walker, Wood.
Huddersfield to come out on top in this one but I see Bradford having a good go at the Giants so Huddersfield 30 Bradford 18 .

The weekend closes with the clash between fierce rivals Warrington and St Helens with the Saints boasting a 38-8 win over the Wolves from the opening weekend of the season.

The sides have met only once at Magic with Warrington winning 48-22 in last years meeting between the sides and they will be eager for a repeat as they look to avenge the defeat to their rivals on the opening weekend of the season.

Both sides come into the game on the back of wins over Catalan and Bradford respectively with the Saints humbling a Bradford side that defeated the Wolves in round 11 while Warrington were comfortable winners over a poor Catalan side.

After the round one game, many tipped Warrington to bounce back well but currently they sit eight points behind St Helens in seventh while the Saints sit second. Warrington's mixed form has seen six wins from 12 while St Helens after winning the first eight games have stuttered to ten wins in 12 overall.

St Helens are without Adam Swift with Jordan Turner recalled while Warrington look to be unchanged from the previous round against Catalan.

Warrington: Russell, Bridge, Atkins, J. Monaghan, Ratchford, Hill, Higham, Asotasi, Waterhouse, Westwood, M. Monaghan, Harrison, Currie, R. Evans, England, Dwyer, Laithwaite, B.Evans, Ormsby.
St Helens: Lomax, Makinson, Turner, Jones, Hohaia, Walsh, Masoe, Roby, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Soliola, Wilkin, Flanagan, Wellens, Walmsley, Greenwood, Walker, Dawson, Richards, Thompson.

A tasty game that could be close but I see Saints coming out on top so Warrington 20 St Helens 32.

Top Three Shine On The Road

Leeds Clear At The Top

Leeds went clear at the top of Super League with a 22-14 win away to Castleford who lost at home for only the second time this season.

Castleford went in front in the eight minute when Dixon crossed for the opening try and Sneyd converted for a 6-0 lead which became 8-0 seven minutes later when Sneyd kicked a successful penalty goal.

Leeds responded with an effort from McGuire but after a video review the try was denied, Jones-Bishop went over from the next set and Sinfield converted for 8-6 with the Rhinos going in front on the half-hour when Watkins crossed for a try which was awarded via a video review with Sinfield converting for 8-12.

The hosts bounced back as Sneyd scored under the posts and converted for a 14-12 lead at the interval, Jones-Bishop scored his second try of the evening in the seventh minute of the second half and but Sinfield's missed conversion meant they lead by two at 14-16.

Watkins crossed for his second try seven minutes later with Sinfield converting to give the Rhinos a 14-22 lead which lasted until the end despite both sides battling for more scores but Leeds' holding on meant they went three points clear at the top.

A correct result and close prediction of 18-26 with a correct eight point gap.

Warriors Triumph At The KC

Wigan took advantage of Castleford losing to move above the Tigers into third in the table with a 44-16 win away to an out of sorts Hull FC.

Among a long injury list were all three of Wigan's fullback options meaning Sarginson was selected to deputise and began perfectly with the opening try after seven minutes with Smith converting for 0-6.

Gelling crossed for the visitors in the 16th minute and Smith converted for a second time to put Wigan 0-12 up but Hull conceded a penalty and Smith elected to go for goal and kicked successfully to make it 0-14.

Hull reduced the deficit when Ellis crossed for a try and Miller converted successfully for 6-14 but Wigan scored again just before the interval when Hughes went in under the posts with Smith converting to restore the 14 point lead at 6-20.

A superb dash from Burgess in the 47th minute saw Wigan extend their lead as he crossed out wide before touching down under the posts allowing Smith to convert easily for 6-26 and the winger could have been in again when Williams and Gelling combined to find him but he was tackled into touch.

An error from Hull put Wigan in a dangerous position and Sarginson claimed his second try of the evening but a tough conversion attempt was missed by Smith but Wigan now led 6-30. Hull responded well with Shaul crossing for a try after a superb individual run through the Wigan defence but Miller's missed conversion attempt left Hull at 10-30.


Another Hull mistake allowed Sarginson to pick out Manfredi with the young winger scoring in the corner and Smith narrowly missing the conversion at 10-34.. Gelling scored his second try of the night with a defence splitting run with Smith converting for a 30 point lead at 10-40.

A quick play saw Sarginson complete his hat-trick but Smith's conversion attempt missed and Wigan led 44-10 but Hull had the last say three minutes from the end when Talanoa crossed for a try and Miller converted superbly for 16-44. A correct result but a bit wide on my prediction of 18-24.


Wolves Overcome Dragons Charge

Warrington secured their sixth win of the season with a 42-10 victory over a poor Catalan side on Friday night.

Two tries in four minutes from Monaghan and England put the hosts in front with Bridge successfully converting both for a 12-0 lead which soon became 18-0 when Monaghan scored his second of the evening just before the half-hour with Bridge converting for a third time.

Warrington were in firm control at the interval with Ratchford crossing for a try and Bridge maintaining his record with the boot for a 24-0 half-time lead. Catalan failed to keep Warrington out as the second half began as Bridge crossed for a try of his own in the 42nd minute and converted to bring his points tally to 16 and the Wolves led 30-0. 

Higham crossed four minutes later with Bridge converting for a stunning 36-0 lead and Catalan were in danger of a huge hammering if Warrington's scoring spree continued which it did in the 55th minute when Laithwaite scored the seventh try of the evening for the Wolves and Bridge made it a magnificent seven in a row from the boot for 42-0.

Catalan stemmed the Warrington spree with a try of their own in the 66th minute when Duport crossed the Warrington line and Barthau converted for 42-6 but the Dragons failed to build on the score and had to wait until the 79th minute for their next points when Escare continued his fine scoring run with a nice try but a missed conversion saw the game end at 42-10. A correct result but wide of the prediction of 28-22.

Wakefield Stun Widnes 

After a stunning comeback win at Hull, Wakefield made it two wins in a row on the road with a last-gasp 18-24 win over Widnes.

The visitors went in front in the eighth minute when Riley scored the opening try and Sammut converted for 6-0 which became 12-0 in the 19th minute when Moore crossed for the Wildcats second try with Sammut converting for a second time.

Widnes responded with a Hulme try three minutes later with Tickle converting for 6-12 before the sides were level at the interval when Flynn crossed for a try and Tickle converted for 12 all. Widnes completed the comeback from 0-12 to lead 18-12 with Hulme scoring his second try of the game in the 43rd minute with Tickle converting for a third time in a row. 

Wakefield levelled six minutes later when Siejka crossed for a try and Sammut kept up his 100% record with the boot for a 18 all score. Both sides pushed to go in front but it took until right at the end for the crucial score with Sykes crossing for the visitors and Sammut converting to secure a superb win for Wakefield that puts them eight points clear of the bottom two. An incorrect result and of course a wrong prediction of 32-20.

Giants Extend Broncos Losing Run

London's wait for a first win of the season continues after they let a 16-10 half-time lead slip before going on to lose 16-30 to a resilient Huddersfield side.

Huddersfield led in the seventh minute after Lunt crossed for the opening try but Brough's failure to convert saw them lead 0-4 which meant that when Vea scored for London in the 17th minute the sides were level with Drinkwater converting to give the hosts a 6-4 lead.

Huddersfield regained the lead in the 27th minute when Ta'ai scored and Brough converted for 6-10 but London responded well with Foster scoring in the 33rd minute and Solomona in the 36th minute to put them 14-10 in front after two missed conversions. Drinkwater made amends for the double miss with a penalty goal just before the interval for 16-10.

London had been in a similar position at home to Warrington before collapsing in the second half and sadly the same thing happened on Saturday afternoon as Huddersfield came back stunningly with two tries in the first four minutes of the second half from Mullally (42) and a second of the afternoon for Ta'ai (44) with Brough converting both for 16-22.

Brough added a penalty in the 65th minute for 16-24 leaving London more than enough time to stage a comeback but to their dismay, Cudjoe confirmed the win for the Giants when he scored in the final minute and Brough converted for 16-30. Ahead of the midpoint in the season at Magic, London need a miracle to avoid relegation but stranger things have happened in Super League so they cannot be ruled out completely. A correct result and I think for the first time in a long while a perfect prediction of 16-30 so thanks go to Brough for that final conversion success.


 
Mullaney Denies Rovers Victory

Salford fought back from 4-10 behind to secure a 16-16 draw at home to Hull KR on Saturday evening to move above Wakefield into 11th in the table.

The hosts led in the 22nd minute when Meli crossed for the opening try but a missed conversion meant a slim 4-0 lead which was cancelled out four minutes later by a Rovers try from Welham for 4 all.

Rovers went into the interval ahead after a try on the half-hour mark from Larroyer which Burns converted for a 4-10 lead. Salford bounced back but it took until the 55th minute before they were level as Meli scored his second try of the game and Mullaney converted for 10 all.

Alike the first half, Rovers regained the lead as Costigan scored their third try of the evening on the hour and Burns converted for 10-16, Salford responded well and were level within six minutes as Gleeson crossed for the try and Mullaney converted for a score of 16 all. Both sides went for the win via one-pointer's at near the end but to no avail as they had to settle for a point each. An incorrect result and a wide prediction of 18-28.

Bradford Nilled By Super Saints

After a stunning win over Warrington in the previous round, Bradford were given a huge wake-up call by a rampant St Helens side who ran in nine tries in a 50-0 win.

Wilkin put the visitors in front in the 11th minute with Walsh converting for 0-6 with thoughts of a repeat of the Wigan humiliation on the mind but Bradford responded well and kept the Saints out until the 28th minute when Walsh crossed for a try and converted his own score for 0-12.

Lomax scored three minutes later but Walsh missed the conversion leaving Saints at 0-16 which became 0-22 at the interval when Wilkin scored his second of the afternoon and Walsh converted for the third time from four attempts.

Bradford fell further behind in the 46th minute when Makinson continued his fine scoring run in 2014 with a try but Walsh missed from out wide and the lead was 0-26 but the 30 point mark soon came when Swift crossed in the 51st minute and Walsh converted for 0-32 and Bradford were on their way to a damaging defeat. Soliola celebrated his recent charitable haircut with a try in the 63rd minute with Walsh converting for 0-38.

Two tries in three minutes from McCarthy-Scarsbrook (72) and Roby (75) confirmed the win for Saints and brought up the 50 point mark with Walsh converting both for a personal tally of 18 points and leaving Bradford with a nilling they will look to forget ahead of a Magic tie against Huddersfield on Sunday.  

Wigan Triumph At The KC

Ahead of a Magic meeting with Leeds, Wigan made the long trip up to the KC stadium to face Hull FC while hoping to move up to third in the league table.

Injuries to all three fullback options meant Dan Sarginson was chosen to deputise and got off to a superb start with the opening try in the seventh minute with Matty Smith converting well for a 6-0 lead.

Hull looked to respond but a nice passage of play ended with a miss placed pass into touch which soon proved costly as Wigan extended their lead in the next set as a superb run by Gelling saw him cross for a try and Smith converted for a second time for a 12-0 lead after 16 minutes.

Another Hull mistake saw them concede a penalty in a dangerous position with Wigan taking the chance to kick at goal and Smith did so superbly to make it 14-0 but Hull soon reduced the deficit after a high kick towards the Wigan line was collected by Miller and offloaded to Ellis who crossed for a try which Miller converted for 14-6.

Wigan regained their 14 lead just before half-time when a pacey run from Smith saw him feed Hughes who crossed for a try with Smith maintaining his perfect record with the boot for a 20-6 lead. Wigan began the second half in the same vain as they had ended the first as Green and Gelling combined to find Burgess who raced down the wing and under the posts to touch down for a try in the 47th minute and again Smith converted well as Wigan led 26-6.

It could have been two tries in the space of a few minutes for Burgess as Williams and Gelling combined to find the young winger but he was tackled into touch but a Hull error in the resulting set allowed Gelling to collect the ball and put Wigan in a great position.

Smith picked out Sarginson and after a nice run, the stand-in fullback crossed for his second try of the evening but a tight angle saw Smith miss the conversion but Wigan were in control at 30-6. Hull responded well with Shaul crossing for a try after a superb individual run through the Wigan defence but Miller's missed conversion attempt left Hull at 30-10.

Alike earlier efforts, a Hull error cost them again as a nice move across the Wigan pack allowed Sarginson to find Manfredi on the wing who crossed for a try in the corner and as a result, Smith missed a difficult conversion but Wigan led 34-10. After a good performance at Leeds, Gelling was excelling again as he split the Hull defence and raced over the line for his second try of the evening with Smith converting superbly for a 30 point lead at 40-10.

Wigan were in firm control against a Hull pack that looked out-of-sorts and punished the hosts further as a quick play the ball on the Hull line saw Sarginson cross for his hat-trick try with Smith missing the conversion but with Wigan now leading 44-10 and certain to have a happy trip home with the two points.

Hull took a short kick-off to try and unnerve Wigan but the Warriors held firm before the next set saw the hosts force a goal-line dropout which saw a fine run result in a try for Talanoa in the corner. Miller kicked a superb conversion to reduce the deficit to 44-16 in front of a crowd of 10,539 at the KC.

Wigan looked to reach 50 points before the hooter but Burgess knocked on and Wigan went on to celebrate a fine win that saw them displace Castleford to move into third place in the table while Hull will need to improve a lot after being humbled by a injury-ravaged Warriors side.

Super League Round Twelve Preview

After mixed performances for the top sides in the previous round, round twelve gives the losing sides the chance to bounce back while the others can pull clear at the top. 

The first example will come tonight as Castleford host table toppers Leeds in a battle of third against first with Leeds looking to go three points clear at the top of the table while Castleford will look to keep up their fine home form.

Leeds will be favourites but Castleford are dangerous at home with only one defeat at the Jungle, a late loss to St Helens and will be eager to bounce back from the narrow defeat to Huddersfield last week.

The visitors come into the game confident after a comfortable win over Wigan in the first part of a double this month with the two meeting at Magic next weekend and will be eager to go into the game with a five game winning run if they can overcome Castleford.

Both sides have been in strong form this season and this game could further Castleford's hopes of a top eight finish having done well against the top sides this season with wins over Wigan and Warrington while Leeds's defence may prove to be a main factor with only 94 points conceded in 11 games.

Castleford bring in ex-Leeds players Jordan Tansey and Ashley Gibson in place of James Clare and Richard Owen while Leeds are unchanged from the round eleven win over Wigan.
 

Castleford- Tansey, Dixon, Shenton, Webster, Carney, Sneyd, Lynch, Milner, Huby, Millington, Hauraki, Clark, Holmes, Mariano, Wheeldon, Ellis, Gibson, Channing, Finn.
Leeds-Hardaker, Jones-Bishop, Watkins, Moon, Hall, McGuire, Leuluai, Peacock, Ablett, Sinfield, Ward, Delaney, Bailey, Kirke, Clarkson, Achurch, Briscoe, Sutcliffe, Singleton.

Leeds surprised me when I predicted a loss so this time I see them winning but hopefully not comfortably so Castleford 18 Leeds 26.

Friday night sees three games with the standout tie being a repeat of the 2013 Challenge Cup Final as Wigan make the long trip up to face Hull with Both sides looking to bounce back from defeats to Leeds and Wakefield respectively.

The last meeting between the sides saw Hull edge a win at the DW stadium with both fielding youthful sides the week after meeting in the Challenge Cup final in August which Wigan had won 16-0.

Tomorrow could see a similar score to the league meeting with both sides having long injury lists meaning neither has been able to post a strong squad and will surely make for a close game at the KC.

Wigan were in red-hot form before the defeat to Leeds but the run came with the cost of several injuries which this week has included Liam Farrell, Matty Bowen and Ryan Hampshire leaving no recognised fullbacks available with Dan Sarginson and Anthony Gelling the favourites to deputise.

Former Warrior Chris Tuson misses out for Hull while Dean Hadley and Jordan Rankin drop out of the squad to allow Richard Horne and Richard Whiting to be recalled with Liam Colbon and Liam Watts also likely to feature.

Hull will be wary of a mixed Wigan lineup as the 'kids' have performed well when they have come into the side and Wigan are unbeaten at the KC since 2009 so will be confident of a win ahead of the Magic showpiece.


Hull: Bowden, Carvell, Crookes, Crooks, Colbon, Ellis, Heremaia, Horne, Houghton, Miller, Paea, Paleaaesina, Shaul, Talanoa, Thompson, Watts, Westerman, Whiting, Yeaman.

Wigan: Bateman, Burgess, Clubb, Crosby, Dudson, C. Farrell, Gelling, Goulding, Green, Hughes, James, Manfredi, McIlorum, S. Powell, Sarginson, Smith, Sutton, Taylor, Williams.

This could be a close game due to the depleted teams and the poor weather conditions but I think Wigan will come out on top so Hull 18 Wigan 24.

Warrington will look to bounce back from a shock loss away to Bradford when the host the in-from Catalan who will hope to end a run of four losses to the Wolves.

After a dreadful start to the season, Catalan have bounced back amazingly and go into the game with the same record as their hosts after winning five out of eleven this season including the current run of four in a row while Warrington have lost three of the last five and are a shadow of the form that saw them finish second in 2013. 

Catalan have been strongest at home this season but have been average away from Perpignan with only one win which came against London in round nine and exited the cup away to Bradford in round five so a travelling victory surely is due for the Dragons.

Warrington include Stefan Ratchford who returns from injury with Gene Ormsby also returning in place of Kevin Penny and Glenn Riley while Catalan bring in Jeff Lima in place of Olivier Elima.


Warrington - Asotasi, Atkins, C. Bridge, D. Bridge, Currie, England, B. Evans, R. Evans, Harrison, Higham, Hill, Laithwaite, J. Monaghan, M. Monaghan, O'Brien, Ormsby, Ratchford, Russell, Waterhouse.

Catalan-  Escare, Pryce, Pomeroy, Oldfield, Lima, Taia, Anderson, Barthau, Maria, Pelissier, Millard, Pala, Simon, Bousquet, Paea, Baitieri, Duport, Garcia, Guasch.


This could be a close game with the weather a contributing factor so Warrington 28 Catalan 22.

Tomorrow's third game sees a revitalised Wakefield travel to face Widnes with both sides in mixed form but with wins in the previous round over Hull and Hull KR respectively.

Wakefield ended a long losing streak with a comeback win against Hull coming from 16-0 down to secure a 16-23 win and as a result will be in a confident mood as they look to continue a perfect streak against Widnes with four wins in a row in the Super League against the Vikings.

Widnes will be keen to end that streak with a first ever league win over the Wildcats and have their best chance yet with a great first half of the season with seven wins which sees them sit fifth in the table and includes strong wins over Huddersfield and St Helens.

Wakefield recall Andy Raleigh to their 19 while Widnes include Declan Hulme in place of the injured Rhys Hanbury meaning Jack Owens may deputise at fullback.


Widnes - Allen, Brown, Clough, Clarke, Craven, Dean, Flynn, Gerrard, Hulme, Isa, Johnson, Kavanagh, Lawton, Leuluai, Marsh, Owens, Phelps, Tickle, White.

Wakefield - Mathers, Fairbank, Riley, Walshaw, Sykes, Godinet, Anderson, McShane, Raleigh, Kirmond, Washbrook, Ryan, Annakin, Smith, Moore, Siejka, Sammut, Scruton, Molloy.

Aside from the weather, Widnes' home form could be a deciding factor here so Widnes 32 Wakefield 20.

Two games take place on Saturday beginning with Huddersfield making the long trip own to London with the Broncos desperate for a win to end their 100% losing run in 2014.

London performed well at St Helens in the previous round and were found out by a strong side but may look to spring a surprise against a Huddersfield side who are a shadow of the table topping side from 2013 with only five wins from a possible eleven.



Huddersfield have stuttered on their travels in 2014 with notable defeats at Hull and Catalan and if London show the play they did in stages at both Wigan and St Helens, they have a the chance to get a first win and move away from the bottom of the league where they now sit after Bradford's win over Warrington.

Should London lose for a 12th time this season, the prospect of relegation will surely be something on the minds of both the club and the fans and with Huddersfield on a run of three wins, it will take a big performance from London to prevent it becoming four.

This could be a game of surprises but I will go for Huddersfield based on form so London 16 Huddersfield 30

Saturday's evening game sees Salford hosting Hull KR with both sides desperate for a win to end their losing runs.

Salford have only one win in five and sit eleventh in the table, a far cry from the pre-season hopes of the top eight and go into the game a place behind the Rovers who themselves three wins from the last five after a bad start to the season.

Rovers will be eager to end the losing run ahead of the Hull derby at Magic against a Salford side who have been distinctly average since Iestyn Harris took charge of the team and are the third lowest scorers in the table while also posting the fifth worst defence.

This one could go either way but Hull KR despite their losses have been in good form overall and are my tip so Salford 18 Hull KR 28.

The final game of the weekend takes place on Sunday with St Helens travelling up to face Bradford in a match that ten years ago would have been a battle at the top of the league between regular Grand Final foes but due to Bradford's demise, the sides are at opposite ends of the table.

Bradford moved off the bottom with a famous win over Warrington in the previous round and will be eager to make it two in a row with the return of Foster to the side being a massive plus for the Bulls who have one only one of the last five meetings between the sides.

St Helens will be wary of a confident and revitalised Bradford as they look to add to their win over London after a run of two defeats in four saw them fall off the top of the table and with Warrington ahead at Magic, a win will boost their confidence while maybe closing the gap at the top.

This could be a strange one as Bradford were amazing against Warrington and Saints were not in full flow against London so I will gamble here and say Bradford 23 St Helens 22.

Bradford Send London Bottom

Saints Back On Top

London's quest for a first win of 2014 goes on after a 48-18 defeat to St Helens who return to the league's summit.

Two early tries from Dawson, Walsh and penalty and conversion from the latter made it 12-0.

Saints extended the lead with two tries in three minutes from Lomax and Makinson with Solomona reducing the deficit before the interval and Drinkwater converting for a score of 20-6.

A quick double from Hohaia and Swift with a solitary conversion from Walsh brought up the 30 point mark at 30-6 but London crossed again through Minns with Drinkwater converting for 30-12.

However, Saints crossed again three minutes later through Greenwood (Walsh conv) and Jones pushed them past 40 points just after the hour mark with Walsh kicking for 42-12.

London crossed for a third time with seven minutes remaining though Bishay with Drinkwater maintaining his 100% success from the boot for 42-18 with Flanagan scoring three minutes later and Walsh having the last say with the boot for a 48-18 win. A correct result and correct London score but off on the prediction of 30-18.

Rhinos End Warriors Streak

Leeds replaced St Helens at the top with a comfortable 28-12 win over an in-form Wigan.

Leeds had a perfect start with McGuire crossing in the second minute and Sinfield converting for 6-0 with the lead extended in the 13th minute when Hardaker broke through the defence but a Sinfield miss meant it was 10-0

Wigan reduced the deficit with a sneak effort from Clubb in the 22nd minute and Smith converted for 10-6 but Leeds went into the break 16-6 after
Briscoe scored and Sinfield converted with five minutes remaining of the half.

Wigan's hopes of a comeback suffered an early blow when Hall scored in the 43rd minute and Sinfield converted for 22-6.

Both sides pushed for more but the next score came with three minutes left of the tie with Taylor crossing for Wigan and Smith converting for 22-12 but the  hosts had the last say as Sutcliffe scored and Sinfield converted for 28-12. An incorrect result and also wide of the prediction of 24-32.

 Escare Treble Downs Salford

Catalan continued their winning run with a 37-24 defeat against a Salford side without a win in four games.

The Dragons made a stellar start going 16-0 up inside 20 minutes with Escare crossing twice and Barthau converting both either side of a Millard effort.

Meli, Williams and Eden all crossed for Salford in a 12 minute turnaround putting them 16-18 up at the interval after Smith converted all three.

Taia scored to regain the lead for the hosts five minutes into the second period and Barthau converted for 22-16 but Salford were back in front five minute later when Hock crossed for a try and Smith duly converted for 22-24.

The visitors held firm until the 64th minute when Pryce crossed for Catalan and Barthau converted but from there it was all Catalan at 28-24.

Barthau kicked a penalty with Escare completing his hat-trick in the next set and Barthau converting for a 36-24 lead. Pelissier sealed the win for the hosts with a drop goal in the last minute for 37-24. A correct result but a bit off my hope of 25-12.

Bulls End Losing Streak

After a comfortable cup win over Catalan, Bradford moved off the bottom of Super League with a late win over Warrington who have lost two in a row on the road.

The visitors led after six minutes when England crossed for the opening try an Bridge converted for 0-6. Foster made it 4-6 with a try and Bradford led when Kearney crossed and Foster converted for a 10-6 lead.

Two tries in five minutes saw Warrington comeback and lead as Bridge and Penny crossed with the former converting both for 10-18 lead.

Bradford reduced the deficit on the half-hour through Olbison and Foster's conversion made it 16-18 but Warrington went into the break in front after a Monaghan effort made it 16-22.

Purtell brought the hosts level with a try eight minutes into the second period with Foster's conversion making it 22 all. Warrington were back in front on the hour mark when Russell crossed for a try which Bridge converted for a 22-28 lead.

Kear reduced the gap in the 70th minute to 26-28 and Bradford led within minutes as Purtell scored his second and Foster converted for 32-28 then going on to kick a 78th minute penalty to seal a famous win that ends their negative points total. An incorrect result and a wide prediction of 12-36.

Giants Edge Out Tigers

Huddersfield extended their winning run while ending Castleford's with a narrow 29-28 win.

Castleford led 0-12 after 17 minutes with Sneyd converting tries from Shenton and Carney but Huddersfield levelled with tries from Wwardle and Cudjoe, both converted by Brough got a stalemate at the interval.

Huddersfield went ahead inside two minutes of the second half through McGillvary but Dixon brought Castleford level four minutes later at 16 all. Two tries in six minutes before the hour mark put Huddersfield in control as Grix and Murphy crossed for the hosts with Brough converting both for 28-16.

Webster scored seven minute later with Sneyd's conversion closing the gap to 28-22 before Clark levelled the sides with a try that Sneyd converted for 28 all.

Castleford's comeback to parity was short lived as Brough kicked a drop goal five minutes from the end to secure a narrow win for the hosts. An incorrect result and a wide prediction of 18-33.

 Wakefield Stage Huge Fightback

Hull suffered nightmare second half as Wakefield fought back from 16-0 down to win 16-23.

Tries from Houghton (18) and Rankin (38) both converted by Crooks put Hull 12-0 up at halftime with Crooks crossing himself in the 52nd minute for a 16 point lead but from there it was all Wakefield.

Mathers reduced the deficit in the 57th minute with two tries in as many minutes from Smith and Ryan bringing the sides level with Sammut converting both for 16 all.

Sammut completed the fightback by putting Wakefield ahead with a try of his own which he converted for a 16-22 lead with Sykes sealing the win a minute later with a drop goal for 16-23. An incorrect result and wide of the 24-20 prediction.

 Widnes Extend Winning Run

Widnes extended their winning run with a narrow 29-34 win over Hull KR..

The visitors led 6-12 after tries from Owens and Allen (Tickle 2 convs) came either side of a Weyman effort converted by Burns after 18 minutes.

Widnes went further ahead when Brown crossed and Tickle converted for a 6-18 lead but Rovers came back with two tries in three minutes from Welham and Lovegrove with a conversion from Burns for 16-18 at the interval.

The hosts went ahead when Cockayne crossed and Burns converted for 22-18 but Widnes came back as Brown scored his second to tie the score at 22 all.

Rovers regained the lead on the hour mark through Gardner with Burns converting for 28-22 before adding a drop goal five minutes later for a seven point lead.

Widnes turned the game around in the space of three minutes with Clarke scoring and Brown completing his hat-trick with Tickle converting both for 29-34. A correct result and just a tad away on the prediction of 24-25.

Rhinos End Warriors Streak

After success against Hunslet in the Challenge Cup fifth round,  Wigan's focus returned to Super League with a trip up to face league leaders Leeds.

Wigan suffered a blow in the build-up with the news that Sean O'Loughlin would be sidelined after a training injury meaning both sides would be missing a star with Rob Burrow out for Leeds.

The Rhinos made the best start and got on the board after only two minutes as a kick found McGuire who grounded the ball with Bentham going to the screen, the try was awarded and Sinfield converted for 6-0.

Wigan looked to respond but Gelling was tackled into touch from a good position and the Wigan number five was a focus again when he was tackled on the goal line and was adjudged to be short meaning Leeds had forced a dropout. They used the advantage to great effect as a run from Hardaker saw him split the defence and cross for a try but again Bentham went to the screen and the try was given but Sinfield's missed conversion meant the score was 10-0.

Leeds held firm as Wigan attacked but they were helpless after McIlorum was held up as a quick play saw Clubb go over for a try but for a third time on the night the decision was subject to the video referee and the try was awarded with Smith converting successfully for 10-6.

Wigan could have gone in front when Gelling went close before going on a long run down the wing only to be caught as he had no support to offload to and the move died down, Leeds extended their lead five minutes before the interval as Briscoe crossed in the corner and Sinfield converted for 16-6.

Leeds began the second period similar to how they ended the first as Hall collected a kick and crossed for a try which was awarded after a review from the video referee and Sinfield converted for 22-6 leaving Wigan with a mountain to climb in order to retain their winning streak.

Wigan looked for a response but the Leeds defence held firm and the hosts thought they had gone further ahead when Hall picked out Moon who crossed for a try but after a review from the video referee, it was chalked off and Wigan breathed a sigh of relief.

Wigan reduced the deficit after a 40/20 from Smith put them in a good position and the attack saw them go close to the line before Taylor edged over the line for a try which was awarded after a review from the video referee and Smith converted for 22-12.

Wigan's joy was short lived as Sutcliffe broke through the Wigan defence and crossed for a try with Sinfield converting for 28-12 and a win that puts Leeds back on top of the league while ending Wigan's winning run though the Warriors will have the chance for revenge when the sides meet again in a fortnight at the Magic Weekend.