Castleford continue to head the table after a hard battle against Huddersfield, with Hull following closely after a win over struggling Widnes took them back to second in the ladder. However, Salford Red Devils are hot on their heels after seeing off Wigan in their first win at the DW in over 20 years.
THURSDAY
HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 21-26 CASTLEFORD TIGERS
The Thursday night game was one to relish as Huddersfield really put the league leaders under pressure, however the Tigers prevailed again to remain top in an exciting match between the Yorkshire sides.
Joel Monaghan was the first to get on the scoreboard as he completed a smooth bit of play to touch down in the corner. It was a gritty battle which looked to be swinging in the Giants favour after a first half hat-trick from Jake Mamo, and a successfully converted penalty from Brough took the Giants ahead. The tables quickly turned though as the Huddersfield number six saw yellow eight-minutes from time following a dangerous tackle. His absence allowing Jesse Sene-Lefao to steal the win from the hosts just minutes from time.
Danny Brough sees the only disciplinary charge from the game. He is charged with a Grade B Dangerous Contact offence and looks set to miss up to two matches for the Giants who slip down the Super League Table.
FRIDAY
WARRINGTON WOLVES 40-18 ST HELENS
Warrington provided an inspired comeback as they took a step in the right direction against St Helens, boosting their top eight hopes. Saints took an early 14-0 lead as it looked bad for the Wolves but last years’ Grand Finalists didn’t lie down easily.
Match Report from Sian Reed
No disciplinary action taken from this game.
WIGAN WARRIORS 16-31 SALFORD RED DEVILS
Wigan lost two more to injury as they quickly fell to a 28-0 deficit on Friday night – but 13 of Wigan’s named 17 have come through Wigan’s academy and certainly gave Salford a late scare. The win was Salford’s first at the DW Stadium in 20 years and cemented their place towards the peak of the table.
Match Report from Ben Reid
No disciplinary action taken from this game.
SATURDAY
CATALANS DRAGONS 24-30 LEEDS RHINOS
Leeds returned to third in the table after a hearty last 15 minutes saw them douse the Dragons over in France.
Leeds got off the mark as a Liam Sutcliffe converted try saw them 6 to the good. But Louis Anderson got the better of two defenders on his way to the goal line to draw the hosts level. The pendulum was swinging in the Dragons favour as the second half wound on but a 30-meter effort from Cuthbertson followed by an effort from Rob Burrow took Leeds to 24-22 with 10 minutes to go on the clock.
McGuire sealed the win with a fantastic solo effort, collecting a high ball and switching direction to find a gap in the Catalans defence – taking Leeds up to third in the table.
Coach Brian McDermott praised his players, particularly his number 10, who made 44 tackles and 5 offloads, he said: “I thought Danny McGuire and Adam Cuthbertson were outstanding. Adam was hugely influential in that final 20 minutes but then Danny McGuire maintained calm and he had a good control over the majority of proceedings.”
No disciplinary charges from this game, however, Mickael Simon and Vincent Duport receive cautions respectively for contact with the match official and tripping.
LEIGH CENTURIONS 26-40 WAKEFIELD TRINITY
Leigh fell to an either consecutive defeat in all competitions as they hosted Wakefield Trinity on Saturday evening. Trinity raced to a 20-0 lead after just 14 minutes as Jacob Miller and Danny Kirmond crossed the whitewash before Reece Lynne extended Wakefield’s lead.
It wasn’t over for the home side though, as they sound found their stride and hit back through Curtis Naughton underneath the posts. Jamie Acton added to the lead before a Matty Dawson brace took the Centurions to within two points of their visitors.
It was Naughton again who went over for Leigh to take them into the lead, to the delight of their fans after a slow start to the game. The joy was short lived however, as tries from Joe Arundel, Mason Caton-Brown and Danny Kirmond secured it for Trinity, whilst Danny Tickle of Leigh was sin-binned in the process.
Full time from Leigh Sports Village, Leigh Centurions 26-40 Wakefield Trinity.
Jamie Acton faces discplinary action for a dangerous throw on Fifita in the 72nd minute, he could miss 1-2 matches for Leigh.
SUNDAY
WIDNES VIKINGS 22-33 HULL FC
Widnes let an encouraging lead slide as Hull ran away with the two points on Sunday afternoon. Chris Houston and Rhys Hanbury went over early on for the Chemics before a Patrick Ah Van double put Widnes into a comfortable position with half-time approaching. However, a lapse in concentration from the Vikings allowed Jansin Turgut a chance on the stroke of half-time to get Hull FC off the mark.
They responded quickly as Jamie Shaul went over from kick-off, not what Widnes needed in a must-win game for them. Things went from bad to worse for Widnes as back to back converted tries from Carlos Tuimavave and Albert Kelly smashed the original 22-point deficit to draw them level. Hull made the comeback memorable though as Shaul touched down for his second of the match, followed by a Marc Sneyd drop goal to take Hull out in front.
Danny Washbrook added the icing to Hull’s cake as he found an opportunity late on to seal a famous comeback for the Airlie Birds – leaving Widnes dampened after their 10th defeat of the season.
Gil Dudson faces a Grade A Dangerous Contact charge – he could face a one match ban but is likely to see no further action. Marc Sneyd receives a caution for disputing the decision of the referee in the 25th minute of the game but will see no further action on the matter.
