White Rat TV Rugby League News

Adams to take chief rugby league role

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 13:46:00 GMT

Tony Adams

Former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams is to become the new president of the Rugby Football League.

Adams, who has become linked to the sport's welfare programmes through the Sporting Chance charity he founded in 2000, will succeed current president Andy Burnham next summer.

"It will be an honour to become the next President of the RFL," said Adams.

"I am passionate about working with everyone in the sport to raise the profile of mental health, wellness and resilience, for players and for everyone in Rugby League.

"I'd like to play my part in championing this brilliant sport on the national stage."

RFL chairman Brian Barwick said: "Tony Adams is known and respected throughout sport and beyond, not only for his outstanding playing career with Arsenal, but more recently for his pioneering work with Sporting Chance.

"The charity has helped more than 400 rugby league players, since the RFL entered into an official partnership with Sporting Chance in 2011, and Tony himself delivered seminars at Wigan and Hull earlier this year.

"The game has recognised the importance of mental health, for players and everyone else involved, and Tony's election is another significant step in that regard."

New Zealander Carl Hall, a former player who is chief executive at Doncaster, will serve as Vice-President from next July and digital sports specialist Chris Hurst has joined the RFL Board as a Non-Executive Director.

England 0-34 New Zealand

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Nov 2018 18:24:00 GMT

New Zealand ran in six tries against England on Sunday

England lost their scoring touch and their unbeaten record for 2018 as New Zealand cruised to a 34-0 win at Elland Road to avoid a series whitewash.

Wayne Bennett's men went into the third Test with high hopes of a fourth-successive win over the Kiwis but a scoreline of six tries to nil accurately sums up an anti-climatic end to the season.

The series belongs to England, courtesy of their close-fought wins in Hull and Liverpool, but this was more like the New Zealand side which showed their class with a victory over Australia a month ago.

Scrum-half Kodi Nikorima, who plays under Bennett at club level with Brisbane, was the destroyer-in-chief after scoring one exceptional try and creating three others.

Winger Tom Makinson, England's newly-crowned Golden Boot winner who was named player of the series, demonstrated his athleticism with two spectacular finishes but had both tries disallowed. Centre Oliver Gildart was similarly denied by video referee Phil Bentham as the luck ran out for Bennett's men.

Denied a host of established internationals through injury and suspension, it was still a gallant effort by England in front of a near-capacity crowd of 32,186.

The tourists took the lead with prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves squeezing a pass out of a three-man tackle to create the space for full-back Dallin Watene-Zelezniak to work winger Ken Maumalo over for the first of his two tries.

England had plenty of possession and most of the territory in the first half, helped by a run of four successive penalties and some intelligent probing from full-back Jonny Lomax, but they failed to turn the pressure into points.

New Zealand demonstrated far more clinical finishing with two tries in the last eight minutes of the first half, with Nikorima creating one for second rower Isaac Liu and scoring one himself after taking a return pass from Shaun Johnson, who kicked a third conversion to extend their lead to 18-0.

Any hope of an England fightback was snuffed out within four minutes of the restart when Maumalo outjumped Jermaine McGillvary to claim his second try that extended the Kiwis' lead to 22-0.

New Zealand were temporarily reduced to 12 men when Waera-Hargreaves was sin-binned for a flop on hooker Josh Hodgson after he had been brought down - just short of the tryline - but their defence stood firm.

Makinson had a second try chalked off after 57 minutes when slow-motion replays revealed he had put a foot in touch shortly before producing a trademark acrobatic finish at the corner.

England also found themselves a man short after McGillvary was shown a yellow card for holding down in the tackle, and the Kiwis took advantage to run in two further tries in the last 11 minutes.

Nikorima got prop Jesse Bromwich striding through a gap for their fifth try and the former skipper then supplied a neat pass for substitute Joseph Tapine to go over for his side's sixth try, with Josh Papali'i adding the goal on his debut to wrap up the scoring.

Wayne Bennett praises England's belief

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 5 Nov 2018 10:32:00 GMT

England pose for a team picture after victory over New Zealand

England coach Wayne Bennett says his team are heading in the right direction after completing a series win over New Zealand with a game to spare.

Winger Tommy Makinson scored a hat-trick of tries on only his third appearance to help England to a 20-14 victory at Anfield and take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

After guiding England to the World Cup final last December, Bennett is delighted they have been able to continue the momentum, despite losing nine members from the team that pushed the Kangaroos all the way in Brisbane.

"I think last year's World Cup in Australia was a great moment for them," Bennett said.

"The guys got a lot of belief, we came together great as a team and they are all growing and going in the right direction.

"We're not going to get over-confident but we're doing a lot of things right and we've got a great group of men that I enjoy working with."

England were twice forced to come from behind after Kiwis captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak had threatened to win the game by scoring one try and creating one for winger Ken Maumalo.

"It was not so great in the first half but we hung in and only gave up six points so we were still in the game without playing well," Bennett said.

"We had a bit of a re-focus on a couple of things and they were a different team in the second half.

"There is a lot of self-belief and commitment in the team."

Centre Jake Connor continued his impressive start to his England career with a fourth try in as many appearances but was overshadowed by man-of-the-match Makinson.

"I just want to know where you've been hiding him," Bennett said.

"I didn't know about Tom until we took him to America and realised he was pretty special then."

Makinson played down his contribution, insisting the win was down to a team effort.

"Three tries in my third England appearance, it means a lot but, brushing aside the tries, it was a special performance by the team," he said.

"I don't think I have ever been involved as much as that. I set myself a goal to deal with whatever came my way and, to a man, that's what we did.

"It was not just me, 17 blokes gave their all and that's why it's 2-0."

England will now head to Elland Road next Sunday hoping to achieve a clean sweep and, although hooker Daryl Clark will be missing with a fractured rib, Bennett says he will not be making changes in order to give his fringe players a

run-out.

"Test jerseys are too valuable," he said. "We're not going to give away Test jerseys because you want to be nice to someone.

"These boys are earning them and I don't want to take them off them."

Less than a month after beating world champions Australia, the Kiwis have taken a major step back with a third successive defeat to England.

Coach Michael Maguire said: "There's a lot of hurt in the changing room.

"The boys have had to learn some pretty harsh lessons over the last two games about what Test football is all about.

"We conceded a try before half-time again and in the second half made seven errors, whereas England were very clinical. That's the difference in Test match footy.

"England have been performing like that for quite some time. They have a very simple game plan, they complete high and they stay there for the 80 minutes, it's something we need to pick up on."

England 20-14 New Zealand

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 4 Nov 2018 17:26:00 GMT

England's Tommy Makinson dives over to score

Tommy Makinson scored a hat-trick as England sealed the three-match series with a 20-14 win over New Zealand at Anfield on Sunday.

The St Helens winger completed a remarkable introduction to the international scene with a man-of-the-match display in England's hugely-impressive 20-14 victory.

Wayne Bennett's men twice came from behind to finally see off the plucky Kiwis, whose captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak threatened to win the game on his own.

Among a host of heroes was James Graham, an Everton fan leading England out at Anfield, but special mention goes to rookie prop Luke Thompson, who looks a natural at this level, while centre Jake Connor made it four tries in as many appearances.

Connor managed just one goal from his four attempts as England outscored their visitors by four tries to two.

England drew first blood after Kiwi prop Jesse Bromwich was punished for a late tackle on Sam Tomkins and Connor kicked the penalty to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

However, the tourists struck back just three minutes later when full-back and captain Watene-Zelezniak sliced between Tomkins and Oliver Gildart for the game's first try and Shaun Johnson's conversion made it 6-2.

With Johnson pulling the strings, the Kiwis twice went close again through right winger Jordan Rapana but Makinson was rock solid in defence.

Makinson also came to England's rescue by getting his body underneath second rower Kevin Proctor as the Kiwis pummelled their line.

England spent most of the first half defending and, in rare breaks, centre Gildart, their match-winner in the first Test, twice spilled the ball.

But the home side looked sharper when hooker Daryl Clark came off the bench and, after twice opting to run penalties from in front of the posts, their enterprise paid off two minutes before half-time when a cut-out pass from stand-off George Williams got Makinson over at the corner.

Connor was unable to add the goal, which left the scores locked at 6-6, and New Zealand went back in front just four minutes into the second half with an exceptional try.

Watene-Zelezniak was put through a gap on halfway by Kodi Nikorima's short pass and he toyed with the England defenders before sending winger Ken Maumalo over at the corner.

Johnson landed the touchline conversion and added a penalty five minutes later to extend the lead to 14-6.

Tempers became frayed once more, fuelled by a late hit by substitute James Fisher-Harris on Tomkins, which seemed to galvanise both England and the 25,000 crowd.

Deft passes from full-back Jonny Lomax and Connor got Makinson over for his second try in the 56th minute and Tom Burgess bundled his way over the line three minutes later only to be held up in a three-man tackle.

The momentum was all with England by then and they drew level after 63 minutes when Canberra team-mates Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead combined neatly to get Connor over for the third try.

Connor this time struck an upright with the difficult conversion attempt, but England had a chance to clinch victory when Makinson broke clear only to ruin the final pass to Lomax.

Makinson quickly made amends, though, stepping inside and wrong-footing the back-pedalling Kiwi defence to complete his hat-trick and Tomkins rounded off the scoring with the conversion.

England 18-16 New Zealand

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 08:20:00 GMT

Oliver Gildart scores the match-winning try on his debut for England

Oliver Gildart's stunning second-half try, on his international debut, helped England to an 18-16 victory over New Zealand at the KCOM Stadium in Hull.

England were looking to build on their impressive World Cup but, for the opening match of this three-Test series, coach Wayne Bennett was able to select only seven players from the team that lost 6-0 to Australia in the final in Brisbane due to injuries and retirements.

Without a host of regulars, including Sam Burgess, Gareth Widdop and Kallum Watkins, Bennett handed a debut to centre Gildart and a recall to his Wigan team-mate Sam Tomkins, who was chosen to play at scrum-half.

New Zealand, fresh from a 26-24 win over the Kangaroos in Auckland, made a late change to their bench, bringing in second-rower Joseph Tapine in place of Adam Blair after he injured a knee in training.

England made the best possible start with a try from Tomkins after just two minutes.

However, the home side failed to build on it as the Kiwis came back strongly, equalising through centre Esan Marsters after half-backs Kodi Nikorima and Shaun Johnson opened up the England defence in ominously easy fashion.

New Zealand had a second try from winger Jordan Rapana disallowed by video referee Ben Thaler for a knock-on, but they went in front nine minutes before half-time when Nikorima made the running for full-back Dallin Watene-Zelezniak to score straight from a scrum 40 minutes out.

Johnson's second goal made it 12-6 but England, who were forced to re-organise after losing skipper Sean O'Loughlin and full-back Jonny Lomax to injury, drew level in dramatic fashion on the stroke of half-time.

Jake Connor forced his way over the line wide out and was adjudged to have been fouled in the act of scoring so referee Robert Hicks awarded a penalty try, which Connor converted to tie the scores at 12-12.

Johnson and Connor traded penalties in the third quarter before the former edged his side back in front after 61 minutes with a second penalty, awarded after Tom Burgess caught a ricochet ball in an offside position.

The pivotal moment came five minutes later when John Bateman squeezed out a pass on half-way to Gildart, who evaded the challenge of second-rower Isaac Liu and held off the chasers on a 40-metre dash to the line for a glorious try.

The score lifted both the crowd and the England players as they held on for a hard-fought victory that puts them 1-0 up in the series.

England v New Zealand preview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 11:37:00 +0100

England squad which will face New Zealand in the upcoming test series!

England will go with an all-Wigan half-back pairing of George Williams and Sam Tomkins for the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday.

Head coach Wayne Bennett announced his line-up to the media at the captain's run at the KCOM Stadium in Hull on Friday morning, with the major talking point being the recall of Tomkins after a four-year absence in an unaccustomed role.

Jonny Lomax has got the nod over Tomkins at full-back, while the other eye-catching selection is that of Hull utility back Jake Connor at centre ahead of Mark Percival.

Although his preferred position is stand-off, Connor is confident he can justify his selection in the threequarters, where he will go up against another rookie in Joseph Manu.

"I've played a lot of centre in my time," he said. "It's not new to me. I'll try to do the same job that I've always done."

The only debutant on Saturday will be Wigan centre Oliver Gildart, who said: "It's not sunk in yet, I think the nerves will hit me tomorrow building up to the game.

"Obviously it's all new to me so I'm kind of just taking it in my stride. It's a massive honour, there's some great players in this squad and I'm really privileged to get my chance."

England team to face New Zealand

Lomax (St Helens); McGillvary (Huddersfield), Gildart (Wigan), Connor (Hull), Makinson (St Helens); Williams (Wigan), Tomkins (Wigan); Hill (Warrington), Hodgson (Canberra), Graham (St George Illawarra), Whitehead (Canberra), Bateman (Wigan), O'Loughlin (Wigan, capt).

Interchange: Clark (Warrington), T Burgess (South Sydney), G Burgess (South Sydney), Thompson (St Helens).

New Zealand team to face England

Watene-Zelezniak (Penrith, capt); Maumalo (NZ Warriors), Marsters (Wests Tigers), Manu (Sydney Roosters), Rapana (Canberra); Johnson (NZ Warriors), Nikorima (Brisbane); Bromwich (Melbourne), Smith (Melbourne), Waerea-Hargreaves (Sydney Roosters), Proctor (Gold Coast), Liu (Sydney Roosters), Fisher-Harris (Penrith).

Interchange: Bromwich (Melbourne), Ah Mau (St George Illawarra), Taupau (Manly), Blair (NZ Warriors).

England 44-6 France

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 12:36:00 +0100

England's Tom Johnstone goes over for a try against France

Winger Tom Johnstone scored a first-half hat-trick on debut as England flexed their muscles ahead of the Test series against New Zealand with a 44-6 rout of France in Leigh.

The Wakefield flyer was one of four new caps hoping to stake a claim for spots against the Kiwis and he took his chance to impress head coach Wayne Bennett with three tries in 24 minutes.

Johnstone's Trinity team-mate Reece Lyne and Castleford second rower Oliver Holmes also caught the eye on their first appearances.

But Bennett will not be getting carried away by the victory over a French team that included seven new faces of their own in the absence of a host of regulars.

But Bennett will be able to bolster his squad with the Grand Finalists from Wigan and Warrington for the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday week.

It took England under two minutes to get the scoreboard ticking over against the French as prop Tom Burgess looked to offload from the tackle, only to back his way over the line for a try.

Johnstone then outsprinted his opposite number to touch down full-back Jamie Shaul's grubber kick for his first try.

The Wakefield man took advantage of a lucky deflection to grab his second, and completed his hat-trick on 25 minutes by gathering the ball from half-back Jake Connor's high kick.

Holmes produced some good touches on his first appearance and it was from his half-break that stand-off Richie Myler scored the next try to extend the lead to 26-0 - which provided an opportunity for Bennett to give the Burgess brothers a rest.

There was no respite for the French, though, as loose forward Adam Milner got his fellow replacement Luke Thompson over for a nicely worked try, while the half-backs combined to get second rower Elliott Whitehead over just before the break, when England led 38-0.

The scoring slowed up in the second half as Bennett rang the changes and the game, watched by a crowd of 5,144 at the Sports Village, went quiet.

But Connor, who kicked five first-half conversions, scored England's only try in the second half in spectacular fashion, leaping off balance to gather and touch down Myler's kick, and Mark Percival added the goal.

St Helens stand-off Theo Fages then ensured there would be no whitewash, as he dummied his way over for a 63rd-minute consolation try, to which William Barthau added the goal.

SLXIII: Wigan 12-4 Warrington

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 14 Oct 2018 10:08:00 +0100

Wigan win Grand Final

Dominic Manfredi scored two tries as Wigan beat Warrington 12-4 in a tense Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday, a victory built largely on some fearsome defence.

Wigan kept their promise to send coach Shaun Wane out on a high as they ground out a fifth Super League title in an error-strewn but compelling showdown on Saturday evening.

Winger Manfredi, only recently back from more than two years out of the game with a career-threatening knee injury, was the Warriors' blood-spattered hero with two of his side's three tries.

The Wigan players attempted to play down the sentimental factor in the build-up but the tears at the end of an absorbing contest told a different tale as they joyously celebrated with Wane, who will now go into rugby union with a third Grand Final ring.

It was also a fitting finale for Warriors trio Sam Tomkins, John Bateman and Ryan Sutton, but there were tears of a different kind for the Wolves as they slumped to a fourth defeat in as many Grand Finals.

Tyrone Roberts, George King and Bodene Thompson were all on the losing side in their final match for Warrington, who also fell agonisingly short in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley in August.

The drama unfolded on an unseasonably balmy evening in Manchester where it was red-hot out in the middle.

Tempers were frayed throughout the first half and appeared to boil over as the teams went down the tunnel at half-time.

In the fiery contest, Tomkins went desperately close to becoming the first man to be sin-binned in a Grand Final as he escaped with warnings from referee Robert Hicks for a trip on Goodwin and using his knees to the head of Daryl Clark.

Yet in between the spats and a flurry of handling errors, watching England head coach Wayne Bennett - who was seen chatting with England rugby union coach Eddie Jones at half-time - will have appreciated the flashes of creative brilliance from three members of his squad chosen to face New Zealand.

Warrington full-back Stefan Ratchford's cut-out pass got former Wigan winger Josh Charnley over for the game's first try, while classy centre play from Oliver Gildart worked Manfredi over for an equalising score and Wigan's other winger Tom Davies touched down an inch-perfect kick from George Williams to put his side in front.

There were also acts of bravery worthy of such a big occasion, notably from Wigan scrum-half Thomas Leuluai, who went off with a head knock six minutes before half-time but returned for the start of the second half, and Manfredi, who sustained a nasty facial cut while forcing his opposite number Tom Lineham into the corner flag but was thrust back into the action after undergoing repairs.

Trailing 8-4 at the break, Warrington lost much of their direction in the second half and relied on the cutting thrust of man-of-the-match Ratchford to find a way through the Wigan defence, where he found replacement full-back Morgan Escare an immovable last line.

The kicking game of Williams kept the Warriors on the front foot and the Wolves suffered a blow when Roberts was forced off with a knee injury 15 minutes from the end.

Wigan's best scoring chance in the second half came from a break by Escare, who was stopped in his tracks by the excellent Ratchford, while the Frenchman made a hash of a drop-goal attempt and Tomkins was wide with an ambitious penalty shot from almost halfway.

However, Wane's nerves were finally settled four minutes from the end when Manfredi took Tomkins' pass to dive over for his second try and the outgoing coach punched the air in celebration.

Super League Grand Final preview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 09:44:00 +0100

Super League Grand Final preview

Wigan Warriors can give departing head coach Shaun Wane the perfect send-off with victory in Saturday's Grand Final against Warrington Wolves.

Wane is leaving Wigan for Scotland Rugby Union, while key players Sam Tomkins, John Bateman and Ryan Sutton are moving on to new clubs in 2019.

Warrington, in their fourth Grand Final, have lost each of their three summer-era visits to Old Trafford.

The Wire have not won a domestic championship since 1955.

They too have players exiting at the end of the season, as well as highly-rated head of performance coach Jon Clarke.

Both teams are unchanged in terms of the 19-man squads from their semi-final wins against Castleford and St Helens respectively, as they prepare for their third Grand Final meeting.

There are fairytales waiting to be written for both sides which, as BBC rugby league correspondent Dave Woods says, makes this an exciting spectacle for the neutral.

Wigan have won four summer-era titles among their 21 in total, but few would be as warmly received as one on Saturday would be.

Long-standing Warriors boss Wane, who remains surpassed only by Jim Sullivan and John Monie in terms of post-war honours in his spell at Wigan, has won three and lost a further two Grand Finals.

He was named Super League's coach of the year for 2018, but personal accolades take a back seat to the big prize on offer at Old Trafford. "I'll give anything up to get the trophy on Saturday, I've driven out as a winner and driven out as a loser - there's only one way to go and that's with a cup and a ring," the 54-year-old says.

"The one thing about my players is I love the interaction with them. It's an emotional time, I've had tears in my eyes a few times which I'm not used to, but I've been here 30 years so it's to be expected. "Nothing will make me more emotional than to win that trophy. I'm ready, my players are ready, and I can't wait."

Warrington's turnaround from 2017 strugglers to 2018 contenders can be in part put down to the arrival of head coach Steve Price.

The Wire have found their spark again; finishing in the top four, reaching the Challenge Cup final and now the Grand Final. While his opposite number Wane prepares for his final game of a 30-year association with his club, Price is coming to the end of his first campaign with Warrington.

"When I first arrived I didn't know any of my staff, I knew three players I think it was, and it's a credit to the owner Simon Moran, Karl Fitzpatrick in believing in me - and of course the players to adapt to change," says.

"They're the ones who are putting the bodies on the line week in week out. This is game 37 of the season and we've used about 24 players to date, it's credit to head of performance Jon [Clarke] who's done an outstanding job. "We don't look at ourselves too much, I'm more so happy for the players than anything."

Wigan: Bateman, Clubb, Davies, Escare, Farrell, Flower, Gildart, Greenwood, Hamlin, Leuluai, Manfredi, Navarrete, O'Loughlin, Powell, Sarginson, Sutton, Tautai, Tomkins, Williams.

Warrington: Ratchford, Lineham, Goodwin, Atkins, Brown, Roberts, Hill, Clark, Cooper, Hughes, Murdoch-Masila, Patton, Philbin, T King, G King, Livett, Charnley, Thompson, Westwood.

Million Pound Game: Toronto 2-4 London

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 7 Oct 2018 22:14:00 +0100

London Broncos beat Toronto Wolfpack 4-2 in the Million Pound Game

Two penalties from Jarrod Sammut were enough to earn London Broncos a shock 4-2 Million Pound Game victory over the Toronto Wolfpack in Canada on Sunday.

The Broncos got over the line largely as a result of an immense defensive effort.

On four occasions Toronto were denied tries, with three of those incidents coming after London players held up their opponents over the tryline.

The tight clash at Lamport Stadium was the final Million Pound Game, with a change in structure coming in from next season.

Toronto had pledged ahead of kick-off to take matches in 2019 to locations such as Copenhagen and Dublin to both avoid the extremities of a Canadian winter and spread the game.

Standing in the way of history were the Broncos, who were aiming to return to Super League after a four-year absence.

Toronto had a first-minute try by skipper Josh McCrone disallowed for offside and fell behind when London half-back Sammut kicked a ninth-minute penalty, which proved to the only score of a defence-dominated first half.

The Broncos were impressive in defence and were the livelier side on attack, with Sammut pulling the strings and hooker Eloi Pelissier causing the Wolfpack all sorts of problems with his running.

Toronto missed a glorious chance when winger Mason Caton-Brown kicked a loose ball into space but his dribbling skills let him down near the line. They were temporarily reduced to 12 men when substitute hooker Andy Ackers was sin-binned for a late and high tackle on Pelissier.

Veteran prop Ashton Sims was held up over the line and second rower Andrew Dixon was brought down just short as Toronto pressed for a try.

Full-back Gareth O'Brien brought them level with a 56th-minute penalty goal but Sammut cancelled it out two minutes later with his second and O'Brien was off target with a longer-range effort soon after.

The Wolfpack's last chance disappeared when stand-off Blake Wallace reached the line with nine minutes left but was held on his back in a magnificent tackle from London full-back Alex Walker, whose side held on for a 4-2 victory.

SLXIII: Wigan Warriors 14-0 Castleford Tigers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 5 Oct 2018 22:14:00 +0100

Wigan players celebrate Tommy Leuluai's try in the Super League semi-final

Wigan produced all the defensive qualities instilled in them by outgoing coach Shaun Wane to clinch a 10th Super League Grand Final appearance.

A 14-0 semi-final win over a disappointing Castleford ensured a fitting finale for their long-serving coach, as well as departing players Sam Tomkins, John Bateman and Ryan Sutton, who will all bring their Wigan careers to a close against Warrington in next Saturday's Grand Final.

It will be a repeat of the 2016 title decider which Wigan won 12-6 and Wane's men will head for Old Trafford with plenty of belief and all the momentum following a ninth successive win.

Castleford sorely missed the creativity of injured stand-off Jake Trueman, with Luke Gale well below the form that won him the Man of Steel trophy this time last year, as last year's beaten finalists once more failed to rise to the big occasion.

It was all Wigan for most of the opening quarter and Castleford might have been relieved to still have 13 men on the field after Warriors winger Dominic Manfredi was the victim of high tackles from Grant Millington and Gale inside the first 10 minutes.

Second rower Joe Greenwood, fresh from his call-up by England, was held up over the line but there was no stopping scrum-half Thomas Leuluai when he burrowed his way over for the opening try on his 250th appearance for Wigan.

Tomkins added the conversion and, after failing with a long-range penalty, slotted a drop goal a minute before half-time to complete the scoring in an error-strewn first half.

The home side ought to have been further ahead by the break and might have been had they made more of a superb break by prop Ben Flower, who showed a nice turn of pace and kept his footing on the greasy surface to romp 40 metres through the heart of the Tigers defence.

Castleford, urged on by a vociferous following of 4,500 fans, had their moments, particularly through skipper Michael Shenton who went close to the corner and hooker Paul McShane, who lost his grip on the slippery ball as he attempted to dive over the line.

Although it did not show on the scoreboard, Wigan were in such control they could give skipper Sean O'Loughlin a 30-minute rest in the middle of the game and they duly extended their lead early in the second half when Tomkins got on the outside of Gale and used the greasy turf to slide over at the corner.

Tomkins' failure to add the conversion kept Castleford in the game and full-back Peter Mata'utia did his best to inject life into their lethargic attack but they lacked composure at the crucial times and Wigan's gritty defence did the rest.

The Tigers' last chance to make a contest of it disappeared when free-scoring winger Greg Eden was bundled into touch by a trio of Wigan defenders as he got a rare sight of the line.

A couple of darting runs from Warriors stand-off George Williams took play upfield and, when Castleford substitute Adam Milner was penalised at the ruck, Tomkins put his side two scores in front with a 65th-minute penalty.

Tomkins then fittingly wrapped up the scoring in the final minute with his second drop goal.

SLXIII: St Helens 13-18 Warrington

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 5 Oct 2018 10:30:00 +0100

Lineham scored a dramatic double for Wire

Tom Lineham scored two tries on his return from suspension to help Warrington pull off a shock 18-13 win over St Helens in a pulsating Super League semi-final.

The lead changed hands four times before the Wolves clinched victory at the Totally Wicked Stadium and knocked out the winners of this year's League Leaders' Shield. The side will now take part in their fourth Grand Final in seven years.

Warrington have secured themselves a chance to lift the Super League trophy for the first time in had coach Steve Price's maiden season in charge.

They will face the winner of Friday's second semi-final - Wigan Warriors or Castleford Tigers.

It brought an abrupt end to the season for St Helens, who led from start to finish in the regular campaign and, after beating the Wolves three times, finished 15 points in front of them in the final table.

Previous results counted for little, however, and Warrington will be thankful they opted to fight Lineham's initial three-match ban imposed for a high tackle against Wigan.

Had the suspension not been reduced, the former Hull winger would not have had the opportunity to punish the Saints defence with two superbly-taken second-half tries that decided a dramatic affair.

Yet there was little sign of the drama after early handling errors inside Saints' own half from returning England international Jonny Lomax and Mark Percival set the tone for a scrappy opening 40 minutes.

Tyrone Roberts gave his side the lead with an 11th-minute penalty, which was quickly cancelled out by Saints half-back Danny Richardson, with referee Robert Hicks awarding six penalties inside the first 15 minutes.

Warrington failed to make much use of their early territorial advantage, largely due to some poor last-play options, while Saints' stuttering attack was sharpened by the introduction of skipper James Roby midway through the first half.

The home side ought to have made more of breaks by Luke Thompson and Tommy Makinson and the only other score before half-time was a drop-goal from Richardson, who found the target a minute after Stefan Ratchford failed with an effort at the other end.

If defences dominated in the first half, there was something of a points explosion at the start of the second as Warrington made the worst possible start by conceding a drop-out from the kick-off.

When the visitors failed to clear the danger caused by Richardson's clever kick over the defence, prop Luke Douglas was able to get a hand to the loose ball for the opening try.

Richardson's conversion opened up a two-score lead but the Wolves struck back immediately with second rower Jack Hughes demonstrating nice footwork on a diagonal run that took him all the way to the corner, where he had the strength to hold off the challenge of full-back Ben Barba.

Roberts could not add the goal and Richardson made it 11-6 with a penalty after Hughes had impeded Lomax as he chased his own kick.

Instead of running away with the game, though, Saints were rocked back in the 58th minute when Lineham took a pass from Bryson Goodwin and slid over at the corner for his first try.

That brought the visitors to within a point and Roberts nudged his side back in front with a touchline conversion.

As the tension heightened, St Helens missed a glorious try-scoring opportunity when Lomax, fresh from having a dislocated finger put back into its joint, failed to take the final pass from Barba's clean break.

Richardson then missed a penalty from wide out before firstly bringing his side level with a drop-goal and then putting them back in front with a second that bounced up off the crossbar.

Still Warrington were not finished, though, and Lineham produced another devastating finish to a flowing cross-field move for his second try. Roberts kicked his third goal to wrap up the scoring.

SLXIII: Catalans 22-12 Huddersfield

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Sep 2018 08:43:00 +0100

Winger David Mead got Catalans level with two tries in 11 second-half minutes, then scored two more late on

David Mead scored four second-half tries as Catalans Dragons ended their Super League season with a 22-12 win over Huddersfield.

Tries from twins Louis and Innes Senior gave the Giants a 12-0 half-time lead but Mead hit back in style after the break.

The game had a real end-of-season feel to proceedings as the home side took the opportunity to rest some of their stars following a season that saw them become the first side outside of the UK to win the Challenge Cup.

Huddersfield put out as strong a side as possible, with Ryan Hinchcliffe starting for his final game before retirement.

And they started brightly, Lee Gaskill breaking through the Catalans defence before drawing the full-back and handing the ball on to the supporting Louis Senior who touched down. Danny Brough added the conversion to give the visitors an early four-point advantage.

Catalans refused to lie down, marching up-field to test the Huddersfield defence, and Mead and Brayden Wiliame both went close to scoring but were denied by a matter of inches.

The home side thought they had scored through Remi Casty in the 17th minute, the Catalans captain touching down Josh Drinkwater's grubber, but the video referee ruled Casty offside following a number of viewings and the try was chalked off.

Huddersfield extended their lead in the 22nd minute as Innes Senior touched down. Brough missed the conversion but added his second goal of the game five minutes later, Casty penalised for a high tackle and Brough adding the resulting penalty from 10 metres out.

In the closing minutes of the half Oliver Roberts looked certain to extend the Giants' lead but lost possession in the act of scoring and it remained 12-0 at half-time.

A 40-20 from Brough put Huddersfield on the front foot at the start of the second half and they attacked the Catalans line relentlessly, but some desperate last-gasp defending kept them at bay.

Catalans got their reward when Mead latched onto Drinkwater's inside pass to touch down in the 50th minute and Lucas Albert added the conversion.

The comeback looked to have hit the rails five minutes later when Lambert Belmas was sent to the sin-bin following a dangerous tackle but short of the hour, Catalans levelled the game. Samisoni Langi's chip to the corner was tapped back by Wiliame into the arms of Mead, who collected and touched down to score.

With 15 minutes remaining both sides had men sent to the sin-bin for a brawl, Mickael Simon for the home side and Hinchcliffe for the visitors.

Drinkwater's chip over the top then saw Mead collect and touch down for his hat-trick, and Albert's third conversion gave the hosts a six-point advantage.

Catalans sealed the win with Mead's fourth try of the game three minutes from time, Benjamin Jullien sending him over in the corner. Louis Anderson missed the conversion attempt from the touchline.

SLXIII: Wakefield 23-36 Warrington

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 23:20:00 +0100

Ryan Atkins - a former Wakefield player - celebrated a late try with an interception

Warrington Wolves settled a high-scoring, entertaining final regular season game 36-23 against Wakefield to move into the play-offs with a win.

Ryan Hampshire's drop goal edged a 13-12 first-half in Trinity's favour, as both teams scored two tries apiece.

The second half remained a close affair until the visitors pulled clear late on to outscore Trinity by six tries to four in total.

Steve Price's Wolves face St Helens in their semi-final next Thursday.

Ben Murdoch-Masila and Toby King grabbed four-pointers in the opening 40, with Stefan Ratchford, Jack Hughes, prolific kicker Dec Patton and former Trinity centre Ryan Atkins completing the scorers.

Hampshire, who has now signed a new one-year deal at Trinity to end speculation surrounding his future, scored one of the four tries for Chris Chester's hosts, along with Tyler Randell, Joe Arundel and Ben Jones-Bishop.

Trinity could still yet finish fifth in the Super League, if Huddersfield are beaten at Catalans on Saturday.

SLXIII: St Helens 26-0 Castleford

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 23:16:00 +0100

Ben Barba took his tally to 28 for the season with his double

St Helens ended the Super League season as they began it seven months earlier with a comprehensive home win over Castleford Tigers.

It was not as emphatic as the 46-6 rout at the Totally Wicked Stadium in February but the 26-0 margin was comfortable enough for the leaders, who warmed up nicely for their semi-final against Warrington next Thursday.

Forward Matty Lees scored his first try for the club and full-back Ben Barba, whose end-of-season departure was confirmed this week, touched down twice to take his final tally in the league campaign to 28.

After winning their previous five matches, the Tigers had high hopes of gaining a first away win over Saints in the summer era.

But coach Daryl Powell will be concerned over their defensive lapses as well as the lack of a cutting edge in attack as they were nilled for the first time for more than three years.

Both sides were under-strength with a eye on next week's semi-finals and they could yet meet in the Grand Final in a fortnight's time, although Castleford will have to find some improvement when they go to Wigan.

SLXIII: Wigan 14-12 Hull

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 23:12:00 +0100

Dan Sarginson and Ollie Gildart scored Wigan's key tries after the break

Wigan Warriors will go into next Friday's Super League play-off semi-final on the back of an eighth straight victory after narrowly seeing off Hull.

Two converted tries in nine minutes from Carlos Tuimavave and Jamie Shaul earned Hull an interval lead, Wigan having crossed through Gabe Hamlin.

But the Cherry and Whites bounced back after the break to sentence injury-hit Hull to an 11th straight defeat.

Centres Dan Sarginson and Ollie Gildart both went over to complete the scoring.

But young scrum-half Josh Woods' first-half conversion was their only successful kick - and it meant for a tight finish as Hull looked the better team in the final 10 minutes but could not find a way through.

Wigan, who were already guaranteed second place in the table, will now welcome Cas to the DW Stadium in a week's time without a league defeat since losing at home leaders St Helens on 19 July.

SLQ: Leeds 16-17 Toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 23:00:00 +0100

Toronto's Gareth O'Brien celebrates kicking a drop-goal to give his side victory

Gareth O'Brien struck a dramatic late drop-goal to hand promotion-chasing Toronto a 17-16 victory over Leeds in the final round of the Super 8s Qualifiers.

The former Warrington full-back, whose one-pointer handed Salford victory at Hull KR in the 2016 Million Pound Game, kept his cool with a superb drop-goal from distance to seal the win.

It means that the Wolfpack have secured themselves at least a place in the Million Pound Game, if not more.

Hull KR need to beat Widnes by a margin of 14 or more on Sunday if they are to overhaul Toronto into third place and secure automatic safety.

The Rhinos knew that anything better than a 32-point defeat would keep them in Super League but Toronto pushed them hard and led 12-10 at the break.

A tight opening saw the Wolfpack go closest to scoring in the seventh minute through winger Mason Caton-Brown in the right corner.

Five minutes later, they claimed the opening try when O'Brien embarked on a fine break inside the left channel.

He outpaced several Leeds defenders and had the intelligence to find Cory Paterson in support to his right.

The Australian second-rower took O'Brien's inside pass in his stride and charged over the line for a try which the creator converted to make it 6-0 to Toronto.

The Rhinos struggled to find their rhythm but they were off the mark in the 12th minute when Liam Sutcliffe kicked to the right corner and winger Tom Briscoe collected the bouncing ball and touched down.

Sutcliffe could not convert and a penalty from O'Brien extended Toronto's advantage by two points in the 23rd minute.

Yet Leeds' attacking threat gradually increased and Richie Myler's lofted kick on the last tackle was caught and grounded by Sutcliffe under the posts in the 27th minute.

Sutcliffe applied the simple conversion to make it 10-8 to the Rhinos but as the half-time hooter approached, a fine handling sequence led to centre Nick Rawsthorne touching down from Josh McCrone's pass.

O'Brien failed to convert but Toronto led 12-10 before departing centre Jimmy Keinhorst barged over the line to put Leeds back in front in the 56th minute.

Sutcliffe's conversion made it 16-12 but 10 minutes later Toronto were level when winger Matty Russell grounded a kick from Bob Beswick.

That levelled the scores at 16-16 and O'Brien could not apply the conversion from the touchline.

The tension mounted when Leeds prop Dom Crosby was then sin-binned for a crusher tackle on Toronto prop Darcy Lussick.

With eight minutes remaining, McCrone was off target with a long-range drop-goal attempt and Myler then saw an attempt miss the target at the other end.

But it was O'Brien's one-pointer that finally sealed victory for Toronto.

SLXIII: St Helens v Castleford preview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:32:00 +0100

St Helens v Castleford preview

St Helens have brought captain James Roby back into the line-up for their final game of the regular season.

Matty Costello and Jake Spedding, also come in, with Jon Wilkin, Jonny Lomax and Luke Thompson making way.

Castleford Tigers make four changes for their visit to the league leaders, with Joe Wardle, Quentin Laulu-Togaga'e, Jamie Ellis and Lewis Peachey added.

Greg Eden, Mike McMeeken, Junior Moors and Michael Shenton make way for the Tigers, who face Wigan in the semis.

This could end up being a Grand Final dress rehearsal, with league positions keeping the two play-off-bound sides apart in the semi-finals.

Saints saw their 2017 dreams ended by Castleford in a thrilling semi-final at Wheldon Road, but have won all three meetings with the Tigers in league and cup in 2018.

St Helens (from): Makinson, Morgan, Percival, Fages, Roby, Amor, Taia, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Douglas, Knowles, Peyroux, Richardson, Grace, Lees, Ashworth, Spedding, Barba, Bentley, Costello.

Castleford (from): Clare, Clark, Ellis, Gale, Laulu-Togaga'e, Maher, Massey, Mata'utia, McShane, Milner, Millington, Minkin, Peachey, Roberts, Sene-Lefao, Trueman, Wardle, Watts, Webster

SLXIII: Wakefield v Warrington preview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:28:00 +0100

Wakefield v Warrington preview

Wakefield Teinity coach Chris Chester makes two changes to the squad named for the clash with Warrington Wolves

Anthony England and Scott Grix drop out and Max Jowitt and Lewis Wray, who could make his Super League debut, come in.

Warrington winger Tom Lineham serves the second of his two-match ban.

Sitaleki Akauola comes back into the squad after a five-match absence and Daryl Clark and Jack Hughes also earn recalls.

Wakefield (from): Tupou, Lyne, Jones-Bishop, Miller, Wood, Ashurst, Kirmond, Randell, Horo, Pauli, Arona, Huby, Arundel, Batchelor, Jowitt, Annakin, Hampshire, Crowther, Wray.

Warrington (from): Ratchford, Goodwin, Atkins, Hill, Clark, Cooper, Hughes, Murdoch-Masila, Patton, Akauola, Philbin, T King, G King, Livett, Smith, Johnson, Charnley, Thompson, Westwood.

SLXIII: Wigan v Hull FC preview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:24:00 +0100

Wigan v Hull FC preview

Wigan Warriors head coach Shaun Wane has brought in prop Callum Field and full-back Craig Mullen as cover for Tommy Leuluai and Oliver Partington for the clash with Hull FC

Kiwi hooker Leuluai is out with a groin problem, while front-rower Partington serves a one-game suspension.

Hull FC have an opportunity to avoid an 11th straight defeat, against a Wigan side unbeaten in the Super 8s.

Dean Hadley and Hakim Miloudi miss out through injury, with Cameron Scott and Jack Downs added to the squad.

Wigan, who will see Wane move on at the end of the season, have a home semi-final against Castleford to come on the back of this game and are already guaranteed a second-placed finish.

Their last league defeat came against rivals St Helens on the 19 July, with seven straight victories since.

Wigan (from): Bateman, Clubb, Davies, Escare, Field, Flower, Gildart, Greenwood, Hamlin, Manfredi, Mullen, Navarrete, Powell, Sarginson, Sutton, Tautai, Tomkins, Williams, Woods.

Hull FC (from): Shaul, Faraimo, Tuimavave, Griffin, Talanoa, Taylor, Houghton, Connor, Abdull, Washbrook, Fash, Litten, Paea, Lane, Downs, Matongo, Scott, Harris, Bienek.

SLXIII: Catalans v Huddersfield preview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:21:00 +0100

Catalans v Huddersfield preview

Catalans Dragons make two changes for their final Super 8s game against Huddersfield Giants, with Louis Anderson and Remi Casty in for Kenny Edwards and Tony Gigot.

Challenge Cup winners Catalans and Huddersfield are both unable to finish in the top four.

England winger Jermaine McGillvary and centre Leroy Cudjoe return to the Giants' 19-man squad.

Retiring Ryan Hinchcliffe is poised for his final appearance for the club.

Catalans (from): Mead, Thornley, Wiliame, Langi, Casty, Moa, Anderson, Bird, Simon, Baitieri, Margalet, McIlorum, Jullien, Albert, Maria, Da Costa, Belmas, Goudemand, Drinkwater.

Huddersfield (from): Mamo, McGillvary, Cudjoe, Gaskell, Brough, Leeming, Lawrence, Hinchcliffe, Rankin, Roberts, Clough, O'Brien, Mellor, Roche, English, L Senior, I Senior, Russell, Matagi.

SLQ: Salford 44-10 Toulouse

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 10:59:00 +0100

Jackson Hastings was a major threat for Salford

Salford Red Devils are all-but mathematically safe in Super League for 2019 after Toulouse Olympique are beaten 44-10 at the AJ Bell Stadium.

This result puts them on 10 points with Leeds and two points clear of Toronto and Hull KR below them, with an unassailable points difference of 143.

Toulouse, whose promotion hopes look beyond them with just six points, fought back to 14-10 at one stage.

However, Salford's top-level experience proved key as they pulled clear.

The end-of-match score-line did not reflect the quality that Toulouse displayed throughout, and they were given a standing ovation by the home support, who were able to celebrate their return to the top tier next term.

Having lost at Championship side London Broncos last weekend to leave nerves jangling, Ian Watson's side ensured there was to be no further hiccups in the Qualifiers.

Jackson Hastings' suspension coincided with Salford dropping their 100% record, but he returned to star in this success, scoring one try - an eight-point try - and kicking seven goals.

His former Manly teammate Joey Lussick crossed before Toulouse scored two tries from Chris Centrone and Stan Robin in a flurry of points either side of the half-time hooter.

That gave the visitors hope of an upset, but Greg Johnson's double added to Niall Evalds, Kris Welham and Tyrone McCarthy tries quelled the French side's spirit and relieved the tension.

Retiring prop Luke Burgess kicked a late conversion to add to the carnival feel late on.

SLXIII: Warrington 14-34 St Helens

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 11:33:00 +0100

Danny Richardson and Regan Grace

Danny Richardson claimed a personal tally of 14 points and Ben Barba bagged two tries as St Helens laid down a marker for their Betfred Super League semi-final against Warrington with a comfortable 34-14 victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Scrum-half Richardson registered a try and five goals in the win to add to full-back Barba's brace, with Saints' other tries scored by Luke Douglas, Regan Grace and Jonny Lomax, while Warrington's points came from tries by Kevin Brown, Bryson Goodwin and Toby King and one conversion from Dec Patton.

The opening 40 minutes were a tasty appetiser for the much bigger showdown to come when the two teams go head to head again on Thursday week at the Totally Wicked Stadium when a Grand Final spot at Old Trafford on October 13 will be the huge prize on offer for the winners.

Despite nothing to play for with the top four positions all sorted, there was no love lost between the two sides with three players - Matty Lees and Mark Percival from St Helens and Warrington's Ryan Atkins - all spending time in the sin-bin after a first-half, all-in brawl.

An early Richardson penalty for the visitors saw the young scrum-half take his scoring run to 32 consecutive games before the game exploded into life when Lees' challenge on Roberts sparked the brawl, with Roberts forced from the action and unable to return after failing a head test.

After tempers had calmed, Lees was given 10 minutes in the sin-bin, as was team-mate Percival and Warrington's Atkins for their part in the flare-up, and the respective captains Chris Hill and Jon Wilkin were also given a warning by referee Chris Kendall.

The home side made their extra man tell to claim the opening try when Brown scythed through a huge gap in the Saints' defence to score and Patton converted to give the home side a 6-2 lead.

But Saints roared back and claimed two tries in the final eight minutes of the half as first prop Douglas managed to twist his way out of three tackles close to the line to touch down.

Then, in the final minute of the half, a superb 40-metre midfield break by Jack Ashworth set up the position from which quick hands out to the left allowed Grace to touch down in the corner and, with Richardson adding a further conversion, the visitors led 12-6 at half-time.

A 60-metre break by Richardson, who was only denied by a last-gasp, try-saving tackle by Josh Charnley in the opening minute of the second half, set the tone for the second 40 minutes as the league leaders turned on the style.

They claimed three tries in a devastating seven-minute spell to put the game to bed as Lomax, Richardson and Barba all crossed, and two further conversions by Richardson helped open up a commanding 28-6 lead.

King scored a 64th-minute try to spark some life back into the Wolves before Barba claimed his second of the game and Goodwin notched a last-minute consolation for the home side.

SLXIII: Hull FC 20-26 Catalans

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 11:25:00 +0100

Rhys Curran in action for Toulouse

Kenny Edwards scored a 77th-minute try as Catalans Dragons beat Hull 26-20 -to secure their first win since the historic Challenge Cup victory over Warrington.

Edwards powered over three minutes from time to give the visitors the lead and Albert goaled to ensure they ended a run of six successive Betfred Super League defeats dating back to July 21.

However, the pain goes on for Lee Radford's side, who have now lost 10 consecutive games and have only one Super 8's fixture at Wigan remaining to end the depressing sequence.

Hull started brightly and only Lewis Tierney's tackle on Fetuli Talanoa and full-back Shaul's knock-on in front of the posts denied the hosts an opening try.

When Dragons' Sam Moa ploughed over against his former club after 15 minutes for a converted try, it was against the run of play.

The visitors then twice went close through Iain Thornley and Greg Bird before Hull were forced to drop out after Josh Drinkwater's clever grubber kick.

And it was third time lucky when Wembley man of the match Tony Gigot speared through Jamie Shaul's tackle after 34 minutes to score an unconverted try.

Hull's enterprising approach got its reward before the interval when Josh Griffin pounced as Talanoa palmed back Jake Connor's angled kick.

Drinkwater added a 44th-minute penalty to his earlier conversion to leave Hull 12-4 in arrears.

However, Radford's troops rallied and deservedly reduced their deficit, helped by Gigot's handling blunder.

Facing his own posts Gigot dropped Jake Connor's steepling kick and moments later Brad Fash got onto Connor's pass for his team's second try.

Catalans, beaten 42-16 at the KCOM Stadium back in March, were under the cosh but still fighting. They forced their hosts to twice drop out before Thornley accepted Brayden Wiliame's pass to touch down in the corner.

The hosts responded with a Talanoa try, created by Connor's pass - although the England international missed a testing kick from the touchline.

Tierney's game ended after clashing with Talanoa as they contested another of Connor's high kicks. And worse was to follow for the Dragons as Gigot was helped off with what appeared a self-inflicted injury as he chased a ball behind the Hull tryline.

With nine minutes left Radford's men hit the front for the first time. Winger Bureta Faraimo's powerful run wreaked havoc and Danny Houghton carried on the move, which was finished by Shaul by the posts.

But, with victory in sight, Wiliame and then Kenny Edwards helped Dragons steal the points.

SLQ: Toulouse 34-23 Hull KR

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:52:00 +0100

Rhys Curran in action for Toulouse

Toulouse pulled off a shock 34-23 win over Hull KR in the penultimate round of the Super 8s Qualifiers to keep alive their promotion hopes.

The French side recovered an early 19-0 deficit in emphatic fashion to secure a third win of the competition, to the delight of the 4,127 crowd at Stade Ernest Argeles.

With London Broncos defeating Salford earlier in the day, it means the battle for Super League places in 2019 will go down to the last weekend of the season.

Toulouse take on Salford at the AJ Bell Stadium in their last match next Thursday and will do so in high spirits after their six-try triumph over Rovers.

Rovers made a dream start after five minutes when prop Rob Mulhern crashed over from close range for the game's opening try and winger Craig Hall quickly added a second after sprinting 80 metres from an interception.

Danny Tickle added both conversions for a 12-0 lead and they took advantage of the sin-binning of Toulouse half-back William Barthau with McGuire extending the lead with a drop goal midway through the first half.

The visitors were comfortably placed when Atkin went over for their third try on 24 minutes, with Tickle taking their lead out to 19-0.

But the game was turned on its head after Toulouse scored three tries in six minutes just before half-time.

Second rower Rhys Curran, centre Chris Centrone and half-back Stan Robin all went over for tries which were converted by Mark Khairallah to bring his side to within a point at 19-18.

Referee Ben Thaler then brandished yellow cards to Tyla Hepi (Toulouse) and James Greenwood (Hull KR) following an outbreak of fighting as the tension rose.

Toulouse maintained their moment after the break and went in front for the first time two minutes after the restart courtesy of a penalty from Kheirallah before Gavin Marguerite went over for another try and Centrone added his second try to extend the lead to 28-19.

Kheirallah kept the scoreboard ticking over with a penalty before Bastien Ader rounded off his side's scoring on 65 minutes.

Hall grabbed his second try, his 13th in seven matches since returning to the club, eight minutes from the end but the visitors had left themselves with too much to do.