Round 9 talking points
18 Aug 2020
Are Catalans the real deal?
Circumstances are certainly not ideal for Catalans Dragons at the moment. Flying to and from the UK on the same day as a match is a tough ask on their players. It reportedly costs owner Bernard Guasch £50,000 a trip, which includes chartering a plane for the Dragons.
He is at least seeing some reward for his contribution. The French side put in another exemplary display on Saturday; this time it was Wakefield Trinity on the receiving end of a hammering. Israel Folau did not travel for personal reasons, but Sam Tomkins was in brilliant form, and both Tom Davies and Matt Whitley scored hat-tricks.
The victory moved Catalans up to third in the Super League table. Interestingly, three of their five wins so far have come away from France. If they are able to continue to pick up wins on the road - coupled with their usual strong home form - they have every chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Keep the ball alive 🤩
A great team try from @DragonsOfficiel live on @SkySportsRL #SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/VsV6a4rCYL
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 15, 2020
More late heartache for Huddersfield
You had to feel for Simon Woolford and his team again on Saturday. They were beaten by a late drop goal for the second game in a row. It was Blake Austin who dealt the telling blow for Warrington Wolves. His kick edged Steve Price’s side to a 19-18 win.
Huddersfield Giants lost four players to injury: Matty English, Ukuma Ta’ai, Adam Walne and Aidan Sezer. That left them down to 13-men for the last 20 minutes, and they did well to hang in the game for so long. Results will surely improve for Huddersfield if they continue to perform in this manner.
Ultimately, the experience of Warrington proved crucial. The half-back partnership between Austin and Gareth Widdop is starting to flourish - and they have now won four Super League match in a row.
Spirited Castleford provide Saints stern test
There have been some brilliant games of Super League since the restart. The clash between St Helens and Castleford Tigers might be the best of the lot. It wasn’t a high-scoring match, but it felt like a proper old-school battle between two great teams.
Saints had scored over 80 points in their first two matches and some were expecting another blowout in this fixture. However, Daryl Powell’s side had other ideas and more than held their own against the defending champions. They had a few chances and, on another day, could have easily walked away with victory against the defending Super League champions.
St Helens are a champion side and proved it once again. They seem to have rediscovered the imperious form that saw them lift the trophy in 2019. Worrying signs for the rest of Super League.
A quality Saints move, Fages gets over for what looks like the winner 🔥??
Saints v Tigers live on @SkySportsRL Arena #SuperLeague #SLStHCas pic.twitter.com/ktcEQjbJOm
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 16, 2020
Wigan continue to set the pace
Wigan Warriors made a brilliant gesture by wearing shirts with Rob Burrow’s name on them in their game against Leeds Rhinos. It was a fine tribute to a great man.
The pleasantries stopped there, however, as the Warriors ran out 28-10 winners against Burrow’s former side to maintain their two-point lead at the top of Super League. Bevan French scored two stunning tries; Jake Bibby, Dom Manfredi and Liam Farrell also crossed for scores - Farrell's his 100th for the Cherry and Whites.
The Warriors seem to have found a successful formula and look every bit as capable of returning to the Grand Final in 2020.
