BWSL: Round 5 Round Up

It was a huge weekend for Leeds Rhinos who leapfrogged to second place in the Betfred Women’s Super League standings this weekend after a massive victory over St Helens.

After facing defeat to the Saints in the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Semi-Finals, the Rhinos had much to prove in their rematch.

Three first half tries gave the Rhinos a 16-0 lead at the break before Saints finally got on the board when Dani McGifford went over in the left corner with Faye Gaskin adding the conversion.

The Red V attempted a comeback when Katie Mottershead powered over from close range but the Rhinos put a stop to that when Ebony Stead raced down the wing to find Connie Boyd who headed over for her second.

The Rhinos walked away from The Brewdog Stadium with their fourth consecutive win at 12-28.

York Valkyrie narrowed the scoreline against Wigan Warriors after also falling short during the Challenge Cup Semi-Finals, but the leaders once again proved too strong.

With errors on both sides, both teams took a moment to find their rhythm.

The Valkyrie headed over twice through Izzy Bibby and Rhiannion Marshall but the Warriors side were still too dominant with Eva Hunter and Grace Banks heading over for two tries a piece to solidify their win in the 78th minute.

Elsewhere Leigh Leopards and Barrow Raiders met in a closely fought test. The Raiders took the lead after Zara Clough and Sam Norman went over, but not before long the Leopards levelled the score through Toryn Blackwood and Isabelle Malyon.

As the 40-minute mark approached, Vanessa Temple headed over for her first before getting a second shortly after the restart.

But with the goal missed, just one converted try stood in the way for Leigh which Blackwood headed over for ten minutes into the second.

The Leopards successfully defended for the remaining 30 scoreless minutes to see them capture victory at home.

Finally, Huddersfield Giants hosted Featherstone Rovers in an emphatic win for the home side.

Braces for Madison Clegg and Tegan Sant, and Amelia Brown’s first of the day saw the Giants lead 22-0 after 20 minutes.

Dani Waters headed over eight minutes after for Rovers’ only points of the day, but the Giants could not be overcome as Clegg and Brown rounded out the second half with a hat-trick each.

Betfred Women's Super League Round 5 Results:

York Valkyrie v Wigan Warriors – 12-32

Leigh Leopards v Barrow Raiders – 20-18

Huddersfield Giants v Featherstone Rovers – 38-4

St Helens v Leeds Rhinos – 12-28