Super Four & Shield: The Round 1 Story

Wigan Warriors opened the weekend with an emphatic win over St Helens, as the fierce rivals kicked off Round 1 of the Super Four and Shield Competitions.

The Warriors kept their perfect record intact, adding another derby victory to their tally.

The defending champions crossed for nine tries, with Ellise Derbyshire and reigning Woman of Steel Eva Hunter both scoring twice.

St Helens breached the Cherry and Whites’ defence once, through Luci McColm on the stroke of half-time, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly ended when Molly Jones got Wigan moving again soon after the restart, sealing a 44-6 home defeat for Saints.

Leeds Rhinos and York Valkyrie were next in the Super Four, with the Rhinos carrying their winning form into the next stage of the competition.

Four tries from Ruby Enright put the Rhinos in control, as the hosts punished every Valkyrie error.

The Valkyrie responded through Megan Pakulis and Emma Kershaw, but Leeds’ attacking threat - including an 80-metre solo effort from Ebony Stead early in the second half - kept the Rhinos firmly in command as they claimed a 38-16 home win.

In the Shield competition, Leigh Leopards welcomed Featherstone Rovers, who earned a well-deserved victory.

Featherstone went ahead after 13 minutes through Brogan Churm, with Dani Water converting to give them a 6-0 lead at the break.

Katie Evans and Tilly Churm extended the visitors’ advantage to 16-0, which proved enough despite a late consolation from the Leopards.

The weekend’s final game saw Huddersfield Giants host Barrow Raiders at Laund Hill.

The visitors made a surprise early breakthrough when Emma Hutchinson crossed in the corner.

The Giants hit back through Maddie Clegg and Liv Gale before Amy Bennett and Sam Hulme added further tries shortly before half-time, putting Huddersfield in a strong position at the break.

Barrow mounted an unlikely second-half comeback, scoring first through Vanessa Temple and then Leah Clough.

Mia Dobson brought the Raiders within two points after finishing under the posts, but two quick-fire tries from Hulme and another from Clegg put the result beyond the visitors’ reach.

Super Four Results:

St Helens v Wigan Warriors - 6-44

Leeds Rhinos v York Valkyrie - 38-16

Shield Competition Results:

Leigh Leopards v Featherstone Rovers - 4-16

Huddersfield Giants v Barrow Raiders - 36-20