Round 25 Round Up

Round 25 of the Betfred Super League kicked off on Thursday night, with this year’s Charity Round also getting underway as the Rugby League community came together to support the Seriously Injured Players Fund.

Wigan Warriors recorded a thirteen straight Super League win as they continue to go toe-to-toe with the Rhinos at the top of the table in The Final Charge.

It was an emotional evening for all involved at The Brick Community Stadium, as tributes were paid to the late Sir Billy Boston.

The Warriors faced a youthful Hull KR outfit in a Grand Final rematch, but it was a ruthless performance from the Cherry & Whites, who managed to keep their opponents scoreless.

Liam Marshall completed a hat-trick of tries whilst Jai Field, Zach Eckersley, Adam Keighran and Jake Wardle all got on the scoresheet (46-0).

On Friday, Leeds Rhinos climbed back to the top of the Betfred Super League table with a commanding 6-34 victory at St Helens at the BrewDog Stadium.

The visitors raced into an 18-0 half-time lead through tries from Chris Hankinson, Cameron Smith and Harry Newman, with Jake Connor influential throughout.

Ryan Hall crossed shortly after the restart before Jack Welsby gave Saints brief hope with a superb individual effort.
 
However, Leeds remained in complete control as Ash Handley and Brodie Croft added further scores to complete a dominant win.

The result keeps the Rhinos at the forefront of the race for the League Leaders' Shield and heading into their mouthwatering Round 26 with the Warriors next Saturday, while Saints' Play-Off hopes suffered a significant setback.

Also on Friday, Huddersfield Giants continued their recently strong form and caused a huge upset with a 30-18 victory over in-form Leigh Leopards at the Accu Stadium.

The Leopards struck first through Owen Trout, but the Giants responded impressively as Harry Rushton and Taane Milne crossed to establish a 14-6 lead at the interval. Niall Evalds extended the advantage early in the second half before a Leigh fightback cut the deficit.

Umyla Hanley and Robbie Mulhern both crossed for the Leopards, but two crucial tries from hooker Cole Geyer proved decisive as Huddersfield secured a deserved 30-18 success.

The defeat means Leigh must wait a little longer to confirm their Play-Off place, while the Giants claimed a fifth win in six matches.

Finally, Friday's third offering saw Catalans Dragons claim a 6-34 win over Castleford Tigers in a game that was interrupted by a 35-minute power outage during the second half.

The Dragons built a 12-0 lead through Toby Sexton and Edenn Rogers-Smith before Lazarus Vaalepu crossed for Castleford on his home debut to leave the Tigers trailing 12-6 at the break.

Leo Darrelatour extended the Catalans advantage before play was halted.

After the restart, Ben Condon, Lewis Dodd and a second try for Sexton ensured the French side would leave with the two points.

Wakefield Trinity sealed their Betfred Super League Play-Off berth for another season with a 28-12 victory over York Knights in front of the BBC cameras on Saturday afternoon. 

Corey Hall gave Trinity an early lead before former Wakefield winger Ben Jones-Bishop drew the sides level. A Lachlan Walmsley effort would give the hosts a six-point lead heading into the break.

York came out the quicker after the interval with Xavier Va'a's try once again levelling the scores. However, Daryl Powell's side found their feed and a Max Jowitt penalty goal nudged them ahead before the Jayden Myers and Jowitt scored in quick succession. Walmsley would also double his account for the afternoon.

Warrington Wolves stretched their winning run to six games with a hard-fought 14-16 win over Hull FC at the MKM Stadium.

Joe Batchelor found himself in the sin bin after just 22 seconds before the sides would trade penalty goals with George Williams and Aidan Sezer doing the honours. Leon Hayes and Matty Ashton would take advantage of FC mistakes in the closing stages of the first half to give Sam Burgess' side a 2-12 lead at half-time.

After the break, Ligi Sao would spend ten minutes in the sin bin whilst Josh Thewlis would power to further the visitors advantage. 

Hull FC didn't go down without a fight however with Ethan O'Neill scoring and Tom Briscoe slicing through the Wolves defence in his last appearance at the MKM Stadium. However, despite a late fightback Warrington held out for another two points.

Round 25 culminated in France with Toulouse Olympique sealing a 28-18 victory over Bradford Bulls.

Paul Ulberg and Luke Polselli's early tries pulled Toulouse ahead before Chris Atkin notched a try for the Bulls. John Toleafoa went over just before the break to give the hosts a 10-point advantage at half-time.

Tries from Mathieu Jussaume and Romeo Tropis would seal victory for Toulouse. Andy Ackers and Alfie Leake were Bradford's second half scorers. 

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