Out-of-form Warrington and Salford clash in Super League Rivals Round

Warrington Wolves and Salford Red Devils will both be looking to put an end to their winless runs when they clash at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Thursday night (April 14).

Having won their first three games of 2022, Daryl Powell’s Wolves are now on a five-match losing run in all competitions, and go into their meeting with the Red Devils in Super League’s ‘Rivals Round’ after a longer than usual break due to already being knocked out of the Betfred Challenge Cup.

For reference, Warrington’s last success came away at newly-promoted French side Toulouse Olympique back in late February. They’ve also only won one of their four home games so far this term, including a Challenge Cup defeat to Wakefield Trinity.

Salford’s own tale reads quite similarly to that of Wire. As with Powell, Paul Rowley took the reins at the AJ Bell Stadium ahead of the start of the season and enjoyed a successful start, winning the first two.

Since then though, inconsistency has plagued the Red Devils with five defeats in their last six including a 20-0 Challenge Cup exit to Wigan Warriors which, again like Warrington, handed them a week off last time out.

The only saving grace since February for Rowley’s side a Super League victory at home to Leeds Rhinos in mid-March, both they (9th) and Powell’s Wire (7th) sit on six points after seven games.

Team News

With widespread discontent across the Warrington fanbase of late, there is some welcome news in the form of both Stefan Ratchford and Matty Ashton returning to the squad for the visit of Salford.

Ratchford has missed the two previous matches through a shoulder injury while Ashton is back in contention after recovering from a knock on his calf.

However, there are key absentees for the Wolves with George Williams and Oliver Holmes both being left out of the 21-man squad by boss Powell due to what has been described as ‘minor injuries’.

Rowley’s Red Devils also see two players return to the fold in hometown boy second-rower Jack Wells and Danny Addy. Dan Sarginson and Amir Bourouh are the pair to drop out.

Coverage

Given the unlikely chance of a draw, one of Wire and Salford will surely end their winless run come Thursday night. There are some matchups across Super League over the next few days which are deemed very difficult to call, and the likelihood of some unfavoured results is high.

For that reason, both teams at the Halliwell Jones will go into the 80 minutes knowing that two points to kickstart a crucial Easter double-header could be the turning point in their own season.

In the opening game of the ‘Rivals Round’ with an 8:00pm kick-off scheduled, coverage will come from Prost International reporter Josh Knowles. You can follow him on Twitter – @JKnowlesSport

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