Wigan Warriors winger Abbas Miski stars in World Club Challenge.

From making his senior debut at Manly Sea Eagles in 2019, to scoring in the World Club Challenge and becoming a World Champion in 2024 with the Wigan Warriors, following their 16-12 victory over the Penrith Panthers on Saturday night. It has been an amazing few years for the winger who was born in Penrith, Australia.

Miski started his professional Rugby League career with the Eagles in the NRL in 2019, making just six appearances scoring two tries, before heading to the UK in 2020 to join the London Broncos for the 2021 Betfred Championship season. During the season he showed his prolific try scoring ability we have seen during his time at Wigan Warriors with 18 tries in 21 Championship games.

2022 saw the Warriors come calling for the Lebanon International, with some fans questioning the signing, but following his debut against Toulouse Olympique and ending the 2022 season with eight tries in nine appearances he has gone on to prove all his doubters wrong.

In 2023 Miski spent some time out on loan, before being called back into the first team picture due to the team suffering with injuries. The winger then cemented his spot in the starting 13, finishing the season with 29 tries in 26 games in all competitions, finishing as top try scorer for the Cherry and Whites and in the Betfred Super League. Helping the team to lift both the League Leaders Shield and the Super League Trophy.

His biggest challenge on the pitch came on Saturday night, with the three-peat NRL champions, the Penrith Panthers, visiting a sold out DW Stadium in the hope of winning their first ever World Club Challenge. But it wasn’t to be for Ivan Cleary’s side who suffered their second consecutive World Club Challenge defeat following their loss to St Helens last year. The fireworks on the field began in the first minute with both sides having to be separated and ended on the final hooter.

Having been forced to defend their own line in the opening minutes, the hosts scored against the run of play. A touch from the Panthers handed Wigan a repeat set and they took full advantage. A sublime cut-out pass from Bevan French found Miski who gave Wigan the perfect start. But the Panthers hit back through Nathan Cleary with Miski unable to take a high kick.

After falling behind, in just their second opportunity at the Panthers line, the Cherry and Whites scored the try of the match. Adam Keighran sent Miski away down the line with a brilliant offload, he fed Willie Isa on his inside before Kruise Leeming dove over to regain the lead. However, the scoring in the first half didn’t finish there. In the dying moments Cleary again showed his class dragging his team around the field, the ball back inside to Dylan Edwards allowed the full-back to dive between two Wigan defenders to hand the Australian side a 12-10 lead heading into the break.

The second half continued as the first ended, with Penrith putting the Wigan defensive line under pressure, but as it did all game, the defence stood firm with an unbelievable try saving tackle from

Jai Field the standout from an excellent defensive display from Matt Peet’s side. His side were rewarded for the hard work, when Jake Wardle latched onto a neat kick through from Harry Smith to wrestle his way over the line, however after consulting the Video referee, the try was awarded leaving the entirety of the Rugby League community in shock.

With the clock approaching the 79th minute, the NRL three-peat champions had one last chance to score, starting the set 20 metres out from the Warriors line. The hooter sounded as they switched the ball from right to left giving Taylan May an opportunity to dive over in the corner, but another try saving tackle appeared to have stopped the winger. The Video referee was called upon one again. Referee Liam Moore sent the try up to the screen as a No Try, and after a nerve wracking couple of minutes for both sides, the try was refused handing Wigan a 16-12 victory and an record-equalling fifth World Club Challenge trophy. An unbelievable finish to a fantastic game.

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Superb seven-try performance from Wigan helped the Warriors overcome a disappointing Hull KR side.

Following last night’s brutal encounter between the Catalan Dragons and St Helens in the South of France, the League Leaders Shield winners Wigan Warriors faced Hull Kingston Rovers at the DW Stadium in front of the Channel 4 cameras. Steve Mcnamara’s Dragons side awaited the winners at Old Trafford next Saturday having stopped the Saints ‘drive for five ‘ in Perpignan on Friday night.

Would Wigan continue their outstanding season with a trip to the Super League Grand Final or would the East side of Hull be making their first trip to the Theatre of Dreams?

Matt Peet’s side dominated the opening 10 minutes with the pace of Bevan French and Jai Field causing problems for Rovers. It took just two minutes until the hosts opened the scoring – The speed of Field left defenders behind allowing the full-back to find Liam Marshall who crashed over two defenders to give the Warriors a dream start.

Just seconds later on the very next set Wigan went over again, a neat chip back towards the posts from Harry Smith saw Field appear to knock on before grounding the ball but with the try being referred to the video referee it appeared that the Warriors number 1 had kicked the ball rather than knocking in therefore extending the hosts lead.

The third of 3 tries in the opening minutes saw Marshall cut back inside the on-rushing defenders after an excellent flowing move down the Warriors left edge. Ill discipline and poor handling errors from Rovers gave them a mountain to climb. They did however manage to grab themselves a lifeline when Elliot Minchella took the short ball to score next to the posts to send the sides into the break at 18-6.

Just like the first half Marshall scored inside the opening two minutes of the second to complete his hat-trick. A high kick to the right was knocked back by Willie Isa to French who kicked the ball across the field to an open Marshall who had the simple of finishes. The scoring didnt stop there with French again the creator this time to Toby King who scored in the corner on his last appearance at the DW Stadium before returning to Warrington Wolves next season.

Jai Field was next on the scoresheet going past two defenders before diving over in the far corner to cap a very impressive performance from the Warriors Full-back. The scoring didn’t stop there with Abbas Miski scoring in the very next set. Rovers did manage to stop the onslaught by Wigan with Jez Litten reducing the deficit with three minutes remaining but the opening 1o minutes ultimately proved too much to come back from, after a superb start from the side in cherry and white.

A 42-12 win for Wigan sets up a pulsating clash next week at Old Trafford between the Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons. A game that sees Friday night’s match-winner Sam Tomkins go up against his former side in his final career appearance.

Will it be the dream ending for the Dragons full-back? Or will Matt Peet claim the Super League Title in just his second season in charge of Wigan? One thing is for sure, it is going to be a superb spectacle under the floodlights in Manchester come Saturday night.

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After finishing level on points in the regular season St Helens and the Catalans Dragons are set to go head-to-head for a place in the Super League grand final.

St Helens earned their trip to the south of France with a 16-8 victory in their week one playoff eliminator against the Warrington Wolves.

Form

Both teams are heading into the game on top form as they went unbeaten in September. Catalans demolished the Leeds Rhinos 61-0 in their last home game before securing their spot in the top two of the table with a battling 19-8 victory on the road at Salford.

St Helens finished their regular season with a comfortable 3-12 win over Hull FC before their 16-8 victory over Warrington in the first week of the playoffs. After racing out to an 8-0 half time lead the home side held off a second half charge from Warrington to keep their hopes of a fifth straight title alive.

Head to Head

The sides have met twice this year and the Catalans Dragons have come out victors on both occasions. The Dragons scored 12 unanswered points in the second half to win 24-12 in Perpignan before an Adam Keighran penalty was enough to edge Catalans to a 14-12 victory in the return fixture at the Totally Wicked Stadium. Mid Season signing Matt Ikavalu crossed in both games for the Dragons against St Helens this season and he’ll be looking to continue this streak if selected for Friday’s clash.

Squad news

The 21 man squads have been named ahead of the clash and they are packed with superstars. Headlined by man of steel nominees Tom Johnstone and Jack Welsby, both sides will be able to name what can be considered close to their strongest team for the grand final decider.

St Helens have made two changes to their squad from last week with Joe Batchelor missing the game following a hamstring injury picked up against Warrington while Dan Norman also makes way. They will be replaced by Matthew Foster and George Delaney. There is just one change for Catalans from their squad from round 27 with Siua Taukeiaho replacing Fouad Yaha.

Retiring heroes

The focus ahead of the game has been on the fact that Friday will see the end of the career of either Sam Tomkins or James Roby, who are both retiring at the end of this season. Both men are modern greats of the British game and have won everything possible domestically on a team and individual level.

One club man James Roby has played more games than anyone for St Helens and has been an ever-present in their side since his debut in 2004. On the pitch he has won six Super League grand finals, four Challenge Cups and two World Club Challenges as well as being named Man of Steel in 2007. He also represented England and Great Britain a combined 39 times between 2006 and 2018.

Tomkins on the other hand has plied his trade in three countries across his 15 year career. Starting at Wigan he won two grand finals and two challenge cups with the club before heading to the NRL where he spent two seasons with the New Zealand Warriors. He returned to Wigan where he won another grand final before moving to the Catalans Dragons in 2018. He has twice been named man of steel including in 2021, the year in which he and the Catalan Dragons lost out to St Helens 12-10 in the grand final.

The knowledge that they are playing to continue the career of two greats of the game is sure to motivate both sets of players and bring an extra level of tension and emotion to the match.

Prediction

Both sides are in peak form and I can’t picture it being anything other than a titanic tussle for a spot in the big dance. Although St Helens have more experience in the biggest games over the last five years I feel that the partisan home crowd will lift their side and spur the Catalans Dragons on to victory.

21 man squads

Catalans Dragons: 1. Arthur Morgue, 2. Tom Davies, 3. Adam Keighran, 6. Tyrone May, 7. Mitchell Pearce, 8. Mike McMeeken, 9. Micky McIlorum, 10. Julian Bousquet, 11. Matt Whitley, 12. Paul Séguier, 13. Benjamin Garcia, 14. Alrix Da Costa, 16. Romain Navarrete, 18. Tiaki Chan, 19. Arthur Romano, 21. Matt Ikuvalu, 22. Suia Taukeiaho, 23. Jordan Dezaria, 24. Tom Johnstone, 26. Manu Ma’u, 29. Sam Tomkins.

St Helens: 1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Will Hopoate, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 13. Morgan Knowles, 15. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 16. Curtis Sironen, 19. James Bell, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 28. Matthew Foster, 30. George Delaney, 35. Moses Mbye.

Where to watch

The game kicks off at 8pm (UK time) and full coverage can be found on Sky Sports Mix.

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Photo Credit – Adam Clarke

Wigan Warriors extend their unbeaten run in the Super League to six matches after scoring five try’s in a 26-8 victory over Salford Red Devils.

History repeated itself between these two clubs tonight with the Warriors coming out on top, promoting themselves to first place in the Super League table. They are now in pole position to land the league leaders shield.

Meanwhile, after tonight’s Super League ties, Salford have fallen out of the top six, and will now need other results to go their way in the remainder of the season.

The atmosphere was simmering nicely early on, with the tension and nerves of both fanbases echoing around the ground.

The deadlock was broken in 17^th minute by the boot of Salford’s Ryan Brierley. After reviewing some replays on the big screen, referee Chris Kendall decided to award the Red Devils a penalty for a dangerous tackle, allowing them to edge in front against the run of play.

Nevertheless, the Warriors were immediately back into the contest after Liam Farrell showcased some superb footwork to break the line, before side-stepping two Salford defenders to plant the ball down in the 21^st minute.

Salford would once again convert a penalty to level the scores up at four a piece, but it was Wigan’s end to the half after they scored a further three try’s in the final ten minutes.

The first of these came from a shift out to the right wing that sent Abbas Miski flying over. The second came from a shift out to the left hand side where Jake Wardle was waiting to hit a hole.

But it was the third that was the pick of the bunch. In a sequence of play that would have had coach Paul Rowley ripping his hair out, Salford somehow managed to go from having a penalty after the halftime hooter, to conceding a length of the field try courtesy of Jai Field. Leaving the scores at 20-4 after 40 minutes.

The second half began in lively fashion. Salford narrowly missed out on their own length of the field try, before their prop forward King Vuniyayawa was sat down for 10 minutes. The enforcer was shown a yellow card for a high swinging arm on Wigan’s Bevan French.

Five minutes later the Warriors took full advantage of the extra man. Their danger duo Field and French linked up in sweet style with some lovely ball playing that set Toby King up to cross untouched.

After that score the game took a turn for the worse, with mistakes happening left right and centre. Neither side showed much promise and the game was clearly wrapped up.

However, Salford did manage to get themselves a try with 10 minutes left to play. They rushed a tired Wigan defence and had them backing into the corner, allowing Ken Sio the space to dive in to reduce to deficit.

The game continued to fizzle out without much of a fight from either side, who both had their eyes on the final whistle that came as the score line read Wigan 26-8 Salford.

Wigan coach Matt Peet had this to say after the game;

“It feels great to be top of the league with three games to go. It shows that we’ve been consistent throughout the year.

“We have to build on this now because your only ever one game, one defeat away from not being top of the league. We’re going to go and prepare for a tough game against Leeds next week and try to build some form for the play-offs.

“We need to keep working hard, stay consistent and keep our belief in our system and what we do.”

Salford boss Paul Rowley said;

“I’m really disappointed today. We followed on from last week, we were rusty and simply not clinical enough. We won last week purely based on effort, you can’t do that against Wigan.

“We gave them far too much field position from silly errors that started right from our first set. The Field try was the icing on the cake, that summed it up.

“They have more energy than us when it mattered and were more proactive.”

Wigan’s destiny is now in their own hands, three comfortable wins from their last three games will wrap up the league leaders shield, and that journey starts next Saturday when they travel to Leeds.

As for Salford, they have a very tough run in and are now out of the top six. However, their next two fixtures are against the teams closest to them in the league, Warrington and Hull KR.

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Leigh Leopards and Wakefield Trinity look to put on a show as they kick-off day two of Magic Weekend.

The pair have become familiar foes of late, facing each other twice in the past six week. Leigh have won both matches this season and will be looking to make it a hat-trick of wins over Wakefield this weekend.

The Leopards come into Magic Weekend in red-hot form. They have won their last six matches, and last week downed table toppers Warrington Wolves. Will they make it seven on the spin on Sunday?

Adrian Lam’s side are playing a great brand of attacking rugby league, and are utilising their star-studded backline to perfection. Players like Josh Charnley and Ricky Leutele will look to tear the Wakefield defence apart on the much wider, faster surface of St James Park.

A win on Sunday will firmly secure their place in the top six, and they could even turn their attention to the League Leaders Shield.

Adrian Lam has only made one change this week, as Aaron Smith comes into the 21-man-squad. Edwin Ipape, Lachlan Lam, Ben Reynolds and Gareth O’Brien all look set to feature in a strong spine. Josh Charnley and Tom Briscoe will look to continue their good form on the wings. They also boast a strong pack, as John Asiata, Robbie Mulhern and Oliver Holmes all make the squad.

Your Leopards twenty-one for #MagicWeekend. pic.twitter.com/ARB6rSEkME

— Leigh Leopards (@LeighLeopardsRL) June 2, 2023

Wakefield have done it tough this season, however there are signs of change at Belle Vue.

They have had a busy week off the field, as they welcomed five new additions. The pick of the bunch was the sensational return of the ‘Big Bopper’ David Fifita.

Speaking on his return to West Yorkshire, Fifita said: “I’ll be giving everything for the challenge ahead, which is to try and help a club close to my heart stay in the top tier”.

Despite the boost these signings have bought, they still  have plenty of issues on the pitch. This season, Mark Applegarth’s men have struggled both sides of the ball, but particularly in attack. They have been nilled five times this season, and only average six points a game.

This game provides Trinity a great opportunity to secure their first win, and give them a huge chance of survival in the top flight.

Their 21-man-squad sees new signings Isaac Shaw and David Fifita included for their second debuts for the club. Sam Hewitt is named in the squad as he returns for another loan period. Star players Max Jowitt and Mason Lino are also included in the squad. New arrival Luke Gale misses out this week due to injury.

Brought to you by @WDHcarelink.

Your Trinity #MagicWeekend squad for the day 2 opener @LeighLeopardsRL. pic.twitter.com/6UG5MNY1zT

— Wakefield Trinity (@WTrinityRL) June 2, 2023

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The penultimate game of Magic Weekend sees a clash between two sides at a precarious point of their season.

Huddersfield and St Helens, who finished in the top three last year, sit outside the playoff spots as the season approaches the halfway stage and they both will be looking to use this match to kick start their season and push towards the top six.

Last time out:

Starting with St Helens, they made it three wins from four in May with a 13-12 golden point victory over Leeds Rhinos. Lewis Dodd was the hero as he kicked the winning drop goal within the last minute of extra time.

Despite the win, it was a subpar performance from the red V who were held to just two tries despite their opposition suffering three game ending injuries and being reduced to 12 men for the closing minutes. Throughout the match their execution was poor and numerous errors allowed the rhinos to stay in the game.

The giants snapped a four game losing streak with a strong 20-4 victory over the struggling Castleford Tigers. Huddersfield looked to prey on the indiscipline and errors of their opponents and ran in three tries to the tigers one.

Their outside backs were the stars of the show, coming up with all their tries as well as combining to make a number of defensive plays that kept Castleford at bay.

Previous meeting:

St Helens survived a Huddersfield fightback to edge their previous meeting 14-12 with the decisive penalty goal coming off the back of a dubious call for a high shot on Konrad Hurrell.

Saints raced out to a 12-0 lead through first half tries from Hurrell and Tommy Makinson, before Ashton Golding hit back on the stroke of halftime. Makinson extended the saints lead to 8 points with the penalty goal after 50 minutes which the giants were unable to pullback.

Squad news:

St Helens are close to full strength and have been able to welcome back two of their star players in centre Mark Percival and prop Matty Lees.

Huddersfield have made two changes with Adam Milner in contention to make his first start for the giants since his loan move from Castleford and Harvey Livett replaces Sam Halsall.

Key Battle:

The key battle on Sunday is going to be between the big boys in the middle. Both teams have strong, damaging props who will be looking to assert their dominance and get their team on the front foot.

It will be particularly interesting to see England teammates Alex Walmsley and Chris Hill come up against each other. Walmsley is perhaps the most destructive prop in the competition and was the saints best player against Leeds, dragging his side down the pitch in golden point.

While Hill is not quite in the same mould as Walmsley, his experience and guile through the middle make him a perfect leader for a pack filled with youth.

Match Prediction:

As mentioned previously, it is critical that Huddersfield start to string together wins. They currently sit six points from the playoffs and run the risk of being adrift from the top half of the table.

While St Helens are only two points off the play offs, they have lacked the consistency that has underpinned their success for the last four years. Paul Wellens will be desperate to see his side return to previous levels.

For me, I think that St Helens will have too much for the giants on Sunday. Huddersfield have struggled in attack all year and the St Helens still have one of the best defences in the league, conceding just 14 points a game.

While the saints attack has looked stilted at times this year you feel that their spine has enough quality to click at some point soon and start to pile on the points.

Prediction: Saints by 10

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Despite a battling first half display which saw Trinity hold their own away at leaders Warrington, Kevin Proctor’s red card for a high tackle on Matty Ashton was ultimately the turning point as the Wolves turned the screw in the second 40 to win comfortably 32-18.

Regardless of Wakefield’s current predicament which sees them rooted to the bottom of Super League , head coach Mark Applegarth is still hopeful that his side can turn the corner and pick up their first two points of the campaign.

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“It’s not where we want to be but if I felt like we were cutting corners, I wouldn’t feel so good about it but we’re not.”

“So I’ve been working on them being honest while staying together. You can be together as long as you’re honest with each other and there’s no lingering undertone.

In the lead-up to this West vs East Yorkshire clash, Luke Gale has been at the forefront of some media attention, having not made his debut for Trinity as of yet, he makes the squad against a Hull side which he was captain of in a difficult season for the Black and Whites. Applegarth is keen to emphasise that his selection of Gale was down to the importance of the game, rather than sentiment.

“It’d have a bit of extra meaning. But it’s a bigger game than just Luke Gale and Hull. It’s about the team and he’d be the first one to say it’s team-first mentality. We will do what’s right for our team and not just do the romance story that everyone would say about Luke Gale playing against his old club.”

http://gty.im/1241877201

Wakefield will be without Liam Kay , who failed a head injury assessment in last week’s defeat, but former Hull winger Tom Lineham returns to the fold.

As for Hull FC, they backed up their first win in eight against Huddersfield with another victory last time out against Wigan at the MKM Stadium. In these two victories, Tony Smith’s side look a completely different proposition after navigating themselves through both games with spirit and endeavour.

Whilst the Black and Whites look to have turned a corner in their season, Smith says they cannot underestimate their struggling opponents.

“It’s not just about the spectacular stuff. It’s about the hard work that goes into it and the dedication on the field and the application of it for the badge and each other within the team.

“Whether we’re favourites or underdogs, we’ve still got to go out and play bloody hard,” Smith added. “Otherwise, our opponents will beat us. That’s Super League. I’m pleased that we’ve got those two victories, it’s given everyone a reward for a lot of hard work, but it starts again now.

Hull FC name just one change to their win against Wigan, as Jack Brown replaces Harvey Barron.

This fixture has often been closely called in recent times, and its Wakefield who have had the slight edge in these games, winning three out of the last five encounters against Hull. Their supporters will be hoping that this luck continues, or Hull could make it a ‘Dirty Dozen’ for them with their third consecutive victory.

The Black and Whites were once again well beaten at Headingley last time out , and they remain second bottom in the Super League table as they look to record only a second success at the MKM Stadium this campaign. Despite the poor run of form, head coach Tony Smith has remained confident that his side are capable of addressing the situation.

“We’re remaining positive about getting better.”

“We’re going through some processes here at the moment and some changes. It’s hurting us and it’s hurting our supporters. We get that. We can’t wait for when we’re putting smiles back on their faces, but we have to remain positive here and upbeat.

Embed from Getty Images

There have been questions raised about his squad in recent weeks, but Smith has full belief that this team can produce a performance against the Giants to turn their fortunes around;

“We’re forging ahead and we’re trying to get a better performance this week. If we get a better performance, it gives us a chance.

“If we’re going out there and we’re thinking we’re not as good as everybody keeps telling us we’re not and start believing all that, then we’ve got no chance. We’ve got to be real about where we’re at but we’ve also got to be positive. That’s what we’re being this week.”

The Hull squad sees just one change from their defeat against Leeds as halfback Jake Clifford returns after an ankle injury, he takes youngster Harvey Barron’s spot in the 21. Will Gardiner keeps his place in the fold after making his first appearance of the season against Leeds and despite some  concerns, Scott Taylor and Andre Savelio remain in the squad.

As for the Giants, they look to build on an impressive win against Catalan and nail down a run of consistent form to match their recent improvement. Despite a win against the Dragons last time out, head coach Ian Watson has highlighted the qualities of Hull FC and won’t underestimate them on Sunday afternoon;

“They have Tony there who is a great coach and knows how to mould a team.

“It’s about building things. If you have success straight away, that is not going to last. You have to build something.”

“I know the quality of Tony, he will get it right but hopefully he doesn’t get it right this weekend.”

One man in the Giants squad who knows all about Hull FC is the maverick , Jake Connor who returns to the MKM Stadium for the first time since departing last Autumn. The 28-year old was a standout player for the Black and Whites and helped them achieve a Challenge Cup success back in 2017, but he only has a Huddersfield victory in his sights this weekend.

Embed from Getty Images

“I don’t quite know and I don’t know if I’m bothered what reception I get,”

“I spent a long time there so it’s going to be quite an exciting day for me but there’s only one job on my mind and that’s to get the win.”

“We’ve done our preview and we know what they’re capable of if we let them play so we’ve just got to focus on what we can do.

Despite his qualities , Connor was omitted from Shaun Wane’s 40-man England squad this week, but Watson believes he could’ve made the cut.

“He is an international player, obviously he has not been named in the squad but he is a top end international player who can cause international teams problems.

“That’s not my job to select the international team. But for me he is definitely in our top five players in this country and should be in the international squad for me but like I say that is not my job.”

Like Hull FC, Huddersfield only make one change to their squad , with Oliver Wilson returning after a two-game absence in place of Kieran Rush. The Giants are still without the likes of Ashton Golding, Olly Russell and Theo Fages.

This match will also take place at the slightly delayed time of 3:05PM on Sunday afternoon to avoid any conflict with the Government testing the new National Alert System.

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Leeds Rhinos take on World Champions St Helens this Friday in a repeat of last year’s Grand Final. Will the Rhinos get their first win of the season at the third attempt? Or will St Helens make it two from two in their hunt for a fifth title on the bounce?

Friday’s fixture is the first meeting between the sides since September’s Grand Final, which saw the Saints win their fourth consecutive title as they won 24-12 at Old Trafford. This fixture already has some great narratives outside of this too. The Rhinos are not only looking for their first win against the Saints since 2018, but they will also be looking for their first win of the 2023 Super League season.

The Rhinos have lost both their games this season. In round one they put in a dire performance in the Wire as they lost heavily to Warrington. In round two, there were signs of improvement against Hull FC and they were arguably the better team for big periods of that game, but ultimately lost 22-18. The combinations are starting to click, especially through the spine.

New signing Nene Macdonald was good on debut, and added some extra solidity in the centres which was missing against Warrington. The Rhinos will need to be more clinical though. They missed several big chances against Hull FC that could have turned the game on its head.  Leeds will need to take these chances if they are to leave the Totally Wicked Stadium with the two points this Friday.

For Saints, they are looking to make it two from two after a solid win at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle against Castleford last Sunday in their season opener. The Saints started slowly, allowing Castleford to get the upper hand in the opening exchanges, but they got more and more into the game and eventually ran away with it, winning 24-6.

The performances of star players Jonny Lomax and Alex Walmsley were a vital part of their win, and the pair will be looking to replicate this against the Rhinos. The carrying of Walmsley, as well as Sione Mata’utia caused havoc against Castleford, and they will be itching to run at the Rhinos who have struggled stopping big ball carriers this season.

Paul Wellens commented on the win last week, saying: “I know there’s a lot of people within the game that won’t see that victory (against Castleford) in the same light as they saw the victory against Penrith last week, but for me as a coach of this club its every bit as impressive.

“To be able to deal with what we’ve dealt with in the last seven eight days and then put in a performance in like that it speaks volumes for this playing group and how they approach different situations.”

Friday night’s game is a massive occasion for the Saints. It’s their first home game since winning the World Club Challenge, and will want to put in a stellar performance in front of their fans.

In team news, St Helens name an exciting 21-man squad that sees some of their big hitters return. Tommy Makinson returns from a head knock and Curtis Sironen is also named after missing Sundays match due to illness. Mark Percival is also named after recovering from a rolled ankle picked up against Castleford.

Star full-back Jack Welsby is also named after avoiding a suspension following a high tackle on Sunday. The strong ball carriers Sione Mata’utia, Alex Walmsley and James Bell are all named and will look to punch holes in the Leeds defence, and all were vital to the win last week.

For the Rhinos, they also welcome back one of their star players in the shape of James Bentley, who comes in for his first game of the season against his old employers. In-form prop Justin Sangare is named in the 21-man squad following strong performances in both matches this season.

Versatile back Liam Tindall is named too after a strong performance for Bradford Bulls, where he is dual-registered, in their victory over Toulouse last weekend. The Rhinos also name Jack Sinfield in the 21-man squad for the first time this season.

Friday night promises to be a great occasion, but who will leave with the two points?

21-man squads

St Helens: 1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jonathon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 8. Alex Walmsley, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Joey Lussick, 15. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 16. Curtis Sironen, 18. Jake Wingfield, 19. James Bell, 20. Dan Norman, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 25. Tee Ritson, 30. George Delaney

Leeds Rhinos: 1. Richie Myler, 2. David Fusitu’a, 4. Nene MacDonald, 5. Ash Handley, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aiden Sezer, 9. Kruise Leeming, 10. Zane Tetevano, 11. James Bentley, 12. Rhyse Martin, 13. Cameron Smith, 14. Jarrod O’Connor, 15. Sam Lisone, 16. Derrel Olpherts, 17. Justin Sangare, 18. Tom Holroyd, 19. James McDonnell, 22. Sam Walters, 23. Liam Tindall, 25. James Donaldson, 29. Jack Sinfield.

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A stunning seven-try victory gives Warrington the perfect start to the new season.

Rugby League is back! The long-awaited return of the Super League season ended last night with a much changed Warrington Wolves side taking on 2022 defeated Grand Finalists Leeds Rhinos at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

After an embarrassing season last year for everyone at the club, the offseason saw plenty of comings and going’s providing the team with a big pack- something they clearly lacked last season.

Rohan Smiths Leeds Rhinos were the first challenge that lay ahead for the Wolves, a challenge that they overcame with an emphatic seven-try victory. In the opening game of the season starting with a win is the most important with the performances improving each game week but if Warrington’s first half is anything to go by they look aside that we have been accustomed to seeing at the top end of the Super League table.

Following a completely dominant first-half showing, the hosts lead 30-0 at the break. Matt Dufty picked up the first try of the new 2023 season after Ben Currie had broken the defensive line. Three quick-fire tries from Josh Thewlis, Daryl Clark, and Danny Walker took the game away from Leeds before new signing Sam Kasiano capped off a brilliant first-half with a try on debut.

With the match already won the second half lacked intensity until Leeds got themselves on the scoreboard through Daryl Olpherts another debutant going over. But Warrington hit back instantly, a short ball found the on-rushing James Harrison who wasn’t going to be stopped from close range. Greg Minikin who has suffered with injuries so far in his time at the club put the icing on the cake to bring up the 40-point mark and cap off a very impressive opening night performance.

After a first season in charge of Warrington that ultimately saw the fans question the appointment of Powell. A win in such an impressive manner in front of a 11,000 crowd was the perfect start. The Halliwell Jones in previous years has been a tough place to go for many visiting teams but last season that was far from the case. Making the stadium a formidable place again will be key to Warrington’s success this season.

Leeds however, are missing a number of key players but a number of the tries they conceded were due to poor defending something that will disappoint Rohan Smith.

Warrington now face Ian Watson’s Huddersfield Giants in Round 2 whereas Leeds host Hull FC.

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