Sunday, 22 May 2016

Super League Magic Weekend Sat 21st May and Sun 22nd May

Saturday 21st May

Salford Red Devils 18-12 Widnes Vikings 


Salford extended Widnes' losing run to eight Super League games with victory in Saturday's Magic Weekend opener at St James' Park.

Having gone ahead through Daniel Vidot's try, Salford were overhauled by Rhys Hanbury and Chris Bridge scores.

However, they fought back after half-time with Justin Carney's try to close to within two points.

Vidot's second try against a tiring Vikings and a Gareth O'Brien penalty proved enough to snatch the points.

Having been dealt a six-point deduction for breaking salary cap rules, Salford, whose owner Marwan Koukash this week called for the Super League to split from the Rugby Football League, have dropped out of the top eight but their chances of returning there have been boosted by this result.

Widnes looked to have given their large travelling contingent another happy Tyneside away day in their Sir Bobby Robson charity shirts on half-back Kevin Brown's return but they faded against Salford's powerful pack late on.

It might have been different had video referee Phil Bentham awarded some first-half Vikings tries but the same could be said of Salford in the second period.


Widnes' loss of form will be a concern to coach Denis Betts, with Salford and Hull KR now four and three points behind them respectively in the race for the final top eight spot ahead of the Super Eights phase of the season.


Warrington Wolves 14-34 Castleford Tigers 


Castleford scored 34 unanswered points to condemn leaders Warrington to their second straight Super League defeat.

The Wire led 14-0 after 30 minutes courtesy of tries from Stefan Ratchford, Kurt Gidley and Ben Currie.

Luke Dorn and Grant Millington reduced the deficit to two points at half-time before Denny Solomona put Cas ahead minutes after the restart.

Further scores Mike McMeeken, Solomona and Dorn stunned the St James' Park Magic Weekend crowd.

Warrington went into their first encounter with Castleford at a Magic Weekend looking to bounce back from last week's 36-28 defeat by Wakefield, and they were in complete control for the first 30 minutes.

But Castleford refused to lie down and when full-back Dorn, who will retire at the end of the season, finished off a sensational team try, the momentum in the game shifted.

Tigers, who came into the game off the back of a huge 52-12 victory over Leeds Rhinos, then posted 22 second-half points as Wolves' wobble continued.


They remain top of Super League on points difference but have lost five of their last eight matches, and both Catalans Dragons will have the chance to move top when they play Wakefield tomorrow.


Leeds Rhinos 8-40 Wigan Warriors


Wigan went level on points with Warrington, Catalans Dragons and Hull FC at the top of the Super League table with a Magic Weekend win over Leeds.

Kallum Watkins gave the bottom-of-the-table Rhinos an early lead but Willie Isa's first two Wigan tries put them 12-4 ahead at the break.

George Williams, Dom Manfredi and Ben Flower put the Warriors in control before Mitch Achurch pulled one back.

But Oliver Gildart and Dan Sarginson went over late on to wrap up the win.

Wigan's victory, complete with their biggest points haul of the season, leaves four teams separated by only points difference at the top of the table, although Catalans and Hull both have the opportunity to take over as leaders if they beat Wakefield and Hull KR respectively on Sunday.

Shaun Wane's Warriors came into the game having suffered back-to-back league defeats but knowing that they had not been beaten at Magic Weekend since 2008.

And once they went in front they proved too good for out-of-sorts Leeds, whose nightmare season since winning the treble last year shows no signs of ending.

The Rhinos have now lost five successive games in all competitions and defeat leaves them six points away from eighth-placed Widnes in the race for a top-eight finish before the league splits.


Sunday 22nd May

Wakefield Wildcats 25-24 Catalans Dragons 


Jacob Miller scored a late long-range drop goal as Wakefield came from behind to overcome an in-form Catalans side.

Catalans led 14-0 through tries from Justin Horo, Jodie Broughton and Tony Gigot before Ben Jones-Bishop scored either side of half time to reduce the deficit to two points.

Michael Sio then gave Trinity the lead before Vincent Duport and Broughton's second put Dragons back in control.


But Mickael Simon tied the game before Miller's winning 77-minute drop goal.

Having already squandered three of his five conversion attempts, Pat Richards could have won the game for Catalans just two minutes earlier, but his penalty hit the post.

The Wildcats came into the clash having won six of their last seven league games since Chris Chester took over in March, but they were without a win at Magic Weekend since 2012.

They faced a Catalans side who had not lost at Magic Weekend since 2011 and were also on an impressive run of eight wins in nine league matches.

Dragons, knowing a win would send them stop, got off to a flying start but they were pegged back by a resilient Wakefield side, who pulled level at 24-24 with eight minutes to play.


Following Richards' miss, Miller then lined up from 50 metres out and, from the half-way line, his stunning drop goal moved Wakefield up to sixth in the table, just four points off top spot.


St Helens 20-48 Huddersfield Giants 


Second-from-bottom Huddersfield Giants put in an impressive performance to beat St Helens at St James' Park.

The Giants scored three tries in seven minutes through Jermaine McGillvary, Ukuma Ta'ai and Jamie Ellis.

Matty Dawson replied for Saints before the break but scores from McGillvary, Sam Rapira and Murphy made it 34-6.


Jack Owens, Theo Fages and Adam Swift scored either side of Danny Brough's penalty to give Saints hope but Ryan Hincliffe and Kyle Wood sealed victory.


Hull FC 28-16 Hull KR


Hull FC pulled two points clear at the Super League summit with a 28-16 Magic Weekend derby win against Hull KR.

Tries from Mahe Fonua and Curtis Naughton built up a Black and Whites lead cut to two at the break by Shaun Lunt and Terry Campese's penalty.

Campese notched another following the interval before Graeme Horne's score put Rovers ahead.

Fonua's second levelled before efforts from Jamie Shaul and Mark Minichello pulled the Airlie Birds clear.

The final game of the weekend kept the interest of sizeable followings from both clubs, although those in red and white were silenced by the second-half flurry.

After coming into the game joint-top, Lee Radford's side took the opportunity to stretch clear after results across the weekend went their way.

Rovers were underdogs on a form basis but their aggressive approach was more than a match for much of the game.

Ultimately Hull's strike won them the game, with Fonua, Naughton and Shaul from full-back cutting the Robins open.

There were flash points in keeping with such a rivalry, notably when Maurice Blair scragged Marc Sneyd - sparking an all-in scuffle.


But Hull had the composure and ruthlessness to edge their rivals and climb clear at the summit.

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