The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Super League Round 8
The Good
There was a big build-up to the traditional Wigan vs St Helens Good Friday derby and, thankfully, the match didn’t disappoint. A sellout crowd at the Totally Wicked Stadium was treated to a pulsating clash between first and second on the table that went down right until the final minutes. With Mal Meninga watching from the stands, Saints started brilliantly and led 12-2 at half-time. But Wigan, unbeaten in this fixture in the past eight years, roared back into it. Inspired by a two-try haul from the impressive Joel Tomkins, the Warriors edged in front with 15 minutes left. But St Helens wouldn’t be denied and a late Regan Grace try, helped by a Danny Richardson drop goal, sealed their result.
Also hats off to Warrington and Castleford. The Wire’s 32-18 win over Widnes was their third in a row and sees them move up to third spot. Steve Price’s men seem to have turned a corner. Cas made it five victories in succession after beating Wakefield. The Tigers have only played six games so far, with two cancelled due to bad weather, but increasingly their round one embarrassment against St Helens is looking like it was a one-off.
The Bad
Huddersfield’s much-improved performance against Leeds was great to see, but did they need to sack their coach to inspire it? Rick Stone was axed only five days ago, and after captain Leroy Cudjoe said the squad should be “ashamed” about the role they played in Stone’s departure, they came out firing. They were unlucky to draw with the Rhinos as they dominated the match and led for most of it. But as Brian McDermott correctly pointed out after it, the same as caretaker Chris Thorman did, the question should be asked where was this commitment early in the season? The Giants’ roster must do better.
It’s a reoccurring theme but Catalans continue to be not just bad, but plain old woeful. Friday’s 32-16 loss to Salford, their seventh this season, was bereft of any desire or character from most of the Dragons’ XVII. It leaves them anchored to the bottom of the ladder and already mired in a relegation battle. If Catalans don’t beat Huddersfield on Easter Monday, then coach Steve McNamara surely has to go.
The Ugly
The conditions were certainly ugly at a soaked Belle Vue as Castleford grinded a tense win over Wakefield. With a leaky roof and little cover, Tigers coach Daryl Powell was left farcically watching the game from a crack in a window on the sidelines. It was not a good look for those watching on TV. The sooner they rip down that archaic ground the better.
Also ugly was Hull KR’s defence in the Hull derby on Good Friday. Despite having an extra man for a long time, after Bureta Faraimo was correctly sent off early in the first half, the Robins couldn’t make it count. Their edge defence was particularly poor, as they conceded some soft tries, and couldn’t get on top of their weakened but spirited neighbours. Tim Sheens would have been dismayed at the way both his right and left edges failed to stop Hull FC’s attacks.
