engage Super League Rd 27 Review

Harlequins RL 22

Tries: Ellis, Dorn 3

Goals: Purdham 3

Warrington Wolves 36

Tries: Clarke, Solomona 2, Cooper, Bridge 2

Goals: Bridge 6

Att: 3,211

Challenge Cup winners Warrington Wolves got past Harlequins RL with a win at Twickenham Stoop.

After last week's win at Wembley the Wolves were back in the capital, they rested heroes Adrian Morley, Lee Briers, Matt King, Louis Anderson and Ben Westwood to keep them fresh for the play-offs.

The Londoners made the better start and took the lead inside six minutes when hooker Andy Ellis burrowed his way over from dummy half. Luke Gale and David Howell combined as Luke Don doubled the hosts lead.

Warrington suddenly hit their straps and roared back with four unanswered tries. Jon Clarke went over from close range and the game was level with another short range effort from David Solomona.

In the last minutes of the half Mike Cooper and Chris Bridge, who converted all the tries gave the visitors a healthy 24-12 half time lead.

Quins hit back after the restart after a gift pass from Michael Monaghan was intercepted by Dorn who went over for his second of the game.

Solomona bulldozed his way over and then Bridge romped clear after intercepting a poor Dorn pass to end the game as a contest just after the hour mark.

But to their credit Quins did not lie down and Luke Dorn ended the season by completing his hat-trick. The closeness of the win for the Wolves meant them finishing in third and a trip to St Helens next Friday night in the first round of the play-offs.

Wigan Warriors 34
Tries: Carmont, Paleaaesina, J Tomkins, Richards 2, Goulding 2

Goals: Richards 3

Bradford Bulls 12

Tries: Kopczak, Lynch

Goals: Sykes, Menzies

Att: 17,058

League Leaders Wigan Warriors rounded off their league campaign in style as they defeated Bradford Bulls at DW Stadium.

The game as a contest was all over at the break as the Warriors built up a 20-0 lead. It took 16 minutes before Liam Farrell set up George Carmont for the opening try of the game. Departing hooker Mark Riddell set up Iafeta Palea'aesina to score. Pat Richards added the extras.

On 33 minutes Richards scored his 28th try of the season and just before the break Joel Tomkins grabbed Wigan's fourth try of the half as he strolled over.

Richards added to his tally straight after the restart after taking Paul Deacon's chip kick. On 68 minutes Darrell Goulding scored the Warriors sixth try of the night and with Richards kicking the conversion he equalled Andy Farrell Super League points scoring record of 388 set in 2001.

Bradford showed a bit of spirit and pulled one back through Craig Kopczak. However, Goulding went over for his second of the night but Richards agonisingly missed the conversion to break the points record.

The Bulls then had the final say when skipper Andy Lynch grabbed a consolation try. Steve Menzies kicked the extras in his last appearance for Bradford.

So Wigan now entertains Champions Leeds Rhinos in next Sunday's qualifying Play-off match.

Catalans Dragons 12
Tries: Vaccari, Sa

Goals: Gigot 2

Huddersfield Giants 26
Tries: Wild, D Hodgson, Lunt, Cudjoe, Robinson

Goals: B Hodgson 3

Att: 5,708

Huddersfield Giants clinched a fifth place finish by overcoming Catalans Dragons in Perpignan.

The first half hour of the game was a tight affair but the Giants broke the deadlock thanks to a Stephen Wild try after good work by Luke Robinson. Two minutes before the break Kevin Brown hacked the ball towards the try line and David Hodgson won the race as the visitors made it 10-0.

Early into the second half two quick fire tries from Shaun Lunt and Brett Cudjoe effectively won the game for Huddersfield.

Tony Gigot kicked towards the corner and Setaimata Sa was on hand as the Dragons got themselves on the scoreboard. Luke Robinson added another for the Giants.

But there was time for Frederic Vaccari to score a consolation for Catalans who finished bottom of the table.

The Giant can know look forward to playing the Crusaders next Saturday in an elimination play-off tie.

Crusaders 30
Tries: Martin, O'Hara, Hanbury, Sammut, Dyer

Goals: Schifcofske 5

Hull KR 24
Tries: Fox, Briscoe, Welham, Galea

Goals: Dobson 4

Att: 5,137

Crusaders claimed the last play-off place as they edged past Hull KR in a thrilling game at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.

At the start of this season Brian Noble's team was still being assembled and remarkably at the end of their campaign they were the most unlikely team to claim a spot in the play-offs.

Visitors Hull KR received a boost before kick-off, both with the signing of North Queensland Cowboy forward Willie Mason and the news with Hull FC's defeat that they would visit their local rivals in next week's elimination play-off tie.

Ryan O'Hara found a gap in the visitors defence to open the scoring. Rovers responded through Peter Fox who pounced on Clinton Schifcofske's mistake to score in the corner.

A cross-field kick on the sixth tackle by lively scrum-half Jarrod Sammut saw Luke Dyer climb high and throw a speculative pass to the right wing, where centre Tony Martin cashed in as the Welsh-side led 12-6 at half time.

Rovers made a fast start to the second half and with two tries in four minutes from Shaun Briscoe and Kris Welham they took the lead 18-12.

However, by 53 minutes, the Crusaders had restored their six-point lead, Rhys Hanbury scored over on the left hand side and an astonishing sprint by Sammut, who intercepted an attack on his own line and raced the full length of the pitch to score.

The Robins hit back again when Ben Galea drove over from a couple of metres out but the Crusaders would not be denied as a penalty from Schifcofske and a late score from Dyer wrapped an historic win and a visit to Huddersfield next Saturday afternoon.

Hull FC 14
Tries: Briscoe, Washbrook

Goals: Tickle 2, Fitzgibbon

Leeds Rhinos 18
Tries: Donald, McGuire 2

Goals: Sinfield 3

Att: 16,208

Leeds Rhinos came from behind tom clinch a top four finish with a hard fought win over twelve men Hull FC at KC Stadium.

Both teams came at each other from the start but the whole game changed on nine minutes when Hull FC were reduced to twelve-men when forward Lee Radford was shown a red card for swinging punches on Leeds prop Ryan Bailey after taking exception to apparent use of the elbow by Bailey.

Despite being a man light Hull took the lead after an offload by Kirk Yeaman created the space for England winger Tom Briscoe to open the scoring.

It got even better for the Black and Whites as Leeds missed chance after chance a brilliant offload from Craig Fitzgibbon sent Danny Washbrook strolling away as the hosts went into the break with a 12-0 lead.

Leeds , who got a telling off by coach Brian McClennan got back into the game early in to the second half as they built the pressure on the host's line Rob Burrow's long pass sent winger Scott Donald in at the corner. Kevin Sinfield kicked the touchline conversion.

Once again the visitors missed try scoring opportunities including Lee Smith who lost the ball in the act of scoring. A Fitzgibbon penalty extended Hull's lead to 14-6.

However, Danny McGuire was on hand to score a brace as the Rhinos finally got on top to win the game.

Leeds will now visit Wigan next Sunday and next Saturday it's a Hull Derby as FC entertain Rovers with the loser being eliminated.

St Helens 40

Tries: Graham, Wellens, Flannery, Meli, Puletua, Gidley, Cunningham

Goals: Foster 6

Castleford Tigers 30

Tries: McGoldrick, Milner, Widders 2, Shenton, Hudson

Goals: Westerman, Dixon 2

Att: 13,978

St Helens claimed a top two finish in a high scoring game with Castleford Tigers at GPW Recruitment Stadium Knowsley Road.

Knowing an 9 point win would secure a sixth successive top two finish and also being the last league game at Knowsley Road, Saints flew out of the blocks to lead 12-0 early on. Paul Wellens finished off a flowing move to get St Helens on their way. James Graham twisted his way over to score underneath the posts.

But, Castleford did not lie down and hit back with a Ryan McGoldrick score from close range. On the stroke of half-time a grubber kick was pounced on by Chris Flannery as the hosts took their lead to 18-4.

Cas grabbed an early second-half score five minutes after the restart after fine play from the impressive Rangi Chase opened the Saints defence up to send Adam Milner over, Joe Westerman's goal cutting the deficit to eight points.

Francis Meli and Tony Puletua both added tries as Saints looked to be out of sight with a 30-10 lead.

However, the Tigers roared back and stunned St Helens with four unanswered tries. Dean Widders gathered his own kick to score and the other tries came from Michael Shenton, Ryan Hudson and a second for Widders as with time running out the game was level 30-30.

But Matthew Gidley struck two minutes from time and Kerion Cunningham brought the house down by rumbling through a heap of bodies to touch down under the sticks in the last seconds of the game to book a home play-off tie with Warrington Wolves next Friday night.

Salford City Reds 16

Tries: Tyrer, Cashmere, Littler

Goals: Tyrer 2

Wakefield Wildcats 12

Tries: Leo-Latu, Gleeson

Goals: Jeffries 2

Att: 3,401

Salford City Reds came from behind at The Willows to hand out a sixth successive defeat to the Wakefield Wildcats.

Both teams came into this game knowing a win would improve their position in the table.

The first half was a dour affair as both teams found it difficult to score and this resulted in 0-0 score-line at the break.

Early into the second half the deadlock was broken by the Wildcats as Tevita Leo-Latu scored the first try of the game, ironically against the team who he will be playing for next year.

The game started to livening up and playing his last game for the Reds winger Steve Tyrer squeezed in at the corner. Salford began to take control and took the lead when prop Ray Cashmere bulldozed his way over from close range.

Fittingly, playing in his last game of Rugby League Stuart Littler sealed the win for the host's by crashing over from short range. Tyrer added the extras as the lead was extended to 16-6.

Sean Gleeson was the last scorer of the game as he went over for a late consolation for the Wildcats in an error littered game.

So Salford moved up to twelve just one place behind the Wildcats who finished in eleventh as both teams look to next year.