WRAP: 2024 Betfred Super League Round 18

A full wrap of Round 18 with Justin Davies and stats from the Rugby League Project.

All listed times are AEST (NSW/QLD/VIC/ACT).

RELATED: See the full list of 2024 Betfred Super League Draw and Results.

Giants beat Red Devils in tight affair

Huddersfield Giants won 16-8 against Salford Red Devils at John Smith's Stadium on Friday night.

The opening exchanges between the two sides were tight and points were at a premium in this contest.

Huddersfield Giants were first on the scoreboard after ruck interference. Jake Connor stepped up and booted the goal for a 2-0 lead.

The Red Devils had the first four-pointer of the game just before the break. Joe Mellor scurried across from dummy-half to make it 6-2 at the break.

The visitors had the opportunity to extend their lead to six but decided to take a quick tap which didn't end up in points.

They were made to pay for that decision quickly. Sam Halsall snaffled an intercept and showed enough speed to get over the line.

Salford were offered another chance from the tee on the hour mark. This time, Marc Sneyd piloted it through to give them an 8-6 lead.

Huddersfield tied it up again after Brad Singleton was pinged for a high shot. The forward was binned and Connor kicked the goal.

The Giants almost made them pay immediately but Aiden McGowan was held up over the line by the defense.

They did make use of the extra man soon enough. Adam Milner had the defenders retreating and earned the whistle. Connor kicked his third penalty of the night for 10-8 Giants.

Huddersfield confirmed the win late on through Milner magic again. He spied a gap in the defense and scooted over.

Huddersfield Giants 16 Salford Red Devils 8
Venue: John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield

Date: Fri, 19th July.   Kickoff: 7:45 PM.   Halftime: Salford 6-2.   Penalties: Huddersfield 7-4.   Referee: Jack Smith.   Crowd: 4,119.

Huddersfield: Connor, McGowan, Halsall, Naiqama, Wallis; Lolohea, Clune; Hill, Milner, English, Bibby, Cudjoe (C), Rushton. Int: Golding, Russell, Salabio, Rogers.
Salford: Brierley, Ryan, Macdonald, Hankinson, Cross; Cust, Sneyd; Singleton, Mellor, Partington, Wright, Watkins (C), Shorrocks. Int: Atkin, Dudson, Wilson, Bullock.

Huddersfield Giants (16)
Tries: Adam Milner, Sam Halsall
Goals: Jake Connor 4/5

Salford Red Devils (8)
Tries: Joe Mellor
Goals: Marc Sneyd 2/2

Wolves roar into the top two after beating Saints with twelve

Warrington Wolves beat St Helens 24-10 to move into second at Totally Wicked Stadium on Friday night.

The Wolves are in equal second with Hull KR and remain one win behind Wigan Warriors at the top of the ladder.

Warrington were in rhythm early in the contest and spread the ball wide to Matty Ashton who dived over in the corner.

Next, Matt Dufty showed off his impressive speed to make it 12-0. The fullback spied a gap and blitzed through for the score.

The Wolves were reduced to 12 after a heavy collision between James Harrison and Noah Stephens saw the former sent off.

St Helens made use of the extra man early. Agnatius Paasi steamed onto a Jonny Lomax pass to dive over after being checked by the video referee.

The drama continued as Warrington were reduced to eleven players after Matty Nicholson was pinged for a professional foul close to the line.

Sam Royle provided instant impact for the Saints. The interchange man stepped past the defense and scored to make it 12-10.

The Wolves weren't to be denied on this night. Adam Holroyd and Nicholson both got over the stripe to give them a vital 24-10 win.

St Helens 10 Warrington Wolves 24
Venue: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens

Date: Fri, 19th July.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Warrington 12-0.   Penalties: Warrington 7-5.   Referee: Chris Kendall.   Crowd: 13,135.

St Helens: Robertson, Blake, Vaughan, Percival, Ritson; Welsby, Lomax (C); Lees, Clark, Paasi, Sironen, Bell, Mbye. Int: Bennison, Dodd, Royle, Stephens.
Warrington: Dufty, Lindop, Tai, Ratchford (C), Ashton; Williams, Drinkwater; Vaughan, Powell, Harrison, Holroyd, Nicholson, Currie. Int: Whitehead, Walker, Musgrove, Yates.

St Helens (10)
Tries: Agnatius Paasi, Sam Royle
Goals: Mark Percival 1/2

Warrington Wolves (24)
Tries: Matty Ashton, Matt Dufty, Matty Nicholson, Adam Holroyd
Goals: Stefan Ratchford 2/3, Josh Drinkwater 2/3

Leopards pounce on bucked Broncos

Leigh Leopards won 36-6 against the lowly London Broncos at Leigh Sports Village Stadium on Friday night.

The Leopards have won back-to-back games as they cement themselves in the Super League mid table.

Their first score came from a kick wide which was fumbled into the path of Darnell McIntosh to touch down.

Leigh kept surging forward for points. Tom Amone charged over then Ricky Leutele dived over in the corner to make it 16-0.

It was one-way traffic in the first half. Lachlan Lam started the move then an interchange of passes saw Matt Davis stroll over.

The onslaught continued in the second half. Lam and Leutele combined then the latter kicked through for Josh Charnley to go over.

London Broncos got on the board on the hour mark. A high kick was plucked out of the air by Josh Rourke to dive over for 28-6.

The Leopards added a pair of scores late to round off a dominant win. Lam finished off a break to score then Jack Hughes found a way across for 36-6.

Leigh Leopards 36 London Broncos 6
Venue: Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Leigh

Date: Fri, 19th July.   Kickoff: 8:05 PM.   Halftime: Leigh 22-0.   Penalties: London 8-6.   Referee: Liam Rush.   Crowd: 6,677.

Leigh: Hardaker, McIntosh, Hanley, Leutele, Charnley; O'Brien, Lam; Amone, Dwyer, Mulhern, O'Donnell, Halton, Asiata (C). Int: Trout, Brogan, Hughes, Davis.
London: Rourke, Kershaw, Natoli, Bassett, Macani; Leyland, Tison; Butler, Davis, Kennedy, Lovell (C), Adebiyi, Stock. Int: Waine, Bienek, Parata, Campagnolo.

Leigh Leopards (36)
Tries:  Darnell McIntosh, Tom Amone, Ricky Leutele, Matt Davis, Josh Charnley, Lachlan Lam, Jack Hughes
Goals: Zak Hardaker 4/7

London Broncos (6)
Tries: Josh Rourke
Goals: Oli Leyland 1/1

Hull FC upset Wigan Warriors

Hull FC created a buffer at the bottom after their 24-22 win against Wigan Warriors at MKM Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts have a four-point gap to last place London Broncos after one of the upsets of the Super League season.

Hull FC struck first on a bright afternoon. The kick fumbled into the path of Jack Walker who strolled over.

The Warriors responded with their own four-pointer. Fullback Zack Eckersley drove them downfield and provided the final pass for Liam Marshall to score.

Hull FC restored their lead from a scrum play. The pass from Jake Trueman found Liam Sutcliffe to slice through.

They extended their advantage just before half-time. Trueman provided it from the boot this time and found a leaping Davy Litten for 18-6 at the break.

Helping their cause was a sin bin to Wigan Warriors interchange player Tyler Dupree who was pinged for a tip tackle.

Hull FC took advantage of the bin to start the second half. An offload out the back allowed Denive Balmforth to step past the defense to make it 24-6.

The Warriors showed championship resolve to get themselves back in the contest. Bra O'Neill pinballed off defenders to get one back.

Next, Litten was binned for a high tackle on Wigan's Jack Farrimond then Marshall ran into acres of space to get his second.

The Warriors brought it back to 24-22 from a long range break. Jack Wardle started the move which ended with Eckersley to go over.

Hull FC held on in the closing stages and secured a precious two points in their chase to avoid relegation.

Hull FC 24 Wigan Warriors 22
Venue: MKM Stadium, Hull

Date: Sat, 20th July.   Kickoff: 2:00 PM.   Halftime: Hull FC 18-4.   Penalties: Hull FC 4-1.   Referee: Aaron Moore.   Crowd: 5,771.

Hull FC: Walker, Briscoe, Litten, Sutcliffe, Martin; Trueman, Charles; Ese'ese, Smith, Sao (C), Lane, Chamberlain, Aydin. Int: Gardiner, Balmforth, Laidlaw, Vuniyayawa.
Wigan: Eckersley, Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; Farrimond, Smith; Havard, O'Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell (C), Ellis. Int: Byrne, Mago, Dupree, Walters.

Hull FC (24)
Tries: Liam Sutcliffe, Jack Walker, Denive Balmforth, Davy Litten
Goals: Jack Charles 4/4

Wigan Warriors (22)
Tries: Liam Marshall 2, Bradley O'Neill, Zach Eckersley
Goals: Adam Keighran 3/4

Hull KR down Rhinos to move into third

Hull KR won 20-12 against Leeds Rhinos in their game at AMT Headingley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Robins move to equal second alongside Warrington Wolves after a big win which has them primed for finals football.

It was the Rhinos who were the first to get on the scoreboard. Hull KR made a mess of a kick and Rhyse Martin was there to pounce for 6-0.

Neither side were able to get any further points in the first half in an important game for both teams.

David Fusitu'a had a prime chance to extend the Rhinos lead but had the ball bounce off his knee and over the dead ball line.

Hull KR were able to get on the board from their own winger. It was a wrap around play which saw Ryan Hall go over.

That spurred on the visitors to take their first lead of the contest. It was a dogged run from Mikey Lewis to plunge over the line for 10-6.

Leeds snatched back the lead from a truly weird passage of play. The kick bounced, hit the underside of the crossbar then Lachlan Miller picked up the spoils.

Hull KR provided a late surge which got them the win in this game. First, Jai Whitbread was on the spot to give them a 16-12 lead.

Jez Litten put the icing on the cake for the Robins. He threw a dummy then sliced through to stroll over.

Leeds Rhinos 12 Hull KR 20
Venue: AMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds

Date: Sat, 20th July.   Kickoff: 3:00 PM.   Halftime: Leeds 6-0.   Penalties: Leeds 7-2.   Referee: Liam Moore.   Crowd: 14,555.

Leeds: Miller, Fusitu'a, Momirovski, Newman, Handley; Croft, Frawley; Oledzki, Ackers, Eseh, McDonnell, Martin, Smith (C). Int: O'Connor, Lisone, Donaldson.
Hull KR: Broadbent, Burgess, Hiku, Gildart, Hall; May, Lewis; Sue, Parcell, Hadley, Opacic, Storton, Minchella (C). Int: Litten, Luckley, Whitbread, Tanginoa.

Leeds Rhinos (12)
Tries: Rhyse Martin, Lachlan Miller
Goals: Rhyse Martin 2/3

Hull Kingston Rovers (20)
Tries: Ryan Hall, Jez Litten, Jai Whitbread, Mikey Lewis
Goals: Mikey Lewis 2/4

Tigers hold off fast finishing Dragons

Castleford Tigers won 24-18 against Catalans Dragons down at The Jungle, Castleford on Sunday afternoon.

The result puts Catalans Dragons into the pack of teams on 22 points in the chase for another finals appearance.

It was a windy weekend in England and high kicks were the order of the day. Adam Milnes kick was misjudged by Arthur Mourgue which allowed Liam Horne to pounce.

The Tigers continued to attack from their own end. Innes Senior broke free down the wing then passed inside for Jacob Miller to make it 12-0.

Castleford were in full flow in front of their home crowd. Another break opened up the Dragons and allowed Horne to get his second of the afternoon.

The Dragons did get on the scoreboard before the break. It came from another high kick and Tom Johnstone was able to rise highest to score.

Buoyed by that score, Dragons further reduced the deficit after the break. The ball was given to Matt Ikuvalu who showed strength to slam it down.

Catalans leveled the game with their third try of the game. Mourgue sliced through the defense and went over for 18-all.

The Tigers shook off their worries and got a match winner from Tex Hoy. He took the ball back inside on the angle and gave them a 24-18 win.

Castleford Tigers 24 Catalans Dragons 18
Venue: The Jungle, Castleford

Date: Sun, 21st July.   Kickoff: 3:00 PM.   Halftime: Castleford 18-6.   Penalties: Castleford 4-3.   Referee: Marcus Griffiths.   Crowd: 7,331.

Castleford: Hoy, Qareqare, Hall, Mellor, Senior; Milnes, Miller; Griffin, Horne, Mustapha, Lawler, El-Zakhem, Westerman (C). Int: Watts, Namo, Robb, Johnson.
Catalans: Mourgue, Davies, Romano, Ikuvalu, Johnstone; Rougé, Abdull; Navarrete, McIlorum, Bousquet, Sims, Séguier, Garcia (C). Int: Da Costa, Satae, Dezaria, Bichett.

Castleford Tigers (24)
Tries: Liam Horne 2, Jacob Miller, Tex Hoy
Goals: Rowan Milnes 4/4

Catalans Dragons (18)
Tries: Tom Johnstone, Matt Ikuvalu, Arthur Mourgue
Goals: Arthur Mourgue 3/3

Round 18 table

RELATED: Click here to view the current Betfred Super League table.

RLP stats leaders

Most tries

Most goals

Most points