WRAP: 2024 Betfred Super League Round 3

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A full wrap of Round 3 Super League with Robert McHugh!

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

Wigan Warriors 30 Huddersfield Giants 16
Venue: DW Stadium, Wigan

Date: Fri, 1st March.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Wigan 18-4.   Penalties: Huddersfield 11-7.   Referee: Jack Smith.   Crowd: 15,357.

Wigan: Field, Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Thompson, O'Neill, Dupree, Isa, Farrell, Ellis. Int: Mago, Byrne, Hill, Forber.
Huddersfield: Connor, Swift, Marsters, Naiqama, Wallis; Russell, Clune; Hill, Milner, Ikahihifo, Murchie, Hewitt, Cudjoe. Int: Golding, English, Wilson, Salabio.

Wigan Warriors (30)
Tries: Liam Marshall 3, Bevan French, Tyler Dupree
Goals: Harry Smith 5/6

Huddersfield Giants (16)
Tries: Adam Swift, Elliot Wallis, Jack Murchie
Goals: Oliver Russell 2/3

Wigan Warriors followed their World Club Challenge victory against Penrith Panthers with a 30-18 win over a spirited Huddersfield Giants side. Winger Liam Marshall continued his excellent start to the season with a hat trick of tries, with further tries from Bevan French and Tyler Dupree.

Huddersfield lost 28-0 to against St Helens the previous week, and looked like they may be on the receiving end of another heavy defeat, as Wigan raced into an early lead. Liam Marshall opened the scoring after 12 minutes, cutting back in off the wing, wrong footing two defenders in the process.

Bevan French extended Wigan's lead, combining well with Adam Keighran, who dummied, then offloaded, to put French through to score. A slick passing move in the 22nd minute put Marshall through for his second score of the night, extending Wigan's lead.

But Huddersfield came roaring back into the game, scoring two tries either side of half time. The first came following a brilliant pass from Adam Clune, which cut out two Huddersfield attackers to find Elliot Wallis, who dived to score in the corner. When Esan Marsters managed to miraculously offload the ball, despite the attentions of four Wigan defenders, to allow Adam Swift to score in the corner, Huddersfield were well and truly in the game at 18-10.

The two sides then traded scores to set up an exciting finish. Liam Marshall completed his hat trick, before Jack Murchie picked Keighran's pocket in a contest for a high kick, to bring Huddersfield back into the contest with 10 minutes to play.

But Wigan were too strong for the Giants, and when Tyler Dupree powered over from close range in the 75th minute, Huddersfield's resistance was broken. Harry Smith added the last of his 5 goals to complete a 30-18 victory for the Warriors.

St Helens 12 Leigh Leopards 4
Venue: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens

Date: Fri, 1st March.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: St Helens 4-0.   Penalties: St Helens 9-5.   Referee: Liam Moore.   Crowd: 13,028.

St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Hurrell, Percival, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; Walmsley, Clark, Mata'utia, Whitley, Sironen, Knowles. Int: Mbye, Bell, Wingfield, Delaney.
Leigh: O'Brien, Briscoe, Hardaker, Leutele, Charnley; Moylan, Lam; Hughes, Dwyer, Mulhern, O'Donnell, Halton, Asiata. Int: Norman, Davis, Nakubuwai, Trout.

St Helens (12)
Tries: Thomas Makinson, Jack Welsby
Goals: Mark Percival 2/3

Leigh Leopards (4)
Tries: Zak Hardaker

St Helens overcame a resolute Leigh side in a physical game, which saw controversy on and off the pitch. Leigh Leopards forward John Asiata sin binned after 41 seconds for targeting the legs of Sione Mata'utai, and Leopards' Director of Rugby, Chris Chester, was involved in a heated altercation with a St Helens fan after the match.

Asiata, who was also criticised for his tackle technique in a fiery Challenge Cup clash against Saints last season, was criticised by Saints coach, Paul Wellens, after the game was passionately defended by Leigh Head Coach, Adrian Lam.

St Helens opened the scoring in the 30th minute, with Jack Welsby getting on the end of Matt Whitley's offload to score. Mark Percival missed the conversion, meaning the Saints led 4-0 at half time. 

But Leigh struck back early in the second half, registering their first score in the 46th minute. Following a sharp break from full-back Gareth O'Brien, the Leopards moved the ball wide to veteran Zak Hardaker who beat the Saints' desperate goal line defence to level the scores at 4-4. 

But the deadlock only lasted 5 minutes, when Lewis Dodd beat two defenders in his own half, before releasing Tommy Makinson. Makinson still had plenty to do but was able to evade the chasing defence from 40 metres out to give Saints the lead, his momentum taking him over the line despite the valiant efforts of O'Brien. Mark Percival converted the try from in front of the posts, which gave the Saints a 10-4 lead.

Brad Dwyer was shown a late yellow card for holding down in the tackle, which gave Percival the chance to add a further 2 points with the boot, and effectively end Leigh's hopes. 

Leigh's night was made worse by losing Asiata and Tom Briscoe to injury, which makes them doubts for Leigh's next fixture, at home against Leeds Rhinos, where they will be hoping to register their first win of the season. St Helens maintain their 100% start to the season, and host Salford Red Devils in their next fixture. 

Warrington Wolves 30 Castleford Tigers 8
Venue: Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington

Date: Fri, 1st March.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Warrington 20-4.   Penalties: Warrington 5-4.   Referee: Aaron Moore.   Crowd: 8,483.

Warrington: Dufty, Thewlis, King, Ratchford, Ashton; Hayes, Drinkwater; Harrison, Walker, Vaughan, Holroyd, Fitzgibbon, Currie. Int: Philbin, Musgrove, Powell, Wood.
Castleford: Hooley, Simm, Broadbent, Wood, Senior; Milnes, Miller; Lawler, Horne, Mustapha, El-Zakhem, Mellor, Westerman. Int: Putt, Hall, Kibula, Johnson.

Warrington Wolves (30)
Tries: Matthew Ashton 2, Joe Philbin, Matt Dufty, Josh Thewlis
Goals: Stefan Ratchford 5/5, Josh Thewlis 0/1

Castleford Tigers (8)
Tries: Josh Simm, Innes Senior

Castleford Tigers' search for a first Super League win continued, as Sam Burgess' Warrington side eased to a 30-8 victory, helped by two tries from Matty Ashton.

Castleford took an unexpected early lead in the 10th minute, with Josh Simm finishing off a flowing move which saw the Tigers strike from deep inside their own half. But Warrington took the lead through Matty Ashton's first try, diving acrobatically to score following a brilliant miss pass from Matt Dufty. Stefan Ratchford converted the try, his first of 5 successful goals.

Ashton extended Warrington's lead with a carbon copy finish, diving for the corner again, before Joe Philbin added another try before half time, finishing a flowing move which started inside the Wolves' half, with the hosts leading 20-4 at half time, following a Ratchford penalty on half time.

It took Warrington less than 2 minutes to open their account in the second half. After shifting the ball through hands from right to left, Matt Dufty stepped back inside, against the grain, beating 2 defenders to score under the posts. 

Castleford briefly threatened to fight back, through Innes Senior's try, which featured a remarkable pass from Danny Richardson who punched the ball overhand, like an overhead tennis smash, out to centre Sam Wood, who put Senior in for a simple finish in the corner.

But any fleeting hopes of a comeback were extinguished thanks to Josh Thewlis's closing try. Warrington turned over the ball after Castleford lost possession, trying to force an opportunity. Thewlis took in Ben Currie's superb, backhanded offload to score the final try of the game. 

Warrington's victory moved them up to 3rd in the table, with 2 wins from 3 games, Castleford remain winless, following defeats to Salford and Wigan.

Leeds Rhinos 18 Catalans Dragons 10
Venue: AMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds

Date: Sat, 2nd March.   Kickoff: 3:00 PM.   Halftime: Leeds 10-2.   Penalties: Leeds 7-4.   Referee: Chris Kendall.   Crowd: 14,168.

Leeds: Miller, Roberts, Newman, Momirovski, Handley; Croft, Frawley; Sangaré, Ackers, Goudemand, Bentley, Martin, Smith. Int: Holroyd, O'Connor, McDonnell, Ruan.
Catalans: Mourgue, Johnstone, Romano, Ikuvalu, Yaha; Abdull, Fages; Navarrete, Da Costa, Bousquet, Sims, Sironen, Garcia. Int: Séguier, Nikorima, Satae, Dezaria.

Leeds Rhinos (18)
Tries: Ash Handley 2, Harry Newman
Goals: Rhyse Martin 3/5
Sin Bin: Justin Sangaré

Catalans Dragons (10)
Tries: Chris Satae
Goals: Arthur Mourgue 3/3

Ash Handley continued his superb start to the season, scoring two tries as Leeds Rhinos maintained their 100% home record, beating Catalans Dragons 18-10 at AMT Headingley.

Injuries and suspensions to Leeds' forward pack left the Rhinos short on power in the front row, and at times the contest resembled a cruiserweight fighting a heavyweight in a boxing match, with the Rhinos playing expansive rugby, taking risks in their own half to counteract Les Dracs' physical advantage.

The opening exchanges were dominated by the French side, not helped by a string of errors by Leeds - including Lachlan Miller dropping the kick off to put Leeds under pressure right from the start. But Leeds' defence held firm, typified by a brilliant tackle from Brodie Croft, which dislodged the ball with the Catalans in a dangerous pressure.

Having soaked up significant pressure, it was the Rhinos who opened the scoring in the 27th minute through Ash Handley. Handley collected a pinpoint kick from Croft, showing some neat footwork in the process, controlling the kick before touching the ball down.

Leeds extended their lead further before half time through England Centre, Harry Newman. The Video Ref judged that Harry Newman has grounded the ball, in the face of significant pressure from the Catalans defence. 

In trying to prevent the try, Tariq Sims made contact with Newman's head, and Leeds were awarded a penalty try and Sims was yellow carded. Rhyse Martin missed the conversion, put kicked the penalty from in front of the posts to give Leeds a 10-0 lead against the run of play. 

Arthur Mourgue gave the Dragons a lifeline, converting a penalty before half time, before Catalans' superior physicality appeared to be taking its toll. Tevita Satae scored from a power play, barging over on the last play after a dummy from hooker Alrix Da Costa. Justin Sangare was then sin binned for the Rhinos after a high shot on Da Costa. 

But the Dragons' own ill discipline came back to haunt them, with Jordan Dezaia receiving a yellow card for a high tackle on Brodie Croft, meaning the two sides played 5 minutes with 12 men each.

The Rhinos sealed victory, with another try which began in their own half. Man of the match Brodie Croft ran the ball on the 5th tackle, working the ball wide to Luis Roberts, whose attempted kick through was deflected by a Catalans hand. Leon Ruan broke through, before the ball was worked to Handley who scored in the corner, with Martin kicking the conversion to complete the scoring. 

Romain Navarette received a late yellow card, which ended the Catalans hopes of a fight back, and Leeds' rope-a-dope was complete, ending the Dragons' perfect start to the season.

Salford Red Devils 17 Hull KR 10
Venue: Salford Stadium, Barton-upon-Irwell

Date: Sat, 2nd March.   Kickoff: 5:30 PM.   Halftime: Salford 12-0.   Penalties: Salford 9-5.   Referee: Tom Grant.   Crowd: 5,036.

Salford: Atkin, Hankinson, Macdonald, Lafai, Cross; Cust, Sneyd; Ormondroyd, Bourouh, Singleton, Stone, Watkins, Shorrocks. Int: Morgan, Vuniyayawa, Wright, Hellewell.
Hull KR: Hiku, Burgess, Opacic, Gildart, Hall; May, Lewis; Hadley, Litten, Whitbread, Tanginoa, Batchelor, Minchella. Int: Sue, King, Parcell, Luckley.

Salford Red Devils (17)
Tries: Chris Hankinson, Deon Cross
Goals: Marc Sneyd 4/4
Field Goals: Marc Sneyd 1

Hull Kingston Rovers (10)
Tries: Peta Hiku, Jez Litten
Goals: Jez Litten 1/1

Salford upset the odds to register their second win of the season, beating Hull Kingston Rovers at the Salford Stadium. Marc Sneyd inspired the Red Devils with his metronomic kicking game, scoring four goals from four attempts and a drop goal.

Salford has been expected to struggle this season, having suffered from a number of high-profile departures, including losing influential pair Andy Ackers and Brodie Croft to Leeds Rhinos, but Paul Rowley's men continued their strong start to the season.

Despite losing their star full back, Ryan Brierley in the warmup, Salford took the lead, after a tense opening 15 minutes. After Marc Sneyd dabbed a kick in goal, winger Deon Cross raced in to beat Jez Litten to the ball and open the scoring. 

Salford extended their lead in the 35th minute, this time in the right-hand corner, through their other winger, Chris Hankinson. Hankinson did well to collect Cade Cust's misdirected pass, which bobbled on the ground before Hankinson stooped to collect the ball and score. Sneyd converted both tries, and Salford led 12-0 at half time.

Sneyd extended Salford's lead to 16-0 by adding two further penalties before Hull KR's fought back. Cross was sin binned for obstruction, after preventing Joe Burgess from taking a quick 20 metre restart. Mikey Lewis found Peta Hiku, who made the most of KR's numerical advantage to score. But, with regular goal kicker Jez Litten off the field, stand in James Bachelor missed the conversion.

But Hiku then received a yellow card of his own, this time for dissent, just as Cross returned to the field of play. Jez Litten gave Hull KR hope of completing the turnaround, with a try in the 65th minute. With the Robins still down to 12 men, Kelepi Tanginoa broke through the Salford line to put Litten in the clear. Litten then converted his own try, to reduce Salford's lead to just 6 points.

Fittingly, Marc Sneyd scored the final point of the game. A strong carry from Ben Hellewell put Salford into position, and Sneyd cooly slotted the ball between the posts, his drop goal giving Salford a 17-10 victory.

Hull FC 28 London Broncos 24
Venue: MKM Stadium, Hull

Date: Sun, 3rd March.   Kickoff: 3:00 PM.   Halftime: Hull FC 16-4.   Penalties: London 9-8.   Referee: James Vella.   Crowd: 10,066.

Hull FC: Walker, Russell, McIntosh, Tuimavave, Martin; Smith, Brown; Ashworth, Houghton (C), Sao, Okunbor, Staveley, Lane. Int: Brown, Bullock, Charles.
London: Leyland, Kershaw, Storey, Bassett, Miloudi; Campagnolo, Meadows; Butler, Davis, Kennedy, Lovell (C), Jones, Parata. Int: Macani, Stock, Williams, Rogers.

Hull FC (28)
Tries: Jack Brown 2, Matthew Russell, Fa'amanu Brown, Morgan Smith, Lewis Martin, Nick Staveley
Goals: Darnell McIntosh 4/5

London Broncos (24)
Tries: Hakim Miloudi 2, Lee Kershaw, Jimmy Meadows, Robbie Storey
Goals: Oliver Leyland 2/5

London battled valiantly before ultimately falling short of victory, in the battle of the winless sides, against Hull FC. FC looked on course for a comfortable win, when leading  16-4 at half time, but a spirited London side made them work for the points.

London took the lead through James Meadows, before Hull FC struck back. Tries from Nick Staveley, Matty Russell and Lewis Martin put Hull FC firmly in control, despite a sin bin for Russell reducing them to 12 men for a period.

After the break, London began to turn the game in their favour. Off season signing Lee Kershaw pulled the first try back, before Hakim Miloudi got on the end of Leyland's grubber kick through to close the gap to 2 points, with the score at 16-14.

But Hull FC wrestled the initiative back through a converted Fa'amanu Brown's converted try, and looked likely winners at this stage. But a second try for Hakim Miloudi gave London a lifeline, again collecting Leyland kick through, and the game seemed destined for golden point when Robbie Storey levelled the scores.

But Hull FC sealed the win thanks to a late try from Morgan Smith, taking two points from a game which was scrappy at times, but utterly enthralling. London may run missed conversions, with only scoring with 2 from 5 attempts, and Hull FC winning by a 4 point margin.

Hull FC will be hoping to build on this result, although they face a daunting away trip to the south of France to play the Catalans Dragons, while London's wait for a first win may continue, as they host defending Super League and World Club Challenge holders, Wigan Warriors.

Table after Round 3

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

Stats leaders

Most tries

5 tries: Ash Handley (Leeds), Liam Marshall (Wigan)

3 tries: Jack Welsby (St Helens), Matt Whitley (St Helens), Matty Ashton (Warrington)

Most points

28 points: Arthur Mourgue (Catalans)

27 points: Marc Sneyd (Salford)

20 points: Ash Handley (Leeds), Liam Marshall (Wigan), Rhyse Martin (Leeds), Harry Smith (Wigan)

Disciplinary charges

Following Round Three of the Betfred Super League, the Match Review Panel have issued the following sanctions:

Adam Milner (Huddersfield Giants) - Grade B Head Contact - 1 Match Penalty Notice (Higher end of grade)
Esan Marsters (Huddersfield Giants) - Grade B Dangerous Contact - £250 Fine
John Asiata (Leigh Leopards) - Grade A Dangerous Contact - Not applicable
Konrad Hurrell (St Helens) - Grade B Head Contact - 1 Match Penalty Notice (Higher end of grade)
James Bentley (Leeds Rhinos) - Grade B Striking - 1 Match Penalty Notice (Higher end of grade)
 Justin Sangare (Leeds Rhinos) - Grade B Head Contact - £250 Fine
Peta Hiku (Hull KR) - Grade A Disputes Decision - Not applicable
Jack Brown (Hull FC) - Grade B Dangerous Throw/Lift - 1 Match Penalty Notice (Higher end of grade)