WRAP: 2024 Betfred Super League Round 7

A full wrap of Round 7 Betfred Super League with Rob McHugh and Rugby League Project.

All listed times are BST (UK local).

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

Leigh Leopards 12 Wigan Warriors 40
Venue: Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Leigh

Date: Thu, 4th April.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Wigan 20-6.   Referee: Jack Smith.   Crowd: 10,308.

Leigh: O'Brien, Hanley, Hardaker, Leutele, Charnley; Moylan, Lam; Norman, McNamara, Trout, O'Donnell, Halton, Hughes. Int: Nakubuwai, Davis, Dwyer, Chamberlain.
Wigan: Field, Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Thompson, O'Neill, Hill, Isa, Farrell, Ellis. Int: Mago, Leeming, Nsemba, Chan.

Leigh Leopards (12)
Tries: Ricky Leutele, Josh Charnley
Goals: Matt Moylan 2/3

Wigan Warriors (40)
Tries: Willie Isa, Bevan French, Jai Field, Liam Marshall, Abbas Miski, Harry Smith, Adam Keighran, Junior Nsemba
Goals: Harry Smith 4/8

Wigan Warriors got back to winning ways in the Battle of the Borough, following their Good Friday defeat against title rivals St Helens, comfortably seeing off Leigh Leopards 40-12.

While Leigh owner, Derek Beaumont fired off missives criticising the club's social media coverage from the director's box, his side continued to fire blanks on the pitch as they continue their wait for a second win of the season.

Wigan did not take long to open the scoring, working the ball to the right wing for Abbas Miski to dive in and score the game's opening try in the 8th minute, thanks to a pinpoint final pass from Jai Field. Field was then caught high by Matt Moylan, who received a yellow card in the 11th minute, reducing the Leopards to 12 men.

It was no surprise, therefore, when Wigan extended their lead in the 16th minute. However, the try scorer was a surprise, as Willie Isa collected a smart kick through to score his first try in three years. 

Field's influence on the game continued to grow and his break released Bevan French, who collected his own kick through, thanks in part to a kind bounce, to add Wigan's third. A sharp break from dummy half from Kruise Leeming put Wigan in again, with Leeming finding Harry Smith to score a simple fourth Wigan try in the 29th minute. Smith kicked 2 of the first 4 conversions to give Wigan a 20-0 lead on the half hour mark.

To this point, Leigh had struggled to get a foothold in the game, but Moylan's return from the sin bin lifted them, and he played an important hand in the Leopards first score of the night. Moylan kicked through for Charnley to chase. The ex-Wigan man showed good footballing skills to poke the bouncing ball through with his toe, which allowed Ricky Leutele to pick up and score. Moylan converted to make the score 20-6 in Wigan's favour at half time.

Any brief glimmer of hope Leigh had of mounting a comeback were extinguished in the 46th minute when Wigan scored the first try of the second half. Harry Smith intercepted 5 minutes from his own line, and offloaded well to Field, whose lightning pace saw him go the distance to score. 

Wigan then extended their lead in the 52nd minute, after Bevan French was denied by the video referee earlier in the set. French had stepped inside, wrong footing the defence, but was held up whilst trying to ground the ball. Wigan then spread the ball wide to the right, finding Adam Keighran who dived into the corner to score. Junior Nsemba then scored his first Super League try, finishing from close range after finding a gap in the Leigh defence. Smith converted 2 of these three tries to make the score 36-6.

Charnley scored a consolation try for Wigan in the left-hand corner, which was converted by Moylan, before Liam Marshall added the final points of the night after good work from Jake Wardle to release him. Wigan's win keeps them in touch with the leading group, whilst Leigh remain entrenched in the bottom half. With a significant number of players off contract at the end of the season, it may not be long before Beaumont turns his ire to shortcomings on the field.

Castleford Tigers 36 Salford Red Devils 24
Venue: The Jungle, Castleford

Date: Fri, 5th April.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Castleford 18-14.   Referee: Chris Kendall.   

Castleford: Broadbent, Simm, Hodson, Wood, Senior; Richardson, Miller; Hall, McShane, Watts, Mellor, El-Zakhem, Westerman. Int: Horne, Namo, Martin, Kibula.
Salford: Brierley, Nofoaluma, Macdonald, Lafai, Cross; Cust, Sneyd; Ormondroyd, Bourouh, Wright, Stone, Watkins, Partington. Int: Vuniyayawa, Atkin, Shorrocks, Mellor.

Castleford Tigers (36)
Tries: Innes Senior 4, Sam Hall, Brad Martin
Goals: Daniel Richardson 6

Salford Red Devils (24)
Tries: Ryan Brierley 2, Tim Lafai, Nene Macdonald
Goals: Marc Sneyd 4

Castleford produced the shock result of the weekend, picking up their first win of the season at home to Salford, thanks to an awesome foursome from Innes Senior.

Salford will be left wondering how they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, having led 24-18 in the second half. 

Salford opened the scoring through an early Sneyd penalty, before full back Ryan Brierley scored the first try of the night in the 12th minute, after being released by winger Deon Cross, with Marc Sneyd kicking the extras. 

Castleford soon struck back, thanks to a brilliant solo effort from Innes Senior, who scored his first of four tries. He evaded the Salford defence deep in his own half, running 75 metres to score, despite a valiant last-ditch effort from Brierley which nearly stopped him. 

With Salford hooker Amir Borough sin binned for a tip tackle on Alex Mellor, Castleford took advantage when Salford's defence were slow to react to a quick play the ball, and Samy Kibula put Sam Hall in to score from close range. When Jacob Miller kicked for Innes Senior to collect for his second try in the 32nd minute, the Tigers looked comfortable, leading 18-8.

Salford gave themselves hope on the stroke of half-time, however, through Tim Lafai's try after 38 minutes, thanks to quick hands from Sneyd and Brierley, with Sneyd converting to reduce the deficit to 18-14 at half time. 

Salford struck first in the second half, to re-establish their lead, thanks to a brilliant try from Nene McDonald. McDonald picked up the ball 30 metres from his own line, and none of the Castleford defence were able to match him for pace, as he went in to score, with Sneyd adding the extras to give Salford a slender 20-18 lead. Salford then capitalised on some weak Castleford defence, to further extend their lead through Brierley, and looked well placed to claim a fifth win of the season.

But Castleford, and Innes Senior, had different ideas, and it was Senior's second try from his own half which turned the tide, as he brushed off two Salford defenders to score from 50 metres out in the 57th minute. And when Brad Martin showed a good turn of pace and strength to score from a similar distance, in the 60th minute, the Tigers were back in the lead.

Danny Richardson added a late penalty, before Innes Senior scored in the corner, this time from close range, to make it four tries on the night and seal the points for the Tigers. Their victory leaves London as the only winless team in Super League and moves the Tigers above Hull FC into 10th. Results elsewhere mean that Salford remain in 6th place, on 8 points from 7 games. 

Leeds Rhinos 8 Warrington Wolves 34
Venue: AMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds

Date: Fri, 5th April.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Warrington 16-4.   Referee: Aaron Moore.   

Leeds: Miller, Roberts, Newman, Momirovski, Handley; Croft, Frawley; Oledzki, Ackers, Holroyd, McDonnell, Martin, Smith. Int: Lisone, McCormack, O'Connor, Goudemand.
Warrington: Dufty, Thewlis, Wrench, Ratchford, Ashton; Williams, Hayes; Harrison, Walker, Crowther, Nicholson, Fitzgibbon, Currie. Int: Powell, Bullock, Holroyd, Wood.

Leeds Rhinos (8)
Tries: Harry Newman, Luis Roberts

Warrington Wolves (34)
Tries: George Williams, Joe Bullock, Danny Walker, Matt Dufty, Josh Thewlis, Matthew Nicholson
Goals: Stefan Ratchford 5

Warrington Wolves went back to the top of the Super League temporarily, after securing a 34-8 win at AMT Headingley.

Whilst the final margin of victory suggests an uneven contest, Leeds were in the game for large parts and were partly the architects of their own downfall, making several errors, particularly in the first half.

Leeds took the lead in the 9th minute, thanks to a pinpoint kick from Matt Frawley, which allowed Harry Newman to outjump the Warrington defence to score. Leeds nearly extended their lead thanks to a spectacular effort from Ash Handley who broke from near his own line. 

Handley stepped inside and out to turn the chasing Warrington defence around and looked set to score. Equally spectacular, however, was the covering effort from Matty Ashton, who stopped Handley five metres short and dragged him into touch.

Warrington then levelled the scoring in the 18th minute, when a slick passing move from left to right found Matty Nicholson, who showed great strength and determination to hold off Paul Momirovski and score. 

The Wire then took the lead in the 30th minute, as England captain George Williams danced through two tackles to score, after good play from Ben Currie and Matt Dufty. Stefan Ratchford kicked the conversion to put Warrington 10-4 ahead. When forward Joe Bullock crashed over from close range in the 37th minute, Warrington had made the Rhinos pay for several sloppy errors to lead 16-4, with Ratchford kicking 2 goals from 3 attempts.

But when Leeds opened the scoring in the second half, it appeared that the game was not over. Receiving the ball 15 metres from the Warrington line, Brodie Croft ran to the short side, before playing a perfect kick through for Luis Roberts to collect and score in the right corner.

Leeds then thought they had scored again through Paul Momirovski, after a deft kick through to the left touchline from stand-in centre, Rhyse Martin. The try was overruled for a double movement, which frustrated the Leeds faithful, but was correct by the letter of the law. 

Warrington did not need another warning and proceeded to put the game to bed in emphatic fashion. First, hooker Danny Walker scooted over from dummy half at close range, the latest in a pattern of tries that Leeds have conceded in this manner and is something coach Rohan Smith needs to address. 

Then, in the 73rd minute, Williams threatened to offload the ball, before running and passing to Dufty with a no look pass, who burrowed over the line to kill off any threat of a Leeds fightback. With Leeds trying to force a way back into the game, Josh Thewlis intercepted a Croft pass and broke clear to score. Ratchford, having converted all but the first try, kicked his fifth goal of the night from the touchline to round off the scoring.

Warrington's win continues an impressive start to the season, which has seen them fall to just two defeats, home and away against Catalans Dragons. As ever with Warrington, they must now prove they can keep the pace with the competition's favourites, St Helens and Wigan to win silverware. 

For Leeds, this defeat is another reminder of the gulf of quality between them and the competition's top sides, leaving them in 7th place. Whilst they were not expected to be challenging for the top spot, hopes of competing for silverware appear to be drifting away, following an early Challenge Cup exit, much earlier than fans would expect after a significant investment in the playing squad over the close season. 

Hull KR 50 London Broncos 10
Venue: Sewell Group Craven Park, Hull

Date: Fri, 5th April.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Hull KR 40-4.   Referee: Liam Rush.   

Hull KR: Evalds, Senior, Hiku, Opacic, Hall; May, Lewis; Sue, Parcell, Luckley, Tanginoa, Batchelor, Minchella. Int: Whitbread, Storton, Reynolds, Hall.
London: Walker, Boafo, Storey, Miloudi, Macani; Leyland, Meadows; Kennedy, Davis, Stock, Lovell (C), Jones, Parata. Int: Butler, Makin, Hughes, Hoyes.

Hull Kingston Rovers (50)
Tries: Matt Parcell 3, James Batchelor 2, Ryan Hall, Kelepi Tanginoa, Peta Hiku, Mikey Lewis
Goals: Mikey Lewis 7

London Broncos (10)
Tries: Iliess Macani, Sam Davis
Goals: Oliver Leyland

A Matt Parcell hat-trick of tries and 18 points from star man Mikey Lewis ensured Hull Kingston Rovers ran out comfortable winners against the London Broncos.

Whilst London took an early lead, they never looked to be in with a chance against a strong KR side, and their wait for a first Super League win continues for another week.

The first try of the night was scored by London's Sam Davis, after a clever kick through from full back Alex Walker, in the fourth minute of the game. But their lead lasted less than 5 minutes, when Matt Parcell scored Hull KR's first try of the night. London tried a short goal line drop out, but only succeeded in knocking the ball down to Parcell, who scored a simple try from less than 10 metres out. Mikey Lewis added the conversion to give KR a 6-4 lead, which they never looked like relinquishing.

After taking the lead, Hull KR turned on the style, blitzing the London defence with 6 further tries before half time. James Batchelor scored from close range, after a neat offload from Tyrone Maty to extend their lead in the 19th minute, before Kelepi Tanginoa took in a neat inside pass from Niall Evalds to score a simple try. 

Ryan Hall took advantage of some sloppy defending to score the Robins' fourth try, picking up the ball at dummy half and running down the blindside to score effectively unopposed. 

Mikey Lewis then scored a great try of his own, stepping through the London defence on halfway before rounding London fullback, Walker to score under the posts. Parcell scored his second of the night, getting on the end of a break from Niall Evalds to add KR's sixth try of the night. Petr Hiku dummied his way through the line from 10 metres out to add the final try of the half, which gave Hull KR a 40-4 lead, with Lewis kicking 6 from 7.

Hiku turned creator as KR opened the scoring in the second half, with James Batchelor scoring his second try of the game. Hiku broke through the line and faced with the attentions of the covering defender Illiess Macani, chose to unselfishly pass to Batchelor for an easy score.

Macani did, however, manage to get himself on the scoresheet, after London took advantage of a loose ball in midfield, with Davis picking up before passing to Leyland, who found Macani. The winger still had plenty to do but had enough pace to score in the corner after a 40-metre run, with Leyland adding the conversion.

It was fitting, though, that Hull KR scored the final try of the night, and it was Matt Parcell who scored to complete his hat trick. Parcell picked up the ball from dummy half and put Lewis through a gap in the defence. Lewis passed the ball back inside to Parcell, cutting London's full back out of the defence, and he scored under the posts, with Lewis converting to make the final score 50-10.

Hull FC 22 Huddersfield Giants 56
Venue: MKM Stadium, Hull

Date: Sat, 6th April.   Kickoff: 3:00 PM.   Halftime: Huddersfield 40-10.   Referee: Tom Grant.   

Hull FC: Hoy, McIntosh, Scott, Sutcliffe, Martin; Charles, Smith; Ese'ese, Brown, Pele, Okunbor, Sao, Lane. Int: Brown, Cator, Laidlaw, Moy.
Huddersfield: Connor, Bibby, Marsters, Naiqama, Swift; Lolohea, Clune; English, Milner, Wilson, Murchie, Cudjoe, Yates. Int: Golding, Greenwood, Ikahihifo, Rushton.

Hull FC (22)
Tries: Liam Sutcliffe 2, Fa'amanu Brown, Franklin Pele
Goals: Jack Charles 3

Huddersfield Giants (56)
Tries: Adam Swift 3, Tui Lolohea 2, Kevin Naiqama, Esan Marsters, Jake Bibby, Luke Yates, Jack Murchie
Goals: Jake Connor 7, Tui Lolohea

Hull FC's woeful start to the 2024 season continued, as the Black and Whites suffered another drubbing at the hands of Huddersfield Giants.

Two weeks after losing 50-6 against the Giants at the MKM Stadium, Huddersfield again ran in a half century, this time registering a 56-22 win, a performance which saw the Giants score seven first half tries. 

Former Hull FC winger Adam Swift opened the scoring in the first minute, diving over in the corner after Matty English pushed through a gap in the defence, finding Connor who offloaded to Swift to score. At this stage though, the eventual margin of victory was not clear, as the teams traded scores in an entertaining opening period.

Hull FC hit back through Liam Sutcliffe's first try of the season, in the 9th minute, before Swift gave Huddersfield the lead again in the 15th minute, after Esan Marsters was quickest to react to a fumble by Hull FC's Lewis Martin, to send Swift away to score. 

Jack Murchie extended Huddersfield's lead in the 20th minute, collecting a deft kick through from Adam Clune before Sutcliffe got his second to give FC hope. Teenager Jack Charles showed some of his promise, chipping through for Sutcliffe to collect and score, cutting the Giants' lead to 8 points. But by the time the two teams went in for half time, the game was effectively over as a contest.

First, the evergreen centre, Leroy Cudjoe, exposed a defensive weakness on the Hull FC right edge, providing the assist for Esan Marsters to score in the 29th minute. Adam Swift then completed a first half hat trick in the 32nd minute, with Cudjoe again providing the assist for his winger.

At this point, Hull FC's inexperience line up, which included three teenagers, began to look ragged and Luke Yates took advantage, barging his way over to mark his 150th appearance with a try. On the stroke of halt time, Jake Connor broke through the line, releasing Kevin Naiqama to score, with Connor kicking 6 conversions from 7 attempts to give Huddersfield a 40-10 lead at half time. 

Hull FC opened the scoring in the second half through Fa'amanu Brown, who went over from dummy half, but they never looked like getting back into the game, as Huddersfield scored two tries through a quickfire Tui Lolohea double.

For the first, he won a foot rate with Hull FC fullback Tex Hoy, to score in the corner. For his second try, Lolohea had Jake Bibby to thank, as he selflessly passed for Lolohea to score on the inside. Jake Connor converted the first of the double, and Lolohea converted his own try for the second. In the interim period, Hull FC's day went from bad to worse, as Ligi Sao was sin binned following a late shot on Connor.

Hull FC scored a late consolation try through Franklin Pele in the 74th minute, but a second sin bin for Sao, meant Hull FC's afternoon went from bad to abject disaster. Jake Bibby added insult to injury adding the final try of the game with the last play, thanks to some quick footwork and a burst of pace. The kick was missed, meaning Huddersfield completed a comfortable 56-22 win. 

The win moves Huddersfield up to 8th place, with three wins from their first six and puts them what is developing to be a three team in a mini league, with Leeds and Salford, battling it out for the final play-off place in 6th. On the other hand, Hull FC now face a battle to win over their own fans, as the side left the field to a chorus of boos from the few hardy souls who remained. 

Catalans Dragons 14 St Helens 8
Venue: Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan

Date: Sat, 6th April.   Kickoff: 9:05 PM.   Halftime: St Helens 8-6.   Referee: Liam Moore.   

Catalans: Mourgue, Davies, Ikuvalu, Romano, Johnstone; Abdull, Fages; McMeeken, Da Costa, Navarrete, Sims, Séguier, Garcia. Int: Laguerre, Rougé, Satae, Maria.
St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Hurrell, Mata'utia, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; Walmsley, Clark, Delaney, Whitley, Sironen, Knowles. Int: Batchelor, Mbye, Bell, Wingfield.

Catalans Dragons (14)
Tries: Mike McMeeken, Matt Ikuvalu
Goals: Arthur Mourgue 3

St Helens (8)
Tries: Thomas Makinson, Jack Welsby

Catalans Dragons came out on top in the top of the table clash at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, defeating a St Helens side fresh off their derby day win against Wigan.

It was an intense, physical battle in the South of France, but strong a strong defensive effort from Alrix Da Costa and a tackle of the season contender from Arthur Mourgue laid the platform for a famous Catalans win.

The opening exchanges of the game were every bit as intense as expected, with both sides trading strong defensive sets. Catalans came closest to opening the scoring in the opening 10 minutes, through free scoring winger Tom Johnstone. After an injection of pace from Jordan Abdull and quick hands from Artur Romano, Johnstone dived for the corner. But a good defensive effort from Saints centre, Konrad Hurrell, meant Johnstone bounced the ball and the Saints escaped a dangerous situation.

After absorbing a period of Catalans pressure, Saints then broke, after a clever kick and chase from Jack Welsby. Winger Tommy Makinson looked destined to score, but the ball bounced wickedly and evaded him, although Saints kept the ball. Saints forced a goal line drop out, which the Catalans kicked short, and Saints regained possession. They worked the ball out to Bennison who appeared to have scored in the left corner but stepped into touch in the process.

Saints' pressure eventually told through, helped by a series of Catalans knock-ons, which gave Saints field position. From the base of a scrum, having previously tried the same move but used Sione Mata'utia for the final pass, this time Jonny Lomax passed behind Mata'utia to Welsby for a simple score.

Despite losing influential playmaker, Jordan Abdull, to injury in the 23rd minute, Les Dracs began to gain field position of their own and took the lead in the 31st minute. Mike McMeeken crashed over, following a short pass out of dummy half by Alrix Da Costa, who was a key part of the Dragons' defensive effort in the first half. Arthur Mourgue added the conversion to give Les Dracs a 6-4 lead.

But the Saints were not finished and struck on the stroke of half time through Tommy Makinson. A phase of play which started with a penalty to Saints 10 metres from their own line culminated with a slick passing move found Konrad Hurrell in space deep in the Catalans half. 

Hurrell released Makinson, who drove for the line. There was an air of controversy about the score, which was given on the field, without consulting the video referee, with the Catalans players arguing the ball was not grounded. Lomax missed both of his conversion attempts, meaning Saints took a slender two-point lead into half time with the score at 8-6.

Catalans injury problems mounted, as they lost Tom Johnstone early in the second half, following a worrying clash of heads with a teammate, whilst tackling Jack Welsby. Johnstone was out cold after the impact, but thankfully was able to walk from the field of play.

Saints were denied the first try of the second half, after a wonderful tackle from Mourgue held up Lewis Dodd when he seemed certain to score. The two sides traded sets without breaking through, until Lomax dropped pass 10m out, handing Catalans an excellent opportunity. Catalans worked the ball out to Matt Ikuvalu who cut through the Saints defence to score and give Les Dracs the lead. There was a question of obstruction in the build-up, but the Video Referee believed there was insufficient evidence to overrule the on-field decision to award the try. Mourgue converted the score, with some help from the post, to give Catalans a 12-8 lead, heading into the final 15 minutes.

The intensity of the game continued, and tempers threatened to fray late on after an altercation between McMeeken and St Helens youngster, George Delaney. The incident culminated in a Catalans penalty 40 metres from goal. But Mourgue was on target with 65 minutes to go, to give the home side a 6-point lead. 

Despite some late pressure from the Saints, the side from Perpignan held firm and registered a famous win. Perhaps most heartening for the game of Rugby League as a whole, was the key role played by the Dragons' spine of French players, in Mourgue, Fages, Rogue and Da Costa, who marshalled the team brilliantly in Abdull's absence. 

The win returned Les Dracs to the summit of the Super League table, with 6 wins from 7 games, with St Helens remaining in fourth on 10 points. This was a statement performance from a side who wish to go one better than last year's Grand Final defeat.

Table after Round 7

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

Stats leaders

Most tries

Most goals

Most points