The latest round of matches in the Super League XXVIII season continues on Friday evening when three more fixtures take place as we begin to set sail for the end of the regular campaign and every match gaining in significance.
As ever on a Friday night we have one match on the TV which is a poignant and important one with it raising awareness for MND. The other two take place at the same time so we shouldn’t be short of updates on them in the TV coverage. We’ll begin the preview with the TV game.
Leeds Rhinos vs Huddersfield Giants (20.00 – Sky Sports Arena)
In many ways there are more important things to worry about then rugby league at Headingley on Friday night and the Leeds Rhinos will hope that takes the pressure off them and allows them to play their best when they host Huddersfield Giants.
Both teams go into this match refreshed after sitting out the Challenge Cup quarter finals last week and both probably needed that break too. Leeds went into it having lost to the bottom two in the league in their last two outings and in truth they weren’t competitive in either match. They have got Aidan Sezer back which means that Richie Myler can go back to full-back which should help but this is a Leeds side, who having lost their last four matches, who really need a confidence boost. Huddersfield Giants aren’t faring a great deal better and are the biggest disappointment of the season so far but Ian Watson has spoken about getting his spine onto the pitch and two weeks off will have allowed them to take stock and work out where they are going wrong. This one is probably all about whichever team starts the best because you would imagine heads will drop when one falls behind. I was more impressed by the Huddersfield defeat to Warrington last time out than any Leeds performance for a while. It feels to me like it is inevitable Leeds will switch coaches again and I can’t be backing them until that has happened, certainly at odds on. I’ll take the value in the Giants here.
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Castleford Tigers vs Warrington Wolves (20.00)
There is an interesting clash at The Jungle on Friday night when the Castleford Tigers host their former coach Daryl Powell and his Warrington Wolves side with the visitors looking to get their campaign back on track after a disappointing spell.
That spell concluded with a very tame loss to Wigan in the cup on Sunday afternoon. They were facing 12 men for more than 70 minutes in that match but at no stage did they look like ever winning the cup tie. They shot themselves in the foot on nearly every occasion that they had the ball in hand and it was a reminder that they can’t be trusted when they are expected to win. Their excellent start to the season feels like a distant memory after three defeats in four in all competitions. The issue with taking Warrington on in this match is the Tigers haven’t shown anything to suggest that they can be trusted. There were hopes that their win over Leeds at the Magic Weekend will spur them into life but that form hasn’t worked out well and they reverted back to type when being thrashed by Salford last time out. The only reason to side with Castleford in this match would be the short Warrington turnaround and while there could be merit in that I’d need to see more from them on the pitch to get involved. I’ll leave this alone.
Hull KR vs Wakefield Trinity (20.00)
The other match comes from Craven Park where the Challenge Cup semi-finalists Hull KR will look to build on the euphoria of their win in the cup when they host to a Wakefield Trinity side, who having taking 15 matches to get a first win of the season will be going for two in two.
That win will have given Wakefield a lot of confidence but Leeds were probably ideal dance partners for them at the time and there is little sign that Hull KR will be as kind to them. Hull KR are still carrying a number of injuries and the enforced retirement of Lachlan Coote this week serves as a reminder of that, but despite that they are getting the job done more often than not. Things have gone quiet for Rovers in Super League recently so they will need the morale of that cup win to serve them well here. I expect Hull KR to win this match but after playing in the cup last week this will be all about getting back to winning ways rather than running up the score against a Wakefield team who might be more competitive having finally got a win under their belts. I’ll let this one play out however it ends up doing so.
Tips
Back Huddersfield Giants to beat Leeds Rhinos for a 3/10 stake at 2.30 with Spreadex
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