We will find out the first team who will compete in the Super League XXVIII Grand Final next week on Friday night when the Catalans Dragons host St Helens an incredibly tasty looking opening semi-final of the weekend.
These two met in the Grand Final two seasons ago but only one will head back to the Theatre of Dreams and with the way these two play their rugby we are all set up for a pulsating semi-final with the prize that is on offer.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Showcase and Sky Sports Mix channels with the build-up beginning at 7.30pm ahead of the 8pm kick off.
Catalans Dragons
Having finished second in the regular season, the Catalans Dragons have the luxury of coming into this semi-final with home advantage and having had last week off to nurse any bumps and bruises and formulate a game plan to come out on top in this semi-final. They only knew their opponent as recently as Saturday but I would imagine they would have been expecting to face St Helens and they have got exactly that.
We have become accustomed to seeing Catalans blow sides away on home soil throughout their Super League campaign. That isn’t going to happen here because Saints are too good for that so they will need to make sure that they keep their discipline, which they can lose from time to time. The other thing they will need to ensure is that their defence steps up to the mark. Chances don’t come easily in these semi-finals so the last thing they need is to gift points at the other end.
St Helens
St Helens did not have the luxury of the week off last week but they continued their momentum with a relatively comfortable win over the Warrington Wolves to book their spot in this semi-final. The one thing we know about St Helens is they know how to play semi-finals. They are very strong in knockout football, although they were edged out by the Leigh Centurions in the last four of the Challenge Cup, so they will be eager to make sure there is no repeat of that.
It is usually at this stage of a season where St Helens play their best stuff and while their attack hasn’t been running up the score for much of the campaign, the old adage that defences win championships is very much a mantra the champions subscribe to and their defence is looking very tight at the minute. St Helens will need all of their defensive skills and semi-final experience if they are going to come out on top here.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THE SUPER LEAGUE! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Team News
Catalans Dragons have Mitchell Pearce back for what would be the last game of his career if the French outfit lose. Manu Ma’u and Julian Bousquet are available as is Matt Ikavalu but Micky McIlorum is suspended.
There will be no Joe Batchelor or Dan Norman for the champions as they head to France. They have been replaced in the 21-man travelling party by young forwards Matthew Foster and George Delaney.
Betting
I am expecting a real tough, hard-fought semi-final where points are at a premium here. I wouldn’t put anyone off taking under 32.5 points but that line is a little lower than I’m comfortable taking even though I would expect it to land if I was forced to bet on the game. The other feeling I have is that St Helens are a massive price in this semi-final given that the Dragons only finished above Saints on point difference this season but Catalans having won both meetings so far this season puts me off that.
That leads me to my go to bet when these keenly contested knockout matches come along and that is for the scoring to be opened by a penalty. That is exactly what happened when fourth hosted fifth last week and I see no reason why second and third won’t go the same way. Any tries in this match are going to be so tough to come by that any chance to put points on the board will surely be taken. You can get 9/2 on Catalans to open the scoring via a penalty and 13/2 on St Helens to go the same way. A point on each would yield a healthy enough profit should it land so that’s my way into this semi-final.
Tips
Back First Scoring Play – Catalans penalty for a 1/10 stake at 5.50 with Bet365
Back First Scoring Play – St Helens penalty for a 1/10 stake at 7.50 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2023
