Martin Blondel, Kevin Sinfield and Steve Ball received honours for their work with charties and communities within and outside of the sport this week.

Martin Blondel MBE
Long time Steve Prescott Foundation General Manager has been honoured for his services to the community.

It was sixth against eleventh as Hull Kingston Rovers played hosts to the Salford Red Devils in a truncated round nine which saw the postponement of two of tonight’s fixtures at Huddersfield and Leeds due to positive COVID tests and required self-isolations.

While the Robins couldn’t leapfrog their near neighbours Hull FC after last nights win over the Castleford Tigers, they could keep up the pressure on the black and white half of the city as both sides chase a play-off place finish.

Salford had the chance of going above Wakefield Trinity if they could secure their second win of the season by a large enough margin, but the bookies thought that unlikely, giving them an eight-point start on the handicap coupon.

Fresh from their stunning Challenge Cup semi-final win over the Warrington Wolves, the Castleford Tigers were looking to add the scalp of losing semi-finalists Hull FC as they sought the win in the ‘Rainbow laces’ round which would lift them above tonight’s opposition and into fifth place in the Super League 2021 table.

FC were the favourites with the bookies, despite being away from home, but there wasn’t much in it as the Tigers were only given a four-point start on the handicap coupon.

Castleford gave a debut to promising seventeen-year-old youngster Jason Qareqare (pronounced Garygary) on the wing and had Peter Mata’utia at full back in place of Niall Evalds, one of five changes from the side which won last time out.

Hull will have to do without the services of Josh Griffin for some time after he ruptured an Achilles in the semi-final loss.

The most eagerly anticipated Wednesday night of the year had arrived as the crowd packed into the Townsville Queensland Country Bank Stadium, TV’s across the Antipodes were switched on, cold tinnies were opened, and the World settled back to be royally entertained by the opening State of Origin encounter between New South Wales and Queensland as the 2021 series got underway.

Queensland regained the shield in 2020 after losing out to New South Wales in the previous two seasons but it was the Blues who were strong favourites with the bookies, despite the Maroons being at home in front of a deeply partisan crowd.

There was only one real certainty, it was going to be a sensational game.

After not being able to buy a win in the opening weeks of the 2021 Super League season Wakefield Trinity, under the coaching of Chris Chester, seem to have turned a corner and recorded good wins in their last two outings.

Leigh Centurions, on the other hand, remain pointless in the 2021 season after being promoted into the spot vacated when the Toronto Wolfpack were thrown out of the competition and came into today’s game knowing that this was one game in their fixture list that they would have had as a ‘must win’ coming into the season.

Assistant coach Kurt Heggarty has stepped into the role of head coach at the Centurions after they cut short the tenure of John Duffy earlier in the week in the hope of turning around their fortunes.

The Warrington Wolves were bookies favourites, giving eight points on the handicap coupon, as they looked to deal another blow to their embattled future manager at the Castleford Tigers in booking a Wembley date with St Helens.

Daryl Powell’s men were thrashed by the Leeds Rhinos last time out and he knew that a big defeat today may well hasten his departure from his current tenure.

Wolves coach Steve Price had a point to prove and would dearly love to deliver the minimum of a Challenge Cup final and ideally a Challenge Cup trophy as he departs at the end of the season.

On paper it was an intriguing fixture.

A week after Saints and Hull FC met in their round eight Superleague encounter the two sides went toe to toe again as they faced up in the semi final of the Challenge Cup at the Leigh Sports Village with the Airlie Birds looking to avenge their 34-16 loss and take their place at Wembley Stadium for the final.

Hull had Andre Savelio in for Joe Cator and changed Cam Scott for Jordan Johnstone on the bench.

Saints gave a debut to Dan Norman, off the bench in place of Agnatius Paasi while Tommy Makinson was back for Mark Percival and Regan Grace for Josh Simm.

Few but the most ardent of Airlie Birds fans could see past a Saints win, the bookies included, but the Challenge Cup is a strange beast.

The first major final of the year, the Women’s Betfred Challenge Cup Final saw the York City Knights take on St Helens at the Leigh Sports Village.

Neither side had appeared in a previous Challenge Cup final, Saints having despatched holders Leeds Rhinos in the semi-finals while York were the surprise package in this season’s competition having seen off Castleford Tigers to get to the final.

Saints were the massive favourites to lift the trophy, in its ninth year, after running in an average of over seventy-five points a game while conceding just six points in total in their opening three games while York have struggled a little with just the one league win under their belts.

With Toulouse Olympique XIII once again having their game postponed, this time against Newcastle Thunder, there were six games making up the remainder of Round Eight of the Betfred Championship and on a competitive weekend the biggest winning margin turned out to be just twenty-two points.

All of the games took place on Sunday afternoon with three o’clock kick-offs.

Batley played basement club Swinton, Bradford were at home to York, Halifax welcomed Featherstone and Dewsbury made the long trip to face the London Broncos with the remaining two fixtures being between Oldham and Widnes, and Sheffield versus Whitehaven.

The Huddersfield Giants had their hearts set on sixth spot as they travelled the short distance to take on Wakefield Trinity who were in the market for their second win of the season after a great win ove Hull KR last time out.

The Giants were the favourites to get the win with the bookies, having being given an eight point handicap on the coupon, as they looked to go sixth by overtaking the Castleford Tigers on the league ladder after their Friday night massacre at the hands of the Leeds Rhinos.

These West Yorkshire derbies are often tetchy affairs for which the form book can be torn up and tossed aside, it was an intriguing battle in prospect.

One team was going to break their 2021 duck as the Warrington Wolves took on the Bradford Bulls in round four of the 2021 Women’s Super League.

Prior to today these two sides had only managed thirty-four points between them in five games while leaking two hundred and fifty-eight against much stronger and more established opposition.

Both sides came into the competition dessperate for a win to start their campaign and knowing that they needed to pick up points from games like this as pickings would be spare when they took on the more established sides in the competition.

 

The competitions two form teams met in Perpignan as the Catalans Dragons took on the league leading Wigan Warriors in the Saturday evening fixture.

Wigan had top spot to lose and the Dragons looked to make it three teams at the top all level on points percentage.

Wigan were the favourites for the win but you can never underestimate Catalans on their home turf and in front of their own vociferous supporters.

There was only one possible winner as top took on bottom with the all-conquering Penrith Panthers taking on the struggling basement dwelling Canterbury Bulldogs at the Bluebet Stadium in Penrith.

The Bulldogs have just one win all season while the Panthers haven’t lost a single game in 2021 in a winning streak which has seen them dominate all before them, running in an average of over thirty points a game while conceding an average of less than ten.

Trent Barrett knew that it would take something extra special for his side to get anything from the game and all week he must have been planning simply on how to mitigate the damage from Ivan Cleary’s sensational side.

After Saints crown slipped in the south of France last weekend when they lost their first game of the season, they knew that a home game against Hull FC awaited them on their return to blighty.

A win for FC would put them within a point of both Saints and the Catalans Dragons and level on win percentage with the Wolves but unless they ran in plenty of points it wouldn’t lift them from fifth in the table.

A loss for Saints would drop them further down the table in advance of the Dragons v Warriors match tomorrow afternoon.

Saints were big favourites with the bookies but there was the added emotion for both sides of the game being the first leg of the Steve Prescott Trophy in 2021 as the great man was honoured once again.

Fourth against eleventh was the fare on offer as the Salford Red Devils welcomed the Warrington Wolves to the AJ Bell Stadium, as they looked for their second win of the season against a Wolves side looking to cement their place in the top four.

Both sides made changes, Salford after suffering a nail-biting defeat against the Warriors last Saturday, and Warrington who ran out convincing 38-14 winners over the Castleford Tigers later that afternoon.

There were fans from both clubs present with Warrington as massive favourites, but wary that Salford are a very good side and due a change in fortunes, particularly after their great performance last time out.

The Leeds Rhinos welcomed fans back to Headingley for the first time in 444 days as they hosted the old enemy in the form of the Black and Whites of Hull FC.

The Rhinos escaped with the points last time out thanks to a golden point win over Wakefield Trinity but for the evening kick-off they welcome back Richie Myler and Zane Tetevano, the later after a four game suspension.

Hull declared Adam Swift fit to play after getting injured last week and Bureta Faraimo made his return.

A big win for FC would lift them into the top four but they knew that the Rhinos were also looking to gain a couple of places if they could get a convincing victory in front of their much smaller than usual home crowd.

There were six games scheduled for round seven of the Betfred Championship after the game between the Dewsbury Rams and Batley Bulldogs was postponed until sometime in July.

Swinton travelled to play Toulouse on Saturday afternoon, a prospect which they cannot have been relishing while all of the other games took place on Sunday, the majority with three o’clock kick-offs.

York were at home to Oldham, Widnes to Whitehaven, Newcastle hosted Halifax and Bradford made the trip to London while the late kick off was between the Sheffield Eagles and Featherstone Rovers.

Fans were back in the Leigh Sports Village to welcome their Leigh Centurions to the field as they hoped to secure their first win of the season against fellow strugglers the Huddersfield Giants and lift themselves off the bottom of the table.

The two sides have met this season in the Betfred Challenge Cup, the Giants winning by 36-18 in the game played in April, but the last Super League encounters were back in 2017, Leigh winning their home game by 30-0 while losing at Huddersfield by 26-4 later in the season.

The Giants were favourites for the win with Leigh being given a twelve-point start on the handicap coupon.

Without doubt, the top game of round eleven of the NRL was the match between the fourth placed South Sydney Rabbitohs and top of the table and unbeaten Penrith Panthers as the visitors looked to go four points clear of the chasing pack, Paramatta still to play their eleventh round game.

Penrith have recorded big points wins in their last two outings while leaking an average of under eight points per game, the Rabbitohs really up against it despite being just three places behind the visitors on the league ladder.

Mitchell was back for Wayne Bennet’s Rabbitohs after serving a suspension with Josh Mansour also back in the side, while Ivan Cleary moved Stephen Crichton to full back and Paul Momirovski into the centres.

Two of Super League’s form sides met at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan as the Catalans Dragons welcomed the league leading and unbeaten St Helens to play a game in front of a thousand Dragons supporters, the first time fans had been allowed into the ground since last September.

Saints were the favourites for their seventh win of the 2021 season, but the Dragons were old given a six-point start on the coupon as a competitive game was forecast.

The Dragons knew that they would need to start brightly to avoid the thrashing that they had suffered in their last two encounters with the Saints but with Sam Tomkins and Samisoni Langi both being withdrawn after the warm-up, Steve McNamara was forced into some potentially unsettling team changes very close to kick-off.