Super League

Friday's Super League rugby match between the Catalans Dragons and St. Helens Saints began in a rather unexpected way when a bull ran on to the field at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan, France.

The bull broke free during warmups and dragged a man before running towards players on the field. Some players jumped over the advertising boards to protect themselves.

Handlers eventually regained control of the bull once it slowed down. No injuries were reported.

WOW!!

The new warm up at @DragonsOfficiel have really been spiced up at home this season!!!#Bullsintown #SkyRL pic.twitter.com/IwYM2xqYT5

— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) May 5, 2023

Three bulls and two cows were supposed to take a lap of honor around the field prior to the game as part of an event to honor local livestock. The event was organized in partnership with a local meat-processing plant that is owned by the Catalans chairman Bernard Guasch.

The Dragons went on to defeat the Saints 24-12. They sit fourth in the Super League with a 7-0-4 record and 14 points.

St Helens remain top of the Super League table despite Wigan's 45-4 Thursday thrashing of Salford, which moved the Warriors back into second spot.

Saints have the opportunity to put themselves four points clear of old rivals Wigan if they can beat Hull FC on Friday, but Leeds are also just two points back and face lowly Bradford in Round 23.

Elsewhere, fourth-placed Castleford face a theoretically easy task against already-relegated London Broncos, while Warrington take on Catalan Dragons in a fine matchup.

Let's take a look at the current standings and updated fixtures with most of Round 23 still left to play.

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Points
1	St Helens	22	17	0	5	703	460	34
2	Wigan Warriors	23	16	0	7	765	365	32
3	Leeds Rhinos	22	15	2	5	598	303	32
4	Castleford Tigers	22	14	2	6	676	449	30
5	Warrington Wolves	22	14	0	8	636	421	28
6	Huddersfield Giants	22	13	2	7	642	526	28
7	Catalan Dragons	22	11	1	10	581	583	23
8	Widnes Vikings	22	10	1	11	507	629	21
9	Hull KR	22	9	2	11	547	545	20
10	Wakefield Wildcats	22	9	1	12	441	600	19
11	Salford Red Devils	23	8	1	14	474	599	17
12	Hull FC	22	7	2	13	526	483	16
13	Bradford Bulls	22	5	0	17	382	842	4
14	London Broncos	22	0	0	22	314	987	0

Date	Time	Fixture
July 31	8 p.m. BST	Wigan Warriors 45-4 Salford Red Devils
Aug. 1	8 p.m. BST	Hull FC vs. St Helens
Aug. 1	8 p.m. BST	Leeds Rhinos vs. Bradford Bulls
Aug. 1	9 p.m. BST	Catalan Dragons vs. Warrington Wolves
Aug. 3	3 p.m. BST	Wakefield Wildcats vs. Huddersfield Giants
Aug. 3	3 p.m. BST	Widnes Vikings vs. Hull KR
Aug. 3	3.30 p.m. BST	Castleford Tigers vs. London Broncos

Salford Play-Off Hopes Slim

Defending Super League champions Wigan did Salford absolutely no favours as they pummelled the Red Devils on Thursday, Anthony Gelling scoring a hat-trick in the process.

Salford remain four points from a play-off spot with four games remaining, and all the other potential contenders have a game in hand, including eighth-placed Widnes.

Sitting in 11th position, they will likely have to win all of their remaining games, although three of those four are against play-off rivals Widnes and Wakefield as well as London Broncos.

However, they face a tough task to reach the play-offs, and if results don't go their way this weekend, Salford's season could effectively be over.

Wigan coach Shaun Wane was mighty impressed with the way his side responded after last week's shock loss to relegated Bradford, per Sky Sports:

I'm really proud. It's been a real tough week, probably our toughest and most honest since I've been head coach and they responded well. It was a very satisfying win. We wanted to stand up and be aggressive and we were. We were pretty ruthless.

Wigan will hope to finish the season well and are still very much in with a shout of topping the table ahead of the play-offs, but they must also make sure they get a top-four finish.

Saints' Injury Worries

Table-toppers St Helens have a whole host of injury concerns ahead of Friday's clash with Hull FC as they look to finish the season strongly and maintain top position.

Australian scrum-half Luke Walsh is set for a lengthy layoff after a broken leg suffered in last week's win over Widnes, a huge blow per the Guardian's Andy Wilson:

Half-back Lance Hohaia, full-back Jonny Lomax and loose forward Jon Wilkin are also out for some time, leaving Saints short of men for the crucial closing stages of the regular season and potentially into the play-offs.

St Helens coach Nathan Brown is philosophical about the injury concerns, suggesting there is very little to be done about them, and he has set plans in place for the Hull game with Jordan Turner and Gary Wheeler set to fill in the half-back positions, per Sky Sports:

At the moment that would appear to be our best, most stable, option. They both played there last week. Gary has played a number of games earlier in the year in that position and Jordan has filled in a couple of times this year and done a great job. He's also played there a number of times for Hull.

Hull FC are unlikely to pose Saints much of a threat having endured something of a barren run in terms of victories of late, their last win coming in early June.

However, a late-August meeting with Leeds Rhinos could prove more of a challenge. The two sides are likely to be challenging for top spot with only two regular-season games remaining.  

Manchester's Etihad Stadium played host to this year's Super League Magic Weekend, which saw 14 sides go head-to-head in seven clashes over the weekend. Saturday saw four matches, with the highlight being a clash between defending Super League Champions Wigan Warriors and 2012 Grand Final winners Leeds Rhinos. 

Wakefield Wilcats	12-50	Castleford Tigers	12.30pm BST
Huddersfield Giants	54-16	Bradford Bulls	14.45pm BST
Warrington Wolves	41-24	St Helens	17.00pm BST

Sunday saw the conclusion of the Super League's Magic Weekend with three more matches, and while none would end up being a particularly close affair, the fantastic weather and strong action still made the afternoon a rousing success amongst the fans.

Castleford Tigers 50-12 Wakefield Wildcats

Tigers will move up to third in the Super League standings following an absolute trashing of rivals Wildcats, emphatically ending a two-game losing streak.

Wakefield got the first good chance of the match inside of five minutes with Paul McShane coming dangerously close to scoring, but that would be the only time Wildcats would truly threaten their opponents as they were overrun for most of the afternoon.

Daryl Clark took advantage of bad communication in Wakefield's back line to open the scoring before Justin Carney scored a beautiful try, evading a number of defenders before barging his way into the corner.

Perfect weather conditions meant Tigers could pass the ball almost at will, and their opponents simply couldn't come up with any stops. Jordan Tansey and Michael Shenton both added easy tries before half-time, putting their team up 22-0.

Shenton scored early in the second half to really put this match to bed, taking advantage of a great pass from Mark Sneyd, who put in a dominant performance with numerous assists and two tries of his own in the second half.

Coaching Castleford to their first win in three tries, Daryl Powell expected this match to be much closer, per the BBC:

The scoreline was a blow-out, particularly with the try at the end.

I expected it to be close after looking at Wakefield's last two games. The conditions were made for us and once we get on the front foot we played some superb rugby.

Wakefield got 12 points but defensively, it was a great effort. It continues the consistency of what we have been delivering which was pleasing.

Mark Sneyd is playing really well and he has some quality as a player. We will talk to Salford and see where that goes but he is doing a great job for us.

 As we near the half-way mark of the Super League season, Castleford really needed to break out of their funk in order to keep their position in the top six. A big win over a struggling Wakefield squad was exactly what the club needed, giving the players a much needed boost heading into the next match.

Their rivals are amongst the bottom-feeders in the Superleague, chasing Widnes Vikings by eight points in the chase for the play-offs. Following yet another blowout loss, it seems very unlikely Wildcats will be playing any role of significance later in the year.

Huddersfield Giants 54-16 Bradford Bulls

Sunday's second match was as much of a blowout as the first, with Giants absolutely thrashing Bulls. The Yorkshire Evening Post's Peter Smith thought it unfortunate the last day of the Magic Weekend would play out like this:

Giants came into this match having won four in a row and took a 10-6 lead midway through the first half, before an explosion of tries shocked their opponents.

Nine different players scored for Huddersfield, including half-back Danny Brough, who also added nine conversions. Bradford shockingly took the lead through Danny Addy, but the celebrations were short lived.

A late try from Jodie Broughton made it 24-10 before half-time, before Giants absolutely exploded in the second half. Luke Robinson and Brough were simply too much to handle for Bulls, and in trying to slow the two halves down, the rest of the Huddersfield players took advantage of the space Bulls were now leaving.

Giants are now firmly positioned in the top six and look to be round into form at just the right time as they push for the play-offs. Bradford have won just three matches all year, and like Wakefield, their season appears to be all but over.

Warrington Wolves 41-24 St Helens

Wolves recorded a very important win over second-ranked St Helens, upsetting the favourites 41-24 as they closed the gap with Vikings to just two points.

Sunday's third and final match wasn't an exciting fixture either, with two tries within the first 10 minutes giving Warrington a solid lead to defend. St Helens had to wait for their first points until just before half-time, at which point they were already trailing 18-0.

Rhys Evans and Gene Ormsby stole the show early for last year's Grand Finalists, who never really looked worried as the Saints failed to capitalise on a handful of good chances at the end of the first half.

The second half started with another flurry from Warrington, scoring two tries and two goals withing the first 10 minutes after the re-start, and by the time St Helens started to build some momentum they were down 36-6.

The Saints would mount a furious comeback, closing the gap to 36-24 at one point, but Wolves never really looked like they were in trouble, and a late try from Joel Monaghan effectively ended the match.

St Helens will keep their spot in the top two for now but can't be too excited with the trashing they received from a suddenly surging Warrington squad, who will look to build on the momentum of this match as they make their push for the top six.

Here's all the action from a barnstorming first day of action in Manchester. 

London Broncos 22 - 24 Catalan Dragons 

Catalan Dragons opened the weekend's action with a narrow victory over bottom side London Broncos. The side from the capital have lost all 13 of their ties this season, but could have snatched a draw here had Josh Drinkwater converted his own try at the death. 

As it was, the Dragons recorded their third straight victory at the Etihad over Broncos. Thomas Bosc was instrumental to the French side's cause, converting the four tries in a performance that ultimately steered the Catalans home. 

The game had started brightly for Joe Grima's men who opened the scoring through a Mason Caton-Brown try. The Perpignan side responded through Vincent Duport courtesy of a lofted Bosc kick. Elliott Whitehead grabbed his first of the game for the Catalans soon after, pouncing on the loose ball. 

Ian Ramsdale is pessimistic about Broncos' survival hopes, as he tweeted.

Jeff Lima sent them further ahead with another try, but Broncos rallied and Caton-Brown notched a second score before James Greenwood followed him over the touchline.

But their response lacked momentum and Whitehead responded for the French with his second try ten minutes before the end. There was still time for Drinkwater to cross the line, but the scrum-half missed the chance to send Broncos level when he sent his conversion wide. 

Dragons head coach Laurent Frayssinous was magnanimous in victory following the match, and told the BBC:

We were lucky. Lucky enough to win the game. I don't think we deserved more than them even though we created good opportunities.

We came back to win, I cannot be happy but at least we move forward in the table.

We were smashed by Warrington last week and today we didn't play great but we got the point.

Grima has yet to pick up a point with the Broncos this season, and believes a number of factors contributed to the Etihad defeat, as per BBC Sport:

I can't question the integrity and courageousness in defence, we're giving up so much weight advantage to the opposition and the conditions suited Catalan.

In saying that, we were our own worst enemy. We had a chance to consolidate our field position in that last eight minutes and then they scored.

The penalty count and the errors are a worry because we're a high penalised team and where we are in the table we're not doing ourselves any favours.

 

Widnes Vikings 30 - 24 Salford Red Devils

Widnes Vikings claimed their first Magic Weekend victory with a closely fought victory over the Salford Red Devils. 

Paddy Flynn notched two tries for Widnes, with Jack Owens, Chris Dean, Lloyd White and Rhys Hanbury also adding their names to the scoresheet.

Salford scored though Junior Sa'u, Rangi Chase, Matty Ashurst, Danny Williams and Francis Meli and indeed had led at various points throughout this compelling encounter. 

It was only Flynn's second try that secured victory for the Vikings, and even that left a nail-baiting final few minutes for coach Denis Betts who saw his side survive Salford's final set of six tackles. 

Betts was delighted following the victory, as he told BBC Sport:

There's no question about the character of this team, but to see it coming out in that situation was fantastic.

We lost Danny Craven in the first 30 seconds and then we lost Jon Clarke 15 minutes into the game. We lost all our attacking shape virtually. We were all over the shop attacking-wise.

What you saw today was a really good team effort. I'm really proud of them.

 

Hull KR 38 - 24 Hull FC

It's been a busy weekend for Hull's sports teams, but after Hull City's 3-2 defeat in the FA Cup final, there was at least a guarantee of a Yorkshire victory in this city derby.

And it was Hull KR who emerged victorious on Saturday. Hull FC were swimming against the tide in the second half after Jason Crookes was dismissed for a high tackle.

Ade Gardner and Liam Salter scored two tries for Hull KR with Kevin Larroyer and Josh Hodgson also touching own.

Hull FC responded with tries of their own through Dean Hadley, Jamie Shaul, Danny Houghton and Iafeta Paleaaesina but in truth they were well beaten by their city rivals.

Hull KR coach Craig Sandercock spoke to BBC Sport following the game:

For us it was about the performance today and making sure we did the little things well, and we did that for periods.

We weren't at our best but it's two points and they're like gold in this competition.

I was concerned when they scored some soft tries but I thought if we got decent ball there was a chance to score points.

Liam Salter is in dizzy land at the moment but we don't play until Sunday so he's got time to recover, but he's a tough East Hull lad and he was standing at the end.

Wigan Warriors 18 - 14 Leeds Rhinos

Wigan concluded the Saturday of Magic Weekend with a narrow victory over Leeds, ending a run of seven successive victories for the Rhinos. 

Blake Green and Anthony Gelling made sure that the Warriors were 12-4 up at half-time, with Ryan Hall replying for Leeds.

Fresh from his performance for the Catalan Dragons earlier in the day, Leon Pryce tweeted this:

In what was a stormy encounter, three players were shown yellow cards in the first half. Onee of those, Michael McIlorum crossed to ensure a Wigan victory. Despite a Rhinos response through Carl Ablett and Hall it was not enough to deny Wigan a deserved victory. 

Nevertheless Leeds remain at the head of the table, one point ahead of St Helens, who can go top if they beat Warrington at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow. 

1 - There's something wrong at the John Smith's

Another week, another defeat for Huddersfield, as last season's table-toppers remain unable to rekindle their form of 2013. 

A Thursday night trip to the KC Stadium to face Hull FC was Paul Anderson's men's task last week, and it was a task they spectacularly failed. 

The Huddersfield coach believes his squad are good enough to come out the other side, but the difference between the Giants of 2013 and Giants of 2014 is drastic enough to warrant a bit of worry. 

Hooker Shaun Lunt's post-match tweet: "It's not about how you start the season it's about how you finish it! Nothing won in April…" is the kind of response you'd usually expect to hear from a fan. 

He may well be right, but it certainly isn't an excuse for performing so poorly at the start of the season, given the team's previous record at the business end of the season.

2 - You don't win anything in April

The most obvious of contradictions from point number one, but the sad fact of Super League is that you don't win anything in April—far from it. 

Warrington are suffering from a poor start, highlighted by a home loss to Hull KR—their fourth in eight games so far this season.

But, as Leeds have shown on so many occasions in the past, it's about timing your form at the right end of the season. 

Perhaps the new Super League format might change teams' perceptions on hitting the ground running.

3 - The Saints of old are back

A late fightback from a St Helens team riding on the crest of the wave? It's almost like we're back in the early noughties. 

Friday's clash between Castleford and St Helens was a top-of-the-table encounter that lived up to expectations, with Nathan Brown's side needing a late revival to snatch the two points. 

The Saints got out of trouble with a drop goal in the Challenge Cup last weekend, and they showed good temperament to maintain their 100% record against the Tigers. It's a good sign for them, but a daunting prospect for all the other trophy-chasing sides in Super League.

4 - Wins bring fans

It would appear that French fans can be just as fickle as their English counterparts, if Catalan Dragons' recent crowds are anything to go by.

Their home tie against Huddersfield a few weeks back—when they hadn't won a Super League game in their first six matches—drew in a crowd of just over 6,000. 

Fast forward two weeks, chuck in a couple of wins and a spirited performance at Wigan, and just shy of 10,000 people are packing out the Stade Gilbert Brutus against Widnes.

As an attendant of the aforementioned Giants game, the partisan nature of nearly 10,000 Catalans is a particularly unnerving thought. 

5 - Bulls in need

It was always going to be a tough ask for Bradford to turn around a six-point deduction, but following two wins against fellow strugglers Wakefield and London earlier on in the season, it seemed like they would soon be back in the black. 

However, defeats to Hull FC, Huddersfield, Hull KR, Widnes and Salford mean that Bradford remain in the minus. 

With London seemingly doomed for relegation, the Bulls still have six points to make up in order to catch Catalan and Wakefield, who are joint-third bottom. 

If they're going to avoid dropping into the second-tier, they need points and fast.

Wigan Warriors produced a comeback for the ages as they recovered from a disastrous five-minute spell in the first half to claim an eventual 30-16 victory against the Warrington Wolves in the Super League Grand Final on Saturday.

A stunning second half from Wigan, led by the New Zealand-bound Sam Tomkins, saw them recover from an early 16-2 deficit to storm to a victory that their fans at Old Trafford could scarcely believe, as they completed the double after Challenge Cup success earlier in the year.

Tries from Darrell Goulding, Michael Mcllorum, Josh Charnley, Blake Green and Pat Richards got the job done, with the fortunes of Green and Richards proving symptomatic of their side’s rise.

Green was given oxygen on the pitch inside the first minute after taking a punch to the face from Ben Westwood, a transgression for which the Warrington player was only put on report. Richards, meanwhile, was outjumped by Joel Monaghan for the game’s first try and then produced a poor error for the second minutes later. Both responded to that adversity with impressive second-half displays.

With 15 minutes remaining and the score poised at 18-16 in Wigan’s favour, Green sold Adrian Morley a beautiful dummy and dived in underneath the posts—allowing Richards, whose kicking had been uncertain in the first half, to notch another conversion.

Richards—one of a number of players returning to the Southern Hemisphere after the game—confirmed the victory beyond any doubt with the 169th try of his Wigan career, as Sean O’Loughlin’s long pass skipped two men and found him in the corner.

“That’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life,” Green, the man of the match, told Sky Sports afterwards. “Nobody really thought we could win the double, and it’s just a great effort tonight.

“We knew that the game would turn eventually, and we just hung in there. It’s lucky it turned for us.”

By the 60-minute mark, Warrington seemed to have no answer for Wigan’s attacking verve, perhaps restricted by the loss of full-back Stefan Ratchford, who was forced off after a dangerous tackle.

But in the first half, it had been a different matter. Joel Monaghan, Simon Grix and Ben Westwood all scored in the space of five minutes, with the evergreen Lee Briers pulling the strings.

Monaghan, one of the dominant wingers in the sport, rose above Richards to grasp Briers’ cross-field kick with one hand inside the try zone, bringing it into his body and putting it down for the score in one fluid movement of impressive athleticism.

Grix and Westwood then followed as Wigan made life difficult for themselves, but Mcllorum’s try before half-time gave them hope. The second-half display was emphatic.

“It’s unbelievable,” Tomkins added at the final whistle. “There’s a few of us leaving, and they spoke about a fairytale ending for us.

“The greatest game of my life, that one.”

In the Challenge Cup final that never was, this Saturday brings audiences the third encounter between Wigan and Warrington that many may have thought would have come at Wembley in August.

Two of the Super League's top-four finishers this year, both English outfits have come through their share of obstacles along the route to Old Trafford.

Last week, the Warriors and Wolves each saw off substantial opposition, defeating Huddersfield and Leeds at the semi-final stage of the competition, respectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1LTI4s-_38

"The Wire" are unbeaten against Wigan this season, winning at the Halliwell Jones Stadium before earning a 17-17 draw at the DW Stadium later in the campaign.

That being said, form can tend to count for nought in finales such as this, with what promises to be a league extravaganza waiting just around the corner.

What: Wigan Warriors vs. Warrington Wolves

Where: Old Trafford, Manchester

When: Saturday, September 5

Time: 6 p.m. Local Time (BST)

Viewing Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK, coverage begins at 5 p.m. BST)

Stream: SkyGo (Subscription required)

Wigan Warriors: Player to Watch

Sam Tomkins

In his final appearance in the cherry and white of Wigan, Sam Tomkins will be looking to leave an even bigger mark on Super League rugby before departing to join the New Zealand Warriors.

Tomkins confirmed the move himself via Twitter:

Speaking to BBC Sport earlier this week, the Warriors fullback stated that it would be by far “the greatest moment of my career” if he were able to not only captain his side at Old Trafford, but win the match, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8JrUYSjv_M

During his five years as part of the Warriors' setup, Tomkins has been a breath of fresh air to the European game and is sure to set the pitch alight as long as conditions allow this weekend.

Opposite the Southern Hemisphere-bound 24-year-old is Warrington's Stefan Ratchford, who could pose a serious challenge to Tomkins, irrespective of emotional context.

Warrington Wolves: Player to Watch

Adrian Morley

Another fan favourite of his side departing for new pastures after this season is the Wolves' Adrian Morley, who’ll soon bid farewell to Warrington before joining the Salford Red Devils.

Now 36 years of age, Morley has been with his current club for two Challenge Cups and a League Leaders' Shield triumph, but The Wire's captain is yet to add a Super League title to his locker.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Morley said: “It would be the icing on the cake, definitely. Just making the Grand Final is an achievement, and to play in the Grand Final for my last game is great, but to get the win would be a bit special.”

One can expect to see the forward as eager as anyone else to get ball in hand come Saturday, as another player looks to bow out of this section of his career with a bang.

The Super League is reaching its final stages over the next month, but there are still some vital games to be played. The League Leaders' Shield could be decided this weekend, and after that it will be all about the playoffs and the Grand Final.

We've looked at the remaining fixtures of the regular season and picked out some key battles in the race for Super League supremacy.

Huddersfield Giants vs. Wakefield Wildcats

Simply put, this game could decide the Shield. A win would guarantee Huddersfield the hubcap for the first time in 81 years.

With Shaun Lunt returning from the shoulder injury that's kept him out of action for a month, the Giants are also going into the game with no injuries.

It's not an exaggeration to say that it's the most important game in the history of the club, so there should be massive home support. Despite their strong performances all year, the home crowds have fallen short of expectation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mFY_M3sOhQ

The watching faithful have the chance to witness history here, so every Super League fan in Yorkshire owes it to themselves to get to the game.

Wakefield will obviously be out to ruin the whole thing, however. Speaking to the Wakefield Express, skipper Danny Kirmond had no sentimentality for the occasion:

We’re going there to crash their party. Hopefully they’ll be a little bit more excited and ready to party so they’ll be off their game a little bit.

They’ve done really well to put themselves in a position to win the league now but we’ll be going there to crash it, definitely.

Having played there before I’m pretty happy for them how well they’ve done in the league this year but definitely, on an individual part, I don’t want to be going there and seeing them winning the league when I’m taking my team there to get a victory.

Even if it falls short of being historical, it promises to be a great game.

Wigan Warriors vs. Leeds Rhinos

If nothing else, this game will feature some of the coolest kits ever seen on a rugby field. Both Wigan and Leeds will sport shirts that replicate the costume worn by Henry Cavill in Man of Steel for their final game of the season. 

These limited edition shirts may be immediate collector's items, but there could be more important things at stake.

Both teams currently sit in playoff positions with identical records and will be look to exert a level of dominance before starting their run at the title.

The Rhinos welcome back Danny McGuire, Ryan Bailey and Jamie Jones-Buchanan for the game against the Catalan Dragons, which is absolutely essential to their playoff run.

As noted by the Yorkshire Post, those three players have 18 Grand Final winner's medals between them and will be calm in such an intense environment.

Bradford Bulls vs. Huddersfield Giants

When these two teams met over the Magic Weekend, Huddersfield crushed Bradford 42-6. The Bulls never seemed to match the tempo of the game and the Giants were simply able to power through them.

In March, however, Bradford inflicted a 42-18 defeat over the league leaders, so they know they can beat them.

What gives this contest an extra edge is that Bradford's playoff hopes are now over, as they sit just out of contention in ninth place. They will be keen to show they are a team to watch next year.

The versatility of Danny Addy was recently finally rewarded with a new two-year contract and the Bulls followed this up by signing St. Helens stand-off Lee Gaskell.

It's clear that Bradford are beginning to set higher goals for themselves and a second win over the league leaders would ensure they're heading in the right direction.

Saturday sees the rugby league Challenge Cup final between Hull FC and Wigan Warriors take place at Wembley Stadium.

Despite being a predominantly northern sport, the final of the most prestigious cup competition in English rugby league is traditionally held at the national stadium.

The Super League remains in full flow but the Challenge Cup takes the spotlight this weekend as thousands of fans from Yorkshire and Lancashire descend on the capital.

Who: Hull FC vs. Wigan Warriors

Where: Wembley Stadium, London, England

When: Saturday August 24 at 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET)

Watch: BBC One, 2:15 p.m BST

Preview

Hull go into Saturday's match with a Wembley hoodoo to overturn, having never emerged triumphant from England's most famous venue. Their last Challenge Cup victory, against Leeds in 2005, came at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Wigan, on the other hand, have more recent success in the competition, having lifted the famous trophy in 2011 after a 28-18 victory over Leeds Rhinos.

Hull forward Joe Westerman will be playing in his first final since joining the club from his local team Castleford Tigers back in 2010.

He told BBC Sport:

This is why I left Cas [Castleford]. I feel it finally justifies my move. Players can go 10 or 15 years in their career and never play there [Wembley]—this is my chance.

No matter how I imagine it, I expect on the day it will be even better than I've dreamed.

Westerman will not be the only one excited for Saturday's clash, with both coaches set to lead their teams into a final at Wembley for the first time.

Warriors coach Shaun Wane was handed a new, extended contract earlier this week and he has the perfect opportunity to celebrate it by winning his first piece of silverware at the club.

Despite lying third in the Super League table, Wigan have been in poor form recently, losing five of their last seven league fixtures.

But Wane is completely focused on Saturday's game. He told the Wigan's official website:

The Challenge Cup final is big for the club, big for the town and all the spectators and we are all keen to go out and create history and bring back the cup.

Hull head into the final in excellent form, having won three successive games since beating Warrington Wolves in their Challenge Cup semi-final.

This followed criticism from Hull owner Adam Pearson about his side's league form, something coach Peter Gentle has addressed in spectacular fashion. 

In an interview with The Independent, Gentle said of Saturday's final:

With [Hull boxer] Luke Campbell's gold at the Olympics and Hull City going back into the Premier League, this is a tremendous time for sport in our city. We want to play our part.

Shannon McDonnell, Tom Lineham, Ben Crooks, Kirk Yeaman and Joe Arundel are all injury doubts for Hull, while Sean O'Loughlin looks likely to be fit enough to captain Wigan.

The two sides met earlier in the season with Wigan winning 28-20 at the KC Stadium. They will also meet in their return league fixture just six days after Saturday's final.

Prediction

Although Wigan remain favourites, they won't be able to shrug off their poor form against a Hull side buoyed by five wins in their last six games. Expect a tight affair and an upset for Gentle's men.

Hull FC 28-24 Wigan Warriors

Following Wigan Warriors' 70-0 thrashing of the London Broncos in the first Challenge Cup semi-final, one place remains to be filled for August’s Wembley final.

On Sunday, Super League sides Hull FC and Warrington Wolves will look to secure a spot in what promises to be an epic finale, with the latter entering the fray as firm favourites.

Tony Smith’s Wolves side have been buoyed by the return of several key players in recent days, while Hull have had to endure a few potentially match-deciding absences of late, which only adds to their underdog status.

That said, these two sides remain amongst the world’s finest in terms of rugby league standing and nonetheless promise to offer up a few game-deciding encounters come kickoff.

Joseph Arundel vs. Chris Riley

Ben Crooks has been the jewel in the Hull FC crown for some time now, impressing massively with his 20-try contribution to the club’s Super League cause this season.

That was before the 20-year-old starlet picked up a season-ending ankle injury that’s sure to rule him out of contention even if Hull were to book a spot in the final.

As a result, it’s quite possible that Joe Arundel will be the man to step in alongside Tom Lineham to take Crooks’ place, where he’s likely to face Chris Riley should that be the case.

Nobody can expect the stand-in to produce the same extravagance as his fellow youngster teammate, but that’s not to say the 21-year-old Arundel isn’t capable of his own moments of magic.

It’s more likely, however, that Arundel will concentrated on his defensive duties, restricting the Warrington outside-backs from making too much progress up the centre and providing a platform for the likes of Joel Monaghan and company to work from.

Riley has been a key attacking presence for The Wire this season, featuring in almost every game across all competitions and providing a contribution of 14 Super League tries along the way.

Daniel Holdsworth vs. Richie Myler

Having recovered from injury last week, Daniel Holdsworth is without doubt the most important asset returning to Peter Gentle’s side this weekend, as was announced by BBC Humberside via Twitter.

The Australian half-back gives Hull FC a much more assured presence from the breakdown, and offering a more consistent supply to the back-line.

Looking to spoil that supply, though, will be Holdsworth’s opposite man, Richie Myler. The Warrington No.7 was unavailable for his side’s quarterfinal win over Huddersfield and was replaced by veteran Lee Briers.

However, England international Myler looks set to slot back into the Wolves’ line-up for the trip to the John Smith’s Stadium, making for a very interesting engagement between these two.

Even though the pair aren't particularly likely to come into direct contact all that often, individually their contributions will be decisive to their respective team’s hopes of victory.

Joe Westerman vs. Ben Westwood

Earlier in July, it was Ben Westwood and another Super League back rower, Huddersfield’s Brett Ferres, who had a massive hand in deciding their Challenge Cup quarter-final clash through their carries, tackles and an all-round leadership.

With Westwood winning that clash, it’s Hull’s Joe Westerman who will next attempt to overthrow the Warrington regime in Huddersfield.

In a tale of old versus young, seasoned versus green, 32-year-old Westwood will feel he has an edge in experience against 23-year-old Westerman, but that doesn’t make their individual clash any less interesting.

Given his age, Westerman is undoubtedly the more versatile and dynamic of the pair and could get around the park that much more. However, it is Westwood’s potency in each move he is involved in that provides his advantage.