The half-way round of Superleague XVIII proved as unpredictable as the British weather as Saints, Catalans and Hull KR found to their cost.

While the fight for top spot continues with gusto, the tussle to avoid the 2013 wooden spoon is also hotting up.

It was points a plenty as we saw sixty-six tries across our seven Superleague matches over a very busy weekend.

We take a look back at the action....


Four games took place on Friday night and we start our round-up with a comprehensive victory for Peter Gentle’s Hull FC over an increasingly forlorn looking London Broncos.

[PIC1]It was the visitors who had opened the scoring with a Cook try, converted by Witt, after just twelve minutes, but FC would have thirty-six points on the board before they the Broncos would score their second and final try of the game through Witt.

Crooks and Whiting tries, both converted by Holdsworth, gave the Airlie Birds a narrow 12-6 lead and there was still some hope for the Broncos, but this was quickly snuffed out in the second half with a procession of tries for the Black & Whites.

Crooks, Briscoe (2) and Yeaman all had their tries converted by Holdsworth for a 36-6 lead before the Broncos consolation on sixty-one. The knife was turned further before the final hooter with tries from Westerman and O’Meley being converted by Crooks to give him a personal haul of twelve points and a 48-12 victory to lift the home side to sixth spot as the weekend ended.

[PIC2]Probably the biggest shock of the weekend was at Langtree Park where the Saints continued their downward spiral to eighth in the league at the hands of Widnes Vikings. Saints have now gone over a month without a win, including being dumped out of the Tetley's Challenge Cup.

Saints had opened the scoring through Thompson, but Pickersgill, Owens (2), Clarke, and Marsh all scored for a rampant Vikings before the half-time hooter. Four conversions by Owens were only answered by a single Laffranchi try for Saints, and the Red Vee’s trailed by 28-12 at half-time in front of an increasingly disgruntled eleven and a half thousand fans.

An early second half try for Gardner was converted by Makinson, but the Vikings extended the lead through a Mellor try, and Craven conversion on fifty-six. A small Saints comeback would see them with a second half win, but overall another terrible and unexpected loss.

Puletua and Walmsley would both score before the final hooter but a free flowing Vikings side recorded a brilliant 35-28 victory thanks to a Craven drop goal on seventy-six putting the comeback beyond Saints reach.

The Leeds Rhinos travelled to Odsal Stadium to play the Bradford Bulls after the two sides fought out an 18-18 draw earlier in the season, thanks to a brilliant Bulls comeback.

Leeds weren’t going to make the same mistake twice and got off to the best of starts with early converted tries from Watkins, Achurch and Ablett before Evans snatched one back for the home side.

McGuire and Bailey, returning fresh from a four game suspension, both grabbed tries before half time and with Sinfield converting both it was the visitors who had a commanding 30-6 lead going into the interval.

Kear and Kearney both scored within the first quarter of an hour in the second half to give the home supporters some hope of another comeback but Hardaker and Ablett, with his second, put the two points safely on the bus for the return to Headingley.

Another Kear try in the last minute gave the score line a sheen of respectability at 42-22 but it was still a convincing win for the Rhinos, their sixth consecutive win since the draw with Bradford, and their eighth consecutive unbeaten game.

Brian Noble returned to his old stomping ground to see his Salford Reds side take on the Wigan Warriors but there was no fairy tale ending as his new side crashed to a 46-6 defeat which continued the Warriors reign at the top of the pile.

Salfords only score of the game was a seventy-ninth minute try from Walne, converted by Sneyd, but not before the Reds had conceded nine, four pointers to a red hot Warriors.

The home side were without Pat Richards who picked up an injury last week but it was no deterrent as Charnley kicked five goals and scored two tries to step into the Aussies boots.

The game was over in the first half as tries from Charnley, Flower, Gelling, Tomkins and Farrell (only the last one converted) gave the Cherry & Whites a 22-0 lead.

The second half procession continued with scores from Charnley (2nd), Mossop, Tomkins (2nd) and Green to give a final result of 46-6 and give Noble and Koukash much food for thought as their side slipped back to the bottom of the table.

[PIC3]Few would have suggested a Wakefield Wildcats win over the Catalans Dragons in advance of Saturday nights match and anyone who did would not have predicted such a comprehensive win.

Despite Larroyer giving the Dragons an early lead, tries from Fox, Kirmond and Cockayne gave the Belle Vue side something to cheer for at half time as their side led 18-6.

Second half scores from Fox and Kirmond, both with their second of the game, were both converted impeccably by Lee Smith for 30-6 before a second try for Larroyer, with twelve minutes remaining, was mere consolation for a Catalans side who seem to have lost their early season steel.

A great win for Agars side, which leaves them two points out of the play-off places with a game in hand.

There were two games played on Sunday afternoon and the most mouth-watering prospect was the Huddersfield Giants at home to the Warrington Wolves with second against third (at the start of the weekend). The two sides would finish the weekend in the same places, but Tony Smiths side narrowed the gap to just a point with a comprehensive win over the Giants.

[PIC4]McGillvary had given the home side the best of starts when he went over after four minutes but three minutes later it was Higham who levelled the scores. Waterhouse (2), and Ratchford gave the Wolves a commanding 22-6 lead against a lacklustre Giants and as temperatures boiled over in the early summer sun the Giants were reduced to twelve men as Brough was sent to the sin-bin for arguing with referee Thaler.

Hodgson extended the lead in the second half before a Leeming debut try got the Giants into double figures. Warrington got the last try of the game on sixty-eight through Atkins for a big 34-12 win and a leapfrog back over the Rhinos into third place.

The Giants are descending back into their ‘hit and miss’ midseason form, their fans will hope that it is ‘hit’ for next weeks visit of the Rhinos in the Challenge Cup tie of the round.

Arguably the best match of the weekend took place at Wheldon Road where the Castleford Tigers, under the management of Danny Orr for probably the last time, took on Hull KR who were looking to oust Saints from the top eight.

The game was nip and tuck from minute one with KR taking an early lead through Lovegrove, squared by Boyle for the Tigers. A Salter try looked to have given the Robins a 12-6 half-time lead, but Carney squared up the scores in the dying seconds for 12-12 and it was clear that this game still had a lot to offer and play for.

Salter scored within a minute of the re-start for the visitors before Shenton, Walker and Tansey accelerated the Tigers to a 32-18 lead with ten minutes to play.

A Caro try on seventy-six turned out to be mere consolation as Orr’s side hung on for a famous 32-24 win and lifted themselves to twelfth in the league, above London and Salford.

Another great weekend of thrills and spills, shocks and upsets. Now for the fifth round of the cup!