Fresh from their win at Hull FC last weekend, securing the Minor Premiership, top of the table were at the Halliwell-Jones to take on their nemesis, St Helens, in the play-off semi-final.

The Wolves home form against Saints is dreadful, losing their last seven encounters and with only two home wins against their near neighbours since the start of Super League.



Saints know what it takes to get to a Grand Final, having featured in ten of the eighteen finals, and they welcomed back James Roby into the form side in competition.

Warrington also had a returnee in the shape of Kurt Gidley, adding strength and experience in the halves.



It would be the end of the season for one of these sides, the other would be starting preparations for a trip to Old Trafford and the Grand Final.

Langtree Park was the venue as St Helens looked to secure their top four spot and finally close the door on the chasing Catalans Dragons.

A win by fifteen points or more would see them into third, ahead or arch rivals Wigan Warriors.



With no chance of a top four finish, the Castleford Tigers were playing mostly for pride, but a win tonight would see them climb into fifth spot ahead of the Dragons before of their trip to Wakefield on Friday night.



Saints have been victorious in both games between the two sides this season and were be looking to build upon last weekends big win over Challenge Cup winners, Hull FC.

Saint Helens all but sealed their top-four place tonight with a 31-10 over league leaders and last week's Cup winners Hull FC.



That leaves them seven points ahead of sixth-placed Castleford, who beat local rivals Wakefield 36-22 this evening, with just six points to play for for both teams.

Coming into the original derby match, Wigan Warriors were entertaining a Saints side who have won their last seven, and who knew that a win tonight would lift them above their old enemy into the all important fourth spot.



A win for the Warriors would send them four points clear of the Saints and come close to sealing their own top-four finish and a place in the play-offs.



Saints were still fuming over the suspensions of Luke Walsh and Luke Thompson but Wigan had their own problems and came into the Game without skipper Sean O'Loughlin and Dom Manfredi.

It what was essentially a play-off for the play-offs St Helens welcomed the Catalans Dragons to Langtree Park for an encounter which would either see the Saints pull four points clear in fourth spot, or put the Catalans back on level terms with five rounds left.



Saints are unbeaten in their last six, their last loss coming on the road at tonight's opponents, the Catalans Dragons.

The Dragons managed a win last week to halt a six game losing streak which stretched all the way back to that win over the Saints in early June.

The Dragons were also victors when the two last met in St Helens.



The rest of the season was on the line for both clubs.

The super eights got underway with the meeting of Warrington Wolves and St.

Helens at the Halliwell-Jones Stadium, as second entertained fourth in the quest of a top four finish.



Honours have been shared so far this season, with both sides winning away from home, the latest encounter being the 26-4 win to the Wolves at Langtree Park in early June.

Saints had won their last five going into this one whereas Warrington are unbeaten in their last seven.



Prior to tonight the Wolves had only beaten Saints once at the HJ but they were flying high after securing their Challenge Cup final place in last weekends win over Wakefield.

Wigan Warriors welcomed St.

Helens for the latest instalment in the worlds oldest derby and with the Super Eights being just around the corner both sides were desperate for the two points.



Wigan needed the points to keep up the pressure on Hull FC who kicked off against Salford Red Devils at the same time.

A win for Saints would see them into the top four, at least until the Dragons last game of the first phase of rounds at Widnes on Sunday.



Saints were unchanged from last weeks winning side but Wigan had John Bateman returning after a long club instigated suspension, but skipper Shaun O'Loughlin, and full-back Sam Tomkins, were back in the starting line up as over twenty thousand crammed into the DW Stadium.

It was fourth against fifth as Saints travelled to the south of France to take on the Catalans Dragons.

The home side needed a win to take second place, two points behind league lading Hull FC but a loss for Saints would see them losing touch with the battle for a top four finish.



Pat Richards was back for the home side after missing last weeks win at Leeds Rhinos, and Nathan Percival returned for Saints after their mauling by Warrington last weekend.

Warrington Wolves visited their bogey side St Helens needing a win, and hoping that Hull FC would slip up at home to Widnes Vikings, to enable them to return to the top of the table.



Despite losing the majority of games against Saints, Langtree Park is a happier hunting ground where the Wolves have picked up a number of wins including the last match between the two teams in Super League.

Saints needed a win to keep in touch with the top four, a loss could see them six points off the pace at the end of the evening.



Both sites were without a handful of stars, but there was the expectation of a close game.

Two sides came into Magics' game five with two very different motivations.

A win for the Saints would see them join four other sides on twenty points at the top of the pile, but a loss for the Giants would mean that it would be very difficult for them to make the top eight ahead of the split.



Saints had won their last three in Super League but none of them convincingly whereas Huddersfield narrowly lost to the Dragons last week after consecutive victories over fellow strugglers Leeds.

The tie of the sixth round of the 2016 Ladbrokes Challenge Cup saw a high flying Hull FC travel to The home of the cup kings, St Helens as the BBC cameras descended on Langtree Park.



With just one defeat in the last eight Super League outings Hull have made it up to third place on the ladder, two points above fifth placed St Helens.



With Castleford, Catalans, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Warrington, Widnes and Wigan already booked safely into this evenings quarter final draw, would it be Hull or Saints would be joining them? Saints were clear favourites with the bookies, but Hull were confident of maintaining their current run of wins.

Saints are having an inconsistent season and after last weeks loss at home to the Catalans Dragons, their fourth consecutive home loss, they are in sixth spot in Super League.

But a big home win against the struggling Leeds Rhinos could see them up to fourth by the end of the evening.



The Rhinos had the confidence boost of a close home win over Hull FC last weekend but were still without many first teamers including; McGuire, Moon, Hall, Cuthbertson and Briscoe.

Saints have had their own injury problems but welcomed back a handful of players including Lomax and Vea.

Catalans Dragons are increasingly looking like the 'real deal' in 2016 and they took a five game unbeaten run to Langtree Park.

They were taking on a Saints side who are struggling to find form and consistency, but who were on a high after last weeks win over league leaders Warrington Wolves.



It was second against sixth and an unlikely sixty point win would see the Dragons top of the pile overnight.

But in a close season where only six points cover the top nine sides, a sixty point win for the Saints would see them above the Dragons and into second spot.

After both suffering Good Friday defeats, the Vikings and the Saints were both looking to salvage some points from the Easter period when the two sides met in Widnes for this afternoon’s game.



Widnes needed a win to keep in touch with top spot and the side who beat them on Friday, the Warrington Wolves, while two points for Saints could see them up into fourth, depending on the outcome of the Wolves visit to Hull FC.

The much heralded return of Danny McGuire was thwarted by his failing a late fitness test but the Rhinos did welcome back Ablett, Delaney and Moon as changes to the side that lost to Wigan last weekend.



Saints were slight underdogs with the bookies, but with a win of any margin enough to see them up into third ahead of the Warriors, going into Good Friday’s derby there was plenty of motivation for the Red Vee to get the two points.



Leeds were desperate for the two points to avoid slipping further behind the leading pack.

Two sides, who've not had the best of starts to 2016, clashed at the KC Lightstream Stadium in East Hull as a Hull KR side, under the temporary coaching of Willie Poching, took on Kieron Cunninghams' St Helens.



The Robins and Chris Chester parted company after last weekends loss to Wakefield Wildcats, their seventh consecutive Super League loss, and Poching stepped up as caretaker coach.

Saints have lost their last two including the shock loss at Salford Red Devils and the 38-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters last Friday.



Both sides had points to prove, and seasons in need of a kick-start.

Two sides, who've not had the best of starts to 2016, clashed at the KC Lightstream Stadium in East Hull as a Hull KR side, under the temporary coaching of Willie Poching, took on Kieron Cunninghams' St Helens.



The Robins and Chris Chester parted company after last weekends loss to Wakefield Wildcats, their seventh consecutive Super League loss, and Poching stepped up as caretaker coach.

Saints have lost their last two including the shock loss at Salford Red Devils and the 38-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters last Friday.



Both sides had points to prove, and seasons in need of a kick-start.

The three game Dacia World Club Series got underway at Langtree Park last night as the Saints played hosts to the Sydney Roosters, as the northern hemisphere looked to take an early lead against one of the top Southern Hemisphere sides who have topped the table in each of the last three seasons.



Saints were still smarting from last weekends big and unexpected defeat at the hands of a devastating Salford Red Devils.

The Roosters side was full of household names and red-hot favourites with the bookies to open the Australian account.

Many Saints fans were praying for a close game and no repeat of the embarrassment of last years nilling at the hands of South Sydney.

A big win for Saints, and a big loss for Salford, in last weeks opening round of Super League XXI suggested that tonight's game at the A J Bell Stadium was a foregone conclusion.

Saints are second favourites to end the season top of the pile, but only Wakefield are less favoured by the bookies than the Red Devils.



Kieran Cunninghams' Saints were without the services of Roby, Lomax and Burns, and with The Red Devils coach Ian Watson the latest to be in the Marwan Koukash firing line, he'd have been hoping his side could capitalise and show a vast improvement over last weeks losing performance at the KC Stadium.



But few people were prepared for what they were about to witness.

An Old Trafford Grand Final next Saturday, against the Wigan Warriors, was the prize on offer as league leaders the Leeds Rhinos welcomed fourth placed St.

Helens to a packed Headingley, swelled by supporters wishing to witness the last home games of Rhinos legends Sinfield, Peacock and Leuluai.



This was the fifth meeting between the two sides in 2015 with the Rhinos having three wins under their belts, but the last meeting was at Headingley at the start of September in the Super 8s when Saints ran out as 32-18 winners, a week after the Rhinos had picked up the Challenge Cup at Wembley.



The Rhinos were firm favourites with the bookies, but only a fool ever writes Saints off.