It’s not only the Easter Bunny that’s bringing the treats this week. The Easter break is always one of the most eagerly awaited periods of the Super League season. As well as all the mountains of chocolate you’ve got lying in wait, you’ll also be left salivating at all the mouthwatering top-flight rugby league encounters that lie in store.
Easter weekend is also known as Super League’s ‘Rivals Round’ when old foes go toe-to-toe and often fist-to-fist in some titanic and ferocious clashes. In the past, teams played two games during this holiday period, but in more recent times, we’ve just had one round scheduled, containing fiercely contested and high octane match-ups. With every Super League match screened live on Sky Sports this round and throughout the season, you can sit back, relax and work off your choccie coma watching some top quality egg-chasing action. Here we check out some of the upcoming highlights from the ‘Rivals Round’.
Embed from Getty ImagesCastleford Tigers vs Leeds Rhinos (Thursday 20:00)
We kick of the Easter weekend Super League proceedings with a West Yorkshire derby scrap at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle (or for the rugby league traditionalists, Wheldon Road). Castleford will be hoping a match-up against their local rivals will kickstart their season. The Tigers narrowly escaped relegation last season and they haven’t started any better this term. Cas have lost all five of their opening Super League clashes, including two heavy wide-margin defeats at The Jungle. They did register their first win since September 8th last weekend though, when beating Championship outfit Batley in the Challenge Cup.
Three-time Super League champs, the Leeds Rhinos, haven’t finished higher than 5th in the previous six seasons. Lifting the Challenge Cup in 2020, helped paper over the cracks for a while, but couldn’t hide the fact that the Rhinos have been on the slide recently. They missed out on the Playoffs last season, and It’s been a mixed start this term. They come into this clash on the back of successive defeats against St Helens (in the league and Cup).
Leeds would thump Cas 46-0 at the backend of last season at Headingley. The first time the Tigers had gone pointless against their West Yorkshire rivals since August 2011. It hadn’t been all doom and gloom for Cas though, as they had beaten Leeds twice earlier in the season. Once during Magic Weekend in Newcastle and then on home turf at The Jungle. They also had a home win against Leeds during 2022.
Castleford v Leeds: Match Prediction
Leeds haven’t been firing on all cylinders this season, but with Cas conceding on average 35+ points a game in the Super League (41 at home), it could be the perfect opportunity for the Rhinos to finally go on the rampage.
Embed from Getty ImagesHull KR vs Hull FC (Friday 12:30)
Hull will come to a standstill as Hull KR host their city rivals Hull FC at Craven Park in the early game this Friday. The Robins were dominant, running out 22-0 winners, when the sides met at the MKM Stadium in the Super League season curtain-raiser last month. A current Super League season high attendance of 20,014 saw Hull KR romp to victory that day and we can expect another bumper vocal crowd at Craven Park this time.
The Hull sides first clashed competitively way back in 1899. Hull KR ran out 8-2 winners in front of 14,000 at Craven Street. The rivals have met in total 244 times, with the Black & Whites winning 124 games to Hull KR’s 110 (& 10 draws). During the Super League era, the head-to-head record has been closer with Hull FC coming out on top in 24 of those encounters. The Robins have won just two less, 22. Including this season’s opener, Hull KR have won 3 of the previous 5 derbies, but none of their wins came at this Friday’s venue and their home patch of Craven Park.
Hull KR are the in-form side of the two this season, with three league wins from their five starts. They also thumped Salford 40-0 in the Challenge Cup last week. It’s been a tough start for Hull FC, who are the current joint-lowest scorers in the Super League. Tony Smith’s men have scored 12pts or less in 5 of their 6 starts this season, including last week’s Challenge Cup hammering by Huddersfield. The Black & Whites only success came against Super League whipping boys, London, and even then, it was only by a 4pt winning margin.
Hull KR v Hull FC: Match Prediction
Hull FC are usually pumped up for a Craven Park run out, but the Robins look to be a class above this season. They won by 22pts in the first Hull derby of the season last month and are expected to win by the same or more on home turf.
Embed from Getty ImagesSt Helens v Wigan Warriors (Friday 15:00)
Fast on the heels of the Hull clash comes the biggest Super League derby of the lot as the two North West based giants, St Helens and Wigan, lock horns at a packed-out Totally Wicked Stadium. As well as being a geographical rivalry, they’ve also been two of the biggest names in the sport over the years. Saints have been the most successful side during the Super League era, being crowned champions on 10 occasions. They won four titles on the bounce between 2019-2022. However, Wigan are the reigning holders. They finished top of the 2023 table and backed that up with a Grand Final victory over Catalans.
Home advantage has proved a decisive factor when these two Super League giants have clashed in the past couple of seasons. Saints won the last two against Wigan at the Totally Wicked Stadium, 34-16 & 22-4. Can Paul Wellens’ side make it three home wins on the bounce? If they do so, they’ll become the first side this year to outgun Wigan. The Warriors have picked up where they left off last season, averaging over 35pts per match during their 100% Super League start. They also beat Penrith in the World Club Challenge clash and powered their way past Sheffield in the Challenge Cup last week.
St Helens v Wigan: Match Prediction
St Helens haven’t been a dominant force at home this term. Despite brushing aside London in their season opener, they had a tough slog seeing off Leigh and then had a shock loss against Salford at the TW. It could go either way, but I’d prefer to be with Wigan. The only slight negative with the Warriors is their tendency to ship cheap points. They allowed Championship side Sheffield to score 18pts in the Cup and Super League whipping boys London put 22pts past them.
Embed from Getty ImagesWarrington Wolves v Catalans Dragons (Saturday 15:00)
While obviously not a geographical derby encounter or particularly rivals, Warrington and Catalans have both made positive starts to the current campaign. Warrington opened with a hard fought 16-10 defeat against the Dragons at the Stade Gilbert Brutus last month. However, Wolves didn’t let that early setback concern them, and they’ve been at their imperious best since. They’ve won 5 matches in-a-row, with an average margin of victory of 30+ points.
Catalans have come on in leaps and bounds in recent seasons. Finishing in the top four in the table for four successive seasons and reaching the Grand Final in two of the previous three years. They suffered heartbreaking defeats in the 2021 & 2023 Grand Finals, which were both gruelling low-scoring encounters. The Dragons will be hoping it’s third time lucky this season. They saw off Warrington on their own patch last month, but they know this encounter at the Halliwell Jones is a different ball game altogether. Steve McNamara’s men are 4 & 1 in the Super League like Warrington this year, but they’ve not faced any side of note since that season opener and will need to raise their game.
Warrington v Catalans: Match Prediction
Catalans are eyeing up a third straight Super League win against Warrington for the first time since 2009. However, Wolves pushed them all the way in Perpignan and have been flying since. I can see Warrington gaining revenge in style and could win this by a double-digit margin.
Donny Lalonde: The Canadian Champion
Tim Tszyu vs Sebastian Fundora Preview: All or Nothing at 154lbs
Should Babar Azam be Captain Again for Pakistan?
Indian Premier League – The Overseas Heroes
Officially The Worst International Football Team on the Planet
March Madness – Switch Those Brains On, It’s Bracketology Time
Image Credit: Deposit Photos