All the big talking points and game-changing moments from the from the first weekend of the Super 8s…
Broncos off to the perfect start
Jarrod Sammut’s late drop-goal ensured that London Broncos’ Qualifiers campaign got off to a perfect start with a 21-20 win over Widnes on Thursday night.
The Broncos, who finished second in the Championship, found themselves 10 points adrift at 14-4 down before three unanswered tries – one from Daniel Harrison and two from Kieran Dixon – put the visitors ahead until with six minutes to go. Krisnan Inu then levelled the game at 20 points apiece to set up a box-office finish.
1:40 'We knew we had it in us', said Eddie Battye after the Broncos' win over Widnes
In the final moments, the Broncos kept cool heads and created the drop-goal opportunity that Sammut nailed. The London outfit have ticked the first box of the Qualifiers – topple a Super League side – and will be looking to push for a place in the Million Pound Game, at least, from here.
Widnes woes
For Widnes, the result sees them suffer a 17th successive defeat and starts their Super 8s Qualifiers campaign off on the wrong foot.
2:11 Vikings 20-21 Broncos
Asked about his his team’s current run, interim head coach Francis Cummins says has no doubts about the desire of his players.
“I can’t have journalists asking those questions about bottle,” he said. “These young players run into brick walls every two minutes.
“At 14-4 it’s not about bottle. We have some players who have never been here [in this position before], some of them have, and tonight we’ve not quite done it. I’m not having anyone question these men.”
Salford Red Devils vs Widnes Vikings
August 18, 2018, 3:00pm
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The Vikings now head on the road to the AJ Bell Stadium to face Salford Red Devils, again in front of the Sky Sports cameras, while the prospect of facing both Toronto and Toulouse on the road will not be one they relish.
Will Widnes bounce back this week and get their Qualifiers campaign back on track?
Great week for Wigan
The Warriors recorded a victory over Castleford on Friday night, but it was not the only reason the Wigan faithful were smiling last week – the club announced that icon Shaun Edwards would be taking over the role as head coach from 2020, with Adrian Lam the interim coach in 2019.
“Wigan was a huge part of my life for 31 years because I was a supporter before I became a player,” Edwards said. “It’s absolutely through my bones.
“I’ll be straight with you, some people think I’m taking a risk. I’ve got a pretty established career in rugby union and I would probably be full-time employed in rugby union for the next 10 to 15 years but it’s a risk I’m prepared to take because this is a special place.”
It was a timely boost for the club, who this season have seen a spate of departures announced, including Sam Tomkins, Ryan Sutton and John Bateman.
Edwards and Lam appeared on our Golden Point Special on Friday night – click here to look back on the key talking points.
Wakefield Trinity vs St Helens
August 16, 2018, 7:30pm
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Huddersfield march on
If not for the amazing efforts of the Broncos, you could argue that the Giants’ win over Super League’s runaway league leaders was the result of the round.
Huddersfield led 16-0 after 20 minutes thanks to two tries from in-form winger Darnell McIntosh and one from second-rower Alex Mellor before Saints staged a spirited fightback to set up a tense finale.
But the fightback was not enough as Saints were reduced to back-to-back losses while the Giants avenged their 66-4 defeat in round 12 at the Totally Wicked Stadium in April.
0:50 St Helens 12-16 Huddersfield
Huddersfield finished the regular season with nine wins from 10 matches and it showed as they began the game in confident fashion, stunning their hosts with a fast, fluid game that quickly brought its rewards. Simon Woolford’s men are still six points behind the Wolves in fourth place, but with six rounds remaining in the Super 8s, are they beginning to dream of a semi-final place?
Toronto win comes at a price
Toronto got through their first test of the Qualifiers by seeing off a stubborn Halifax side 14-0 away from home; the visitors needed a try from Andrew Dixon four minutes from the end to finally see off their hosts at the Shay and edge closer to a potential place in Super League for 2019.
However, the win came at a price, with prolific try-scorer Liam Kay picking up an injury during the clash. The Ireland international, who has scored 48 league tries since joining the Wolfpack from Leigh two years ago, was taken off after 23 minutes with an ankle injury and, although he has yet to determine the extent, Rowley does not expect him to play again this year.
Toronto had earlier lost their other regular winger, Matty Russell, with concussion, which forced Rowley to play second-row forwards Andrew Dixon and Cory Paterson in the three-quarter line for most of the game.
Toronto Wolfpack vs Hull K R
August 18, 2018, 7:30pm
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“It was a blow losing two wingers and they are not any two wingers, they are probably our most consistent performers,” Rowley said. “It really affected our ruck speed and our cutting edge as well.
“I’m really disappointed for Liam, it looks like it could be season over, but Matty will come back strong.”
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