All of this weekend’s Super League round seven games take place over Thursday and Friday nights. On paper, the game of the round looks like being the Leeds Rhinos against Castleford Tigers which will be played at Elland Road as the extensive building works continue at Headingley.
The Betfred Championship begins on Friday night at Rochdale where the Toronto Wolfpack are the visitors with one game on Saturday afternoon in Toulouse before the remaining fixtures are played out in Sunday afternoon.
There is one re-arranged Challenge Cup game on Sunday afternoon at Coventry, where they take on Pilkington Recs, while at the same time five Championship one games also get underway.
The bookies are struggling to pick a winner as seventh placed Widnes Vikings play hosts to tenth placed Salford Red Devils, both sides on four points and separated only by points difference. The Vikings are unchanged from the side who took part in the abandoned fixture at Wakefield last weekend while Salford name Derrell Olpherts who could make his Betfred Super League debut while Ryan Lannon is in line for his first appearance of the season.
Friday night’s TV game is the pick of the round with the Rhinos against the Tigers in a mouth-watering local derby. The Rhinos are unchanged from the seventeen who were on duty at St Helens for last weeks win while Tigers coach promoted Jy Hitchcox to the starting line up in place of the injured Jesse Sene-Lefeao who went under the knife this week on an MCL meniscus injury. The bookies can’t pick a winner, it should be a belter.
Two teams currently in the bottom four meet as Hull FC are the hosts to the Catalans Dragons. Albert Kelly is back in the reckoning for Lee Radford’s men but they are still without a host of stars with Houghton, Paea and Manu all unavailable for selection. The bookies favour a home win against a Dragons side who have only one win to their name so far in 2018, over neighbours Hull KR in the south of France.
High flying Wakefield Trinity are slight underdogs going into their game with Warrington Wolves despite third playing fifth. Chris Chester has made two changes to his squad after last weeks abandoned game. He has drafted in James Batchelor and Keegan Hirst in place of Tinirau Arona and Kyle Wood. The Wolves, who seem to be stumbling their way through 2018 so far, have new signing Josh Charnley in their nineteen man squad for the trip over the Pennines and he’ll join Ryan Atkins as Dom Crosby and Morgan Smith make way.
Hull KR have the unenviable task of trying to halt league leaders St Helens as they look to bounce back after last weeks loss to the Rhinos. The visitors, who welcome back Morgan Knowles after he completed his four game suspension, are favourites with the bookies. Junior Vaivai has now received visa clearance to join the Robins but won’t arrive until next week. The only change in the KR squad is the return of Will Dagger who replaces Nick Scruton who is recovering from a knock.
The final game of Friday night has second placed Wigan Warriors at home to eleventh Huddersfield Giants with the bookies strongly favouring the home side. The visitors name Michael Lawrence, Adam Walne and Daniel Smith in their nineteen man squad but are still missing the likes of Jake Mamo and Tommy Symonds. Joel Tomkins is back for the Warriors with Liam Marshall and Gabe Hamlin also named in the nineteen man squad by coach Wane.
Friday night in the Championship sees the Toronto Wolfpack at Rochdale Hornets, looking to get back into top spot until at least Sunday afternoon. Top placed Toulouse are at home to sixth placed Halifax on Saturday evening with the remainder of games on Sunday.
Sheffield Eagles will be looking for their first win of the season on the road to Barrow while seventh placed Batley Bulldogs host third placed Featherstone Rovers. Ninth placed Leigh have a trip to fifth placed Dewsbury Rams and league leaders London Broncos have a home game against a pointless Swinton Lions who exited the Challenge Cup at the hand of Championship One York last weekend.
In Championship One the Coventry Bears game has been postponed as they host the Challenge Cup re-arranged fixture on Sunday afternoon, welcoming Pilkington Recs at three o’clock.
Championship One fixtures include; Newcastle Thunder v. Doncaster (14:00), North Wales Crusaders v. Oldham (14:30), Bradford Bulls v. Hunslet, Whitehaven v. Hemel Stags and York City Knights v. Keighley Coungars (all at 15:00).
Wherever you watch your rugby this weekend be sure to wrap up warm and enjoy your rugby.