Five things we learned: Richardson for England, Leigh serious contenders, Huddersfield on the rise
We have picked out the five main talking points from the weekend’s action.
Danny Richardson will be an international
Judging by his performance on Friday night, it is hard to believe that Danny Richardson is only 21 years of age.
He provided a wise head on very young shoulders as he kicked a late conversion from the touchline as well as a drop-goal from over 30 metres out to seal a 23-22 win for St Helens at Leeds Rhinos. Richardson seems to be the player who is most unfortunate not to be in Wayne Bennett’s England squad for the trip to Denver, but there is no doubt at all that he will be an England regular for years to come if he keeps performing like he is.
Saints are not just top of the Super League table because of Ben Barba. Richardson has formed a great partnership with Jonny Lomax in the halves and he has got one of the best kicking games in the competition.
Hull KR team spirit admirable
Not many people, apart from their own fans, would have predicted for Hull Kingston Rovers to get anything from their clash with Castleford Tigers on the weekend.
However, they surprised everyone and produced an impressive second half display to come from being 14-0 down to snatch a point after it finished 24-all. You have got to admire Rovers because they know they don’t have as much quality as some of the other clubs, but they play as a team and that is what has picked up some points for them this season. Oh, and Junior Vaivai has been one of the buys of the season!
Huddersfield on the rise
A lot of eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Huddersfield Giants would open their gates for free to everyone for their game against Catalans Dragons.
It was a brave and bold move by the club but it worked. A crowd of 9,121 watched the Giants edge past the Dragons 26-25 in thrilling fashion thanks to a late penalty goal from Olly Russell. The game couldn’t have been much more entertaining for the fans who went along to the John Smith’s Stadium, so hopefully a few of them will stay.
Wigan return to winning ways
Wigan Warriors bounced back from three successive defeats as they beat Hull FC 14-10 away from home.
There has been a hell of a lot of talk about whether or not the club are in ‘crisis’, following the recent announcements that Shaun Wane, Ryan Sutton and Sam Tomkins will depart at the end of the season. Every team will have a dodgy couple of weeks in the season though and they look over that now. Tomkins played a starring role for Wigan on Saturday and Liam Marshall continues to get better and better every week.
Leigh are serious promotion hopefuls
Leigh Centurions may not have pulled off their biggest win of the season on Saturday, but it was certainly their best and most important one yet.
Kieron Purtill guided his side to an impressive 18-16 victory over top four rivals Toulouse Olympique in France. Despite their poor start to the season, they now find themselves just one point away from fourth-placed Halifax.
The Centurions have only lost one game in their last 14 in the Championship, so they certainly are not messing around.
