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Five things we learned from this week #6

Leeds Rhinos v Wakefield Trinity

Leeds rolling back the years

After a disappointing couple of games, Leeds seem to be back to their best, racking up consecutive convincing victories against Catalans and, more recently, Wakefield. The Rhinos are looking stronger with each game and are playing a brand of Rugby that fans won’t have seen for a while.

They are a side that have always been known for their fast, flowing style; utilising offloads and often making plays up as they go along. But last year they seemed to lose that somewhat, looking slow and sluggish in attack. However, the former Super League champions have turned over a new leaf in 2017, and are showing glimpses of the quality that won them the treble two years ago. With the likes of Adam Cuthbertson and Matt Parcell at the heart of their attack, Leeds could certainly be top four contenders if their form continues.

Leigh continuing to compete, while Warrington still sit bottom

Leigh are continuing to prove that they have what it takes to compete in Super League, winning their third match of the season on Thursday against Warrington. Despite the Wolves’ recent form, Leigh still came into the game as underdogs but were soon to upset the odds, coming away with a comprehensive 22-8 win. They look more confident with each win and are taking plenty of teams by surprise.

Warrington, on the other hand, are still the only team without a point so far. They were totally dominated throughout, only managing to get a try with 10 minutes to go and otherwise not really troubling the Leigh line. A win needs to come soon for the Wolves if they want to stand any chance of challenging for the title.

Player Cam: Yes or no?

Speaking of Leigh vs Warrington, Thursday saw the debut of the ‘player cam’, worn by Wolves halfback Kurt Gidley. And while the experiment did produce some impressive shots, it can hardly be dubbed a resounding success.

After much build up, the footage only featured on air a couple of times in the first half, before being ditched by Gidley at halftime due to technical issues. Super League and Sky say they are determined to trial ‘player cam’ again, and while some improvements will need to be made, it’s good to see our competition coming up with innovative ideas to make coverage more entertaining.

The kids are alright at Wigan

While Wigan didn’t get the two points against Huddersfield on Sunday, the game saw yet another young star roll off the production line at the DW Stadium, with Tom Davies making a try-scoring debut.

And whatever your opinion on Warriors’ coach Shaun Wane, you can’t knock him for his willing to show faith in the club’s youth. We’re only five rounds in and already he’s given chances to three of the club’s homegrown youngsters, with Davies joining Liam Forsyth and Liam Marshall in the first team. They look set to join the likes of George Williams, Joe Burgess and Dom Manfredi, who have all flourished after being given opportunities under Mr Wane.

Cas aren’t unbeatable

Salford produced one of the upsets of the weekend on Sunday, overcoming a Castleford team that had, until this point, seemed unbeatable. With a lethal attack and gutsy defence, the Tigers have looked like one of the toughest teams in the competition so far, producing dominant displays against the likes of Leeds, Warrington and Widnes.

Strangely, coach Daryl Powell predicted his side would have a ‘blip’ at some stage prior to the Salford, and it seems to have come sooner rather than later. While it may have just been an off day for Castleford, they’ve now shown that they do have vulnerabilities, which other teams will undoubtedly look to exploit in weeks to come. A big result against Catalan at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle on Sunday is needed.

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