Super League Team of the Week: England’s future halfback pairing?

Another fantastic round of Super League action is over.

It all started on Thursday night when Salford Red Devils hosted Castleford Tigers.

It was far from a classic encounter as a scrappy display from the Red Devils was enough to defeat a gutsy Castleford side in a game played in the backdrop of Andy Last’s interview to take on the job permanently.

Then on Friday night Warrington Wolves’ unbeaten start to the season ended against a brilliant Wigan Warriors side in the rain in a game dominated by discussions about the video referee.

Elsewhere on Friday night Huddersfield Giants got back to winning ways in a tough battle against Catalans Dragons.

Champions St Helens meanwhile were beaten by a Hull KR side running red hot as Mikey Lewis and Jordan Abdull continue to shine.

Their big rivals Hull FC meanwhile suffered a seventh consecutive defeat as Leeds Rhinos impressed in a 34-10 win as Ash Handley bagged a brace.

Lastly, Wakefield Trinity’s winless start to the season continued as they lost to Leigh Leopards.

But who makes the team of the week this week?

Fullback: Ash Handley (Leeds Rhinos)
He may have started on the wing but Ash Handley played the majority of the game at fullback scoring two terrific tries in the role including a second where he scored with a lovely run from out the back.

Wingers: Josh Charnley (Leigh Leopards) & Sam Halsall (Huddersfield Giants)
Two tries and two assists – including an incredible break – saw Josh Charnley send a message to Shaun Wane after the league’s top scorer was left out of the England squad. He is joined by Sam Halsall after his brace helped defeat Catalans.

Centres: Corey Hall (Hull KR) & Toby King (Wigan Warriors)
It doesn’t get much tougher debuting against St Helens but Corey Hall stepped up and have Willie Peters a selection dilemma. He played a key role in a decisive try for the Robins. Meanwhile, Toby King was central to a superb team performance from Wigan as they defeated league leaders Warrington Wolves.

Halfbacks: Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors) & Mikey Lewis (Hull KR)
But the beating heart of that performance was Harry Smith. He kicked sensationally and marshalled his side well. In what could be a future England pairing, he is joined by Hull KR’s two try hero Mikey Lewis who was central to defeating the Champions.

Hooker: Jez Litten (Hull KR)
As was Jez Litten who came on and caused problems for St Helens and grabbed a key try as the Robins won.

Props: Tom Holroyd (Leeds Rhinos) & Liam Byrne (Wigan Warriors)
Tom Holroyd may have started on the bench for the first time this season but when he came on he was a wrecking ball. He also scored perhaps the best try we will see from a prop this season. Wigan Warriors’ Liam Byrne completes the front row after he led the Wigan pack around brilliantly to out muscle the Wolves.

Second-Rowers: James McDonnell (Leeds Rhinos) & Shane Wright (Salford Red Devils)
Three tries in three games for James McDonnell who is surely one of the tries of the season so far. He was superb in defence as always as was Shane Wright for Salford. He also claimed the decisive try.

Loose-Forward: Cameron Smith (Leeds Rhinos)
In a week where he was surprisingly left out of the England squad Cameron Smith again showed his quality for the Leeds Rhinos. His key highlight was the sublime pass he played to send Tom Holroyd through. That was just the tip of the iceberg however.