Below is a round-up of all the latest news from the world of rugby league over the last 24 hours.
Round 16 Round-up: Injuries, Attendances and Team of the Week
The Super League round is over and in the books and it saw some shock results which has prompted a varied team of the week including one man who landed himself an impressive four assists. There were also one massive attendance among the a number of solid figures including one side who broke their record attendance as well. Sadly there were more injuries with one key man injured by a bad tackle. It’s also been announced how one key player has been playing with a broken bone.
England international cops ban
The disciplinary news for the week is in seeing nine players charged for their actions during round 16. Among those is a ban for an England international, who also cops a fine for his dangerous tackle. One player avoided punishment despite an altercation with an official, just a week after Josh Griffin’s monster ban. It’s also been revealed how one Super League player tried to pay a larger fine in order to reduce his ban.
Underfire coaches speak out
Friday night saw two shock results in Castleford toppling Warrington and Leeds huge win over Huddersfield. That’s sparked a reaction from both losing coaches with Daryl Powell branding the loss as “crazy”, whilst Ian Watson has spoken out on the pressure from the public.
Former Super League coach reveals merger plans
Tim Sheens is one of the sports most successful coaches and is currently leading the rebuild at Wests Tigers before Benji Marshall takes over. He spent time in England as boss of Hull KR however he’s revealed how close Hull KR came to merging with fellow Super League side Salford Red Devils. Sheens revealed all on James Graham’s podcast including the revelation that Marwan Koukash was willing to let Salford go under.
Super League side make trio of signings
Wigan Warriors won on Sunday in impressive style over Salford and to celebrate they announced three signings in 14 hours. The first saw hooker Kruise Leeming announced, the Englishman having played in the NRL for Gold Coast Titans the past few months. He’ll be joined by former Leeds’ teammate Sam Walters whilst another forward has been added from Catalans.
Coach cops the sack & Championship round-up
There were seven brilliant fixtures in the Championship this weekend starting from Friday with Sheffield Eagles winning comfortably to get back on track. A flurry of other big results came in but the major story from the Championship came today when a former Sheffield head coach was sacked from his current club. Widnes Vikings lost to Swinton Lions at the weekend and that’s led to John Kear leaving his role at the Vikings with immediate effect in a major shock.
Rhinos recruitment kicks off
Leeds Rhinos have been quiet in the market so far but that’s changed now with reports from France that they’re set to sign forward Mickael Goudemand from Catalans for next year and beyond. They’ve also re-signed one of their star players so far this season, extending his contract for another year. On top of that there’s links to an NRL full-back which could be a major coup for Rohan Smith’s side, but they’ll face competition from another Super League side.
Sky select two major fixtures for TV
Sky Sports’ coverage of Super League this year has been brilliant but criticism has sometimes been levelled that games in France aren’t covered enough. That looks set to change given the Dragons impressive form and now two of their upcoming fixtures have been selected to be played in front of the cameras.
Man of Steel frontrunner suffers injury blow
Warrington Wolves shocked many when they lost to Castleford on Friday night but there was a shock prior to kick-off when star man George Williams wasn’t named. It’s now been confirmed that the England captain has a hamstring injury and is set to miss time on the field over the next couple of weeks.
Sports legends message to Burrow
Friday night saw an emotional Headingley witness the hammering of Huddersfield but more importantly celebrate Rob Burrow and raise awareness for his incredible fight against MND. The whole Burrow family were in attendance with girls Maya and Macy taking centre stage, but there was also a dedicated video tribute to Rob from legends across various sports.
NRL transfer talk heating up
Recruitment for 2024 is heating up and that’s the same down under with plenty of NRL faces destined for Super League already. Another who could find himself on the list is Newcastle Knights speedster Enari Tuala, whilst there’s talk of two Catalans stars heading from Super League to the NRL. Another story emerging from down under regards an impressive forward and there’s now a new favourite to land his signature and it’s a Super League club.
Catalans Dragons
Ex-Super League forward set to join new club after being sacked
