Super League Predictions Round Four: Wakefield to stun Leeds, Hull to thrash Castleford & St Helens to slip up?

Super League Round Four is just around the corner with Wakefield Trinity and Leeds Rhinos kicking off this weekend’s fixtures on Thursday night.

Trinity will host Leeds at Belle Vue, with Hull KR taking on St Helens on Friday night alongside Warrington Wolves and Catalans Dragons – the latter clash will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Toulouse Olympique will then host Wigan Warriors on Saturday night, with Castleford Tigers taking on Hull FC on Sunday.

Huddersfield Giants will round off the weekend against Salford Red Devils. But just what do our predictions look like?

Wakefield Trinity vs Leeds Rhinos

Whilst Leeds have been off the pace so far in 2022, Wakefield look to be slowly building towards their first win of the season. After narrow defeats to Hull FC, Catalans and St Helens, Trinity will be looking to take advantage of the Rhinos’ low confidence after three consecutive defeats too. Wakefield could welcome back Mason Lino to the fold, with Leeds having Harry Newman, Rhyse Martin and David Fusitu’a back. Willie Poching looks to have engendered a real spirit in this Trinity side and a West Yorkshire derby victory may well be around the corner.

Wakefield by 4

Hull KR vs St Helens

Hull KR finally got their first win of the season over Castleford last week which will surely have garnered confidence in Tony Smith’s men. And, whilst Saints beat Wakefield, they scored just one try after the break to win 20-4. Under the bright lights of Craven Park and with the Rovers army in full voice, could KR upset the applecart with victory here? That being said, illness has ravaged Rovers’ ranks with Smith confirming a number of stars may have to sit out. That may well provide Saints with another boon in their favour, but it will be close.

St Helens by 6

Warrington Wolves vs Catalans Dragons

Though Warrington are unbeaten, they haven’t really set the world alight in 2022 so far. A narrow win over Leeds was compounded with a less-than convincing victory against Toulouse. And, now they face another French side in Catalans this weekend, who themselves have been far from consistent. The Dragons earned their second win of 2022 over Leeds last weekend after just scraping past Wakefield the previous week. Home advantage should prove key here, with Daryl Powell’s men eager to get one over on the Grand Finalists from 2021.

Warrington by 12

Toulouse Olympique vs Wigan Warriors

The only game broadcast on Saturday sees Toulouse take on Wigan in the south of France. For the Warriors, their unbeaten run stands at three games after swatting aside all challengers so far, whilst Toulouse have a 100% loss record in their maiden season in Super League. Abbas Miski will make his debut for Wigan, but Bevan French will miss out. The French club excelled with Olly Ashall-Bott at the back last week and the livewire fullback will be key to Toulouse’s chances of staying in the top flight. The Warriors will, however, be far too strong.

Wigan by 20

Castleford Tigers vs Hull FC

It will be Lee Radford’s first game against his former club as Castleford Tigers aim to stem their losing run. The West Yorkshire club has lost all three of their opening games whilst Hull FC have won two so far in 2022 as Brett Hodgson attempts to inspire the Black and Whites to a better finish than in 2021. Jake Mamo will return from concussion for the Tigers, but Bureta Faraimo and Liam Watts are banned. Hull remain without Luke Gale who is still banned, but Jake Connor will be aiming to build on his six assists that he made in FC’s demolition of Salford last week. Castleford really don’t look the part at present whilst Hull look to be nicely building.

Hull FC by 14

Huddersfield Giants vs Salford Red Devils

Another head coach going up against his former side will be Ian Watson on Sunday afternoon when Huddersfield take on Salford at the John Smith’s Stadium. Watson enjoyed a fruitful spell with the Red Devils, guiding them to the Challenge Cup Final and Grand Final, but will be hoping to get one over on his former club this weekend. Both sides have two wins from three games, with Huddersfield conquering Toulouse and Hull KR and Salford getting one over on Castleford and Toulouse. The Giants remain without Danny Levi, but Theo Fages will come back in after serving a one-match suspension. Salford, meanwhile, will be without the banned Dan Sarginson and Ryan Brierley. Those two players out may tip the scales in Huddersfield’s favour.

Huddersfield by 8