Wigan Warriors’ ominous message, inexcusable Hull FC hit lowest ebb and Super League takeaways

Round 26 of Super League is in the books and as the final week of the regular season gets underway, there’s plenty to discuss. There were big wins for Wigan Warriors, St Helens, Hull KR, Warrington Wolves and Salford Red Devils, while Catalans Dragons just about did enough to sneak over the line against London Broncos.

As such, with one more round of action to play, the play-off picture is becoming clear, with just two more spots up for grabs.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the key talking points to emerge from the weekend.

Ominous Wigan Warriors

Matt Peet’s side know what it takes to be successful at this time of year and Friday’s performance was enough to send shivers down the spines of those who might come up against them in the play-offs next month.

The Warriors swept the floor with Brad Arthur’s Leeds Rhinos, with the gulf in class being evident from the first few minutes of the contest. Leeds simply couldn’t live what the tenacity, ferociousness and intensity of their opponents and their defensive line broke a couple of times early on as a result.

Wigan didn’t take their foot off the gas, though, and continued to poke holes in a Leeds line that has made strides under Arthur in recent weeks. As such, with Wigan running in seven unanswered tries, they secured what was nothing short of a rout at the Brick Community Stadium to leave them on the brink of yet another League Leaders’ Shield victory.

It was a destructive performance and it was spearheaded by a spine that appears to be hitting top form at the right time. With Harry Smith’s kicking game, Bevan French’s ingenuity and Jai Field’s uncanny ability to find a hole in the line, it’s hard to see a way in which Wigan Warriors don’t play at Old Trafford come October 12.

As bad as it gets?

Hull fans have been put through the wringer this season and at this point, their one reason for positivity is the fact that the season is nearly over. One look at a desolate MKM Stadium on Saturday as Salford inflicted yet another hammering was enough to see where much of the club’s loyal fanbase is currently at, with BBC cameras showing an alarming number of empty seats.

What’s even more concerning is the one-sided 58-4 scoreline, didn’t come as a surprise to a single rugby league supporter, given the level of performance Hull have produced in recent weeks. The problems are deep rooted, of course, with the Black and Whites paying the price for a catalogue of off the field errors made over the last few years. Injuries have played their part, but this year’s collapse has been inexcusable and will leave a bitter taste for years to come.

Fortunately, change is on the way. Big name players are arriving next season – although recruitment work needs to be done – and a permanent head coach will finally replace Tony Smith, who left the club in April, in the shape of John Cartwright. That’s enough to provide some optimism at Hull, while it also suggests that the last few weeks have been rock bottom. Surely, surely, they cannot sink any further.

In other news, the result in west Hull contributed to an aggregate scoreline across round 26 of 226-8 before the Catalans-London meeting in Perpignan which was in reality the most competitive fixture of the weekend. That might just be up there as one of the most one-sided rounds in Super League history.

St Helens back to their best?

Paul Wellens’ side have had to do it tough at times this season, but with five key men returning to the fold to take on Castleford Tigers, they recorded a comfortable victory. It was a win they needed with a spot in the play-offs in jeopardy before kick-off, while it also sent out a statement of intent as they head into the knockout stages.

Castleford had little to play for, though, with Friday’s visit to Leigh being the real test of St Helens’ credentials. With their key men fit and firing, they’ll be confident of being able to time their run perfectly, whether they can truly trouble the most consistent sides in the division, though, remains to be seen.

Catalans stand a chance

Catalans Dragons struggled, but they claimed the win they needed to keep their hopes of claiming a top six spot alive on Saturday night, coming from behind to win 12-8 against the Broncos.

It means that with one game remaining, they sit a point behind the pace and with Steve McNamara’s side playing Hull FC on Saturday, they’ll be keeping an extremely close eye on Friday night’s results. A win for Leigh will be all but fatal for the Dragons, but should St Helens get the job done and Leeds Rhinos fall short in their game at Hull KR, they will take on Hull knowing two points will be enough to climb back into the top six.