02/10/2011 Rugby League: Super League Highlights

This weather, this time of year? We could almost be in Sydney. But we

are not. We are in Runcorn. But we have got some great rugby league to

It is not far from out Runcorn Bridge that St Helens had been

playing their home matches this season, at Widnes' stadium. Their

broad ground closed at the end of last year, and this will be their

magnificent new residents. It will not be ready until the start of

next season. They might be coming here as champions. They are only 80

minutes away from a grand final. But they have to beat macro Wycombe

for a second time. Highlight of that much coming up a very soon.

That remind ourselves of what happened last week. -- let's remind

-- it is Wigan up by a landslide. It was the end of the road for the

men from pepping on last week after a bruising encounter with the

has changed a bit in recent years. Here is a man who used to play here.

Jonathan Davies. He has changed a bit as well. Here is what they used

to look like 20 years ago. sidestep! He is going for the line.

It is back to Davies. That is magnificent rugby. He is still as

handsome. You have changed! Just a little. What about this play-off

series? Last week, we had a couple of good games. They have been a

little bit one-sided. But the best sides have come to the fore. That

is what everyone wants. It is a long season, but the top four have

had opportunities to go through. That is what has happened. They

looked very good last week, we can. They had a hiccup in the previous

week, but they have regrouped. The forwards look very powerful. You

have Tomkins's chipping in from the back. They are a very good side.

They have won a trophy in the Cabinet as much -- already. Leeds

are in great form at the moment. They have got great players.

Disappointing finish to the season, but I think the Challenge Cup final

really inspired them bus-stop although they lost, they played

particularly well. From that game, I think they have kicked on. That

is the game we are going to concentrate on, the first play-off

game at of this weekend. Leeds against Warrington.

Warrington are 6-1 with the bookmakers to beat Leeds. After

their demolition of Huddersfield a fortnight ago, it is easy to see

why Tony Smith's men are such heavy favourites. But the rhino's head

into this fixture on the back of a poor match unbeaten run. -- four

match unbeaten run. They know what it takes to win sudden-death

matches at the business end of the the earlier rounds is over. Tonight,

they go to it -- the winners go to all -- Old Trafford. Macro west

would, out for six weeks with a knee injury, makes a welcome return.

Delaney moved to the second row. Hauraki comes back to the

They were lucky. So much indecision. All it wanted was a call, my ball.

I was about to mention the fact that the kicking game will be

needed to pass Mowbray stop he delayed the pass a little bit too

Warrington in these first 20 There was another man clinging to

to score, they are now dependent on recent weeks has been great. Kevin

Sinfield has scored in the last 39 snatching the trifle stop superb

effort and been Leeds fans go wild on the terraces. Fabulous vision,

fabulous try. This is great vision up from Danny McGuire. All he has

to do is run through the gap and Ablett gets a freebie for four pts.

Great finish. Great kick from The Leeds defender it was there,

but not building the right amount of pressure at the moment,

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the walls. -- first try for Warrington. Good jumping, a good

kick, good try. Great kick from up lead prayers. -- great kick from

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Briers. That is a terrific last screaming down the alt side. He

just had to find Atkins, but he could not. Brian McDermott seems

scoring rate of one in every match he plays. You put all that there,

he is just brilliant, Monaghan, for this team. He knew there would be a

blue and yellow jumper there to finish it off. Chris Bridge adds

another. Warrington take the lead the winner. 112 points are scored

in their normal Superleague matches. It does not give any indication.

They will fight for everything. We have seen desperation on both sides.

It was non-stop, that first half. I am expecting a lot more points in

the second half. I would think Brian McDermott, the Leeds coach,

would be very happy to have contained Warrington's normally

attacking approach in the first well smile. Ryan Hall, surely a man

to grace the England side in the four-nations tournament in November.

Grix finds the wrong man. He gets Ryan Hall and he is in the clear.

Great four point from Leeds. Break starting the second half. Here we

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points. Leeds are' record points- smashes his way through three

from Briers, giving them the good position for the penalty. The ball

over the top two Matt King. Three defenders, he can't score, he

mustn't score... He does! He's 6 foot 4 and strong. Unless you get

the right grip on him, he'll do the corner, and Leeds are back

again. Warrington just can't get away. What a try. I put it all down

to Rob Burrow. He's like a snake. Only the fullback to beat. Dai

Maguire, he's always going to get to the corner, he has to. Atkins

and Monaghan get back. He has the wherewithal to fire the ball to

Ryan Hall for the try. Here he goes, we have seen as so many times. He's

off to the races. He beats wryly. Maguire, every day of the week.

Atkinson does brilliantly to catch off. We can restart the argument

Burrow, under the posts. The Leeds fans can hardly believe it. They

are rank outsiders to win the Super League final. But here they are,

put in their climbdown. Another fantastic spread play from Leeds.

The architect in chief, Rob Burrow. Brent Webb puts the afterburners on.

Rob Burrow was already dead. All he has to do was pass to him and he

finishes under the sticks. -- Rob inside. You ain't going to catch

beneath the posts. Leeds take the lead again. Warrington have beaten

Leeds by 42-six and 40-24 in normal league games. But they are

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again, but surely he can't get is over for his second try of the

night! Beatable work from Lee How good was that? May be a tough

call on well Hardaker. It gives Chris Riley a clear run into the

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That is a tough decision. He spins around, doesn't he? This is a

Hall! Surely... Is he in at the corner for a hat-trick of tries? He

is checking the knock-on with Rob knock-on. She doesn't want to look!

Scrum defence. Still, the saga goes penalty! What a decision! He has

stopped the clock. REFEREE: You're Kevin Sinfield! Will he be the hero

of the night? A two point lead. Barely two minutes remaining. A sad

occasion for the Warrington fans. But Leeds are the winners! A

wonderful effort by Leeds. Leeds have turned the form book over.

They have been playing well, they have come here and been the better

team on the night. They'd executed well, taking their opportunities on

the counter-punch. You have to say that they are worthy winners, what

a game. Great effort from both teams. Heartbreaking but those fans.

But Leeds are through to Old Trafford and the Super League final

by 26-24. The early rounds of the play-off system, people have been

talking about the blow-out scores, I don't think they are. But they

have been some 40s. They are thinking that a bad thing. But not

too long ago we thought Super League was brilliant because there

are a lot of tries scored. The only reason people are saying it is

wrong is because we are playing and comparing it to the NRL. But they

have different players, trained differently, with different

resources. To try to compare them, I don't think any part of the play-

off system has been negative. The fact we have been fit and got group

to the final is another shot in the arm for the Super League. They are

tenacious and they deserve to win on the night. We were made to pay

for some of that sloppiness that we are not usually used to. I was

pleased with the efforts of the boys. We hung in there. We were

playing a bit busted, and all that sort of stuff. We took some risks.

Leeds deserved it on the day. Congratulations to them. You are in

the Grand Final. As I understand it, it could be your last match in

Leeds colours? I just announced that I'll be heading to Newcastle.

I've got to thank Gary Hetherington at the Rhinos for letting me do

that. I'm going to finish of one last season at my home town club. I

was there for 15 years. I had only signed for two years and it wasn't

long enough, really. I've been here for three. My family has loved it.

It's been one hell of a ride. It's the only reason for going back for

the second phase of my life, going back to prepare for life after

Do what you like Wigan at Old Trafford to avenge that defeat at

Wembley? We are not bothered, really. We are 80 minutes away.

We've given ourselves the opportunity to lift a good cup. To

beat a good side on their own patch, it gives us confidence. Whoever we

get, we look forward to next Saturday. Wow, what a game and what

a performance by Leeds. The first side outside of the top three to

make the Grand Final. Kevin Sinfield's confidence is well

placed? We mentioned next -- last week, with Leeds, their top players

half-backs are crucial. The blood and guts of the forwards against

Warrington. They have been the form side, especially at home. But with

all of the key players having significant roles, they are the

form side at the moment. Looking at Sinfield, he says, yes. They can

bring any one arm. They'd been there before, they know how to play

The top team hadn't made it to Old Trafford, the 5th team has. What

does that say about the play-offs? The top four, deservedly, had a

second chance. But Leeds knew what they had to do. Everybody knew the

situation at the start of the season. They have gone there and

played knockout rugby. They have got to the final. It is all about

peaking at the right time. Leeds have done that. You have to feel

sorry for Warrington. They have been fantastic all season. To fail

at the final hurdle, extraordinary? On the day, the top four, anybody

can beat each other. You've got to perform on the day. I think they've

scored some great tries. They'd been so entertaining. But after

dropping out of the Challenge Cup, I thought this was there a year.

Unfortunately, they lost to a better side. We know that Leeds are

in a bad brand final. Who will they There can be few secrets left

behind her -- between these two Lancashire heavy weights. Saints

have won only one of the previous five meetings. But that was a

fortnight ago, when victory on the Warriors's home turf and sheared a

week off and home advantage, of sorts. But the reigning Super

League champions looked in fine fettle when thumping the Catalan

Dragons to set up this rematch with their fiercest rivals. As we have

just seen, Leeds await the winners makes it a potent combination.

Meditate grand final place up for grabs and you increase the

intensity took eye-watering level. No Leon Pryce for St Helens. He

would have been on the bench, but he has a stomach upset. Lomax and

Gaskell will face possibly their biggest test of character tonight.

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pressure. That is the first mistake is penalised. I don't think he was

square. Michael Maguire, the supporters. Wigan have the first

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collected by Charnley. A defensive blue blur. -- defensive mistake.

Wigan have their opening try. Changed direction. Lovely kick.

There was the mistake. It is finch that changes direction. River Wye's

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grubber kick. The bounce favoured a possession. Great play by young

Tomkins. He does not commit to Gaskell. He stays off and allows

game. But when you have got momentum, you were going to get

the magic pairing. One provides, the other scores. Lee Gaskell this

time. St Helens are back in it. Just watch the dummy run. Great

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stuff the Paul Manning by St Helens. the first time, St Helens have the

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The referee has given it. He was not held. The man from the

interchange bench has Malta we come into the lead again. -- has

involved Wigan into the lead again. He should have been tackled there.

They do not complete the tackle. He just a roll as Rover and scores.

gave away a penalty that gave St Helens of two points, but he has

Williams came closer. -- Wellens came closer. There is no way he

could have been on side. He should be in the bin. That is a yellow

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He belatedly gave the knock-on. I am presuming that was from the

shout of his touch judge. He lost it, but did he go back? The tackle

was complete, lost the ball. Tomkins is really struggling. He

went into that scrum as loose forward and Farrell depended on the

after his latest encounter with the he might have scored. The referee

gives the try! Paul Wellens, his 200th Korea try. What tonight to

score it. Against his oldest rivals and in a grand final semi-final.

The he was limping. He was never going to get there. Lovely kick,

good chase by Paul Wellens. Roby puts it through. The bounce of the

Interesting to see whether they will go for the two points. He is a

phenomenal Kippur, Jamie Foster. -- kicker. He has added another two.

They are getting closer to Old messing about their. This is the

opportunity. They will get a full set in the Wigan half. They are

walking back, the Wigan forwards. They have given it everything.

body language, as Jonathan says, of the Wigan team just looks a little

weary at the moment. It is a side that has played more games than any

other in the modern era. Every single round. No team has done it

as tough as Wigan has done it. But The place is going mad. St Helens

fans feel that that is a very significant moment on the night and

in their season. They overload the short side. A great ball.

Absolutely magnificent ball. That is very clever played. Royce

Simmons, the coach, loves it. He has beaten him. A desperate dive.

was his shoulder. It's a man's game! I think you will find it is a

from the Grand Final. James Roby! He has taken St Helens to way sixth

Grand Final in a row. Wigan are defeated and dejected. St Helens

have done it the hard way. They are joining Leeds at Old Trafford.

James Roby has shown them the way to get there. Only one market. So

fast, so strong. Only one winner. Just out of the blocks like a

rocket. So powerful. No centre of Relatively simple, but if he puts

it over... Wigan are three scores behind now. -- big cake. Surely

still a glimmer of hope. But four minutes, you would put it as almost

impossible. Not almost impossible, impossible. Royce Simmons is

backed away two score margin. He dashed back to wait two score

Final, unprecedented. Andy Coley tries the impossible. There is the

countdown. That countdown to Old Trafford. St Helens are in the

Grand Final for the sixth year in a row. But the booed this year has

been the toughest of them all, surely. They have done it

fantastically well. The Maguire era at Wigan ends in disappointment.

But what a couple of years he has had as a coach. Keiron Cunningham

and St Helens are through to the If you said to me early in the air,

you are going to lose up to 11 or 12 players, door numbers one and

two aren't going to be available, you are going to be in the Grand

Final, we would have grabbed the top four or five. Even top eight.

That is credit to the blokes. The thing about St Helens is that they

believe in themselves so much. The blokes in the club, they expect to

win. They don't expect to run second. It has been a tough season,

he played in every round you could have played in. Was that a factor

in the end? I don't think so. The way we played last week, we found

ourselves again and started performing. Credit to St Helens,

they performed. They took everything we could throw at them.

We had chances in the game that went by. We had to dig ourselves

out of a few things in the second half. How special a moment was that

try? Great. It was made aware to me in the week that it would have been

my 200th. Against Leeds, what are you expecting? The last few times

that Leeds and St Helens have played in a Grand Final, Leeds have

won. A lot of those players will be playing again. A lot of big-time

players, they'd been in tremendous form for a while now. For the

second half of the Challenge Cup, they started to get a little bit of

form. A lot of the senior players have got a bit of time under their

belt, they are starting to get into a bit of a rhythm. You know, it

their way through the play-offs. That is the Grand Final next week.

Leeds against St Helens. He would have thought it? Third against 5th.

But there is no arguing with either Two great games, Wigan gave it

everything in the last few minutes. They tackled well, came back at

them. Every opportunity that St Helens had, they scored. Clever

play, they realised that Tomkins was injured. Guscott and Lomax

played exceptionally well. You know, they have struggled at half-back

for England. Great Britain. So, why not give them a crack? I think they

could be the future half-backs for the next five or 10 years. James

Roby was magnificent. They deserved to get to the final. It's a

fantastic achievement by Royce Simmons. He has had key players

missing for more or less the whole season. But they have kept plugging

away and got their rewards? They have given youngsters an

opportunity. You know, it has paid dividends at the end of the season.

They gained experience and confidence or of the way through.

You always felt they could win, especially after beating them a

couple of weeks ago. They have come through and deserve to be in the

final. Leeds, since the Challenge Cup, they have been back at us and.

They have had settled belief. -- self belief. Both sides will think

they can win it, it could be a classic final. Wigan and Warrington

are left to lick their wounds. He would have thought that? Here is a

reminder of what we have to look forward to next week. The Grand

Final, 4:30pm on next Sunday, 9th October. It's going to be an

absolute classic. And the Rugby League rolls on in the autumn as

well. 29th October, the Four Nations coverage starts. Live

coverage of England against Wales and highlights of Australia and New

There is lots more international rugby league to look forward to as