Episode 23 Super League Show

Scores are out for summer for the 2016 Super League.

Time to knuckle down for the end of season.

We will see the final round of matches before the qualifiers.

It was Derby day at the DW Stadium as St Helens took on Wigan.

They went into the tie level on points but with

We catch up with Super Leagte's top try scorer Denny Solomona

Joining me this week are Jamie Jones-Buchanan

and our very own Super Leagte oracle Brian Noble.

We start at the DW Stadium where Saint Helens were tryhng

and then the resurgence against Wigan began

against the season 's best crowd of 20,000.

They are getting closer here, 20 metres

Back to Turner and here is an opportunity for Fleming.

The referee has given a pen`lty for the high tackle here.

Tomkins is off-balance and clearly got him high.

Mark Percival with a chance for the first two

St Helens take an early lead by two points to zero.

A sense of urgency about his tackle there.

Back it comes to Williams who put the little kick

That will not improve his hdalth and the try has been given.

Still plenty of tackles for St Helen's as well.

A no-nonsense approach from Willie Isa and the refdree has

Into the teeth of those Wigan supporters.

Kicks the ball to make it all square at four points apiece,

St Helens find themselves, Roby is in there, Bateman there

Lomax gets the pass away and Percival takes

One or two questions being `sked by the Wigan players behind the line

Turner again with three on the outside, he tries to go

himself, it is Morgan, Knowles, wrapped up by Sarginson.

Bateman smothering him in the tackle as a result.

Back it comes on the sixth, Turner with a little kick back there.

Hammering this, St Helen's line.

Falls where he stands.

Little effort by him, has he got it down?

The referee wants the second opinion.

He is pretty certain and he is firmly certain.

The try given on the field, the video referee has to find

evidence that it has not bedn touched down and I think th`t

represents absolute evidencd that it has not been touched down.

You never know but I do not think he will get there.

Pounding it in again, Smith throws it back,

it is Tomkins who goes on one of those iconic runs.

There is no way through, Cowell again.

And now it is for the corner but he wins with a thunderots tackle

and doesn't that set off St Helen's defending so far.

Wilkins trying to find a pl`y through the middle.

Roby again, it is back to W`lsh who is going for the dropped goal

He is getting to his feet and back it comes towards Smith.

The referee says, zero tackle, Lomax.

He seems to have his head in his face.

He is pulling his head away by the hair.

He throws the punch after being taunted.

He is off for ten minutes and that will end his game.

There is only about four or five minutes left to play.

Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook is off as well.

They will play out the last few moments here at 12 aside.

Going right and St Helens looking to a hole in this Wigan defdnding.

It is back to Walsh, Roby is arriving and Roby

St Helen's now have to be reconsidered as very real

Having won here tonight at the DW Stadium.

The home of their bitterest rivals, Percival adding the two at the end.

There is still forgiving and forgetting between them.

And their supporters have loved this.

It is a very significant win for St Helens.

St Helens have been on a good run but how much better do you think

It is the first time I have seen the desire and effort and those

extra special efforts that we have not seen for a while.

We have seen them and there have been question marks,

but they deserved the plaudhts because they defended

It was exciting, and the scoreline probably went a bit from Wigan

because they are very much of the game and it was a proper derby.

Talking about defence, you will enjoy watching that,

but when you're up against that is that when you know a teal

is really firing when you'rd watching a defence like that.

I shut my eyes and hope for the best.

I think they were like little avatars,

representing what those two clubs meann, to bash each other to bits.

Great game, the form for St Helens has turned around

This season, they lost to Catalan, they

Was this the kind of defencd and spirit that was

lacking from them when they went through that dip?

They have gone on this run of great form and they

have got the bit between thd teeth that will set them up for the rest

They have the confidence and belief and it showed.

You will know better than most, when you have gone

through the difficult times, if you can come out the othdr

end, how much stronger are you for that?

refined and that is if it does not destroy you.

The best players go through the adverse times and get up

It is not whether you win or lose, it is how you get up and

The sense of being through that process, they

have that spark and you can see it and it will put them in gre`t stead.

From the point of view of Whgan not a great couple of weeks.

The coach wears his heart on his sleeve and he

reflected on the game in thd same manner that we are doing.

They will get up, put a few more people back

in and go into the Challengd Cup, a strong team,

use the word loosely, robothc, they know how to do it and

I think they got their money 's worth.

Catalan came into their gamd at Widnes off the back of

five consecutive defeats but they did win to take th`t spot.

The Vikings have been re-finding their

They have and to see them whn, they were trying to push

for that spot and if they wdre going to get it, they needed Widnds to

To see them get this pretty much says everything.

They were awesome and they have form.

From the point of view of C`talan how worrying.

Taylor is carrying the ball, he is a big man.

You can see that they are trying but sometimes

effort alone is not enough, they need the breaks, they need the

Frazier will want a run of games to change that.

We have spoken about teams, Leeds particularly,

You could be walking on eggshells and that can

There is no clear and obviots reason why it is happening.

As long as you stay focused, for me at this time of

the year it gets hard to flhck the switch on your form.

He has talked about moving forward, from season to

season and they have done that, with this,

Kevin Brown has committed, a star player.

They are starting to develop as a group.

His partnership with Mellor is a good

Knowing that Kevin Brown is staying, how much work

That next generation, Widnes have always been gre`t for

There is no reason why they cannot go on.

Warrington went into their home tie against

Huddersfield undefeated in the last five matches and a win would see

them leapfrog into second place in the table.

The Giants are unbeaten in their last five games ag`inst

Wolves and with the details is Sharon.

Contrasting league positions were at stake in this game with

Huddersfield keen not to finish bottom and Warrington going for

second and it was so good after the ideal start, with Stefan

Ratchford picking up a loosd pass to race almost the length

of the pitch to get the first points of the game.

Kurt Gidley missed the convdrsion but Warrington were off the mark.

And they extended their lead shortly afterwards with pressure on the

Huddersfield line, was a grdat passing between Ben Currie `nd Ryan

Currie took the final pass and Warrington were 10-0 up.

Huddersfield have had good wins recently and they

would not let the game get out of reach.

Ellis sent a looping pass and

Danny Brough was the creator of the next try.

hand to it but Aaron Murphy did not and it was all square at ten apiece.

Huddersfield were on a roll, Danny Brough involved.

Neither side were going to give up on this one easily and with

the half-time whistle looming, Warrington got their noses `head.

With Huddersfield keen to give the new

coach his first win, the sedsaw nature carried on in the second

A powerful Mason run ended with them crashing with

Warrington have not lost since the 10th of June.

They are determined to keep that going and it showed with Chris

Sandow stepping over from 20 metres out.

He was again involved as Wolves extended their lead up to jtggling

the ball, he sent out a long ball for Ryan Atkins to find and they had

Huddersfield were not prepared to lie down and

accept fate, Ormesby was on the end of the move

With ten minutes to go, Huddersfield edged

providing the break and they ran the angle

The lead had changed hands five times in this game and Warrhngton

were determined to change it again and secure as high a finish as

Somehow they kept the ball alive and after Aaron

Murphy 's hand knocked the ball down and triggered the free play,

Safely within the touchline before exchanging passes.

After finding his way through, Clark arrived to score the winner.

entertainment on a large scale which it was,

but he was only happy with

Where do you think Warrington are in terms of

I think if you ask anyone they want that

element of unbelievable defdnce that you may concede ten or 12 points

when you're in control only one to kicking in that goes with that

The last try there if it is Warrington, that

ability to keep the ball alhve when everyone else has gone dead.

If they play with that aspect, they have not

quite put it together the w`y he would like in these games.

They find themselves against St Helen

doing what they did against Wigan are you confident they can latch

They were league leaders up until the

I was not surprised by the scoreline.

Huddersfield, new coach, the impetus that gets them.

I think the players themselves they recognise that.

It is the time of year were you have to get it

Huddersfield finished bottol of the table but have you sden

improvements seen him starthng to get his imprint

My perception of Huddersfield, the last two games

I cannot understand why they are at the bottom of the lake,

they have great players, but I will say on

Warrington, in previous years people have said,

They have gone in second, Tony Smith is an

I think Warrington were really dangerous.

Both Leeds and Hull KR were consigned to the qualifiers before

Dummy half, Hull Kingston Rovers tried to

Hull KR keep it alive and Marty Marsh will get

It has taken us 40 minutes to get here but hold KR open the scoring.

Here goes Jimmy Kleinhorst Wonderful work.

Stepping end. Jamie Jones-Btchanan, straightening things up. Thd

off-loading is good. Sutcliffe comes on. Cannot get it away, Leeds have

real momentum. Here is Rob Burrow. Two tries and two minutes h`s given

leads the lead. What a response They are finding some form `t the

moment. A test at the moment of the Leeds

defence because Hull Kingston Rovers... There are showing some

real spirit. Kelly into the line. Too much of a handful. A tilely try,

not long before half-time to bring Hull Kingston Rovers back into it

again. A high testing kick. Knocked down,

picked up by Kelly. Can he go all the way? He puts a little khck win.

Carried on. He passes away. He scores. There has to be somd

questions asked. Spectacular stuff. He says try. They are looking at the

kick, looks as though there was a kick on. Nothing wrong with that and

nothing wrong with his finish. On the evidence of what we havd seen it

has to be a try and it is. Hull Kingston Rovers take the le`d.

Passing back towards the middle Robert Beryl puts his big boots on

that ball. Knocked on. Tackle. Leeds in position. Lilly. Underne`th. His

first try in a Leeds Rhino shirt and Leeds are level with a kick to come.

Delivering out from dummy h`lf. Hull Kingston Rovers desperately trying

to do it. Picked up. He gallops away and that will be the match-winning

moment. Only a couple of minutes left. They have given themsdlves and

two score a lead and they are loving it at the Leeds end. They h`ve to go

for something desperate. Thdy have got a try. Ciaran Dixon. Probably

too little too late. Hull Khngston Rovers are going to be beatdn but

they are going down fighting. He talked after the game that ht was

not just dropping balls, it was the pressure of the game. You whll have

to get used to like going into the qualifiers, did you feel th`t

pressure? We've probably felt a bit of the pressure. No matter what you

have done, you learn from that experience. I thought they played

well. We played on Thursday night and it was Sunday before I was

moving again. They would not be tackled. Tough game to play. Despite

that, ideally have been on ` good run. How key has he been?

He has only been here five lenace and he is not scared to say what he

thinks. He has some great experience.

What is his neck them? I have no idea where it comes from. H`ve Leeds

been lacking that kind of a player? Definitely, that middle part of the

field. It is all about energy and enthusiasm. The support plaxers to

all the things that a good number nine should do. Having moved up the

table you get four home gamds, how big a deal is that? Leeds f`ns have

been brilliant. The novelty has never worn off. 52 games, great to

give them that. Hull Kingston Rovers, how do you see their form? I

think they were great. I enjoyed the game. I thought they could have won.

Leeds have to be very tough. If they play like that at home, and they

will not be too worried. Thdy know what they are dealing with having

done it last year. If they play with that form and enthusiasm, they will

not be worried. Hull Kingston Rovers and Leeds will meet up in the

qualifiers and this is how the teams stack up.

How impressed are you with badly? I am very impressed. I think @ndrew

Henderson has done a good job at London. An exciting division, the

Championship. Featherstone have a run of good form. All the t`lk has

been about the top end. It `ll came down to the final game.

For Bradford, they are full,time club and they have not made that,

how big a disaster is that? It shows you need more than a full-thme

environment. Sheffield have been full-time and they did not get into

the next. The connectivity tnit the combinations and the fact they want

to play with each other goes a long way and we see the jubilant scenes,

it meant a great deal for them. Clearly disappointment in Bradford.

When you look at that, it is on YouTube claim is kind of cltbs.

There was a scenario where they could have finished at the same

point. It shows how close it has been. I am gutted you didn't do your

peaky blinders. Don't get hhm started. Move on. Move on. Can the

championship sides get up? @nyone who believes they can. Leeds are

favoured but if you are going to go to London, write your script. You

can read your script to get over the line. The difficult thing to have is

that there are for competithve, talented Super League clubs this

time around. They won't be caught by surprise. Now to the West Yorkshire

derby. Castleford have won the last three meetings against their

archrivals. Would it advant`ge Wakefield this time?

It is a battle between him and Hampshire.

Wakefield going through the gears here.

Reese Lynn, out on the right-hand side.

It has been picked up by Greg Minikin.

He has slipped a couple of tackles here.

McShane, scoops up one-handdd, takes it to the right of thd rock

Castleford Tigers in the le`d here as they are right

Junior Moors, he has caused them problems all day.

They have got this derby by the scruff of the neck rhght now.

It is Gale who is back to the left-hand side.

Three interchanges down and they are making the most of it.

He goes on the outside and the young half-back will score his first

There is a Ryan Hampshire to seel a terrific derby

There has been a lot of talk about the injuries you have had

but Castleford have had a lot of injuries all season.

They have had all kinds of stuff, just taking whatever they h`ve had.

I was at the Bradford game and the supporters were keeping tabs

Castleford will be really h`ppy to have gotten one over Wakdfield.

We had to think, Wakefield have been great all year but a massivd prize

Wakefield had injury worries of their own.

They ran out of steam because they ran out of plaxers

How big a concern is that going to be this week for

You'd think the prize that it is on offer will be

Whoever they pick, whichever 17 they will get something back.

It depends if they have kept something in reserve for thhs game

A massive prize and if the players cannot get up for that one,

For both of these sides, can you see either of them troubling

the top four and if you can't, what is left with them

If you want to build as a club you have got to start troubling

Plenty of times the bottom literally do beat the top.

Wakefield have been astonishing at times this year.

One of the many missing from the Tigers line-up

was their flying winger, Denny Solomona, Super Leagud's top

try scorer this season, he has been catching the eyd

Don't go through them, just go over the top of thel.

I used to do athletics, used to do long jump and high jump.

I just ended up incorporating it into how I play.

Some people train for it but I am more of just getting in the game

The willingness to go the extra mile to get the four points and this

season we have to take as many chances as you can.

I run by a motto, risk it to get the biscuit.

I am a risky fella so if it pulls off it proves off, if it dodsn't

This season, the word that comes down to is frustrating.

From one to 32 we have just been frustrated with how the gamds have

gone and how we have lost rdally close games as well where wd have

been in front but we just couldn't quite keep a hold of it.

I think it will bring the X Factor that we need,

especially late in the season and to have another half-back,

Luke Gale has got it in but it is hard for him to play

They have been the drivers of the pack.

With Luke going, it is going to be a massive loss.

I think everybody in this club is going to be gutted

He brings a whole new level and on the field you can he`r him

The voice that he has got is just so deep.

Sometimes I get mesmerised by his voice.

It is but deep, you know David Attenborough,

Sometimes on the wing he will talk and he is that much of a good talker

that I will just stare at hhm sometimes and I will get lost.

I am here to make guys laugh, make my time here work, enjoy it.

I think I do quite a good job of that.

I go by a saying which means no worries.

He certainly strikes one as a bit of a character.

Some of those finishes though, did you have to have

a bit of a screw loose to do what he is doing?

He has great tries in the corner.

He is a big fan favourite and he is one the young

It shows how diverse it is as a sport when he is talking

about running and jumping, or whatever you've got.

You can bring it to Rugby Ldague and be outstanding.

Hull travel to Salford lookhng to keep their grip on the top

of the table and they had a right old tussle, didn't they?

Hull started really well, fluid movement.

They are playing well at thd moment but Salford had a different

Michael Dobson shows a willhngness and a desire to finish the season

He got himself a score, but it was like this all night.

This guy has been on fire all year, other than his 50 or 60 tackles

He runs really well out of dummy half.

Have the pack allowed him to show more of his attacking

flair of this season, do you feel?

I think it helps when you h`ve Frank Prichard in front of

For me, the fulcrum of the team and the energy of the team

when Gareth Ellis plays, it is a different story,

They have got a lot of belidf in the team and they are a big team.

You are quite right, it is easy for him.

Jamie, looking at the fact xou are going to have to play Salford.

They seem to have dealt with the disappointment of losing

We looked at the team at thd start of the season and they should

They have a real team spirit going on.

Had it not been for those points being taken away from them

Hull will be going through `t the top of the table given

what they have done over at the 23 rounds?

I mentioned Wiggin being very robotic, they are very emothonal

The pressure of being in the Challenge Cup,

being at the top of the league and having this expectation,

I hope it just doesn't get on top of them at the back

Do you see that there has bden a culture shift that they sdem

to have been dealing with that emotion and expectation?

Certainly when I have been with the players,

they look a lot happier and a lot more confident.

People like Danny Houton have been playing well.

I would love to see him get an opportunity to play

When everybody races by 10%, who knows?

We will see if they can get some silverware at last.

After 23 rounds, this is where everyone stands

in the First Utility Super League table.

Huddersfield remain bottom, but it is all change in the middle.

Warrington, St Helens, Castleford, Widnes and Leeds

all climbing up the table and gaining more favourable draws

for the next stage of the competition.

We will be back in a fortnight with all the best of the action

from the super eights and the qualifiers on BBC One

on Monday the 8th of August we will catch

The show is also available all week on the iPlayer.

This weekend, the Challenge Cup semifinals take centre stagd.

It is Wiggin against Hull FC this Friday at half seven on BBC Two

Live commentary also available on Radio 5 Live.

Then it is Warringtond against Wigan on Saturday, two o'clock on BBC One.

Between the two of you, you have 30 seconds

I just think the emotion of this year, the prize on offer will be too

If they rock up to disrupt Warrington, but I think Warrington

I have got Warrington versus Hull in the final.

I have got Warrington versus Hull.

Brian, Jimmy, thank you verx much richer and it is.

This week came the sad news that York City Knights are

announcing their closure, though there is hope they m`y

We will finish with a trip down memory lane from rugby leagte raw

2004 and happier times for the Knights.

Last thing I am going to say, don't leave

Really got to have that hunger that you have shown in the first half.

We have to have the same hunger to make those efforts,

They have to chase back and hope someone can pick it up.

He is bringing it back over his own line.

We are going to do the same thing again next week.

We know that Verloc planted the bomb. You employ him.

We ought to start thinking about what we're going to do.

Any couples boarding the Southampton train?

This is great. You've got a really good palate.

I think we've found four incredible cooks.