The Rules:

• Each person predicts the results of every Super League match.
• Predicting the correct winner will get you 1 point.
• If the predictor’s scoreline has the same winning margin, then 4 points will be awarded (only if the predicted winning team is correct).
• Correctly predicting the exact score will win you an additional 5 points.
• Two bonus points will be awarded if the first try scorer is predicted correctly, whereas 1 point will be awarded if the selected player scores during the match.

Last Round’s Results:

• Hull KR 24 – Hull FC 6 (Nathan – 1, Ian – 0)
• St Helens 34 – Wigan Warriors 24 (Nathan – 0, Ian – 0)
• Bradford Bulls 12 – Leeds Rhinos 24 (Nathan – 2, Ian – 1)
• Huddersfield Giants 34 – York Knights 14 (Nathan – 1, Ian – 2)
• Warrington Wolves 42 – Leigh Leopards 6 (Nathan – 2, Ian – 2)
• Catalans Dragons 33 – Toulouse Olympique XIII 26 (Nathan – 1, Ian – 2)
• Castleford Tigers 0 – Wakefield Trinity 34 (Nathan – 1, Ian – 0)

Current Score: Nathan 49 – Ian 58

Look out, Ian, I’m on the comeback trail! I’ve cut the gap to nine points after a good weekend for me. Sadly, Ian also got a few try scorer calls right, so he maintains a steady lead, but anything can happen from one week to the next!

It was the Rivals Round in round seven of the Super League. All kicking off with three classic clashes on Good Friday, with the Hull derby to open a ferocious weekend of rugby league action. Hull KR were coming into the game on the back of a stunning 52-10 victory over St Helens the week before, whereas Hull FC were riding a wave of momentum following two wins on the bounce against Leeds and Catalans. It was the Robins who once again claimed bragging rights at Craven Park, downing the Airlie Birds 24-6 to stretch their unbeaten derby streak to seven consecutive matches. Hull will be hoping to close that gap by the time these two sides meet again at the Hill Dickinson Stadium for the Magic Weekend in July.

Over on the opposite side of the country, St Helens entertained their eternal rivals, the Wigan Warriors, at the Brewdog Stadium. It turned out to be another derby clash for the ages as St Helens mounted an incredible comeback in the last ten minutes of the game. The Saints looked dead and buried going into the final stages of the game, being down 24-10 against the fearsome Warriors, but there proved to still be life left in the side as Jackson Hastings and Tristan Sailor went over for tries within minutes of each other, both converted by Hastings. The stage was set for a tense final five minutes, and then up stepped a most unlikely hero. Bill Leyland had been brought in by the Saints on a week-long loan from Hull KR, and the hooker sent the home crowd into raptures by burrowing over on the seventy-seventh minute to put the Saints ahead. He added a second try straight from a misjudged Wigan short kick off to seal a memorable one-off appearance on Merseyside.

The final game of Good Friday saw the return of a classic Super League rivalry, as the Bradford Bulls welcomed the Leeds Rhinos to Odsal. This was the first Super League clash between these two iconic sides in twelve years, and anticipation was high. While it failed to live up to the drama of the previous match, it provided entertainment nonetheless, with Leeds proving too strong for a Bulls side who are still establishing themselves back in the top flight. Despite taking a slim 8-6 lead into half-time, Bradford fell to a 24-12 defeat at home to their bitterest rivals.

Huddersfield Giants continued their bounce-back from a dreadful start to the season with a convincing win at home against the York Knights. The Giants benefited from having key players back, while the Knights are currently struggling with their own injury problems. Adam Clune once again showed how crucial he is to a Huddersfield side who will be hoping that their half-back can remain injury-free for the foreseeable future. It finished 34-14 as the Giants picked up their second successive win under interim coach Liam Finn.

The Warrington Wolves bounced back in convincing fashion in Saturday’s other early kick-off. Following their first defeat of the season against the Leeds Rhinos the week before this game, the Wolves put the Leopards to the sword in a convincing 42-6 victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. George Williams enjoyed a fine game at the heart of Warrington’s attack, accompanied by Marc Sneyd, who returned to the squad after missing out on selection for the games against Leeds and Castleford.

Saturday’s late kick-off took us to the South of France, as the Catalans Dragons welcomed Toulouse Olympique to the Stade Gilbert Brutus. The first French derby since 2022 was a firecracker of a game, providing plenty of thrills and spills, as well as a tense finish, as TOXIII fought back valiantly before being put away by a Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e try, and then soon after a shrewd drop goal from Kruise Leeming. Despite slipping to another defeat, Toulouse once again showed that they are not a team to take lightly.

The final game of the Rivals Round was the WF derby between Castleford and Wakefield at Wheldon Road. Castleford fans would have been forgiven for expecting better from their side, especially after the victory against Bradford the week before, but the Tigers side that showed up on Easter Sunday was closer in performance to the team that was thrashed by Warrington a few weeks ago. Wakefield, who have built up quite the run of form in the last few weeks, beat the neighbours 34-0, a scoreline that could well have been higher, had Wakefield been more clinical, as the Tigers put in yet another poor display. There will be little relief for the Tigers in the near future, as they next travel to Wigan to face the Warriors. Will they provide another shock at the Brick, much like Huddersfield? Time will tell…

Nathan’s Picks:

• Hull FC 6 – St Helens 42. First try scorer: Kyle Feldt
• Toulouse Olympique XIII 0 – Hull KR 32. First try scorer: Joe Burgess
• Huddersfield Giants 12 – Leeds Rhinos 24. First try scorer: Maika Sivo
• York Knights 16 – Leigh Leopards 22. First try scorer: Edwin Ipape
• Wakefield Trinity 26 – Bradford Bulls 10. First try scorer: Jack Sinfield
• Catalans Dragons 12 – Warrington Wolves 28. First try scorer: Cai Taylor-Wray
• Wigan Warriors 52 – Castleford Tigers 10. First try scorer: Liam Marshall

Ian’s Picks:

• Hull FC 22 – St Helens 18. First try scorer: Zak Hardaker
• Toulouse Olympique XIII 14 – Hull KR 34. First try scorer: Tom Davies
• Huddersfield Giants 16 – Leeds Rhinos 28. First try scorer: Maika Sivo
• York Knights 12 – Leigh Leopards 20. First try scorer: Lachlan Lam
• Wakefield Trinity 24 – Bradford Bulls 18. First try scorer: Corey Hall
• Catalans Dragons 12 – Warrington Wolves 30. First try scorer: Toby King
• Wigan Warriors 50 – Castleford Tigers 10. First try scorer: Jack Farrimond

Written by Nathan Major (Site editor & Hull KR fan)