Catalans surprise and overwhelm Saints 35 - 16 after leading 29-0 shortly after half time, and Warrington and Leeds are ready to come on the pitch at the University of Bolton stadium in the next few minutes on a sweltering English summer day (you don't hear that too often, do you?).

 

Radio Merseyside is quiet just now - hopefully just for a moment - unless Ray French and Allan Rooney are parched hoarse after the first match and have had to adjourn to a handy hostelry to whet their whistles.

As suspected, Allan and Ray have adjourned, and John Lawless is commentating for Radio Merseyside.  Chris Kendall signals for the kick-off.  Bennee Westwood and Chris Hill are the first to get hands on the ball, Jack Walker very competent full back and somehow Warrington get the ball from their first kick and Toby King loses the ball as he crosses the line.

 

Warrington take a penalty, but when Leeds get their first good possession at the Wire end and Ryan Hall scores and the conversion makes it 6-2... anything could happen in the next 63 minutes

Tom Lineham scores a length of the field special after Richie Myler knocks on at the play-the-ball at the Warrington end, and Warrington are back ahead 8 - 6.  

 

And it looks like Toby King has snatched the ball out of a confident Ryan Hall's hands from a kick, and Josh Charnley scores in the corner despite  Jack Walker's attentions regardless of how flat the pass was (not a subject for video referee review) and Warrington put some daylight between themselves and Leeds. 

 

It's James Child in the video referee's box, by the way, and Chris Kendall on the field with the whistle.  And the conversion is good to make it 14-6 

 

Kevin dummies the Leeds defence, looks around to see where they've gone, and rather than waiting for them to return, he dots the ball down to extend Warrington's lead to 20-6

 

And Ben Murdoch - Mesilla barges over to stretch their lead to 26  6 at half time, and Leeds could be struggling from here.  And the flags are up!

Leeds fans who have had enough can switch over to Belgrade, where Scotland lead Ireland 16-0 at half time in the Under-19 European Championships

 

http://www.sportuzivo.tv/v2/stream/index.php?channel=sportuzivo4

 

And while my internet hotspot has been dead with a flat battery it's 16-12

 

Ireland equalise in the third quarter and take the lead with the conversion 16 - 18

 

Leeds have been applying a bit of pressure, and Leeds have scored to narrow the gap but still a long way to go in this second half 26 - 12

 

Daryl Clark breaks the line and feeds Josh Charnley who scores! to settle Warrington nerves

Scotland and Warrington have extended their leads

and the game at Belgrade finishes 26 - 18 in Scotland's favour, while Ryan Hall is baffled by five attacking players in black, but Toby King goes over in the corner to put that game before Leeds' grasp, and the Wire will be off to Wembley at the end of August

 

Wembelleee! Wembelleee!

 

And Bennee Westwood misses the last conversion to leave the score 48 - 12, and I'm off to bed.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to miss the Super 8s when they go back to simple relegation and promotion.  I think the Top 8 would have been enhanced by going straight to a knockout format, or post-division points count double.  The Qualifiers are great, and even if they don’t get promoted, give the best teams in the Championship exposure to Superleague standards. 

 

I reckon Toronto will go up this year,  and maybe one of London or Toulouse.

Ahead of tomorrow's Warrington - Catalans Challenge Cup Final, I bring you the exciting news that Edinburgh Eagles have been selected as the Scottish entrant for next year's Challenge Cup, starting in January.

 

Wembelleee! Wembelleee! We're going to Wembelleee!

Congratulations to Catalan Dragons, the first team to take the Challenge Cup outside England.  

 

I'm guessing that most of you are stunned at the Challenge Cup going outside England for the first time.  Think of it the same as Geraint Thomas winning Le Tour de France.

 

The RFL authorities have decided to sacrifice the dramatic Super-8s in the interests of TV and travel scheduling; to be fair, I don't actually go to the games, and I'm not a big market for pitch-side advertising, so perhaps my view that the Qualifiers are the most exiting part of the Superleague season is irrelevant.  It does put a bit of drama into the end of Leeds' season, though...

 

What do you all reckon about the latest changes?

 

Incidentally, I was watching a bit of Top XIV rugby with English commentary, Perpignan v La Rochelle, and I was amazed (and disappointed) that the commentators never saw fit to mention that Perpignan's Catalan neighbours at Stade Gilbert Brutus had been to Wembellee! Wembellee! to lift the Challenge Cup.

Warrington v Saint Helens on the BBC just now, with Ray French and Allan Rooney

There’s three men yellow carded for a bit of a fracas, but Warriors NG Tom take the full ten minutes to make their numerical advantage count, and they’re standing waiting to come back on as Warrington score to make it 6-2

You're probably still in shock SC as its not often Wire suffer that type of mauling but you were hammered....totally and decisively.

5 hours ago, RonniePickering22 said:

You're probably still in shock SC as its not often Wire suffer that type of mauling but you were hammered....totally and decisively.

Luckily the Thaivisa web site was down for the second half.  You wouldn't want to see a grown man cry.

Luckily the Thaivisa web site was down for the second half.  You wouldn't want to see a grown man cry.

Well SC. You may have to cry again!!
Big congratulations for strangling a very deserved win over saints[emoji28]
But I’m afraid that win has now led you on a direct course in the direction of the warriors for the tantalising Grand Final showdown on the 13th!! Hats scarves and gloves at the ready lol
Enjoy. And may the best team win[emoji85]

6 hours ago, Genghis Khant said:

Well SC. You may have to cry again!!
Big congratulations for strangling a very deserved win over saints
But I’m afraid that win has now led you on a direct course in the direction of the warriors for the tantalising Grand Final showdown on the 13th!! Hats scarves and gloves at the ready lol
Enjoy. And may the best team win

Not sure about the hats and scarves, but I'm sure the gloves will be off on Saturday evening, especially if Ben Flower and Bennie Westwood are playing.

 

I watched the Toronto - London game last night, and it was a thriller, but if London don't improve their handling they will struggle in Superleague.

 

I might stay up to watch the Grand Final as well as recording it - I still haven't seen the Semi Final because the recording I'd programmed failed when they replaced "Semi Final 1" in the schedule with "Saint Helens v Warrington".

 

 

I'm chortling with glee and anticipation and rubbing my hands to boot, looking forward to tonight's game from Old Trafford, if I can manage to stay up for it...

Not long woken from a vino induced afternnon slumber in time to watch this scoreless tripe.

 

Where are Hull...?

 

Its just not the same....no siree!

Wire leading!! This could go from bad to grinning for SC!!

It's a great game so far... long way to go, though....

Yeah was a great game (but some woeful kicks at goal).


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Very best wishes to Shaun Wayne in Scotland; a perfect send-off forhim, and I’m looking forward to next year’s Grand Final when Warrington might come up trumps.  Getting to two Finals is as much as you can reasonably expect, though I’m sure everyone would say they would rather win one than lose two

Red Star Belgrade join Edinburgh Eagles and 50 other teams in the draw for the first round of the Challenge Cup today, in their bid to wrestle rugby's second-most famous trophy away from Catalan Dragons.

First-round Challenge Cup rugby on the internet courtesy of the BBC

27th January

Belgrade are recruiting hard and will be expecting to get beyond this first hurdle on the Road to Wembellee! Wembellee!

With the two professional Scottish sides qualifying for the European Quarter-Finals in The Other Code, who would bet against Edinburgh Eagles progressing? Wembellee, Wembellee!

I was distraught at Edinburgh going out to Normanton in the first round, and haven't been able to comment for a while, but this piece of news moved me to do so

 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/47148096

Poor Allan Rooney will be on his own now...

I’m sat in Sid’s listening to Warrington - Salford and it’s not going well.  WAR 12  - 36 SAL.

”That’s a bad cold you’ve got there, mate”, the chap next to me said.

”No, I’m fine, I’ve had worse”

”Are your eyes watering? Have you been eating raw chopped onions?”

”No, I’m sweating; I was cycling yesterday”

”What’s that you’re listening to?”

”Warrington Salford”

”Never mind, don’t top yourself till full time”

Challenge Cup Sixth Round

 

This is the round where the rest of the Superleague clubs join.

And in their first match of the competition it's 

 

Warrington v Wigan

 

A re-run of last year's Grand Final.

I'm hoping for a different result from last October, and quietly optimistic given Wigan's poor form this season, and the result last time the teams met at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in March this year.

 

I don't think the game is going to be live on the wireless....

 

 

Upset in the West Yorkshire derby

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/48189282

Bradford one step towards a return to the top division albeit not necessarily in the right direction

 

A great result for Bradford, and another reminder to Leeds that one day, they will have to wake up

shocking how quickly Leeds have fallen.

2017 - superleague champions

2018 - middle 8s

2019 - outright relegation fodder