English Super League Scores - Round 1

[Ipswich Fan]

Half time in the season opener between Castleford & Hull:

Hull 18 (Briscoe, Domic, Cooke Tries: Brough 3 goals) lead Castleford 6 (Viane try: Fletcher goal)

[Ipswich Fan]

Full time & Hull have run out victors.

Hull 42 (Yeaman 2, Briscoe, Raynor, Lupton, Domic, Blacklock, Cooke Tries: Brough 3, Cooke 2 goals) def Castleford 18 ( Viane 2, Fa'aoso, McGoldrick tries: Fletcher goal)

[Dakink]

WooHoo!!

Edit: Oh and come and join the Forum tipping comp - it's not too late, any late comers get the bottom score. Go to oztips.com

See thread http://www.titans.com.au//forum/showthread.php?t=2334 for details.

[Luke]

I wanted castleford to win but it looks like Hull were to strong.

[DeeGan]

One from one

Well I avoid the dreaded 'Golden Duck' of the tipping world at least.

[DeeGan]

From Sky Sports:

Castleford 18-42 Hull

Super League, The Jungle, Friday February 10

Match Stats

Castleford look to be facing a long, hard season on their return to Super League after slumping to a 42-18 defeat to Hull in their opener at the Jungle.

As expected in front of a big first night crowd, there was no absence of passion or commitment from the Tigers, but Hull were a class above in terms of decision-making and execution.

Castleford wasted plenty of try-scoring opportunities due to a mixture of panic and poor options, while Hull were impressively clinical as they aim to build on last year's Challenge Cup success.

Castleford struggled with the pace of Super League early in the game, conceding four penalties around the ruck area in the first five minutes.

Sid Domic made them pay after just six minutes, slick passing from Danny Brough and Paul King creating the gap for the second rower to charge through for a debut try.

Cas had to wait 10 minutes to threaten the Hull line and the chance disappeared when Matt Whittaker popped the ball up in the tackle.

The Tigers did get their first Super League points in more than a year when Richard Fletcher knocked over a penalty after a high shot on Danny Sculthorpe, but on 23 minutes Hull struck again.

Richard Horne made the initial break in midfield and Shaun Briscoe took advantage on the next tackle.

Gray Viane was the next Cas man to knock on in a promising position and Paul Cooke's close range try stretched the lead to 18-2 on the half hour mark.

Deon Bird knocked on - was rescued by a whistle for offside - then knocked on two tackles later as the Tigers' lack of composure became farcical, but Viane hauled them back into the match on the brink of half-time.

Sculthorpe put in a measured chip over the top on the third tackle, Michael Shenton collected and shipped the ball inside for Viane to score.

Hull tried to raise the tempo and kill off the game early in the second half and two tries in as many minutes from Nathan Blacklock - with his first touch - and Gareth Raynor appeared to have done the trick.

But Cas never stopped battling and Viane grabbed his second try from Ryan McGoldrick's grubber kick.

Kirk Yeaman's dummy took Hull clear once more, Richard Fa'aoso hit back for Cas, before Cooke's grubber kick took a wicked rebound off the crossbar and Peter Lupton touched down.

Yeaman grabbed a close-range second but Hull fell off the tackles and gifted McGoldrick a consolation with 30 seconds left.

The Tigers were well-beaten but will feel they have plenty to build on. They need to start converting their chances and stop giving away penalties if another season at the foot of the table is to be avoided.

Castleford (6) 18.
Tries: Viane 2, Fa'aoso, McGoldrick.
Goals: Fletcher.
Hull (18) 42.
Tries: Domic, Briscoe, Cooke, Blacklock, Raynor, Yeaman 2, Lupton.
Goals: Brough 3, Cooke 2.

Att: 10,188

Ref: C Kirkpatric

[Dakink]

Good crowd there for Cas. Hopefully something in their game for them to build on.

[DeeGan]

The Tigers were well-beaten but will feel they have plenty to build on. They need to start converting their chances and stop giving away penalties if another season at the foot of the table is to be avoided.

The above is promising for Cas - as I said to Dakink on MSN, Nutley and Ward will put the Tigers in a position to win sooner rather than later. My concern is McGoldrick in the 6 jersey :sick:

[Dakink]

Werent Cas apparentlychasing Gower? Maybe they too recognise the frailty of their 6?

[DIEHARD]

Great crowd at the jungle.

[DeeGan]

Werent Cas apparentlychasing Gower? Maybe they too recognise the frailty of their 6?

Yeah they were Dakink - who knows with Gower at the moment, he is reportedly now keen on Melbourne :ok:

[DeeGan]

More from the Cas loss from debutant coach Terry Matterson:

From: www.superleague.co.uk

FRIDAY - 10th February 2006

New Castleford coach Tony Matterson could not hide his disappointment after watching his side go down to a 42-18 home defeat by Hull in Friday night's opening match of engage Super League XI.

The newly-promoted Tigers, who had 10 new faces on view, were never ahead and eventually conceded eight tries to an impressive Hull team who demonstrated their title credentials.

"I'm a bit disappointed, definitely," said Matterson. "Not with the effort but we were pretty poor with the ball.

"I was expecting a better result, a closer result. I thought at times we looked like getting on top but we just couldn't get over the line.

"It's going to take a while but we're going to get better, we have to get better.

"We have some guys underdone and we were playing a side who had been together quite a while and you could tell."

Gray Viane scored two of Castleford's four tries, the others coming from Ryan McGoldrick and Richard Fa'aoso, but the Tigers lost another newcomer, second-rower Matt Whitaker, with ankle ligament damage.

Matterson received words of encouragement from Hull coach John Kear, a former Castleford player and assistant coach.

"I think there were some good signs," he said. "They certainly don't look as far off the pace as Leigh did this time last year.

"Obviously they are going to get better. They had 10 new guys and that is a lot of people to integrate into their team."

Centre Kirk Yeaman scored two tries for the Challenge Cup holders, who also touched down through Shaun Briscoe, Gareth Raynor, Peter Lupton, Nathan Blacklock, Paul Cooke and debutant Sid Domic.

Kear was delighted with his side's performance and hailed the contributions of newcomers Domic and ex-Bradford back-rower Lee Radford.

"We got 80 minutes of quality back-row play from Lee Radford and Sid produced some incisive and explosive running," he said. "His work-rate was very high indeed."

[Ipswich Fan]

I can't see Castleford having the attack to trouble many teams with McGoldrick at five-eighth.

[Teegy]

Catalan take thriller

Just like Paris before them, Catalan Dragons made a fairytale start to life in Super League with a pulsating victory by 38-30.

The Perpignan club scored the 12th try of an epic duel in the last minute at Stade Aime Giral to grab a sensational win over Wigan and send a bumper crowd wild with delight.

The lead changed hands six times in a memorable match but the Dragons finished the stronger side to famously claim the spoils and left the field to a standing ovation.

Dragons must now build on their stunning opening triumph if they are to succeed where Paris failed and, on this evidence, the signs are looking promising.

Inspired by brilliant New Zealand Test scrum-half Stacey Jones, one of five overseas players making their debuts for the Frenchmen, the Dragons three times came from behind to stun their illustrious visitors.

The shocks began as early as the second minute when the visitors, with five debutants of their own, conceded the first try but they fought back to lead 22-16 at half-time.

Wigan, in fact, made the worst possible start when new captain Sean O?Loughlin was pulled up for a forward pass straight from the kick-off and the French side scored from the resulting scrum.

Jones combined with former Castleford stand-off Sean Rudder to work the ball out wide and winger Mark Hughes rounded Mark Calderwood to squeeze over at the corner.

There was also some fine finishing from Wigan five minutes later when winger Brett Dallas reached for the line after his centre, David Vaealiki, had juggled with Mick Higham?s long pass.

Danny Tickle, like Laurent Frayssinous before him, hit the woodwork with the conversion attempt but the Warriors went in front five minutes later when teenage full-back Chris Ashton broke through the middle to send prop Iafeta Palea?aesina galloping 30 metres for a debut try.

Tickle?s successful conversion made it 10-4 but the Dragons were level on 15 minutes when full-back Frayssinous touched down Jones? grubber kick on the last tackle and also added the goal.

As the game swung from end to end Catalans prop Chris Beattie and Vaealiki both had tries disallowed before the home side, urged on by a vociferous crowd, regained the lead on 30 minutes.

Explosive second rower Jamal Fakir bumped off an attempted tackle by Pat Richards and Palea?aesina to crash over the line but quickly turned from hero to villain by being sin-binned.

The France international was placed on report by Ashley Klein for a high tackle on Wigan substitute Wayne Godwin but clearly did not heed the warning and was shown the yellow card after repeating the foul on the same unfortunate opponent moments later.

And Wigan took full advantage of the extra man, with lively scrum-half Dennis Moran jinking his way over for a try in stoppage time, and Tickle kicked his third goal.

But the Catalans look to be made of stern stuff and, with Fakir back in action, they struck with two tries early in the second half to edge back in front.

Substitute winger Renaud Guige had a score disallowed for a double movement but he made amends after 46 minutes by finishing some splendid handling by half-backs Jones and Rudder.

And six minutes later, the crowd was on its feet once more when centre John Wilson got a wonder pass out of the tackle for right winger Justin Murphy to cross at the corner.

Frayssinous planted the touchline conversion between the posts to make it 26-22 and that?s the way it stayed until the 70th minute.

Higham was held up over the line and O?Loughlin had the misfortune to lose the ball in the act of scoring but the skipper?s blushes looked to have been spared by Pat Richards, who handed off the challenge of Guige to race over for what they thought was the winning try.

A penalty from Tickle, his fifth goal from six attempts, made it 30-26 but back the French came again in a heart-stopping finish.

Loose forward Ian Hindmarsh, brother of Australian Test star Nathan, cut through for his side?s sixth try five minutes from the end and hooker Julien Rinaldi squeezed over in the last minute to make sure.

Catalans Dragons (16) 38.
Tries: Hughes, Frayssinous, Fakir, Guigue, Murphy 2, Hindmarsh. Goals: Frayssinous 5.

Wigan (22) 30.
Tries: Dallas, Paleaaesina, Moran, Seu Seu, Richards. Goals: Tickle 5.

Catalans Dragons: Frayssinous, Murphy, Sadaoui, Wilson, Hughes, Rudder, Jones, Beattie, Rinaldi, Fellous, Guisset, Fakir, Hindmarsh.
Replacements: Jampy, Mounis, Guigue, Chan.

Wigan: Ashton, Calderwood, Richards, Vaealiki, Dallas, Orr, Moran, Logan, Higham, Paleaaesina, Hansen, Tickle, O?Loughlin.
Replacements: Brown, Godwin, Seu Seu, Tomkins.

Referee: A Klein (London)

Att: 11,000

[Teegy]

Saints on form

Paul Wellens ran in a hat-trick of tries as St Helens showed their class with an emphatic 40-16 victory over Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.


It was a new name, home and kit for the home side, formerly known at London Broncos, but Saints spoiled the party by running in seven tries to Harlequins? three.


The visitors established a 24-6 half-time lead, Wellens crossing twice and Ade Gardner once after Tyrone Smith had cancelled out the opener from Jason Cayless.


Rikki Sheriffe replied for Quins, but Wellens got his third and Jason Hooper and Jamie Lyon made the win safe before a consolation arrived from Paul Sykes.


The visitors left out captain Paul Sculthorpe as he recovers after knee surgery but Sean Long returned and Cayless, Leon Pryce and Francis Meli were handed debuts.


Meli made an inauspicious start, struggling with kicks from Matt Gafa and Thomas Leuluai, but fellow Kiwi Cayless began well, taking Keiron Cunningham?s pass to score after seven minutes.


At the other end, Pat Weisner was dragged down onto the line after prop Karl Temata went striding through a gaping hole. Moments later Luke Dorn?s kick to the right corner found Smith, who touched down.


After 23 minutes Harlequins conceded a second penalty for an incorrect play-the-ball and Saints? pressure culminated in Wellens crashing over.


A minute later James Roby, on for Cunningham, made a break through the centre and Wellens was on his shoulder to add his second.


Quins tried to force the pace but handling errors were their undoing and the visitors? next try demonstrated the gulf in class.


Smith?s fumble enabled Pryce, Meli and Hooper to make ground before Long kicked to Lyon in space on the wing.


The Australian centre kept the ball in play with a deft reverse flick for Gardner to canter over, then added his fourth conversion.


Harlequins got their second try when Gardner failed in his attempt to cut out Leuluai?s pass to Sheriffe, who was left with a simple run-in.


Wellens had chances to complete his hat-trick before the interval and did so midway through the second period when he rounded Zebastian Luisi to go under the posts.


Long supplied the ball for Hooper?s try and Lyon finished from halfway after an interception, before Danny Williams set up Sykes.

Harlequins RL (6) 16.
Tries: Smith, Sheriffe, Sykes. Goals: Gafa, Sykes.

St Helens (24) 40.
Tries: Cayless, Wellens 3, Gardner, Hooper, Lyon. Goals: Lyon 6.

Harlequins RL: Gafa, Sheriffe, Lucky Luisi, Smith, Bradley-Qalilawa, Dorn, Leuluai, Temata, Weisner, Heckenberg, Purdham, Hopkins, Williams.
Replacements: Haumono, Mills, Sykes, Tookey.

St Helens: Wellens, Gardner, Lyon, Talau, Meli, Pryce, Long, Fozzard, Cunningham, Cayless, Gilmour, Wilkin, Hooper.
Replacements: Roby, Graham, P. Anderson, Fa?asavalu.

Referee: R Silverwood (Dewsbury)

Att: 8,213