Welcome back, old friend.

The observant amongst you will have noticed that for a blog dedicated to rugby league for the past four seasons, there hasn't really been many posts on that given topic. Or any topic for that matter.

Thankfully that is all about to change.

Due to educational commitments my time over the past year and a half has been going into earning myself a shiny certificate from the worlds worst organised university. Needless to say entering a job market that has been one of the worst for a generation should give me plenty of time to write more about a passion of mine, and maybe even point this blog in the direction of a few potential employers as someone who is about to graduate with a journalism degree.


As part of the re-brand (so to speak) it's about time we caught up with the highlights of the action over the past twelve months.


Wigan dominated the 2010 season pretty much from start to finish. After their defeat at home to Huddersfield (where incidentally I pissed myself half laughing, half cheering when it meant the pies were denied the league leaders shield mathematically for another week) I said they would not go unbeaten for the rest of the season.


I was right in the sense that they went unbeaten for the remainder of the regualr season. However despite the loss of Danny McGuire early in the match, Leeds did the unthinkable and topple the league leaders away from home in the first round of the play offs. The rematch at Headingley two weeks later proved to be a one sided affair but it showed that despite their losses, Wigan are a remarkable side and Michael McGuire has done amazing things in the space of one season at the club. As expected, they went onto win the Grand Final over rivals St Helens.

Warrington shocked the attendants at Wembley by not only defeating Leeds in the Challenge Cup final, but by doing so with ease winning 30-6.


It was certainly a game to forget for those travelling down the M1, with 85,000 eagerly expecting a classic game of rugby league. It didn't come.


Warrington showed why they will be future Super League champions in that one game, ensuring the game was won before half time and the cup defended successfully. 


Many Warrington supporters will say their favourite moment of that match was Chris Hicks' try, as he plucked the ball from out of the air to score in the corner. For me it has to be Lee Briers' 40-20 halfway though the first half. I think even at that point, deep down, the game was won and Leeds didn't look up to the fight.

 Finally the World Club Challenge proved to be a disappointing affair again if you are a British supporter of the game. Or if you just love Wigan. 


After putting Sydney to bed in the 2010 NRL Grand Final, St George Illawarra came over to these shores for what the Aussie fans like to call 'a trial game.' 


In fairness to those convict armchair supporters, they do occasionally get things right. Wigan were outplayed from start to finish at the DW Stadium, despite winning 15-14 at half time. St George always looked the better side as they eventually wound Wigan down and kept restricting their field possession in the St George half of the field. It would have put a smile on Wayne Bennett's face, who had to fly back to Australia early due to a family illness. 


And that's your wrap of the key pieces of silverware that have been won over the past twelve months. I promise I'll update again soon, ta raa!

Copyright: Sky News, http://league.quins.co.uk 

Murrayfield Magic preview.

This weekend will see the fourth Magic Weekend, the second time the event will be hosted in the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh.

Every round 13 Super League game will be played at Murrayfield Stadium. It gives the fans a unique opportunity to watch every single game in the same round of matches in the flesh, but how does this years event wet the appetite compared to previous years in Edinburgh and Cardiff?

When the draw for this year’s Magic Weekend was made during the close season, there were very few games that would catch the imagination of the neutral fans on paper. As the trip to Edinburgh is less than a week away, a quick glance at both the weekend’s fixtures and the current league table shows that the next seven games may not be as predictable as many people suggested at the start of the season.

If certain results go in favour of a particular team, there could be several changes to the league table on bank holiday Monday. Super League may have a new league leader, a new top four and a reshuffle of the eight play off places. It all makes for an exciting weekend of rugby league in Scotland.

There are fans who would have preferred to see the return of the derby matches that proved to be a unique selling point for the original Millennium Magic weekend back in 2007. These fans will no doubt argue there is more at stake than just the two competition points, and that more fans are compelled to travel the greater distance to support their team against a local foe. But close proximity between two clubs geographically does not always provide a classic rugby match. It is often the case when two teams close to each other in the league table provide a much more thrilling contest, and a fantastic advert for the game on both live television and on ‘foreign’ ground away from the M62 corridor.

Every club has something to play for at this stage of the season, and so there is every chance that each game can be a thrilling encounter as we look ahead to this years Magic Weekend.

Bradford Bulls V Crusaders RL – Saturday May 1, 1pm.
After their demolition of Hull KR at home, Bradford go into this game full of confidence against a 11th place Crusaders. The appointment of Steve McNamara as the new England coach obviously blew the wind in the Bradford sails as they were able to score six tries past a tough Hull KR side last weekend. They have no new injury concerns ahead of travelling to Edinburgh which is good news for McNamara’s side, although Nick Scruton is facing charges in front of the RFL’s disciplinary panel for a high tackle in Sunday’s win over Hull KR. They face the Crusaders, who secured their first ever Super League win against the Bulls last season at the Grattan Stadium.

Crusaders will be boosted ahead of this game by the presence of Gareth Thomas for the entire 80 minutes last weekend, as well as the expected debut appearance of Jarrod Summut. But Brian Noble will be expecting his side to begin the game better on Saturday, which would be in stark contrast compared to what they did against Huddersfield at home last weekend. Crusaders also have no more injury worries as they look to avenge their 20-16 loss earlier on in the season against Bradford on Easter Monday.

Hull FC V Harlequins RL – Saturday May 1, 3pm.
Harlequins will be travelling to Edinburgh after competing one of the biggest upsets of the season so far. Despite being down 24-6 at half time away to Wigan, the London-based team went 40 minutes without conceding a try to win the game 38-26. Before the game it was bottom verses top of the league, and Quins were able to win the game proving that there are no guaranteed victories in Super League. This could well be a lesson that Hull FC should learn before taking on the Quins in the second game of the weekend at Murrayfield. However despite the win, Quins are to be without Ben Jones-Bishop for six weeks with a fractured skull.

Hull FC are still missing Sean Long and Craig Fitzgibbon who are just two of their key players out through injury, but Kirk Yeaman is expected to make his return after missing his sides 12-8 victory over Wakefield with a leg injury. Hull are just one point behind Bradford in the league table, and should the Bulls lose against Crusaders Richard Agar’s men will be expected to make the jump from sixth to fifth with the same number of wins as top four side Huddersfield.

Salford City Reds V Warrington Wolves – Saturday May 1, 5pm.
When these two teams met on Good Friday, it was Salford that had all the reason to feel confident at half time despite being behind at the break. And despite the one sided score line of 32-2, the result didn’t reflect the hard work Salford put in to prevent Warrington from scoring more than two tries in the first half. They also kept Wigan to a low score line, only losing 18-4 at home to the current league leaders. Shaun McRae will want his side to repeat three of their last four performances, forgetting what will hopefully be a blip against Castleford last weekend.

Warrington welcomed back Lee Briers to full fitness against Catalan on Sunday, after missing several games through injury since his sides home loss to Wigan in round three. Warrington have met Salford during the Magic Weekend once before in 2007, in which the Wolves thrashed the Reds 50-18 at the Millennium Stadium. Tony Smith does have one injury concern after Ben Harrison was taken off within the first five minutes against Catalan and failed to return. Gareth Carvell is still on the sidelines after picking up an injury two weeks ago against Hull KR.

Leeds Rhinos V Wakefield Trinity Wildcats – Saturday May 1, 7pm.
Leeds are expected to bounce back from their disappointing loss to last years fellow grand finalists on Saturday, which will conclude the first day of this years Magic Weekend. Leeds were heavily defeated against St Helens 41-20 at the GPW Recruitment Stadium. But they will face the tough task of beating Wakefield, who happen to be tucked neatly inside the top eight one point above Leeds who are currently in ninth place. When the two teams last met in round two, it was Wakefield who came away victorious with a 28-18 win at the Hearwell Stadium.

Leeds will want to avenge that loss, and potentially move up two places in the league up to seventh. Wakefield narrowly lost to Hull FC on Friday in a very stop, start game that saw 20 scrums and 20 penalties. Wakefield coach John Kear will want to make sure his side improve on their ball retention, or else he could see his side take a battering against the champions. Leeds are expected to bring back Ali Lauitiiti from injury, subject to the second rower passing a fitness test before the game.

Castleford Tigers V Catalan Dragons – Sunday May 2, 2pm.
Despite winning 30-12 against Salford last weekend, Castleford will be happy to have an extra game away from home, as their form at the Jungle is a dire one. They have only won two of their seven home games this season, including a Challenge Cup loss to Barrow the weekend before last. Things weren’t much better last year, as Terry Matterson’s team only chalked up four home wins during last season’s league campaign. On the other hand Kevin Walters will want an all round improvement as his side were comfortably beaten at the weekend away to Warrington 40-6.

Castleford have no more injury concerns after their win against Salford, although Catalan’s Cyrille Gossard will miss the trip to Edinburgh after sustaining a sprained ankle during the Dragon’s loss at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. The Dragons did receive some good news as Jean Philippe-Baile will not be charged with fighting against Warrington’s Chris Riley by the RFL disciplinary panel, and is free for Sunday’s game.

Huddersfield Giants V Wigan Warriors – Sunday May 2, 4pm.
Huddersfield have been dealt the news that fullback Brett Hodgson will be out for at least a month after picking up a thigh strain. The Giants captain rejected a 12 month contract extension and is rumoured to be signing for Warrington in time for 2011. However, Nathan Brown was given good news as Shaun Lunt will be back a lot sooner than expected. Lunt has an Achilles injury, and should be back on the pitch in two or three weeks. Brad Drew’s return from injury is also imminent, and should give the Giants a boost ahead of their game against third place St Helens who are just above Huddersfield in the league.

In what is arguably the game of the round, Wigan will be looking to put their 38-26 loss at home to Harlequins behind them. Wigan have lost only twice in 2010, and on both occasions they threw away a healthy half time lead. Wigan’s injury concerns are minimal, with Martin Gleeson expected to return after suffering a calf injury in the week leading up to the Quins game. Thomas Leuluai will be out of action for a further two weeks while Harrison Hansen will be out until June at the earliest.

Hull KR V St Helens – Sunday May 2, 6pm.
In the final game of the Magic Weekend both teams go into this game in opposite for to each other, with one team conceding 40 points last weekend, the other scoring over 40. After a disappointing loss to Bradford, Hull KR will be hoping to close the gap between them and the top six, which includes overtaking their city rivals. Justin Morgan will want to see an improved disciplined performance after conceding 14 penalties against Bradford on Sunday.

St Helens will be flying high after a comfortable win over the champions, which included a team of lesser known young players proving that Saints have huge strength in depth. James Foster made his debut for the Saints on the wing, and despite the presence of Kyle Eastmond, was able to convert eight goals from eight attempts. Saints were able to rely on youngsters Andrew Dixon, Gary Wheeler and Matty Ashurst, who stepped up to arguably their biggest challenge in their careers and succeeded proving the production line is still open for business at St Helens.

Round one completed.

Super dooper league is back in full swing.

There were some shocks in the first proper round of Super League to begin 2010. Castleford came from 10-6 behind at half time to leave the Champions pointless in the second half and go on to win 24-10. Leeds seem to be focusing on their World Club Challenge match against Melbourne as it is idiotic for any team to think that at 10-6 up they can waltz away with victory. The players are out to regain their world title crown and in doing so, they are sacrificing the opening league games in order to prepare for the big game. That said, look out Wakefield next week. You could be in for a bumpy ride with players to prove two weeks before the big day.

Huddersfield played very well against Bradford, in a game I was expecting Matt Orford and Heath L'Estrange to tear the Huddersfield defence in two. It does pile pressure on Steve McNamaram early in the season after a dire performance and dissatisfaction from the fans stretching as far back as 2008. Bradford play St Helens next week at Odsal. More on that game later in the week, which could spell the beginning of the end for one coach.

Wigan brushed Crusaders aside in a thrashing that will spell concern for Brian Noble. After a promising start, this defeat could be bump back to reality as it shows the club and playing staff will have to dig deep in order to gain lost respect this season.

Hull KR beat Salford comfortably at New Craven Park, while Wakefield just got past Catalan in a competitive eight point win against the French side, who were missing star-man Thomas Bosc. Warrington also put 58 points past Harlequins, who must be wondering what happened to them as they failed to score even a point leaving them bottom of the table at this early stage.

The game of the week was difficult to see, but that was mainly thanks to an awful lot of fog at Knowsley Road on Saturday night. However it was a pleasure to see Saints defeated so comfortably as the opening game went from bad to worse for last year's beaten grand finalists. Hull FC made the best of the awful conditions, and outplayed Saints in every department for over an hour. Mick Potter said after the match that his side didn;t make the most of their chances. The truth is, Saints didn't create any chances and sufferend in a humiliating defeat.

Pity nobody saw it.

Crusaders kickoff new era in style.

Crusaders finally kicked off their new season in style and in front of over 10,000 people at the Racecourse Ground. That's 9,999 more people than what other critics claimed would be at the first match.

On a pitch covered in freshly fallen snow, the Crusaders battled hard for 65 minutes until Danny McGuire led the Leeds charges onto what was a harsh 34-6 scoreline for the brave Welsh side. If it hadn't been for glaringly obvious errors under no pressure, they might have pushed Leeds all the way. Scott Donald's try should have been safely collected by the winger, instead it went straight through his legs and allowed Donald to touchdown. There was also the kicking of Michael Witt, who guided the ball safely into touch on the full on two occasions when the Crusaders desperately needed field possession.

But overall it was a promising start to the night, which was obviously spoilt by weird refereeing decisions. Ali Lauititi's first try looked dodgy on a first glance, but his second was defiantly held up over the line and should not have been awarded. I can only presume Richard Silverwood was on Leeds -24 at William Hill, who knows?

What was even more exciting for me however, was the amount of people in the stands. Over 10,000 people watched the match in Wrexham, a figure that has kept all the anti-expansionists quiet for the time being. But if the club can so much as keep half that attendance and average 4-5,000 on a weekly basis, then it will have to be said that the move to Wrexham was the right one.

However there is a long way to go in the season, and there will be plenty more written about this topic before the seasons end.

Super League XV preview.

Its that time of year again. The Super League season finally kicked off in Wrexham, the first time the season has kicked off outside of England since Paris St Germain did the honors in 1996, and I for one am looking forward to what must should be a ground breaking season in all three divisions of professional rugby league in the UK and France.

The focus off attention off the field will be on both the Crusaders RL (I'm still going to call them Celtic) and South Wales Scorpions (the scorpions bit wont be written ever again.) Both teams came under the spotlight after Celtic moved from their home in Bridgend to move to Newport, then without playing a game and in the space of a few weeks got sold off and moved up north to Wrexham to provide the football club with an extra source of income.

On the field its a case of somebody stopping Leeds making it four straight Super League titles, and becoming the most successful team to date in the Super League era. It'll be a tough ask for the remaining thirteen teams, as Leeds seem to be getting better on paper each year. They have made some enormous signings, and have a tendency to back up all the pre-season hype with some tremendous performances over the course of the season. The only domestic title eluding them is the Challenge Cup, which they haven't won since 1999 which non of the current Leeds squad.

St Helens will have every intention of avenging their previous three Grand Final defeats, and the signing of Sia Soliola will boost their chances of a fifth straight appearance at Old Trafford. But overall I feel the Leeds/Saints GF partnership will finally be broken in 2010 and its Saints that will break up the marriage. They didn't look the same team in 2009 under Mick Potter as his first year as head coach, and the old guard of Leon Pryce, Paul Wellens and Keiron Cunningham didn't look the same as they did in the three years before 2009. There wasn't the same spark or cohesion that Daniel Anderson managed to install into the side, and I think Saints' reign in the top two is coming to an end.

But who will replace them and challenge Leeds for the title? Wigan? Warrington? Hull KR? If I had five pounds, my bet for 2010 dark horse would be Catalan. They have signed some very useful talent to add to their already good side. The signing of the year would have to be Dallas Johnson. He will challenge Malcolm Alker for the most tackles in a season, as he regularly makes over forty tackles a game in the NRL and State of Origin. Throw in their other signing of former New Zealand centre Setaimata Sa and they have a side that can go one better in 2010. They're the type of side that could seriously give Warrington a run for the Challenge Cup come August.

Speaking of Warrington, they should also have high aspirations of challenging for Super League as well. The signings of fringe England players Richie Myler and Ryan Atkins shows that Warrington can attract not just older and experience talent, but they can attract and invest in the long term. Now they have achieved their goal of winning the Challenge Cup after seven years building the foundations, they can become another Leeds or Saints of 2006 two or three years from now. Looking towards the start of 2010, the added signing of David Solomona will give Warrington added bulk into their already strong looking pack of Adrian Morley, Paul Wood and Gareth Carvell. I expect them to make the top four along with Leeds, St Helens and Wigan.

Wigan have high expectations every year, and for the past five years have failed to achieve those ambitions. They are the most successful British club, and with such a tag the coaching job can be even harder than at any other club. In my opinion Brian Noble was unfairly treated last year, and his replacement, Michael Maguire, will have to be careful as to not upset the board behind the scenes. They have brought in Paul Deacon, no doubt as a master the the young apprentice called Sam Thomkins. They are always a threat and very intimidating, but they need to stop losing big matches in order for the glory to return to the cherry and white.

From Lancashire to Yorkshire, and as you cross the pennies on the M62 the first town you come to is Huddersfield. Under Nathan Brown last year they were sensational. Finished third in the regular season but just couldn't handle the pressure of a massive knock-out match. They lost the Challenge Cup final, and unexpectedly bowed out of the play offs early in week two to Catalan. This year they'll want to go one better, and they haven't recruited too badly in order to achieve that goal. Their star signing is David Fa'alogo, the former New Zealand and South Sydney player. They also welcome back Brad Drew, who carried Huddersfield to the play offs in 2007. After two years at Wakefield he has returned to see the town which gave birth to rugby league achieve more success. Except they won't make the top four having narrowly over achieved last year.

Further down the M62 you pass Bradford. Steve McNamara is standing tall after some major signings that easily could change the face of Super League. Considering they have been on the slide since Brian Noble left in 2006, they have attracted Matt Orford, Heath L'Estrange from Manly and Brett Kearney from Cronulla. L'Estrange will add a bit of aggression and bulk into the Bradford back row and is a direct replacement for Sam Burgess, while Orford in his prime was better than Paul Deacon ever will be. While I don't think you will see a better Matt Orford than when he was at Melbourne and his early career at Manly, but I do think he is more than capable of single handedly guiding McNamara's side into the top five or six.

Bradford to Wakefield is the route Terry Newton has travelled this winter, and I can't help but think it'll be business as usual for Wakefield this year. Last year they had two people to play for in Adam Watene and Leon Walker who both tragically died doing what they loved, and when I say business as usual, I mean they'll be struggling at the bottom half of the league. I do rate John Kear as a moderately successful coach, who has transformed countless clubs around with small finances. However their squad this year looks like a whos who of players past their prime and top four rejects. Only Danny Brough looks capable of shining, but he on his own can't transform Wakefield's woes this year.

Swiftly moving onto Castleford, and it'll be a similar story at Whelden Road. Terry Matterson has only brought in two players in Paul Jackson and Steve Snitch, who were average at best for Huddersfield and Wakefield respectively. Michael Shenton and Joe Westerman both need good years this year, as I though Westerman was a little too quiet for my liking and failed to get a game for England after such promise two years ago. Shenton on the other hand had a decent season, but is probably wasted in a team well below his standards.

Lingering below both those two sides will be the cockneys. Harlequins are often questioned along with Celtic as to why they are in Super League, never mind being in existence in the first place. Many people believe they bring nothing to the sport after thirty years, originating as Fulham and playing at Craven Cottage. I expect their performances to be a little below par this year yet again. They seem to have been struggling to attract any half decent players from up north, while focusing their attentions in developing players down south. While that's good for the longer term, short term their star signings for this season seem to be Ben Jones-Bishop, Oliver Wilkes and Andy Ellis. They won't improve under Brian McDermott, in fact they might be standing still if he is in charge for a few more years.

From one expansion club to another, and Crudaders/Celtic will have to do it even tougher this time round. I'd say there were a few more signings yet to come, and they have already played one game so need to get pen to paper pretty quickly. But there are promising signs. Their performance against Leeds was fairly good for an hour, while they do have promise in Michael Witt and experience in Gareth Raynor and Jamie Thackeray. It'll be interesting how they perform on and off the field, with a close eye on their attendances and marketing efforts to attract the nice folk from north Wales. If they can perform the way they did against Leeds for the rest of the season, they will give a few teams a mighty shock or two.

Salford promise progression and improvement every year, but I can't help but think they're on a hiding to nothing. While they did managed to beat more teams other than Celtic last year, they will do even better to move up a position in the league. An unlikely task in my opinion. They no longer have Richie Myler, but the progress of Stefan Ratchford should see him being touted as a future star, obviously not at Salford. They seem to be a dumping ground for fringe players in other teams to learn what Super League is like. Both Matty Smith and Steve Tyrer are on loan from St Helens and can't be far from pulling on that red vee shirt themselves. I'm fairly confident an academy side could beat their first team, and confidence is something Shaun McRae will have to be stocking up on to have any hope this season.

Last but by no means least, we have the two Hull teams. I'd like to end on a positive, so its best to start with Hull FC. Richard Agar is on his very last legs. If he can't get this side playing together then his time has to be up. However despite all the experience in Shaun Berrigan, Sean Long, Mark O'Meley and the one and only Craig Fitzgibbon, all of these players will soon be cashing in their pensions. It'll be difficult to keep these four players on the pitch at the same time without arthritis playing up on them. But in all seriousness, if Agar can pull them together and wrap the four older players in cotton wool on a weekly basis then they can make the top eight. It's fielding a consistent side every week that will be Agar's problem, and good luck to him because it's only a matter of time before he is out of the door.

Across the river Hull and we come to east Hull, twinned with Basra, Iraq. It's also the home to Hull KR who should be aiming to improve on 2009. In my opinion, they struggled to come to terms with their extra time loss to Warrington in the Challenge Cup, and lost the following five out of seven games. Other than that, it was a terrific season and one they can really bounce onwards from. They have kept all the key players that did so well for them this year in Shaun Briscoe, Michael Dobson, Ben Galea and Kris Welham. Justin Morgan is a great coach who has learnt a lot in a short space of time since joining the club from Toulouse in 2005 and would be my pick for the next England coach.

Finally here is how the league will look come September, if all is predicted well. Which it wasn't!

Leeds
Wigan
St Helens
Warrington
Catalan
Huddersfield
Hull KR
Bradford
Hull FC
Wakefield
Castleford
Harlequins
Salford
Crusaders RL

Super League Grand Final - The Big Debates.

Was he onside?

That's the big debate that has arose after Leeds clinched their third successive Grand Final victory 18-10 against the team they beat in 2007, 2008 and now, 2009. On a side note however, it was interesting to note the attendance for the match was the lowest in Grand Final history since Sean Long kicked the winning drop goal against Bradford in 2002. Was it the economic recession that has caused such a steep decline, or was it the fans voting with their feet after three straight Leeds-St Helens Grand Finals? But enough about the attendances. We all know Rugby League fans can't complain enough if there's a drop in the number of bums on seats.

The match itself had its fair share of controversy, not least the winning try eight minutes from full time. But like a soap-opera, we at A Tap on the Twenty like to unfold other unimportant plot lines before the big event gets dissected like a frog in a school science class. So instead we'll begin by having a stab at Kyle Eastmond, an action plenty of opposition fans would like a go at for real.

You may remember an article posted last year by yours truly about the amount of young players getting too much hype early in their careers. Well I'm afraid to say that it seemed I was right about young Kyle. He is not the saviour of English Rugby League we all seem to think he is. Pouncing on top of a kick that should have been safely collected by Scott Donald is not enough to be hailed the next best thing. We have got used to the sheer brilliance of Sean Long so much that after he broke his jaw earlier in the season, Eastmond was put in as replacement and flaws were being discovered in St Helens' game plan left, right and centre. If he is an example of the modern day half back, then he has no creative awareness and his kicking game is one of the worst I have seen in a St Helens shirt. If he is the example of a modern day half back in Super League, I bet Darren Lockyer will be smiling like a Cheshire cat on his flight to this side of the world for the Four Nations.

The next point is about video referee decisions, and despite the full use of technology they still can't seem to get a decision right no matter how small. It was a minor event in the Grand Final, but as a newly qualified match official it caused my blood to boil beyond the need for a thermometer. Kyle Eastmond's disallowed try was indeed the correct call. But Phil Bentham ruled that Eastmond was out of play after hitting the corner post, despite his foot being marginally on the touch line five metres beforehand. In which case, Leeds should have been awarded a scrum on the ten metre line. Instead they were given an optional twenty metre restart. A call which has the difference of ten metres might seem small, but when you consider that half the Leeds attacking line would be in the scrum for the first tackle it becomes significant that the attacking side couldn't have full use of all thirteen players.

And finally, the big debate. It wasn't quite in the same league as Jordon Tansey's infamous offside in Cardiff two years ago, but it was enough to cause controversy as Leeds' knowledge of the offside rule seems to be less than that of St Helens' in recent years. It was a good piece of play from both McGuire and Smith. McGuire saw the gap behind the defensive line and the kick was weighed to perfection under pressure. Smith darted from McGuire's right side, collects the ball before immediately side-stepping the scrambled St Helens defence to dive under the posts. All well and good and congratulations Leeds, except if you weren't a bunch of cheats and scored from an offside position.

But like Leeds on the day of the game, Stuart Cummings' defence of his official was solid. Although it did make me spit out half my coffee in disgust when I read about it in Monday morning's trade newspaper. The fact the camera was slightly ahead of play was used as an excuse to give the try. But if Bentham had used the different shades of grass as a marker, he would know there is more of a lighter shade of grass behind Smith than McGuire, before going back to a darker shade on the Old Trafford turf.

But after all the post match talk about being offisde or onside, Leeds were the better side at the end of the day with Kevin Sinfield giving an man of the match performance. But as he collected the Super League trophy, was it just me or did you think there was a hint of "Goodbye Leeds" in his after-match speech?

Club Call 2009 - Leeds choose to play Catalan.

Leeds have chosen to play Catalan at Headingley, leaving the biggest game of the weekend at St Helens as the hosts take on local rivals Wigan on Saturday night. To no ones surprise, Brain McLennan and Gary Hetherington chose to play the lowest rank side out of the two preliminary semi final winners, which was the French outfit after they scraped into the play offs in the final round of the season after a dramatic win over St Helens.

But selecting Catalan was not simply down to them being the lowest ranked side. Catalan have to travel from the south of France travelling over 1,500 miles, the fourth time they will have done the trip to the north of England in four weeks. To top it off, the St Helens and Wigan derby is always a fierce contest and the choice to send Wigan down the East Lancs Road and play their closest rivals will tire both teams a week before the Grand Final. Of course, only one can make Old Trafford.

So what will the outcome be come Friday and Saturday night? Well you would think Leeds will walk all over Catalan at Headingley. But as mentioned in the announcement, will Leeds have instantly motivated the Catalan side to prove they are not the worst of the four sides left in the competition? As for Saturday night, its another tough call. Without a doubt Wigan are the form team of the two. But Sean Long can, and has in the past, defeated Wigan single handedly. To make things even more nervous for Wigan fans, this is the last time Sean Long will walk onto the Knowsley Road pitch wearing the red vee shirt.

I'm predicting the Grand Final will host a Leeds V St Helens final.

Laziness is a terrible sin - a flashback over the past six weeks or so.

Manly won the World Club Challenge in a very physical game against Leeds. Jamie Peacock, it seems, needs to learn how to control his temper after being sin binned for the second time in the space of three weeks.

Tony Smith took up a rather fancy role at Warrington. He is not officially a coach, but indeed much higher than that in some sort of capacity, despite still calling the shots. James Lowes therefore, is still 1st team coach, despite being under Smith. To cut through the bull, Smith is coach, Lowes is assistant but yet Lowes still has an assistant. Don't ask! Still, its good news in some ways for Warrington, having won three out of the last five league games. A much better record than when Smith joined the club.

Leon Pryce and Stuart Reardon go up in front of the judge who said they may go to jail soon, for the assault of Mrs Reardon and her boyfriend. Stuart Reardon has since left Warrington to go to Hull FC. They like criminals there, you see. Ben Cockayne was also up in court recently for assault.

Canterbury were docked two points for having fourteen players on the field late on during their 28-26 win over Penrith. The fact that the fourteenth man was on the field when the winning try was scored has seen the appeal turned down. Its nice to see that NRL officials are strict on such offences. In Super League over the years, Saints got away with a 13th interchange and Bradford have also felt the need to field 14 men against Warrington back in 2004. Both teams were 'fined'.

Martin Gleeson has felt the affect of Tony Smith's wrath and has moved to Wigan. Richie Mathers and a reported £100,000 go the other way, putting an end to specualtion that Gleeson will move to the NRL. Rumours are floating around Warrington as to who will be next to go. Favourites include Matt King, Michael Monaghan, both Anderson brothers and Lee Briers.

I love Easter.

Over the period of five days there has been a feast of Easter rugby league action that I for one have tucked into without a moments hesitation.

On Thursday there was the Wigan V St Helens match at the JJB Stadium. Usually saved for Good Friday, this match saw Kyle Eastmond score a massive drop goal to win the game for Saints 19-12.

On Friday I saw three matches played one after another. There was the 207th Hull derby which was won by Hull KR. Hull FC were down 18-4 early in the second half, and fought bravely to come back 18-14. I watched that game at The Willows ahead of the Salford V Warrington clash, in which Warrington played badly, but got to within six points before Ben Westwood scored in the final play of the game. Chris Hicks handed Salford the win after missing the conversion. Finally it was back into Manchester and onto Walkabout for the West Yorkshire derby between Bradford and Leeds. It wasn't a particularly high scoring affair, but a gripping one nonetheless as Bradford shocked the Champions 10-6. The controversy came on the hour when Rob Burrow put in Brent Webb for a try in the corner, only for it to be disallowed. The reason? Brent Webb was in an offside position. I didn't know you could be offside as an attacker, but you can apparently.

The following day I was at Wilderspool as 18th man for Warrington Wizards against Bramley. We lost 18-36 in what was anticipated to be an exciting match.

Sunday was a rugby free day so onto Easter Monday where Castleford defeated Warrington at the Halliwell Jones. Cas played reasonably well and didn't really let Warrington into the game winning 28-6. After 33 minutes of non scoring action, Cas put points on the board first and never looked back. Its business as usual for Warrington. I make no effort to mask my support for the primrose and blue, so it was with great delight that I later saw Catalan defeat Wigan in one of the many familiar pubs surrounding the stadium that evening. Leading 14-4, it was the perfect remedy as Wigan threw the game away and lost 40-24 in Perpignan.

That was a grand total of seven games in a five day period. I'm very happy the Romans killed Jesus!

World Cup 2008. Its over, now move on.

There was no player rift in the England squad during the World Cup. The players have blamed themselves and we head into the next international with a clean sheet. So say the powers that be, but how do we move on from a disastrous campaign that saw England win only one game and perform so badly so three consecutive occasions?

Well for a start, I think if we had played at a reasonable standard we wouldn't be in this mess having a post-mortem. I can't see how, out of three super power nations, that England were expected to reach the final. New Zealand and Australia are two very good nations, and the squad the eventual world champions put out was very different to the one that lost a test series 3-0. So we can't be expected to make the final if we're just off the pace. Except we weren't just off the pace. We were miles away from reaching any sort of credibility. Papua New Guinea came out of the competition with more credibility than England. We were an embarrassment.

And what of the rift between Leeds and Saints players? Its obvious to see that there is tension between the two sets of players. Their match in March was a fine example of players out to, not just defeat the other, but physically hurt them. I haven't seen anything like it for some time. It was one of the most physical matches I have ever seen. Thankfully I was sat in my comfy armchair, away from the brutality and aggression. But anyone who suggests that there is no reift is stark raving mad.

But how do we go about easing tension in the national squad? Getting rid of the dead weight would be a good start. Leon Pryce, supposedly one of the best stand offs in Super League was a dead rubber. Mark Calderwood was nigh on useless. Rob Burrow, Ade Gardner, Paul Wellens and Keith Senior all had terrible World Cups. Its little surprise that five of the six names mentioned come from the two best teams in Super League.

But there's the problem. Week in week out they are the best in the competition. But put the best together and they can't play. Considering the last time they played in an international jersey they were nothing short of disgraceful, its time we shifted some of the senior players out of the national side. Bring in a new generation of talent for the mid season test against France and see how they fair.

We couldn't do much worse than what we did in Aus.

Manly win World Club Challenge.

It all ended in tears for Leeds as they lost the World Club Challenge 28-20 to a very good Manly side, who for most of the game seemed flawlessly in control.

Brett Stewart showed why he is currently one of the biggest contenders for Billy Slater's NSW and Australia shirt, while Anthony Watmough performed sensationally giving Leeds no room for any attacking movement, as shown when Rob Burrow got smashed sensationally by Watmough.

Leeds did score just before the break to give them some slender hope of a comeback on virtually home soil at Elland Road. But even at 12-0 they never looked like being able to seriously test the Manly defence.

But after half time, a five minute blitz left Leeds playing catch up. Tries from Stewart, Watmough and Steve Matai condemned Leeds to their defeat and it was an all but lost cause despite Keith Senior and Ryan Hall doing their best to repair some of the damage.

Super League XIV preview

OK, lets get serious for a change. With the season beginning in a few days time, its time for A Tap on the Twenty to assess the 14 teams competing in this years competition.

Bradford
For the past two years I have been adamant that Bradford will under perform and are slowly back tracking from the great side they once were. Ever since Brain Noble left, they have never reproduced the form they once had. Back then they had the biggest and most fearsome pack in the competition. Since then, they seem to have done a Fern Britton and lost more than a few pounds. having said that, this year they seem to have made it up with speed in the backs.
Prediction: 6th

Castleford
Surprised a few teams last year and I believe that it set the foundations for a promising year in 2009. Signings look promising, while a bit of deadwood has been shifted in the likes of Luke Dorn et al. They won't make the play offs, but with an extra two teams added to the competition, they should be looking for a few more wins.
Prediction: 13th

Catalan
Its easy to say Catalan overanchived last year, but I can see them repeating that feat this year as well. Its never easy to go to the south of France and take points away. In fact last year, Catalan did the basic thing in achieving success and thats win your home games. Only ten points were taken away from Perpignan last year in total, turning their renovated home ground into a mini fortress. They will miss Mick Potter, but if they make playing in the south of France difficult for visiting teams again, they will go far.
Prediction: 3rd

Celtic
The new Welsh side have it all to do this year. Many Championship sides feel done over by the licensing that allowed Celtic into Super League, but overall few will be complaining if the back room staff make a success of the club. In fairness, they have recruited pretty well. Mark Bryant, Stephen Tyrer and the promising Matty Smith is mixing youth with experience in a side that is by far and away looking to the future.
Prediction: 14th

Harlequins
I worry for Harlequins this year. They don't seem to have made any improvements to their side and seemed to be thankful for finishing 9th last year. Brian McDermott has been talking up Harlequins' prospects of a good season by claiming they can make the Grand Final. I personally can't them coming close to the play offs. They have lost a lot of pace and don't seem to have replaced it.
Prediction: 10th

Huddersfield
New coach, Nathan Brown, is not afraid of mincing his words when it comes down to the nitty gritty. Last year as coach of St George-Illawarra, he led an outburst that criticised Melbourne's style of play. It will be tight but they can make the play offs. I think Brown will make sure they do, with his key signing Brett Hodgson. Had Todd Carney been granted a visa, they would be looking for a top six finish giving them home advantage in the first play off game.
Prediction: 8th

Hull FC
You know, I could have sworn I rated this team highly 12 months ago. A total self destruction hampered their league season, but showed they have what it takes to make a major final by travelling to Wembley. I think Shaun Berrigan can step into the form he had at Brisbane this year. Chris Thorman adds a different dimension compared to Adam Dykes while Tongan star, Sam Moa adds size to the pack in the absence of Gareth Carvell.
Prediction: 7th

Hull KR
While writing a draft for this piece, it was really difficult trying to support an argument for Hull KR to make the play offs. But thats not supposed to be a criticism, believe it or not. They have one of the best coaches in the league, their fair share of international players and fans that deserve to see their side reaching the hights to Super League. But the writing doesn't seem to be on the wall for KR to make the eight. For me, theres something missing that can change KR from a play off contender, to a really dominant side. If I know what it was, I'd tell you.
Prediction: 9th

Leeds
Once again, and to the surprise of many, Leeds go into their new campaign as re-crowned champions. Two weeks after their first play off game at Saints, it looked like the home side would run away with the trophy at Old Trafford as well. To make things worse for the rest of Super League, they seem to have recruited very well. Greg Eastwood would be their best signing of the off season had they not snapped up Danny Buderus as well. Eastwood is a straight swap for the departed Gareth Ellis, while Buderus is likely to restrict Matt Diskin's playing time. If they can reproduce a Cunningham-Roby partnership, Leeds will have no trouble becoming the first side to win Super League three times in a row.
Prediction: 1st

Salford
Last years National League 1 winners, and in dramatic style against their Welsh Super League opponents this year. It seems as a result, Shaun McRae has recruited extremely well. He has picked up workhorse Rob Parker, Saints supreme scorer Willie Talau, Ray Cashmere and Jeremy Smith. Although I'm pretty sure McRae signed the wrong Jeremy Smith, this one came from South Sydney. Either way, with the experience of Robbie Paul and the youth of Richard Myler, Salford could be looking to challenge for a play off spot.
Prediction: 10th

St Helens
Nothing gave the rest of Lancashire more pleasure than seeing Sainst fall to Leeds for the second time in a row when they were odds on favourites to take Super League. This year Sainst will not dominate the year like they are used to. Paul Sculthorpe has left for good and cannot influence the dressing room, while the dangerous left hand partnership between Francis Meli and Willie Talau has been broken up. Fozzard loses them go forward, although that has been replaced by Tony Puletua. A new coach may also take time to used to, especially with a brand new squad.
Prediction: 2nd

Wakefield
I hate to bring this up, but how will the death of Adam Watene affect the rest of the squad? As professional sportsmen, it will make sence for them to dust themselves off and really give it a go in his memory. On paper, however, they don't look like a team capable of achieving a play off place despite falling a few rounds short mathematically.
Prediction: 11th

Warrington
They still have their disapponting big name players in Matt King and Michael Monaghan, but this year there has been very little noise coming from the players and coaching staff this year. Maybe all the energy is going into preperation instead of bigging themselves up like they have done for the past two seasons. The major loss is Rob Parker, but he has been replaced by Gareth Carvell. At the same time, Mark Gleeson's replacement is the critially accliamed Micky Higham. Wigan fans were really disappointed to see the hooker go, but what is Wigan's loss is surley Warrington's gain?
Prediction: 5th

Wigan
A number of Wigan's key players need to stand up and be counted this season. Stuart Fielden is one noticable example. His last two good performances were against Wests in the 2006 WCC and in his Wigan debut the same year. Since then, he has lost his international shirt and become the subject of a large amount of riddicule since being hit in the face by Willie Mason. Gareth Hock and Sean O'Loughlin have never really lived up to their big name status either. Brian Noble must get the best out of these players, or new signings Mark Riddell and Amos Roberts must be wondering what they have signed up for.
Prediction: 4th

The End of Term Report - Part Five

Leeds were league leaders of this season's competition until round seventeen. Least you forget that when anyone says Saints were the better team by a country mile. They weren't the best team over twenty seven rounds as everyone suggested. Yes, they were the better side during the regular season, but their performances have been over-hyped.

And this was evident going into the Grand Final. Finally, I go through the two finalists of the 2008 Super League season.

Leeds
Some say that the play offs are not fair and do not award the best team in the competition with the rightful title of being champions. So what! In my opinion a championship winning side is one that is consistently good, and can perform in big games. Leeds did this during the 2008 campaign. Not once did they fall into third place from February to September and they were able to pull off wins when it counted, 4th October being a prime example. Their players haven't set the world alight like they once did many moons ago. But they have stayed near the top and did so for a long period of time. Without a doubt Leeds deserved to win the competition and did so in style, pulling off a magnificent victory againt the overwhelming favourites. The team are a credit to the city and the county on the other side of the Pennines.

St Helens
Any Saints fan would be forgiven for thinking they were still in 2007. It was a sort of deva vu when the final hooter went at Old Trafford. Saints, overwhelming favourites going into the final match of the domestic year, clinching the League Leaders Shield and Challenge Cup at Wembley. The only thing missing was a World Club Championship from last year. So where did it all go wrong for Daniel Anderson and his merry men full full of confidence going into the biggest game of the year? Simply put, Saints were outplayed over eighty minutes when it counted. When everything is gambled in one game. When an entire season rests on what you do at the theatre of dreams. Well for the past two years, its been the theatre of nightmares for St Helens, much to the amusement of Wigan, Warrington and the rest of Super League. But credit must be given where its due. They are not a championship winning side, but by God they did everything else right.

You don't need an unbeaten run to be the champions.

I won't sulk over the fact I lost £5 betting that saints will win on Saturday. I won't defend myself for going over the top and saying Saints will put eighteen points past Leeds. But what I will say is that you cannot turn up to Old Trafford expecting to win just because you step on the pitch.

Saints did that on Saturday, and it cost them dear. They were outplayed by Leeds who let nothing get them down. A Saints try was immediately replied to. A few lucky bounces of the ball went Leeds' way as well as the character of the seventeen amber and blue players that was second to none all benefited the Yorkshire club. Saints - the best club in the competition? Don't make me laugh.
Championship winning sides don't gift their opponents easy ball possession, especially in their own half. What was Francis Meli thinking when he let that 40/20 find touch? Leeds killed off any Saints revival when they scored from that. Also a few individuals failed to perform, putting their England selection in doubt. I failed to see Leon Pryce all game, he simply let Long do all the hard work. James Graham, while he didn't have the worst of games, showed he is mortal being outplayed by Peacock.

Personally, I though the Saints game plan was all wrong. After listening to the team line up after placing another bet for Matt Gidley to be first try scorer (?) it was clear Leeds had shafted the inexperienced Hall and Ablett on the right wing. In my opinion, Meli and Talau should have took advantage, as Gardner and Gidley would have their hands full with Senior and Donald. As it was, they didn't and both Hall and Ablett had reasonable games with Hall scoring in the corner for Leed's other first half try.

Leeds didn't do anything special. There was no dramas, pieces of magic and no work of genius in attack. Simply, Leeds stuck to a simple game plan. The odd inside ball here, suck a defender in there and put the support player into the gap. Not tricky. Saints managed that only a few times and only scored off it once, which was in the first five minutes with Graham crossing under the posts.

As for a Leeds counter attack, Lee Smith, wheather you think he should be on the pitch or not (ie, not) he was the warrior that led it. A real contender for that left wing spot, I think he has edged Peter Fox for that number five jersey in England's first game. I also think Tony Smith may have a selection headache over the number six shirt as well. Danny McGuire performed his one game of the year, but he didn't half make an impact when he did it.

Saints may have gone twenty four games unbeaten, and many say they were the best side in the competition, but the same many are also forgetting Leeds' early season form. In fact, Leeds never left the top two all year. Are you sure Saints are the best side in the competition after twenty seven rounds? Yes, they won the League Leaders Shield, but by one point. So if anyone says Leeds don't deserve to win Super League XIII after a play off series, ignore them. Leeds have been consistantly at a high standard all year, wheras Saints had a poor beginning to the season. After ten rounds they wern't even in a play off spot. Its a long season, and I personally think their contribution to the competition was overhyped. Leon Pryce came out during the week leading up to the match and said the rest of the compatition is not at a high enough standard to compete with Saints. Leeds are now Super League champions for the second year running.

The moral, Leon, is to never underestimate a side that lead the competition for twenty consecutive rounds. No matter where they finished afterwards.

Which brings me onto Brian McClennan. This guy is an outstanding coach and gets the best out of his players on the day. The lucky few that witnessed New Zealand thrash Australia in Leeds on the 26th Novermber 2005 know he can pull the rabbit out of the hat when it matters. Which at the end of the day, is all that matters in Rugby League. Twenty four consecutive wins does not guarentee you championship success.

Not in this sport it doesn't.

Super League XIII Grand Final.

St Helens and Leeds will contest the most important game of the domestic season at Old Trafford on Saturday. Saints will go into the game overwhelming favourites after their comfortable thrashing over Leeds in the qualifying semi two weeks ago at the GPW Recruitment Stadium. In that match Saints dominated every area of the game. They were the better at going forward, they were better with ball in hand and their kicking game was second to none.

However, Leeds will know that it is the Grand Final match that counts. They go into this game as defending champions after a shocking win over St Helens twelve months ago that left the Saints players, coaching staff and fans bewildered. With that thought in the back of their minds, I can only see a Saints victory on Saturday.

There are also other factors that swing it Saints' way. This game will be Daniel Anderson's last in charge of the Merseyside club as he heads back home to Australia. And if that wasn't enough motivation, the thought of last years defeat will no doubt spur them on.

Leeds go into this game on the back of a tight and entertaining game against Wigan. As a team, Leeds were the better side, however certain individuals failed to show for Wigan. Taking nothing away from Leeds or Wigan, but looking at Leeds' past two results shows the gap between Saints and the rest of Super League.

The players to watch on Saturday are without a doubt James Graham and Jamie Peacock. It could be a case of the apprentice beating the master. Graham, the newly crowned Man of Steel winner, is on top form and a dead certainty for going to the world cup. Peacock, as England captain, has a reputation to prove. Both players I respect enormously and appreciate the hard work they put in time and time again. But this is one battle within a war I cannot wait to see unfold.

So who will win? St Helens. By how many? I'd say by about eighteen, although the game will not swing further than twelve points in either direction until the final ten minutes where the side who concedes late on will lose out mentally.

“Licensing will help us to create great clubs whose athletes produce terrific contests, played out in modern facilities in front of large crowds”.

Well said Richard Lewis. That is what Super League should be. That is what licences will bring. Congratulations to the RFL for pulling it off. As we all know by now, the fourteen clubs have been announced and will participate in Super League next year. I think whether you like the announcement or not, the announcement was no real surprise. Celtic were favourites when the word ‘franchise’ was given a whole new meaning, and Salford will have promised the RFL a load of targets they will never hope to meet within the three years. The new stadium for example, will never be played in by 2010. A brick hasn’t been laid yet, and until that archaeological dig has finished there won’t be a brick in the ground, I would guess, until the beginning of next year. Therefore giving them twelve months to build it, inspect it and deem it safe enough to let two thousand people in. Let’s face it, twenty thousand is pushing the boat a bit. However, I would say their current stadium is better than Wakefield, Castleford and even Celtic’s.

So while Salford were favourites to join as soon as the applications went in, Celtic themselves caused much controversy and discussion amongst the fans as another expansionist club could possibly get into Super League, again. Were they needed? Should we have gone to Cumbria instead? Were Toulouse a worthier candidate? The answers being yes, yes and no. A Cumbrian side would have been nicer to have, but wouldn’t really be expanding. Rugby League has been played there since before Jesus’ time. There already is a fan base, albeit a small one, and the three clubs cannot create a successful application on their own. But, they seem to be reluctant to create a joint application which in my opinion would no doubt see a Cumbrian side in Super League instantly. Going further south, Toulouse’s inclusion would have seen an increased demand on supporter’s pockets. While Toulouse is probably cheaper and easier to get to, Catalan are established down there. So there is no need to take that away from the Perpignan locals who this season have seen sell out crowds and fantastic rugby league from their side. But back to Celtic, they have caused a burst of outcry from traditional heartland supporters, who see any move south of Sheffield as a step backwards. But its not just the traditionalists that a complaining. Sensible people are also wetting themselves on message board forums, radio phone ins and mid week magazine TV shows. They seem to think Widnes have been snubbed in place of Celtic, in similar vein Widnes were relegated to accommodate Catalan. The fact of the matter is, Celtic have the money, development according to their chief executive, and plans for a new stadium actually in Bridgend. Seeing as Wakefield, St Helens and Castleford are at a similar stage with their planning, there really was no reason to exclude them. As mentioned, Salford haven’t laid a brick yet.

As for Widnes’ exclusion, well it seemed pretty obvious to just about everyone except Widnes fans that their liquidation ten months ago is the reason they did not get in. Ten months is a long time, but in financial terms, its almost a millisecond. The club will have had to prove to themselves they are financially stable and that will be achieved in three years time. With the RFL coming out and saying today that if a National League club meets the qualifying criteria, they will be let in for the 2012 season. My only doubt is, how long will Steve O’Conner be hanging around now his club are stuck in the lower leagues? A year, maybe two? Will he even ride out the remainder of the season? Or will he do what the whole of rugby league pray he will do, and stick with the club until they get into Super League, and beyond?

As for Leigh however, their exclusion is more baffling than the rest. Why they were not even considered one of the favourites along with Widnes is a real mystery. They have the stadium and playing facilities, but with a rather cloudy financial record. However the main reason they were snubbed according to the RFL website, is due to player development being non existent. So basically, they have built their application on sand, and we all know what happens to people who build their houses on sand. So maybe their non-existence in Super League is a good thing. Either way, they really should have been considered more likely favourites than what they were.

So despite the sides in National League being tipped for time in the big league, there was the possibility that both Wakefield and Castleford would be dropped. However, this has not been the case. But why is this? While both clubs have poor stadiums, one is well managed financially and the other providing the competition with a wealth of talent in a prospering youth development system. This is without a shadow of a doubt the reasons no current Super League side was snubbed, as these two were the most likely to go. But, the RFL have stuck with the current crop hoping non of the existing twelve will be in a position where the governing body will have to decline any of these teams a place in Super League. However, there is concern that in 2011 (licence renewal date) one of these teams will not make the cut. But this will no doubt be down to lack of progression of a new stadium. As far as I know, Castleford have strong plans in place for a new stadium opposite the Xscape centre next to the M62 junction. Whereas Wakefield have very few plans in place (or at least not made them as public). This is a concern, but they have three years to sort themselves out.

So who was awarded what? What classification did each of the fourteen teams receive? Well, three clubs received A grade licences. These three come as no surprise as they are Hull FC, Leeds and Warrington. Bradford, St Helens and Wigan all got given B licence status, while the rest all got a C grade. I suppose Wigan were denied an A grade due to salary cap breaches, wheras Saints could have lost out on both salary cap and stadium standard. The same for Bradford.

So that’s it. The dust has settled from the eruption, now all fourteen teams will be looking forward to a new era in Super League history. An era that is more secure for any clubs long and short term planning. We await the new announcement in 2011.

The fourteen licensed teams are announced.

From next year until 2011, the fourteen teams that will compete in Super League are;

Bradford

Castleford

Catalan

Celtic

Harlequins

Huddersfield

Hull FC

Hull KR

Leeds

Salford

St Helens

Wakefield

Warrington

Wigan

Realistically, there are no surprises. Despite the ideal solution of dropping Wakefield and Castleford, speculation was right about the current twelve Super League clubs being granted a license. However, the big news is that Celtic and Salford will also join the current crop of teams as of next year and are guaranteed to be in the top flight for the two more years after that.

More reaction and opinion to the announcement will follow, only at A Tap on the Twenty.

Who will make the six, and who will win The Grand Final?

With seven rounds remaining in Super League XIII, we are approaching the final straight. The hard work begins now for teams that believe they can make the play offs all wanting a good run of form before the play offs begin. For the top three in Saints, Leeds and Catalan; all three can be assured of a top three placing. In which order is yet to unravel itself, but I would be very surprised if any of these three dropped into fourth. The remaining three places are likely to be battled over four teams in Wigan, Warrington, Bradford and Wakefield. With the south Yorkshire club’s form having dipped of late in the build up to their cup semi final match with Hull FC, they could be the side to miss out. And finally, mathematically every single team can still make the play offs. Looking at the table, and with six games left, bottom club Castleford need eleven points out of the remaining twelve possible to make the six. They can do it providing every single result between now and the final league game goes in their favour. It would be an astonishing achievement that happened, but realistically I very much doubt it will. In fact, I would be prepared to bet all my personal possessions against any fool who thinks otherwise.

With seven games left (eight for Wigan and Huddersfield) the remaining fixtures and their order are very important for every side if they are to make the play offs. Looking at the top three, Leeds have to play Wigan and Catalan once more. The big factor is that they are away from home against the French which is proving no mean feat for any English club this season. Catalan are also up against Wigan once more in Perpignan, so there is potentially four points there already. The big issue is that they are both against teams above and below them in the standings. Saints however, have tough fixtures against Wigan (twice), a regenerated Warrington at home and one final long journey to London. Although having just beaten Quins heavily to go top, I doubt they will be much of a threat now than what that fixture on the seventeenth of August could have been a few weeks ago. Back to Leeds, and if Warrington’s form continues into next month at the same time Leeds’ is falling faster than the Titanic, that could be a banana skin match waiting for the west Yorkshire club at the HJ Stadium. Although with that match coming straight after the semi final encounter with St Helens, it would be very hard to predict what sort of motivation Leeds will have for their following Super League game. If they lose, Warrington do not have a hope in hell. If they win then their confidence will rise and Warrington will struggle at home and in front of the Sky cameras. So apart from the matches highlighted, all three sides face a smooth ride into the play offs. But don’t be surprised if Catalan overcome Leeds and win their remaining games to go top. Their form is excellent at the moment, the only question is whether a week off for the semi finals will take away their momentum. Leeds could easily lose to the French side and Wigan to suffer more loses, but Saints have three potential banana skin games in Wigan twice, and Warrington at home. However, Saints are another side on form having just rediscovered it in time for the business end of the season. But I can see them losing only one more game before the play offs.

Looking at the scrap for the three remaining places, as mentioned, four teams are looking likely to contest them. Wigan have a game in hand against Huddersfield which should be slim pickings for them. However, they play and in-form Saints twice. The likelihood is Wigan will lose both, but it is not uncommon for them to win at least once against their rivals. Wigan also have to travel to sunny France again, which is another difficult game and one they can easily lose. And having beaten Leeds in a close game last weekend, their penultimate opponents will be out for revenge. Warrington have three big tests left, starting with Bradford on Friday. After which they face Leeds after the semi final, and then Saints the week after. Just how much will the Leeds game take out of them the week before? However, neither games are they expected to win so they wouldn’t be dropping must win competition points. Bradford are a team on the slide recently. Having won only four of their last ten games, the pressure is on Steve McNamara to turn things around. In games they should be winning, they haven’t and this run could cost them a play off place. With big games of only Warrington and Leeds remaining, they should without a doubt be making the top four when you compare the remaining fixtures of other clubs. However, not only do Warrington and Leeds possess a threat in their current run of form, but so do Hull FC, Wakefield, Quins and Hull KR. Its nervous times for the team with seven games left. And Wakefield are not exactly challenging to rule the roost at the minute. Having struggled in three of the last four games, losing two the last two, they clearly have an eye on the Challenge Cup semi final against Hull FC which could knock them back a few points giving Harlequins and Hull KR half a sniff for a late challenge. With them needing to win on Saturday against their Challenge Cup opponents, they could still be in with a shout, but don’t write them off just yet. Although having said that, five of their final six games include Bradford, Saints, Wigan, Catalan and Leeds. Their only real chance is the cup. Finally, Wigan and Warrington will battle it out of fourth place, Wakefield will fall by the wayside leaving Bradford to close the door on them and the rest of Super League.

And so, we have the bottom five left. These teams shouldn’t really be pushing for a play off spot, however stranger things have happened with Bradford’s poor run of form and Wakefield’s unbelievably hard run of final fixtures. And even if they do lose out, there is only Harlequins and Hull KR who actually have a chance. With a two point gap currently between KR and Huddersfield, I can’t imagine the birthplace of RL making the last play off spot by any means possible. The same can be said for Hull and Castleford. Although Hull still have to focus on the Challenge Cup, and Castleford are showing some real determination not to finish last, brace yourselves for an unlikely Giant-killing.

So with that all done and dusted, who will win the League Leaders Shield. Well copied the current table and entered it into my very own simulator, a spreadsheet. I then typed in what I believe to be the results for all the remaining fixtures and the possible final league standings are shown below.

Team	Played	Wins	Draws	Loses	PTS
Catalan	27	21	1	5	43
Saints	27	21	0	6	42
Leeds	27	21	0	6	42
Wigan	27	16	1	10	33
Warrington	27	16	0	11	32
Bradford	27	15	0	12	30
Wakefield	27	11	0	16	22
Harlequins	27	10	0	17	20
Hull KR	27	9	1	17	19
Huddersfield	27	8	1	18	17
Hull FC	27	7	1	19	15
Castleford	27	4	1	22	9

Catalan will not lose another game, Saints will drop only one game, most likely against Wigan while Leeds will lose only to Catalan. There will then be a huge gap between sixth and seventh as Wigan, Warrington and Bradford battle it out to see what order they will face Saints or Leeds depending on points difference.

So finally, out of those six who will win The Grand Final? Well it won’t be Catalan. Having never played intense play off rugby before, I just cannot see it happening. However, they might make Old Trafford when they have to play in the final eliminator against Leeds in Perpignan. That means St Helens will once again be crowned Super League champions once again.

Its a cruel old game, isn’t it.