Super League preview
Get your sofas at the ready because if there was ever a day to sit back, relax and enjoy a weekend of high-class rugby league action, this weekend is it.
For the appetiser, take in the delights of what is sure to be a bruising encounter between Leeds and St Helens. If this was indeed a culinary delight, it could be compared to a potent curry dish, it is certain to be spicy.
Both sides are having disappointing seasons for their high standards, St Helens sit third in the current standings and Leeds are only fifth. A win for either side over their arch-rivals could re-ignite the flame that has burnt so powerfully for the past three seasons.
The last three Super League finals have involved these two sides, with Leeds coming out on top on every occasion. Those defeats will still be fresh in the memory of the St Helens players and you feel that this will mean much more than just two-points if the Merseyside based side can defeat the Rhinos on late Saturday afternoon.
St Helens assistant coach Kieron Purtill knows how important a win on Saturday will be for his side.
"This week will probably be intense and it will be quick,” he said. “We're on a big pitch and the crowd is going to be buzzing from both sides. Every game now is like a grand final. You've got to get your two points and just keep working your way up the table.”
If the appetiser doesn’t excite the palate enough then the Sunday afternoon feast of attacking rugby will surely satisfy your needs.
Top of the table Wigan Warriors travel to France to play basement boys Catalan Dragons, in what looks to be a case of how many points the English side will win by.
The Warriors have been the surprise package of the season so far, and are without doubt the most attractive side to watch in the league.
They score tries for fun, and the ragged Dragons defence which have conceded 523 points this season should be quaking in their boots at playing the free-flowing Warriors.
The weekend’s others fixtures are: Crusaders RL vs Warrington; Castleford vs Huddersfield; Wakefield vs Hull K R; Bradford vs Hull.
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