Round eighteen of Superleague 2013 saw us ten games out from the play-offs with places and pride still to play for.

Warrington would travel to Gillingham to face the Broncos and come home with fifteen try haul, a side of Wigan youngsters cut it very fine at the Vikings, and the Rhinos got back to winning ways after losing four on the bounce.

We round up the weekend fixtures.

High flying Wigan sent a very youthful side to Widnes to take on the Vikings for the second consecutive season. In 2012 the Warriors had been beaten to the points by 37-36 after employing similar tactics, and this season the margin would turn out to be a single point again.

[PIC1]It was a humdinger of a game for the SKY audience as Widnes ran the Warriors all the way to the wire. Logan Tomkins had opened the scoring but Patrick Ah Van, with the first of his hat-trick, levelled the scores on seven minutes.

Wigan scored two more in the first half through Tierney and Gelling before Lawton and Winterstein both got on the score sheet for the home side to level the scores at 16-16 at half-time. The second half was equally dramatic with Charnley giving the Warriors a narrow lead before tries from Hanbury and Ah Van edged the Vikings ahead.

Gelling, with his second and Taylor, either side of a Powell drop goal gave Wigan a seven point lead but the third Ah Van try on seventy-eight set up a grandstand finish with a nervy Wigan holding on to a one point advantage to the final hooter and an sigh of relief from the Wigan coach that could be heard over in Humberside...where the Robins were taking the prize scalp of the Huddersfield Giants.

Hull KR were looking to consolidate their top eight spot but were up against a Giants side who seem to have got the winning habit. It was therefore somewhat surprising when the home side established a ten-point lead thanks to tries from Burns and Brown within the opening ten minutes.

The Giants then got into their stride with four tries (Cudjoe (2), Murphy and Lunt) within a twelve minute spell to establish a 22-10 lead. KR managed the last try of an entertaining first half through Graeme Horne which Dobson kicked for a six point deficit at the break.

The second half was all KR with tries from Burns, Brown and Mika giving a 34-22 lead. When Murphy grabbed one back for the visitors on seventy-five to narrow the margin to six points there was still a chance of a Giants fight back but a Dobson drop-goal with two minutes remaining secured the two points which would see the Robins finish the weekend in seventh spot.

[PIC2]Friday nights final game was a Headingley where an injury decimated Leeds Rhinos side were desperate to re-discover winning ways against their near neighbours the Castleford Tigers. The Tigers were looking for the double over the old enemy under the coaching of ex-Rhinos favourite Daryl Powell.
Over seventeen thousand basked in the sunshine and watched a thriller which wouldn’t be decided until the final quarter. A dream debut for young Thomas Minns saw him over for his first try after just four minutes but Hauraki had given the visitors the lead by 6-4 after thirteen.

Keinhorst and Hardaker regained the Rhinos lead at 16-6 before Tansey finished the half on a high point for the Tigers with a score to get his team within four. Tansey scored the second half opener too to give his side the lead by 18-16 before the Jimmy Keinhorst show broke Castleford hearts as he completed his hat-trick to edge the Rhinos back in front by 28-18.

Huby scored on sixty-eight to narrow the gap to 28-24 before Leeds cut loose in the closing minutes with tries from Kirke and Moon closing out the game by 42-24, much to the relief of all at Headingley.

Saturday saw two games, one in Gillingham as the London Broncos went on the road and up against the Warrington Wolves, and the other in the South of France where the Catalans Dragons entertained Hull FC.

Warrington proved to be unstoppable as they humiliated the Broncos by 82-10 in front of just over three thousand fans. Ten different try scorers (Hill, both Monaghans, Myler, Westwood, Atkins, Riley, Ratchford, Grix and Higham) amassed fifteen tries between them. Ratchford kicked ten goals, and Briers slotted over one two pointer for good measure.

London’s tries from Dixon and Mendeika will have annoyed Tony Smith but he must be overjoyed with the clinical nature of his sides big win.

[PIC3]The game in Perpignan wasn’t much closer.

The Dragons were six points ahead after a third minute try from Vaccari and despite a Lineham try on ten getting the visitors within two points, as the conversion was missed, the rest of the afternoon would be straightforward for the home team.

Escare and Duport both added tries in the first half and Larroyer and Duport, with his second, put the game to bed for a big 30-4 win over a Hull FC side who had been unbeaten since the end of April.

There was just one game on Sunday as the Bulls visited the Saints, both sides scrapping for a top eight position to rescue a disappointing season.

Saints led from the front with tries from Manu and Makinson in the opening twenty minutes establishing a 12-0 lead in a game full of errors and dropped ball. Kearney pulled one back for the visitors before Soliola struck giving his side an 18-6 half-time lead.

Jones scored early in the second half but tries from Blythe and Kear gave the Bulls some hope as they clawed themselves back into the game at 24-18. The crucial blow was a Wilkin try on seventy-one, converted by the on-loan O’Brien, for a 30-18 score line which the Saints would carry to the final hooter.
The Saints two points saw them leapfrog the Bulls into eighth spot in a battle which could last the remaining ten rounds.

[PIC4]The rounds final game took place at the City of Salford Stadium on Monday night as a Salford Reds side, still stinging from the latest Koukash press outburst, took on a Wakefield Wildcats side who hadn’t won in their last three matches.

When Danny Williams scored the Reds opener on eleven it must have set the Reds pulses racing but some disastrous defending and unforced errors meant than any hopes of the two points for the home side were very short lived.

A procession of quick tries from Aiton, Kirmond, Collis, Mathers and Sykes saw the Wildcats to a comfortable 30-4 half time lead which would be extended by Wilkes, Cockayne and Fox in the second half as the Reds only response was a Broughton try on the hour mark. Lee Smith kicked seven conversions for a comprehensive 46-10 win which keeps the Wildcats hopes of a top eight finish very much alive.