With the sides level on points at the top of the table but separated by a massive seventy-one points difference and five league positions, the winner of tonight’s clash between the Salford Red Devils and Wigan Warriors would be two points clear at the top of the table.

Wigan are unbeaten so far in 2024, having played a game less than their opponents, while Salford have won three from their four games, including the shock scalp of St Helens in an away fixture for the first time in decades.

But Wigan were the strong favourites, to take the win and maintain an all competition fourteen game, winning streak running all the way back to 23rd of July 2023 when the Warriors lost to Hull KR in the Challenge Cup Semi Final.

The eagerly anticipated clash between the northern and southern hemispheres took place at a packed DW Stadium as the Wigan Warriors played hosts to the NRL Champions the Penrith Panthers who were keen to avenge last years loss to St Helens and set the record straight.

The bookies had given the Australians a six-point handicap on the coupon and most pundits were calling the game in favour of the Panthers, but Wigan were quietly confident that a partisan crowd and home advantage could bring them home with a historic win, their first since they beat Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 2017 and their fifth World Club Challenge win.

The ‘Best Club Side in the World’ title was up for grabs, and both sides desperately wanted it.

One hundred and sixty-six games over 13,280 minutes had led us to Old Trafford and the 2023 Super League Grand Final between the top two sides in the competition as the Wigan Warriors took on the Catalans Dragons for the biggest prize in the domestic game.

Wigan were the slight favourites with the bookies to take the spoils despite the Dragons having been victorious on two out of the three meetings so far this season.

He stage was set for a fairytale final game of an illustrious career for Sam Tomkins should he be able to lead his Dragons side to victory over the side who he debuted for fifteen years ago and with whom he tasted so much success, including three Grand Final victories.

After a Titanic battle in the south of France, the Catalans Dragons eliminated the reigning Champions St Helens with a last-minute Sam Tomkins Try which saw the French side into their second Grand Final in three years while ending the four-year domination of the most successful side of the modern era.

The second play-off promised to be equally as dramatic as the Wigan Warriors, sought a return to Old Trafford for the first time since 2020 as they came up against a Hull KR side intent on reaching their first ever Grand Final.

This was the fifth meeting of the season between the two sides with honours shared at two wins each despite Wigan having a massive points aggregate advantage thanks to their 64-6 triumph in the most recent meeting in August and which made them strong favourites with the bookies for the win at the DW Stadium and progress to Old Trafford.

The first of two mouthwatering Women’s Super League play off games pitted recently crowned minor premiers York Valkyrie against a Wigan Warriors side who are acknowledged to be the weakest of the sides remaining in the competition after only winning three from their ten games iu 2023, but who would come into the game with a desperate point to prove.

York came into the game unbeaten after an excellent regular season and with a 40-6 win in July and a 36-4 win in August signalled that it would be the Valkyrie who would be progressing to the Grand Final on the 8th October.

It would take a monumental shock for Wigan to take the spoils.

The final day of the season mathematics were not simple, either at the top of the table, or for the play off places.

SKY chose to send their cameras to the Leigh Sports Village where the Leopards hoped to spoil the party for their near neighbours and seal them a loss which could see them end the night in third spot.

Wigans superior points difference meant that so long as they beat Leigh by a point, and Catalans won by less than sixty-eight, and Saints won by less than one hundred and forty-one, then it would be the Warriors getting crowned as minor premiers by ten o’clock.

A loss and wins for Catalans and the Saints would drop them down into the spots for next week’s play-off games and throw away the luxury of a week off.

Leigh were also looking over their shoulders and knew that a heavy loss could open the doors for Hull KR to take fourth and a home game next weekend.

The Wigan Warriors were looking for a return to the top of the table and knew that a win of any veriety would achieve that due to their superior points difference over the other two minor premiership hopefuls, the Catalans Dragons and arch-rivals St Helens.

The Rhinos came into the game in the full knowledge that a defeat, while not mathematically ending their hopes of a play-off place, would effectively do so, and snuff out the final light on a very disappointing season.

The bookies had the visitors as strong favourites for the win and gave the Rhinos an eight-point start on the handicap coupon; the scene was set for it to be a miserable Saturday afternoon for the Headingley Southstand faithful.

Depending on the Catalans Dragons result at Hull KR, a win for the Wigan Warriors over the Salford Red Devils in their round twenty-four clash at the DW Stadium could see them move to the top of the table and into the minor premiers’ spot with just three rounds of the regular season remaining.

The Red Devils started the game in the last play-off position, above Hull KR only on points percentage as the two sides have identical league points and points difference.

A win would lift them a spot closer to guaranteeing them a playoff spot, a loss would throw their end of season plans back into turmoil.

Wigan were the favourites with the bookies, the Red Devils given a ten-point start on the handicap coupon.

The competitions top two try scoring teams met in the south of France as a well supported Wigan Warriors looked to take second spot off their greatest rivals St Helens, while the Dragons knew that a win would take them four points clear and one step closer to the minor premiership.

Perpignan had not been the happiest of hunting grounds for the Warriors in recent times but there was great anticipation of a close match between two fiery sides.

It would go some way to determining the final league positions for the play offs, but the bookies had established the home side as the favourites prior to kick off.

Temperatures in the south of France had chilled a little but the stands were red hot as the two sides entered the stadium.

A seemingly unstoppable Leigh Leopards side fresh from their cup victory over St Helens last weekend travelled the short distance to the DW Stadium to take on a Wigan Warriors side still smarting from their own cup exit at the hands of Hull KR.

A win for the home side would lift them level on points with their opponents but victory for Leigh would lift the, level with the Catalans Dragons in top place going into the final quarter of the season.

Wigan were the favourites with the bookies with the Leopards having been given an eight point start on the coupon, the Leopards underdogs to overcome a 40 year Wigan drought.

Once place remained at Wembley on the 12th August, a three o’clock appointment to face the Leigh Leopards in the Challenge Cup final and it would be either the cup kings Wigan Warriors, or underdogs Hull KR who would be taking it.

Wigan are currently third in the table after losing just one game in their last seven, while Hull KR are sixth on the back of just three wins in their last seven.

The bookies fancied that it would be the Wigan Warriors travelling to Wembley to face near neighbours Leigh and the bookies agreed as they gave the Robins an eight-point start on the coupon.

We were set for the best game of the weekend.

Warrington Wolves hadn’t beaten the Wigan Warriors in their last four meetings coming into tonight’s crucial round nineteen encounter at the DW Stadium with both sides tied together on twenty-two points and needing the win to join Leigh Leopards in joint second place.

Wigan won the last encounter, the 14-12 win the Challenge Cup quarter final a month ago and all indications were that tonight’s game could be as close, but Warrington are currently in free fall having lost their last three outings, Wigan looking to bounce back after last weekend’s golden point loss to Wakefield Trinity.

Wigan were the bookies favourites having been handicapped by eight points on the coupon.

While the game of round sixteen was undoubtedly the trip of the Leigh Leopards to the Catalans Dragons last night, the Sunday afternoon fixture between the Salford Red Devils and Wigan Warriors ran it a close second on paper as the sixth placed side looked to overtake their hosts while the home side had one eye on the second spot which a big win would deliver.

Wigan were the slight favourites with the bookies with the Red Devils having been given a four-point start on the coupon, the margin of Warriors victory when the two sides met at the DW Stadium in March.

Both sides came into the game hungry for the points to assist in their quests for top six finishes.

With Hull KR and St Helens already safely into the semi-finals of the 2023 Challenge Cup, arguably the tie of the round pitted Wigan Warriors against the Warrington Wolves with the third place up for grabs in a game which is too close to call.

Wigan had the home advantage and the bookies handicapped them by four points on the coupon, favouring a win for the side in sixth pace over the one currently second in the table.

Warrington arrived with an unchanged side from last week’s narrow win over the Huddersfield Giants and they knew that they would need to be at their best to beat a speedy Wigan side and the dual threat of Field and French.

Women’s Super League had a lunchtime kick off at the Totally Wicked Stadium where fourth placed Group One side St Helens had a repeat of Friday night´s men’s fixture as they took on a Wigan Warriors side in second place and chasing down an unbeaten York Valkyrie at the top of the table.

Saints lost their opening round match to the league leaders but then beat the Leeds Rhinos in the second-round while Wigan drew with Warrington in their opening match, beating the Huddersfield Giants by ten points in round two.

There was little to choose between the two sides for this local derby match and it looked like an even encounter on paper.

Show me a true rugby league supporter who says that they don’t love a Saints versus Wigan derby, and I’ll show you a liar.

Whether you’re a Warrior or a Saint and hoping that your side will win the most important bragging rights, or a neutral who just likes to see two of the best sides in the game batter one another for the two points.

Wigan won when the two sides met back on Good Friday, but Saints have shown a marked improvement since then and a win today would lift the home side above their arch enemy and into third place in the table, two points behind the league leaders Catalans and Warrington.

Saints have won four on the bounce, while Wigan got thumped last time out against the Catalans Dragons at the Magic Weekend, and as a result the bookies were giving the Red Vee an eight-point handicap on the coupon.

The tie of the round saw two sides with terrific Challenge Cup wins last weekend opened round thirteen of Super League with a Thursday evening clash as third placed Hull Kingston Rovers welcomed second place Wigan Warriors to Craven Park for a top of the table clash with second place up for grabs for the winners.

All that separated the two sides is a difference of eight points in the points difference column with KR having scored three points more than Wigan while they had conceded eleven more.

It was almost impossible to make a call between the two sides and the bookies had made KR slight favourites with their home advantage.

The two sides met om the opening weekend of the season when KR set out their stall for the season with a 27-18 win.

A win for the Wigan Warriors, over Wakefield Trinity at the DW Stadium, would see them go ahead of Warrington and to the top of the table on points difference, ahead of the international break which would see England in action against France next Saturday.

The question on the lips of the travelling Wakefield supporters was not whether their side would get their first win of the season but how many they would lose by and if they would even manage to register a point after suffering five nulls so far in a catastrophic start to their 2023 season.

Wigan were handicapped by thirty points on the coupon, not surprising as Wakefield have averaged just five points a game while leaking thirty through their paper-thin defences.

There was zero chance of a shock.

First and second in the Super League engaged in a tussle at Wigan as Darryl Powell’s Warrington came to town in a bid to go another round unbeaten, secure their position ahead of the chasing pack and put the 2022 rebuilding season behind them - along with the commentator’s annual joke about ‘this year’ being the Wolves’ year.

Wigan, straight off a powerful win over champions St Helens in the Easter rivals round, had their eyes on replacing Warrington at the top of the table and setting themselves up for an assault on Saints’ title.

The hosts kicked off in front of a record crowd and both teams were balanced in the opening sets, until the Warriors forced a goal-line drop-out in the fourth minute and scored in the subsequent set.

It was a second capacity crowd of the day as third placed Wigan Warriors face their massive Rivals and fifth placed St Helens in one of the games of the round with local bragging rights up for grabs and for the neutral it was a chance to gauge which of these two sides was the forerunner for a Grand Final place.

Wigan were without the injured Jai Field in a major blow but were still slight favourites with the bookies having been given a two point handicap on the coupon.

Saints hadn´t really hit their straps since their World Club Challenge win, but it would be typical of Saints to hit top form in the derby match.

A packed stadium of over twenty-four thousand, and national television audience settled down for what could be a classic encounter.