Filed under: Rugby League
A month into the new Super League season, and the top four contains the unlikely names of Castleford and Harlequins, leaving big guns Wigan, St Helens and Leeds behind. Warrington Wolves are emerging as the force that many predicted and claimed their second big scalp in as many weeks.
Harlequins RL 10 Huddersfield Giants 18
The basics: Harlequins' stunning unbeaten start to the season came to an end in their fourth match as Huddersfield continued their recent improvement.
Exciting young Giants winger Jermaine McGilvary scored a vital try and had another disallowed, while Luke O'Donnell and Graeme Horne also crossed.
Wigan winger Karl Pryce grabbed his first try on loan at Quins and Chris Melling added another, but it couldn't prevent a first defeat of the season.
What it means: Huddersfield briefly climbed to the top of the table, and three wins from four marks a good return for a team expected to challenge the top sides this year. Quins may have lost for the first time but again showed that they will be far from easy beats in 2011.
They said it: "I think it was just a case of us straying from the gameplan. We started really slowly - we did not come out of the blocks like we have done in our other games this season." - Quins coach Rob Powell.
"When we got the try just after half-time it was looking good but we never pressed on. Obviously I am still really happy with the win as Quins are a very good side, but we definitely need to get better." - Huddersfield boss Nathan Brown.
Hull FC 42 Crusaders 18
The basics: Hull FC eased the pressure on coach Richard Agar by chalking up their first win of the season.
Back rower Danny Tickle finished with 16 points from two tries and four goals while recent signing Sam Obst was also among the scores.
Crusaders were always behind despite two tries to on-loan Warrington winger Rhys Williams and another from past Hull target Jarrod Sammut.
What it means: Agar will remain under the spotlight for now, but this victory gives his side a platform to recover from their opening three defeats. Crusaders have stumbled somewhat since their opening day win over Salford.
They said it: "I'm pleased because we were quite jittery and nervous beforehand which is understandable. We've got some improving to do and the big thing for me was to see improvements in the performance." - Hull coach Richard Agar.
"We were in the game for large majorities and after 15 minutes I thought we were on top, but silly errors let them into our area and we need to fix it up pretty quickly." - Crusaders coach Iestyn Harris.
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Salford City Reds 16 Wigan Warriors 32
The basics: Wigan avoided any major World Club Challenge hangover just five days after losing an epic battle to St George-Illawarra.
Kiwi scrum half Thomas Leuluai was the star of the show, grabbing two of his side's six tries.
Salford, with their coach Shaun McRae away from the club on medical grounds, showed plenty of fight and continued their recent improvement with tries to Chris Nero, Ashley Gibson and Rob Parker.
What it means: Champions Wigan remain unbeaten after recording five points from their first three league games. The Reds have only one win but this was a much better display than their heavy home defeat to St Helens two weeks earlier.
They said it: "We're certainly proud of the performance. A lot of teams could have thrown the towel in against the second best team in the world, but they tried things and some of them came off." - Salford football director Steve Simms.
"It's been a tough couple of weeks, leading into a massive game, and we worked hard to make sure this was a positive week. I'm really happy the boys came through the way they did." - Wigan coach Michael Maguire.
Catalans Dragons 16 St Helens 22
The basics: Saints held off a stirring late Catalans charge to bounce back from their defeat at home to Warrington.
Victory came despite more injury problems, with the returning Leon Pryce limping off after only five minutes.
Royce Simmons side led 22-6 until late tries from Steve Menzies and Scott Dureau set up a grandstand finish.
What it means: This was a backs-against-the-wall win for St Helens given Pryce's early injury and the recent furore surrounding Kyle Eastmond's future. Catalans are slowly making progress under new coach Trent Robinson.
They said it: "I think the last two weeks have shown that we're here to compete. Last week we managed to finish the job, this week we fell just short." - Catalans coach Trent Robinson.
"To hang in there against a side that is playing good footy in some good field positions was a tremendous effort, win and it was a really good match." - Saints boss Royce Simmons.
Warrington Wolves 40 Leeds Rhinos 24
The basics: Warrington backed up their victory over St Helens by claiming another top scalp with an accomplished display in which teenager Rhys Evans caught the eye.
Evans scored one try and made another while the Wolves also had big performances from Ben Westwood, Lee Briers and Michael Monaghan.
The Rhinos trailed 34-8 at one point before stirring in the final quarter but made too many individual handling errors.
What it means: The Wolves are starting to look every inch the title challengers that many predicted before the start of the season. Leeds are taking time to adapt to a new style of play under coach Brian McDermott.
They said it: "It was a good performance. We were up against a very good team two weeks running and sometimes you can be a bit flat after playing St Helens but I thought we looked sharp and fresh." - Warrington coach Tony Smith.
"We weren't good enough with the ball. We didn't hold onto it. We've got to concede we're not doing the basics well enough." - Leeds boss Brian McDermott.
Bradford Bulls 40 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 18
The basics: Bradford made it two wins on the trot with prop Craig Kopczak scoring an unlikely hat trick in a comprehensive win.
The Wildcats took an early lead through Frankie Mariano but it was all the Bulls after that with Tom Olbison, Shad Royston (2) and Shaun Ainscough also crossing.
Troubled Wakefield battled until the end but slipped to a third defeat from their opening four games.
What it means: Bradford took another step forward under new coach Mick Potter and are starting to find some dangerous combinations. The Wildcats were always going to find it tough this year but are showing no lack of spirit.
They said it: "We're really happy we've taken a step forward as a team and although I think we were outplayed at times, we can rein that in. I'm glad that we've got the skills to try things, but we've got to keep practicing and get a bit more game sense around us." - Bulls assistant coach Francis Cummins.
"It's a tough day, we're going to have some. But I'm certainly not going to criticise the players because they are applying themselves at every training session, every week, and on the football field." - Wakefield coach John Kear.
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