Rugby League’s ‘Magic Weekend’ 2013: Back With A Bang

             Rugby League’s ‘Magic Weekend’, hosted at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, sees all 14 rugby league giants in action on the same pitch over two days of bone-crunching action. Huge credit must go to the ground staff of the Manchester stadium, as I remember our school rugby pitches after a PE lesson, as it was never a pretty sight! So to have men twice the size, hitting each other twice as hard, for twice as long, must be a gruelling 48 hours without sleep! Once again, the ‘Magic Weekend’ threw up some extraordinary ties, and some fantastically competitive matches, ending with a bang on each days with truly show-stopping games. On Saturday, we had St. Helens vs Warrington Wolves, and to end the weekend, the champions Leeds Rhinos vs the league leaders Wigan Warriors. How can you top that?

 

                The weekend started in fantastic form, with Catalan Dragons beating the London Broncos in the opening fixture. Though the 46-18 final scoreline suggests a thrashing, it was far from it in the first half. Whilst Catalan started strongly, with two quick tries, London quickly regrouped to level the scores just before the break. The second half was a different story, with Catalan half-back Scott Dureau coming back from eye surgery to inspire his team to a resounding second half victory, keeping them in the hunt for the playoffs. A quick turnaround, and the Etihad was ready to grace its second game, Castleford Tigers vs Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. The first derby to be staged at the grand stadium, and the pre-cursor to the Hull derby, Castleford came out of the blocks quickly to establish a 20 point lead by half time, leading 32-12. Their dominance continued into the second period, where, despite an early scare, they finished as comfortable 49-24 victors, handing new boss Daryl Powell his first win.

 

                Next came the Hull derby. In a fiercely competitive match, Hull FC started the brighter, scoring the opening try through Richard Whiting. Hull KR hit back quickly, with two quick scores to lead 10-6 at the break. A second half penalty and an Alex Brown try looked to have settled the game, as KR led by 10 points with only 8 minutes left on the clock. Hull FC fought back, with late tries from Tom Lineham and Kirk Yeaman levelling the scores. Then came the controversy. Hull FC prop Chris Green ran the ball in after KR misjudged the bounce of the ball in the last minute to win the game for FC, despite replays showing he was clearly in an offside decision. The RFL quickly acted, suspending the video referee and stating that a full enquiry would be held into the event. Nevertheless, the game provided us with just the tension and drama we needed going into Saturday’s headliner.

 

                St Helens vs Warrington Wolves, another derby in its own right, started at breakneck speed, with Warrington’s Chris Riley going over in the first minute. Wire soon doubled their advantage, as Ryan Atkins collected a chip to score, but Saints hit back quickly with two tries to move within two points of the Wolves. However, three rapid Warrington tries before half time knocked the stuffing out of St Helens, and gave the Wolves a comfortable cushion going into the break. Early second half tries from Jordan Turner and Lance Hohaia gave Saints hope, but three more tries late into the game from Warrington settled a pulsating tie, and ended an invigorating opening day.

 

                12 hours or so for the ground staff to go to work, before the opening game of today was on: Salford City Reds vs Widnes Vikings. Another intriguing and close encounter, which began with a scoreless first half hour, before Salford’s Lee Gaskell broke the deadlock with a 90 metre try. A quick second soon followed, with Jordan James going over. Widnes responded with two quick tries either side of the break, with Joe Mellor bursting through the Salford line on both occasions. In a game which ebbed and flowed throughout, Salford once again re-established control, through Martin Gleeson’s try. Once again, this would be short-lived, as Mellor claimed his hat-trick of tries to leave the contest tied at 16-16 with 12 minutes to go. With tries being exchanged regularly, Salford’s Theo Fages thought he had won the game for his side, before Kevin Brown cancelled out his try with only 5 minutes remaining. But in the final minute, up popped Jordan James once more, to clinch a thrilling contest in the Reds’ favour.

 

                Huddersfield Giants vs Bradford Bulls followed this encounter, and in a bit of a mismatch, the Giants comfortably saw off a disappointing Bradford side by 42 points to 6. Three tries in the first half ensured that the Giants held a comfortable lead by half time. A lead that was only extended after the break, as Dale Ferguson, Shaun Lunt, Brett Ferres and Anthony Mullaly all went over in the second half, boosting Huddersfield’s title charge. Next was the big one: champions Leeds vs rampant league leaders Wigan. Leeds, prior to the game, boasted a 100% record at ‘Magic Weekends’, whilst Wigan were looking for their 11^th consecutive Super League win. Something had to give.

 

It was Wigan who started the brighter, with last year’s Man Of Steel Sam Tomkins going over to hand the Warriors an early lead. A vicious shoulder charge by Wigan’s Michael McIlorum gave Leeds skipper Kevin Sinfield the chance to reduce the arrears with a penalty, which he duly took. This signalled a change in momentum, as the Rhinos took the lead soon after, as Sinfield touched down after work from Zak Hardaker. Unfortunately for Leeds, their lead only lasted a matter of moments, as journeyman Pat Richards went over in the corner to regain the lead. Whilst Kallum Watkins responded for the Rhinos, a late first half Charnley try left Leeds with some work to do in the second period, trailing 20-12. But it was the Warriors who started the brighter, nearly adding to their lead. Leeds did eventually awaken, with Joe Vickery going over to reduce the deficit. A breathless end to the contest ensued, with the pitch still looking in mint condition, allowing for free-flowing and fast rugby league. Danny McGuire thought he had won it for the champions, but he saw his late try chalked off, leaving the Rhinos too short on time to respond.

 

            A fantastic end to a thrilling weekend of rugby league action. Much has been said about the merits and pitfalls of the ‘Magic Weekend’, but I think it is a fantastic advertisement for the game. To play in a nigh-on 50,000 seater stadium is not a chance many of these rugby league players will have all too often, and as the pitch does not make for a worse game, I see no reason why these weekends should not continue. The drama, controversy and passion are all part of the modern game, and taking that into larger stadiums will only attract more people, which can only be good for the game.