Most opening games of the Magic Weekend are dour mid-table affairs, put on for a handful of spectators while those of clubs not involved make the most of the many hostelries which Newcastle has to offer.

But this season is an exception with the bottom two clubs in the competition being thrown together in a massive tussle for two points which could prove decisive at the end of the season and was guaranteed to get the neutrals into the stadium early.

A win for Trinity would put them six points clear of Toulouse in the relegation spot, the French side with a near impossible mountain to climb, but should Toulouse overcome the slight odds against them and get their fourth win of the season, then the gap between the two sides would be down to just two points and all to play for.

The bookies nor pundits could really split them, neither could their two encounters so far this season, the St James Park pitch was all set for a match of epic significance.

With two sides at opposite ends of the table, there was much to play for between Wakefield Trinity and Wigan Warriors with very different aspirations.

Wigan wanted the two points to get within two points of St Helens at the top of the table after they lost to the Dragons last night while Trinity were getting dragged closer to the relegation spot after Toulouse surprised Hull KR yesterday.

The bookies couldn´t see past a big Wigan win with Trinity getting a fourteen-point start on the handicap coupon, mainly because they were walloped by the Salford Red Devils last time out in a humiliating 74-10 defeat.

Wigan were looking for a fifth consecutive win and most pundits believed that they wouldn´t have an issue.

Wakefield Trinity took on the Wolves as a bottom of the table dogfight took place on Sunday afternoon at Belle Vue with ninth against eleventh and the chance of all change with a home win by twenty-four points or more heralding a position switch to push the Wolves into eleventh spot.

Wakefield won the round six the game in Warrrington back in mid-March by 38-22, and a week later they knocked Warrington out of the Challenge Cup by a score line of 16-12, today they were looking for the treble.

The home side were given a four-point start on the coupon, the bookies struggling to pick a winner but favouring the Wolves based on league position.

Following the shock announcement that Tony Smith would be leaving Hull KR at the end of the season, the Robins came into a rare Saturday afternoon game with their eyes on a potential fourth place in Super League, but they would need to defeat a Wakefield Trinity side who desperately needed a win after a couple of recent heavy defeats, to Wigan and Castleford.

The visitors had their free scoring talisman Tom Johnstone back in the side along with full back Max Jowitt and half back Jordan Abdull to give them a far more robust look.

KR had escaped with the points from a close game with Toulouse on Bank Holiday Monday and they welcomed back Lachlan Coote and utility back Sam Wood who were both absent in France.

The bookies had KR as the favourites and had given the visitors a ten-point start on the handicap coupon.

Warrington started this home Cup tie as clear favourites to beat Wakefield at home and book a date to welcome Wigan to the Halliwell Jones Stadium in the quarter final.

The bookies had them at 10-3 on for the win, while Trinity were 5-2 - despite beating their hosts in the league last weekend.

Warrington started this home Cup tie as clear favourites to beat Wakefield at home and book a date to welcome Wigan to the Halliwell Jones Stadium in the quarter final.

The bookies had them at 10-3 on for the win, while Trinity were 5-2 - despite beating their hosts in the league last weekend.

The Huddersfield Giants had their hearts set on sixth spot as they travelled the short distance to take on Wakefield Trinity who were in the market for their second win of the season after a great win ove Hull KR last time out.

The Giants were the favourites to get the win with the bookies, having being given an eight point handicap on the coupon, as they looked to go sixth by overtaking the Castleford Tigers on the league ladder after their Friday night massacre at the hands of the Leeds Rhinos.

These West Yorkshire derbies are often tetchy affairs for which the form book can be torn up and tossed aside, it was an intriguing battle in prospect.

When the Catalans Dragons and Wakefield Trinity met in the third round of the Challenge Cup three weeks ago it was a comfortable victory for the French side as they ran out as 26-6 winners to make progress and line up a quarter final tie against the Warrington Wolves next weekend.

Coach McNamara made several changes to his victorious cup side with McIlorum and Seguir in the starting line-up and Joel Tomkins and Jordan Dezaria on the bench.

Wakefield had loanees Olly Ashall-Bott (Giants) and Josh Eaves (Saints) in their seventeen and making debut as they suffered a temporary injury crisis.

Trinity can’t get a win anywhere and you get the feeling that if they were handed one, they’d probably drop it, while the Dragons slipped up against Warrington last week to tarnish their unbeaten record in 2021.

The bookies strongly fancied a Dragons win with Wakefield being given an eight-point start on the coupon.

Wakefield Trinity were the designated home side at Emerald Headingley as they took on the Leeds Rhinos in the third game of the opening round of Super League 2021.

It was the first game of a double header which would later see the Catalans Dragons face Hull KR.

The Rhinos were favourites to start the season with a win, something that they have done more often than not over the last twenty-five years.

Wakefield had a six-point start on the coupon indicating that there was the expectation of a close game after four months for both sides without kicking a competitive ball.

There was no place in the Rhinos seventeen for acquisition Kyle Eastmond, but they did give a debut to new boy Zane Tetevano.

The dead-rubber to end all dead-rubbers as Wakefield Trinity and the Salford Red Devils did battle to see who would finish this most extraordinary of seasons in ninth place, and who would end it in tenth.

Salford needed a win to overcome the three-win deduction which they suffered earlier in the week and jump ahead of Trinity, while the Dreadnoughts knew that a win would secure them ninth but also that they couldn’t catch the Castleford Tigers in eighth.

The season was effectively over, and the stage was set for a game between two sets of players who were already in an off-season mindset and who would be going out of their way to ensure that they didn’t pick up any injuries.

Both coaches named strong looking squads, but both also admitted to being down to the bare bones of their squads as injuries and coronavirus took their toll.

A late change saw Dan Sarginson replaced with Niall Evalds for Salford after Sarginson picked up an injury in the warm-up.

Round eighteen saw the battle of the wooden spoon as Wakefield Trinity hosted Hull KR for a Sunday afternoon kick off.

Both sides have a twenty percent win record with Wakefield currently bottom by virtue of KR having a better points difference.

Wakefield grabbed a crucial win over the Huddersfield Giants last time out while Hull KR lost to the Castleford Tigers, both clubs having had just two days to recover from their exploits.

A win for either side would see them in tenth place in the table, Salford Red Devils were too far ahead for either side to make much of an impression on ninth spot.

 Local bragging rights were up for grabs as fifth places Castleford Tigers hosted a Wakefield Trinity side who are currently ninth, but have a game in hand.

A seven point win for the visitors would see them above their hosts but a big home win could see them top the table, depending on other results in round four.

The Tigers had a disappointing trip to the south of France last weekend where they lost out to the Catalans Dragons and they welcome back talisman Peter Mata’utia after he missed the last two games through suspension.

Wakefield named an unchanged line-up from the side which beat the Warrington Wolves last time out.

Windy conditions threw a pre-match curve ball to both coaches but a big crowd anticipated a competitive game.

The drinks were being poured in the last chance saloon and the fat lady was going through her scales as Wakefield Trinity welcomed the London Broncos for the last game of the regular Super League season.

It would be a devastating Friday 13th for one of four sides, and both of tonights opponents were in the mix.

While the maths were far from simple, a win for either side guaranteed them safety and a 2020 season playing the Super League.

Wakefield would be safe, even if they sustain a loss, providing one of either Huddersfield (v.

The Catalans Dragons) or Hull KR (v.

Salford Red Devils) also lost their game tonight.

It was bound to be a nerve tingling night for the supporters of all four clubs in danger of the drop.

Thursday night rugby was a real mid-table scrap as a Wigan side in the ascendency looked to cement their place in the play-off places while a Wakefield side, seemingly on the wane after a great start to the season, were looking to avoid getting dragged into the relegation dogfight.

The home side were without the injured Tommy Leuluai, skipper Sean O’Loughlin, and Joe Bullock and had an unfamiliar looking bench.

Wakefield were without Mason Caton-Brown, replaced in the line up by a semi-fit David Fifita.

Trinity have won just one of their last eight matches but they were victorious when the two sides met in April at the Mobile Rocket Stadium.

Wigan had a three win run to defend, but none of the recent victories have been particularly convincing.

Round seven takes us to the quarter season mark as all our sides look to push for places at the top of the table, or fight to get away from the strugglers at the bottom.

First up was a Thursday night fixture between Wakefield Trinity and the Warrington Wolves with the home side looking for a win to celebrate the news that they have secured the freehold of their ground and that they can now push ahead with their plans to modernise.

Fifth placed Wakefield went into the game four points adrift of a Warrington side who needed the two points, and a big points win, to jump ahead of St Helens to the top of the pile.

Wakefield were without, amongsth others,  a long-term injured Tom Johnstone, while the visitors were without Ben Westwood who picked up a four match ban in the win over Wigan.

From the off, the hosts were in charge of the game, while the Cherry and Whites continued their out-of-sorts form which has seen them lose three games on the trot.

Though the visitors are still second in the table, the gap between them and leaders St Helens opened out to four points following this loss - and could increase to six if Saints win their fixture against Hull KR tomorrow.

Four games, four losses.

The season is just weeks old and, on the face of it, Steve McNamara's  Catalan Dragons look like they're heading for a second end-of-season stint in the Middle 8 qualifiers.

But, boosted by the return of the talismanic Tony Gigot from a troublesome year with the FFR judiciary, there were enough signs in their close 14-16 defeat to Wakefield Trinity to give some hope for the year ahead.

Trinity's win, their third at Stade Gilbert Brutus in as many years, came on the back of some strong defence and some inspirational attacking runs, not least by Tom Johnstone.

The 2017 surprise package Wakefield Trinity continued where they left off with a good opening round win over Hull KR.

Tonight they were the hosts as a Salford Red Devils, on the back of a rugby lesson at the hands of Wigan Warriors last weekend, were the visitors.

The visitors had Jack Littlejohn off the bench and in the halves with Gareth O’Brien moving to full-back, Logan Tomkins had a place on the bench.

The only change for the home side was Craig Huby returning on the bench in the place of prop-forward Keegan Hirst.

A home win would send Trinity to the top of the table but Red Devils coach Ian Watson was sending his troops out with the sole aim of securing their first win of the season.

Two sides looking for improvements to their 2017 seasons came together at Langtree Park as Saints entertained Wakefield Trinity.

Saints were still smarting after last weeks loss at Leigh Centurions, and the visitors were looking to end an eleven game losing run.



The home side lost Jonny Lomax with knee injury but had both Zeb Taia and Adam Walker making their debuts.

Wakefield were without Ben Jones-Bishop who was out with facial injury, with Mason Caton-Brown debuting in his place.



Wet underfoot and overhead, the conditions were likely to be a leveller.

Hull FC travelled to Wakefield knowing that a loss would signal the end of their treble hopes, and be a third consecutive post-cup final defeat.

Any continuation of their shocking downturn in form could see them finish the season in fourth spot.



For Wakefield, the only prize on offer was that of denying their opponents the title as they are already confirmed as finishing eighth, thanks to an awful points difference against the only side that they could catch on league points.



It was a hot and humid night in Wakefield as the sides took to the field.