Super League results, review & odds update from the Super 8s and Qualifiers
A review and scores from the latest round of Super League games as Hull FC beat Castleford to qualify for the play-offs.
Super League results (Sept 21-24)
Thursday, September 21
- Salford 4-30 St Helens
Friday, September 22
- Castleford 16-48 Hull FC
- Huddersfield 12-36 Leeds
- London 4-41 Leigh
Saturday, September 23
- Wakefield 32-0 Wigan
- Warrington 46-24 Hull KR
- Catalans Dragons 10-12 Widnes Vikings
Sunday, September 24
- Halifax 20-26 Featherstone
Sunday's Super League review
Halifax 20-26 Featherstone
Halifax Tries: Kaye (37,45), Worrincy (67), Heaton (74)
Conversions: Tyrer (37,45)
Featherstone Tries: Davies (8), Briscoe (43), Mariano (56), Taulapapa (64)
Conversions: Hardman (8,23,43,56,64)
Featherstone ended their Super 8s Qualifiers campaign on a high with a 26-20 victory over fellow Kingstone Press Championship side Halifax.
Both teams had failed to threaten the promotion places after finishing in the Championship's top four but the bottom two produced an exciting contest at the Shay.
John Davies' early try and two goals from Ian Hardman left Featherstone in control but Ben Kaye crossed for the first of his two tries in the closing stages of the first half to make it 8-6 at the break.
Rovers appeared to be out of sight after Misi Taulapapa added to tries from Luke Briscoe and Frankie Mariano to make it 26-12 with Jacob Fairbank in the sin bin.
Rob Worrincy and Ben Heaton crossed to set up a nervy finish but Hardman's five goals proved the difference.
Tensions boiled over in the closing minute as Featherstone forward Richard Moore and Halifax winger Heaton were both sent off.
Saturday's Super League review
Wakefield 32-0 Wigan
Wakefield tries: Jones-Bishop (16), Miller (29), Williams (60), Grix (68), Hirst (78)
Goals: Finn (17,29,57,60,69,78)
Wigan's Super League title defence was finally ended on a huge anti-climax as they crashed 32-0 to the season's surprise package Wakefield in the final Super 8s match.
The 2016 champions went into the game needing an unlikely 90-point victory margin to pip St Helens to a semi-final spot, but produced an uninspiring performance to be nilled for the first time this season.
Trinity's second win of the year over the Warriors enabled them to leapfrog their visitors in the final table and condemn Shaun Wane's men to a sixth-place finish, their worst since 2009.
Wakefield threatened to claim a semi-final place of their own for much of the season and, although narrow late-season losses proved costly, a fifth-place finish is a highly-creditable achievement for Chris Chester, who was chosen by Wigan boss Shaun Wane as his pick for Super League coach of the year.
Warrington 46-24 Hull KR
Warrington tries: Pomeroy 2, Savelio 2, Ratchford, Dwyer, Hiku, Currie, Livett
Goals: Livett 4, Gidley
Hull Kr tries: Oakes 2, Shaw 2
Goals: Ellis 4
Tony Smith's final game in charge of Warrington ended in a comfortable 46-24 victory over Hull KR as the Wolves ended the season unbeaten in the Super 8s Qualifiers.
Smith's nine years as head coach of the Wolves brought three Challenge Cup wins, two League Leaders' Shields and three Grand Final appearances and there were emotional scenes at the end of the game as he said his goodbyes on the pitch.
Hull KR looked in the mood to spoil the party when they raced into an 18-4 lead in the first half but the home side recovered and produced a much-improved second-half display to end the season with 10 straight wins.
Ben Pomeroy and Andre Savelio both claimed two tries for the Wolves with others coming from Peta Hiku, Harvey Livett, Ben Currie, Stefan Ratchford and Brad Dwyer with Livett landing four goals and Kurt Gidley one.
Wingers Ryan Shaw and Will Oakes both scored two tries for Hull KR in defeat while Jamie Ellis landed four goals.
Catalans Dragons 10-12 Widnes Vikings
Catalans tries: Bousquet
Goals: Walsh (3)
Widnes tries: Thompson, Marsh
Goals: Gilmore (2)
Widnes secured their Super League status and condemned Catalans Dragons to a place in the dreaded Million-Pound Game with a nail-biting 12-10 victory in the south of France.
The Vikings finished bottom of Super League at the end of the regular season but rescued their top-flight status with a first-ever victory in Perpignan in their final Super 8s Qualifiers thanks to second-half tries from Corey Thompson and Stefan Marsh.
It means the French club must play Leigh in a decider at Leigh Sports Village next Saturday as they seek to prevent a drop into the Kingstone Press Championship.
Friday's Super League review
Castleford 16-48 Hull FC
Castleford tries: Egodo (29,44,48)
Goals: McShane (29,44)
Hull FC tries: Kelly (8), Connor (11,39,52), Houghton (25), Shaul (34,70), Tuimavave (64)
Goals: Sneyd (8,25,34,39,52,62,64,70)
Hull made light work of a weakened Castleford to book their place in the Super League play-offs and effectively end Wigan's title defence.
Lee Radford's team needed to beat the Tigers in their final Super 8s fixture to confirm their top-four spot and they did so in style with a thumping 48-16 victory.
Hull will travel to Leeds for next Friday's second semi-final, while Castleford will host St Helens 24 hours earlier unless champions Wigan defeat Wakefield by an improbable 90-point margin on Saturday.
Albert Kelly and Jake Connor scored back-to-back early tries after Castleford failed to deal with high kicks and it was virtually job done for Hull when Danny Houghton went over in similar fashion.
Debutant Tuoyo Egodo got the Tigers on the board but Jamie Shaul's scintillating long-range try underlined Hull's title credentials before Connor made it 28-6 at the break.
Egodo was celebrating a hat-trick in the early stages of the second half after quick-fire tries only for Connor to complete his treble to end any hopes of a Castleford comeback. Carlos Tuimavave and Shaul completed the scoring.
Huddersfield 12-36 Leeds
Huddersfield tries: Lawrence (25), Hinchcliffe (67)
Goals: Brough (26,68)
Leeds tries: Watkins (2), McGuire (17,54), Keinhorst (22), Mullally (59), Burrow (70)
Goals: Watkins (3,23,55,60,64,71)
Veteran half-backs Danny McGuire and Rob Burrow provided further evidence of their rich tryscoring ability as Leeds warmed up for next Friday's play-off semi-final with a 36-12 rout of Huddersfield.
McGuire, who will continue his career at promoted Hull KR when he leaves Headingley at the end of the season, touched down twice to strengthen his position at the top of the Super League chart with 236 tries while Burrow, who will soon be hanging up his boots, scored his 168th to climb to eighth in the all-time list.
While Leeds can now look forward to a meeting with Hull at Headingley next Friday for a place in the Grand Final, Huddersfield's season petered out with a fourth successive defeat, a disappointing way for Danny Brough to mark his 300th Super League appearance.
London 4-41 Leigh
London try: Gee (63)
Leigh tries: Fleming (12), Hansen (33), Hopkins (42), Clare (54), Reynolds (71), Drinkwater (73), Maria (76)
Goals: Reynolds (12,33,42,71,73,76)
Drop-Goals: Drinkwater (80)
Leigh tuned up for the Million Pound Game with a routine 41-4 victory over London Broncos in their final game of the Qualifiers.
Matthew Fleming and Harrison Hansen crossed in the first half for the Centurions as they opened up a 12-0 lead.
And after the break replacement Sam Hopkins touched down before James Clare, Ben Reynolds, Josh Drinkwater and Anton Maria all went over to leave the Centurions with four wins from seven games in the Qualifiers and still fighting for survival.
In the midst of the onslaught Matt Gee went over for a consolation for the Broncos - whose promotion hopes were ended last weekend - but Neil Jukes' visitors will now eagerly await Catalans Dragons' clash with Widnes in the south of France tomorrow.
A win for the Vikings will mean the Centurions are at home for the Million Pound Game against the Dragons, but if the French outfit win tomorrow then they will be safe and the Centurions, depending on points difference, will either host or head to Widnes for the winner-takes all Million Pound clash.
Thursday's Super League review
Salford 4-30 St Helens
Salford try: Evalds (4)
St Helens tries: Percival (17), Walmsley (34,71), Taia (63), Barba (79)
Conversions: Percival (34,38,63,71,79)
Substitute forward Alex Walmsley grabbed two tries as St Helens overcame 12-man Salford 30-4 to effectively seal their place in the Betfred Super League semi-finals.
A third successive victory snuffed out Wakefield's lingering hopes of a top-four finish and lifted Saints up to third place with a healthy points difference, leaving Wigan likely needing to win by an improbable 90-point margin in their final Super 8s fixture.
That comes at Wakefield on Saturday and by then, if Hull have taken at least a point from Castleford on Friday, their season will be effectively over.
Salford battled hard despite the 37th-minute dismissal of forward Ryan Lannon for a high and late tackle but finish a season that promised so much with a ninth defeat in their last 10 matches.
Mark Percival, Zeb Taia and Ben Barba also bagged tries for St Helens, while Niall Evalds went over for Salford's only score.