12 May 2022

Betfred Super League Round 12 Preview

Thursday - Huddersfield Giants v Wigan Warriors - 8pm kick off on Sky Sports

A dress rehearsal for the Betfred Challenge Cup Final coming up on May 28, both sides will be buoyed by their respective semi-final wins last time out.

In the double-header at Elland Road on Saturday, Wigan saw off local rivals and Cup holders St Helens 20-18, while Huddersfield were in imperious form as they dispatched of Hull KR 25-4. With both sides seeing the same turnaround, who will come out on top?

Matt Peet has made five changes to the squad that faced St Helens, rotating out stars, Liam Marshall, John Bateman, Morgan Smithies, Liam Byrne and Jai Field. They are replaced by James McDonnell, Umyla Hanley, Matty Nicholson, Logan Astley and Jack Bibby.

For Huddersfield, Jermaine McGillvary, Chris Hill and Chris McQueen are the headline omissions as they are rested, while Josh Jones picked up a one match suspension last week. Will Pryce who continues to serve the ten game ban he picked up earlier in the season.

Friday - St Helens v Hull FC - 8pm kick off on Sky Sports

St Helens will be looking to bounce back from their Cup semi-final loss as focus now turns to defending their Super League title.

They have made just two changes to their squad this week as James Bell comes in for Regan Grace and Jumah Sambou replaces Kyle Amor. Jonny Lomax will play despite suffering the effects of an arm injury last week.

Hull FC will no doubt feel the fresher of the two sides after a weekend off last time and they will be hopeful of success on Friday night on the back of three successive wins in response to defeat to Hull KR on Good Friday.

Brett Hodgson has made four changes from his side's win at Toulouse two weeks ago. Luke Gale and Josh Reynolds come back from suspension, while Adam Swift and Josh Griffin have recovered from their respective foot and knee injuries.

Saturday - Catalans Dragons v Warrington Wolves - 5pm kick off (UK time) on Sky Sports

Both sides had weekends off last time after their respective earlier exits from the Challenge Cup. Hosts Catalans have enjoyed the better season of the two sides this year and sit third in the table with eight wins from 11 games, despite the backdrop of an injury-hit season.

Josh Drinkwater, Mike McMeeken, Samisoni Langi and Dean Whare will miss this weekend's game through injury, but there is a boost as Sam Tomkins and Joe Chan are back in the squad to face the Wolves.

Meanwhile Warrington have endured an indifferent start to life under new Head Coach Daryl Powell and sit seventh in the table. Their five wins in 11 games and early Challenge Cup exit at the hands of Wakefield have fallen below expectations.

But they are bolstered by the return of England international Stefan Ratchford this week, he returns after a two-game absence with a quad injury.

Sunday - Toulouse Olympique v Wakefield Trinity - 2.30pm kick off

Toulouse host Wakefield in what's set to be a close affair in France. Toulouse still have just one win their name in 2022 and are bottom of the table. Meanwhile Wakefield are second from bottom having claimed three wins so far this season.

The arrival of halfback Corey Norman and Daniel Alvaro, both boasting a chunk of NRL experience, over recent weeks are the positives for Sylvain Houles' men - will they claim a win this week?

Wakefield meanwhile have fallen out of form after winning four games in a row in all competition across March and April. They haven ow lost five league games in a row and will be keen to turn things around on Sunday.

Sunday - Salford Red Devils v Leeds Rhinos - 3pm kick off

This will be a first game in charge for new Leeds Rhinos Head Coach Rohan Smith, and he could have a healthy squad to call upon. Zak Hardaker could return for his second Rhinos debut after passing several medical tests following a seizure last month, while Richie Myler could make his first appearance since round one after suffering a groin injury.

For Salford, they know a win would propel them back above Leeds in the table after a recent slump in form saw them fall to tenth in the table. The two sides are separated by a point and Salford sit tenth in the table. They beat Leeds at the AJ Bell earlier this season, can they do it again?

Sunday - Castleford Tigers v Hull KR - 3pm kick off

Will Hull KR bounce back from Cup semi-final disappointment this weekend? The club have endured a slump in form since Tony Smith announced his departure from the club but, with new boss Willie Peters now ready and in place for 2023, that could translate into an upturn in form.

Castleford meanwhile had a weekend off last week and will be the fresher of the two sides. After a challenging start to 2022. Lee Radford's men have won four of their last five league games and will be keen to return to winning ways after defeat at Catalans last week.

Betfred Super League Round 12 Fixtures

Thursday: