Tag: World

It had almost got to a point where it was difficult to imagine Sam Powell wearing anything other than a Wigan Warriors shirt in the Betfred Super League, let alone pulling on the colours of one of their most bitter rivals.

Yet that will be the case from next season after the hooker agreed the short move down the M6 to Warrington Wolves, bringing to a close 15 years at his hometown club which began with him joining Wigan’s academy as a 16-year-old and ended with October’s Grand Final triumph.

Loan spells with South Wales Scorpions and Workington Town in the early days of his professional career aside, Powell has known little else but the Warriors during a career which has seen him rack up 273 appearances in all competition for the club, plus be part of two Grand Final wins.

Yet the desire to move on after an at-times challenging 2023 campaign which included being sidelined for eight weeks with a shoulder injury and the opportunity to work under rugby league icon Sam Burgess as Powell considers his career beyond playing saw him decide to swap the cherry and white for the primrose and blue.

“I’ve never been closed-minded to think I was going to spend my whole career at Wigan,” Powell said. “The way it was going, it probably looked like that, but it’s professional sport at the end of the day and it comes down to a matter of things.

“I look back at my Wigan career now with my wife and my kids, and I’ve got nothing but great memories. They were good times, but I haven’t got long left in the game so I just want to enjoy myself here and give my input where I can.

“I look at it as a massive positive because I want to coach after I finish playing. I’ve got a chance to work under Sam and see how he does things, and I’ve been under four quality coaches, so the more the merrier.”

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We take a look back on Wigan Warriors’ route to their first Betfred Super League title since 2018.

Powell already has some coaching experience under his belt after spending time working with Wigan’s youngsters over the past two seasons, and he intends to speak to Warrington director of rugby Gary Chambers to pursue the same opportunity with his new club.

The lessons from his former Warriors bosses Michael Maguire, Shaun Wane, Adrian Lam and Matt Peet have stood the 31-year-old in good stead and Powell is eager to keep gathering as much practical knowledge as possible for when the time eventually comes to hang up his boots.

“First of all, it’s what I see myself doing after the game, so I don’t see the point in waiting until after I’ve finished playing to gain that experience,” Powell, who has found his coaching work so far to be rewarding as well, said.

“Just looking at lads when they came in from signing as scholarship players, they make such a change in two years, and you can have a big influence on people in whether they want to choose rugby league or it’s not for them.

I look back at my Wigan career now with my wife and my kids, and I’ve got nothing but great memories. They were good times, but I haven’t got long left in the game so I just want to enjoy myself here and give my input where I can.

New Warrington signing Sam Powell

“I just enjoy seeing them come in as boys and leaving as young men into the first team and giving them certain aspects, not even in rugby league but lessons in life they can take forward whatever they choose.”

The emergence of Brad O’Neill as Wigan’s starting hooker during Powell’s injury-enforced absence and the signing of ex-Leeds Rhinos No 9 Kruise Leeming for the new season meant the former England Knights international would have likely faced stiff competition for playing time in 2024.

However, he finds himself in a similar position at Warrington because, even with Daryl Clark moving to St Helens, the Wolves have England international Danny Walker and Brad Dwyer, back at the Halliwell Jones Stadium after spells with Leeds and Hull FC, in their ranks too.

Powell accepts he may have to be deployed in the halves as he was at times during his Wigan career to get more minutes with the Wolves, but although he would rather play in his normal position, he is happy to take on another position if needed.

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New Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess says that his side ‘just need a little bit of tidying up’ and discusses his coaching style.

“I don’t mind,” Powell said. “My preference would be hooker, but I just want to be on the field playing.

“Danny and Brad are quality players, probably a little bit different to me and how I play my game. All three of us will be striving to get game time and that’s one of my goals.

“It’s a quality squad here with really good players, and I just wanted to be around it.”

Powell has had to hit the ground running with the Wolves, having only linked up with his new team-mates earlier this week with pre-season training already in full swing.

His first competitive outing at the Halliwell Jones Stadium is likely to come in Round 2 of the 2024 Super League season when Warrington host Hull FC in their first home game of the campaign on Friday, February 23.

It is a venue he knows all about from his Wigan days, although this time Powell is looking forward to having the home fans behind him rather than against him.

“I’ve come very open-minded,” Powell said. “Although I know people who play for the club at Warrington, I don’t know too much about it.

“I started a few days ago and that’s something I’m going to have to learn very quickly. I’ve been through the history of the club and trying to get a sense of what it means to the fans, because they’re so passionate.

“I love playing here on Friday nights and it’s something I want to be a part of.”

Watch every match of the 2024 Betfred Super League season, including Magic Weekend, the play-offs, and men’s, women’s and wheelchair Grand Finals, plus the World Club Challenge, live on Sky Sports. Also stream with NOW.

Lacey Owen was 11 when she first picked up a rugby ball. Now aged 23, she is a Women’s Super League champion, an England international, and one of the first female rugby league players in the country to sign a professional contract.

The York Valkyrie player’s rise to the top has not been without its challenges though. Growing up in Castleford, she had to get her oval-ball fix outside of a handful of league matches for her school playing club rugby union due to a lack of offerings at the time from community clubs in the area.

Owen turned her hand to other sports such as netball and football as well, but like many in the West Yorkshire town it was rugby league which was her fervent passion, and she has rapidly realised her ambitions since joining Castleford Tigers in the Women’s Super League as a 16-year-old.

“The first time I picked a rugby ball up – maybe it was the adrenaline I got or the fact it was all right to tackle somebody and run at people,” Owen told Sky Sports.

“It’s a bit weird, but I felt like it was a sport I didn’t have to try to be good at, it just came naturally. I’m a very sporty person anyway so usually if I tried something I was good at it, but as soon as I picked a rugby ball up, I knew that was what I wanted to do.

“Since picking a ball up from being in year seven, I’ve never looked back. I’ve tried every other sport you could imagine, but it doesn’t quite suffice for me in the way rugby does.”

Although utilised as a fly-half or outside centre in rugby union, Owen has found her niche as a second row in league and is now aiming to develop those ball-handling and organisational skills utilised in her roles in the 15-a-side code after harnessing her ability to pick a good line.

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Owen scored the third try for York Valkyrie in the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final against Leeds Rhinos.

After taking a six-month break from the sport for personal reasons at the end of 2021, Owen followed her former Castleford head coach Lindsay Anfield to York in May last year and has quickly become a mainstay of the Valkyrie pack.

Her form as York secured a first Grand Final triumph last month, beating reigning champions Leeds Rhinos 16-6 at the LNER Community Stadium with Owen among the try-scorers, was rewarded with her earning a first England cap in the end-of-year Test against Wales.

Her international debut off the interchange bench at Headingley saw Owen score a try with one of her first touches in the 60-0 win for the hosts, but perhaps the biggest moment for her this year came when she was one of 20 Valkyrie players to be offered a two-year professional contract.

“It’s unreal women in rugby league have got professional contracts and I’m one of the few women in the country who have got one,” Owen said.

I’m a very sporty person anyway so usually if I tried something I was good at it, but as soon as I picked a rugby ball up, I knew that was what I wanted to do.

Lacey Owen

“It’s a special thing, too. I’m not going to take it for granted next season and it shows how far rugby league has come as a whole, not just the women’s sport, and shows younger girls as well this is something you can achieve and hopefully in a couple of years it will expand.

“I was blown away when I got asked to sign a contract with York because it is a step forward and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted it to be more than a hobby.”

Although now a contracted professional player, Owen will still be combining her rugby commitments with her day-job at her old secondary school Castleford Academy, which means continuing the long days of heading to work a 7.30am and not getting back home until 9pm after training with York.

Not that she is complaining about the sacrifices she has to make though, and Owen is enthused by the growth of the women’s game in her home area which was underlined by four other schools bringing girls teams to Castleford Academy earlier this week for a Wakefield district competition.

Owen made a try-scoring debut for England in the end-of-season win over Wales

Owen has become in demand for shirt presentations and end-of-season awards nights for girls teams too, and is humbled that she is being seen as an inspirational figure for the next generation.

“It’s really nice because I’m a role-model for all these young girls [at school] and I coach three rugby teams, so it’s really nice to see them progressing,” Owen said.

“They asked me lots of questions about it and say ‘Oh, Miss, do you think we’ll be able to do that as our job?’. It’s really nice to hopefully think women will either be able to do it part-time or full-time as a job.

“If we can achieve that working full-time, imagine what we could achieve if we had full-time contracts in the sport.”

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York Valkyrie were crowned Women’s Super League champions for the first time with a 16-6 Grand Final victory over Leeds Rhinos

The achievements of York’s women in recent seasons have seen them become the city’s leading rugby league lights ahead of the men’s team, the Knights, in the Championship, and Owen is delighted Andrew Henderson’s squad have been fully supportive of their efforts as well.

The Women’s Challenge Cup has so far eluded the Valkyrie though and the aim for the 2024 season is to add that prize to the collection, along with retaining the League Leaders’ Shield and repeating their Grand Final success.

“We’ve done fantastic this year as a club and something we’ve focused on is reaching the pinnacle at the right time,” Owen said. “That’s something we did really well, but now it’s about us being consistent throughout next year.

“I think the treble is on the cards for us next year and we’ve got some great players to hopefully execute that. Obviously, we all know Super League rugby and finals rugby is very different.

“It’s when pressure is applied how we execute next year, but I’ve got us pinned for the treble – I hope so, anyway.”

Watch every match of the 2024 Super League season, including Magic Weekend, the play-offs, and men’s, women’s, and wheelchair Grand Finals, live on Sky Sports. Also stream with NOW.

League Leaders’ Shield winners York Valkyrie and reigning champions Leeds Rhinos face off again in the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final at the LNER Community Stadium; watch live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix from 2.30pm on Sunday (3pm kick-off)

The story of the York Valkyrie rugby league revolution has, up to now, been a case of so near yet so far.

The 2021 Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup final and last year’s Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final both saw them fall short of claiming one of the sport’s big two prizes. Earlier this year, York were denied a place in the first Women’s Challenge Cup final to be at Wembley as well in an agonising one-point defeat to St Helens as well.

However, the Valkyrie have another chance to put all those near misses to bed in the Women’s Super League showpiece on Sunday, live on Sky Sports. Once again, they already have the League Leaders’ Shield from the regular season in the bag and once again face Leeds Rhinos to be crowned champions.

This year, however, Lindsay Anfield’s side have home advantage courtesy of that top-of-the-table finish and will be playing in front of a bumper crowd at the LNER Community Stadium, with captain Sinead Peach under no illusion as to how significant it would be for the club to clinch a maiden BWSL title.

“It means everything,” Peach told York RLFC TV. “Starting out the season, you put out platforms for what you want to achieve and losing in the [Challenge Cup] semi-final, we were gutted, but we’ve bounced back since that.

“We’ve got an opportunity to lift another cup after the League Leaders’ and it’s everything we want, and I’m sure the girls are willing to do everything they can to make sure they come out victorious.”

For the second year in a row, York overcame Wigan Warriors to earn a place in the Grand Final, this time winning 22-6 thanks to another pivotal display from reigning Woman of Steel Tara-Jane Stanley, who scored one try and assisted two others after the visitors had taken an early lead.

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Highlights of the York Valkyrie’s win over Wigan Warriors in the Betfred Women’s Super League semi-finals

Reigning champions Leeds, meanwhile, needed a try from Sophie Robinson in golden point extra-time to defeat St Helens 20-16 at Totally Wicked Stadium in their semi-final clash and go some way to avenging their Wembley cup final loss to Saints in August.

Leeds have reached the Grand Final again despite England internationals Fran Goldthorp and Georgia Roche making the switch to Australia’s NRLW competition earlier this year and Caitlin Beevers, player of the match in last year’s 12-4 win over York in the title decider, hailed the togetherness of the squad.

“I think we’ve done really well,” Beevers told Sky Sports. “We’ve had a lot of adversity; we had players moving to the NRLW at the start of the season along with some injuries at the start, and I think we’ve really got to the point where we can compete in games like this.

“For the last two years we’ve managed to make it to the Grand Final and that shows how committed we are.

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Caitlin Beevers says Leeds are raring to go for the women’s Super League Grand final but wary of an in-form York side and their dangerous forwards

“No matter the adversity we face at the start of the season, we come together and that shows what the environment at Leeds is all about.

“We’re ready and raring to go. Training for the last two weeks has been absolutely phenomenal, so we’re biting at the bit to get going.”

Last year’s final was played at the neutral venue of Totally Wicked Stadium and Leeds know how much home advantage does not always count after defeat on their Headingley home turf by St Helens in the 2021 decider.

Peach is adamant York are taking nothing for granted either, having been held to a 12-12 draw by the Rhinos at home in July after beating them 34-12 away in April, but the 2023 Woman of Steel nominee and her team-mates are excited they have the opportunity to be crowned champions for the first time in front of a partisan crowd.

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Highlights of Leeds Rhinos’ dramatic Betfred Women’s Super League semi-final win over St Helens

“It’s massive that we’ve got the home advantage and we’re comfortable playing here, but in the same sense we’re not complacent,” Peach said.

“We know there is a job to do, but mentally preparing that we’re going to be at our home ground with our home supporters is massive for us, and the girls are really excited to get out there and put on a good show.

“We know the fans will get behind us with the drums, so we’re looking forward to running out.”

Wilkin: Rhinos have the ability to win tight games

Sky Sports rugby league pundit Jon Wilkin on this year’s Women’s Super League Grand Final:

“Much like the men’s team from their golden era, Leeds just have an ability to win tight games and games they maybe shouldn’t win.

“I thought they did that against St Helens in the semi-finals – it was an incredible performance and a golden-point win, and rightly they find their way to the Grand Final.

“York, although they’ve played great, they haven’t won that competition before, and I know as a player that’s in the back of your mind.

“That could be poisonous for the mentality of the York team and could play into Leeds’ hands.”

Watch York Valkyrie and Leeds Rhinos face off in the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix from 2.30pm on Sunday (3pm kick-off). Also stream the Women’s, Men’s and Wheelchair Super League Grand Finals and more on with NOW for £21 a month for six months.

Wigan Warriors sealed top spot and the League Leaders’ Shield with a 10-6 win over close rivals Leigh Leopards; Catalans Dragons finish second and also head to the semi-finals; Warrington Wolves’ win over Huddersfield Giants sees them take the final play-off spot

The final round of the Super League season was billed as a ‘Frantic Finale’ and it did not fail to deliver. Let’s relive all the best moments here…

Wigan clinch League Leaders’ Shield as Catalans seal semi-final spot

Wigan Warriors can now sit back and relax after taking the spoils in a bruising 10-6 encounter against close rivals Leigh Leopards which saw them lift the League Leaders’ Shield.

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Jai Field weaves his way through the Leigh defence to score the opening try for Wigan

The Warriors did what they needed to do in the first half as tries from Jai Field and Jake Wardle gave them their 10-6 advantage, Lachlan Lam going over for the home side to make it a close game.

Both sides had tries wiped out in the second half, but the Leopards will be aggrieved by Oliver Gildart’s score being controversially disallowed as there was not clear enough evidence for the video referee to overrule the call of obstruction.

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The Sky Sports Rugby League team analyse the two No Try calls in Leigh’s clash against Wigan, including Oliver Gildart’s controversial disallowed try

However, the Warriors showed their defensive steel to stay top of the table and take the all-important trophy, Matt Peet’s side cementing themselves as firm favourites to be heading to Old Trafford on October 14.

The Catalans Dragons also did what they needed to keep second spot with a 19-8 win over the Salford Red Devils to claim a semi-final spot. St Helens now play Warrington Wolves in the third place vs sixth place eliminator after a 30-12 victory over Hull FC.

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A late drop goal from Sam Tomkins helped Catalans beat Salford as they finished second in the table behind Wigan

Wigan, Catalans and St Helens all finish on 40 points but the Warriors’ superior points difference proved to be the deciding factor.

What they said: Peet – I am proud of our club

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Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet says how proud he is of his side after beating Leigh to finish top of Super League

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet…

“That is probably a game we needed, we will learn a lot from that.

“I don’t think we particularly played play-off rugby but we will learn a great deal from that and I thought it was a fantastic game.

“I am proud of everyone at the club.

“There were incidents throughout the game that were 50/50 but we will just control our team.

“It gives us that steel and it highlights some areas. We haven’t been in such a close game for a while.”

Warrington sneak into the play-off as Leigh travel to the Robins in Eliminators

Warrington knew that if they secured a win they were in the play-offs and they did just that against the Huddersfield Giants.

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Matthew Storton finished off a sensational team try as Hull Kingston Rovers leapfrogged Leigh Leopards

Tries from Matt Dufty and James Harrison, plus 12 points from the boot of Stefan Ratchford, helped the Wolves to a 20-8 win and kept them in sixth spot.

They now face the tough task of heading to reigning champions Saints, who now have nine wins in a row and want to make it five successive Super League Grand Final wins too.

The second eliminator is fourth versus fifth as Hull KR take on Challenge Cup winners Leigh Leopards.

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Ryan Hall’s try saw Hull Kingston Rovers ensure a home game vs Leigh in the Week 1 Eliminator

The Leopards headed into the ‘Frantic Finale’ in fourth and with a 34-point cushion over the Robins.

However, Hull KR ran rampant in a 56-12 victory over relegated Wakefield Trinity and overturned that points deficit to move up to fourth and clinch a home tie.

The best of Super League’s Frantic Finale:

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After a bruising encounter, Wigan beat Leigh in the final game of the regular season to win the League Leaders’ Shield

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Highlights from the Betfred Super League clash between Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves

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Highlights from the Betfred Super League clash between Salford Red Devils and Catalans Dragons

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Highlights from the Betfred Super League clash between Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers

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Highlights from the Betfred Super League clash between Wakefield and Hull KR

What happens next?

You can watch the Eliminators live on Sky Sports on September 29 and 30.

The first game kicks-off at 8pm on Friday and sees Hull KR vs Leigh Leopards before St Helens vs Warrington Wolves on Saturday from 12.45pm.

The winner of Hull KR vs Leigh Leopards will then face Wigan in the semi-finals, with the winner of St Helens and Warrington Wolves travelling to face Catalans Dragons for that sought-after spot at the Grand Final.

Elliot Minchella is relishing his first Betfred Challenge Cup final appearance after rebuilding his playing career in the lower leagues following his release from Leeds Rhinos in 2015; the Hull KR forward and his team-mates face Leigh Leopards in Saturday’s final at Wembley

On Saturday, Elliot Minchella will play in the first major final of his career when Hull Kingston Rovers take on Leigh Leopards in the Betfred Challenge Cup showpiece at Wembley. However, the back row has taken a road less trodden to get here.

The former West Bowling junior had made a promising start to his professional career with Leeds Rhinos, bursting onto the Super League scene with a try-scoring debut as a 17-year-old in 2013. However, an off-field incident the following year led to him being loaned out to London Broncos in 2015 and being released at the end of the campaign.

Minchella was left to rebuild his career in the lower leagues, first with part-timers Sheffield Eagles, where he had to find a day job outside of the game, and then with home-city club Bradford Bulls before earning a second chance at Hull KR three years ago.

Since then, he has become a vital part of the Robins’ pack and even pushed himself into contention for an England call-up. Most importantly though, Minchella has the opportunity to be part of a team competing for one of rugby league’s biggest prizes.

“It’s tough,” Minchella told Sky Sports, reflecting on life outside the full-time game. “I’d gone from being in a changing room with legends of the game at Leeds to being on a building site or working at a builder’s merchant.

“It was hard, but you lean on those experiences to make you better as a person. That’s what I live by, really – learn from the tough time and enjoy the good ones.

“I’m proud of myself to stick with it and not take no for answer. I kept working hard, kept knocking on the door, and I believe that if you keep working hard you get your reward in the end.

Elliot Minchella in action for Sheffield Eagles in 2017

“I haven’t had that just yet, but I’m proud of the journey I’ve been on. I’ve had that never-say-die attitude towards it and I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

Even since his move to Sewell Group Craven Park, things have not always run smoothly. The Robins finished bottom of the table in the pandemic-affected 2020 Super League campaign and Minchella then suffered a season-ending ACL injury in only the second game of the following season.

Nevertheless, the 27-year-old has been able to excel with both Tony Smith and now Willie Peters in charge of the team and believes he has found a club in Hull KR which suits him as a person as well as a player.

“We’ve probably got similar values,” Minchella, who signed a four-year contract extension with Hull KR in April last year, said. “We’re not flashy, but we’re hard-working.

I believe that if you keep working hard you get your reward in the end. I haven’t had that just yet, but I’m proud of the journey I’ve been on.

Hull KR’s Elliot Minchella

“It’s a hard-working community and I love it, and it’s a great fit for me. I think we’re going places and we’ve been on a journey as a club.

“My first year we finished 11th out of 11, and we’re currently sitting in the play-offs. We’ve been in a few semi-finals and obviously the final on Saturday. I’m proud to be a part of it and long may it continue.”

After getting within 80 minutes of a first Super League Grand Final appearance in 2021, Hull KR missed out on the play-offs last year. However, former Gateshead Thunder and Wigan Warriors scrum-half Peters’ first season in charge sees them firmly in contention to make the play-offs.

They have reached Wembley for the first time in eight years too and have an opportunity to bring the Challenge Cup back to east Hull for only the second time in the club’s history, with their sole triumph coming in a 10-5 win against bitter cross-city rivals Hull FC in 1980.

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Hull KR’s Brad Schneider reflects on a successful start to life in England and outlines what he and his side must do on Saturday against Leigh Leopards in the Challenge Cup final.

That final berth was secured courtesy of Brad Schneider’s golden-point drop-goal in the 11-10 semi-final win over Cup holders Wigan Warriors at Headingley last month and Minchella believes the attitude they showed that day is indicative of the approach instilled in pre-season.

“That’s something we pride ourselves on, never giving in and being relentless in what we do,” Minchella said.

“We didn’t go away in the semi-final; it took until the 84th minute but we got there in the end and that started in pre-season.

“We had a tough pre-season where we learnt some hard lessons about ourselves and your team-mates, and it brings you tight and connected as a team.

“It’s about never giving in and that’s what the city is about, that’s what east Hull is about, and that’s what we want to be as a team to represent them.”

Hull KR’s only previous Challenge Cup win came in 1980

Minchella is aware of Hull KR’s Challenge Cup final history from both the good and the bad sides, insisting that even though none of the current squad were part of it, they will be learning lessons from the 50-0 defeat to his old club Leeds at Wembley eight years ago.

He is determined to ensure he is not just a participant in the final either as he goes in search of the first major rugby league honour of his career.

“There are people who would bite your hand off to be in these sorts of games,” Minchella said. “I appreciate it and enjoy it, but we’ve got a job to do and that’s win the Challenge Cup.

“I don’t just want to be a part of it, I want to win it and go down in history as a Challenge Cup winner.”