Super League: Friday’s talking points and team news as Round 14 gets under way | Rugby League News

Matt Prior is set to return for Leeds when they face Warrington

We take a look at what is being said and team news as Round 14 of the Betfred Super League season kicks off on Friday, including Warrington Wolves versus Leeds Rhinos live on Sky Sports…

Warrington Wolves vs Leeds Rhinos (8pm – live on Sky Sports)

As the second half of the 2022 Super League season gets under way, Warrington find themselves sitting two points off the top six but with renewed levels of confidence.

The 12-10 defeat to reigning champions St Helens two weeks ago provided plenty of encouragement for Daryl Powell’s team because of the performance the Wolves produced.

Warrington Wolves vs Leeds Rhinos

June 3, 2022, 7:30pm

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A weekend off due to the Betfred Challenge Cup final has given them a mid-season opportunity to refresh and reset too, and head coach Powell is targeting Friday’s home fixture as a chance to kick on.

“Confidence is a big thing in sport,” Powell, whose Warrington team beat Leeds 22-20 in the opening round of the regular season, said. “For individual players and teams as well. It’s given us a lot of confidence and belief.

“I’ve been through the second half of our season with the boys and had a look at what is coming up, and I just think we’ve got a real good opportunity to kick on from that performance, grow our game and win games consistently.

“Our next block of games is massive for us, starting with this game against Leeds.

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Highlights of the match between Warrington Wolves and St Helens in the Betfred Super League

“They look a little bit different, it’s hard to know exactly how different at the moment, but I think we’ve got a great opportunity here and one we need to take.”

One area to keep an eye on could be the battle of the props, with the Wolves set to hand Kyle Amor his debut in the match at the Halliwell Jones Stadium after the Cumbrian joined on loan from St Helens until the end of the season.

The Rhinos, meanwhile, have Matt Prior available again after serving a two-game suspension and the experienced Australian prop is aiming to build on the 24-6 win at home to Wakefield Trinity last time out – the first of Rohan Smith’s tenure as head coach.

“You get a bit sick of training all the time and not having anything to look forward to on the weekend, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there with the boys,” Prior said.

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Highlights of the Betfred Super League match between Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity

“Pretty much as soon as you have some time off, it’s fitness, fitness, fitness, and lots of weights and stuff. It’s like a mini pre-season, so I’m feeling good and feeling ready to do.

“We haven’t started the season how we wanted to, so hopefully we can get some wins and start climbing the ladder.”

Named squads

Warrington Wolves: Kyle Amor, Matty Ashton, Joe Bullock, Daryl Clark, Jason Clark, Mike Cooper, Ben Currie, Matt Davis, Oliver Holmes, Toby King, Ellis Longstaff, Billy Magoulias, Peter Mata’utia, Robbie Mulhern, Joe Philbin, Stefan Ratchford, Josh Thewlis, Danny Walker, Gareth Widdop, George Williams, Connor Wrench.

Leeds Rhinos: David Fusitu’a, Liam Sutcliffe, Ash Handley, Blake Austin, Mikolaj Oledzki, Kruise Leeming, Matt Prior, Rhyse Martin, Zane Tetevano, Brad Dwyer, Richie Myler, Cameron Smith, Bodene Thompson, Morgan Gannon, Sam Walters, Jack Broadbent, Jarrod O’Connor, James Donaldson, Corey Johnson, Muizz Mustapha, Zak Hardaker.

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Recently appointed Leeds Rhinos coach, Rohan Smith and Leeds assistant coach Jamie Jones-Buchanan discuss philosophies on life and coaching as they set about making the Rhinos a force in Super League again

Catalans Dragons vs Huddersfield Giants (7.30pm BST)

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Highlights of the Betfred Super League match between the Huddersfield Giants and Toulouse Olympique

Ian Watson is aiming for Huddersfield to put last Saturday’s defeat in the Challenge Cup final to the back of their minds as attention switches to securing a place in the Super League play-offs.

The former Wales international was named as the competition’s coach of the month for May after guiding the Giants into the top four and, immediately after the 16-14 defeat to Wigan Warriors at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, set his sights on reaching this year’s Grand Final as well.

Huddersfield’s credentials will be put to one of the stiffest tests in Super League when they head to Perpignan to face last year’s League Leaders’ Shield winners and Grand Final runners-up Catalans Dragons on Friday, with head coach Watson aiming for a repeat of the 28-12 win at home to the French side at the start of April.

“I don’t like losing, I want to win, and I want to be a winner, so I will always drive to do that and this won’t deter me from what we’re doing,” Watson, who oversaw Salford Red Devils’ run to the 2019 Grand Final, said. “Likewise, if we’d have won it wouldn’t deter me.

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The best of the action from the Betfred Super League clash between Hull Kingston Rovers and Catalans Dragons

“I still want to win the Grand Final at the end of the year and hopefully that’s becoming our standard as a group that we keep driving there. It’s bitter disappointment, but I’m really proud of the group and what they’ve done, and I don’t think they could have done too much more.

“They’ve been like that consistently throughout the season, so what we’ve got to do is kick on again, get over this, move forward and look to the Grand Finals.”

The Giants, who edged out Toulouse Olympique 17-16 in Round 13, are still without French scrum-half Theo Fages for the match. Catalans, 20-8 winners away to Hull Kingston Rovers in their previous Super League match, have their pack strengthened by the return of Mike McMeeken from a wrist injury though.

Named squads

Catalans Dragons: Arthur Mourgue, Tom Davies, Fouad Yaha, Mitchell Pearce, Gil Dudson, Micky McIlorum, Matt Whitley, Mike McMeeken, Benjamin Garcia, Alrix Da Costa, Benjamin Jullien, Paul Seguier, Mickael Goudemand, Matthieu Laguerre, Arthur Romano, Tyrone May, Dylan Napa, Jordan Dezaria, Joe Chan, Sam Kasiano, Sam Tomkins.

Huddersfield Giants: Will Pryce, Jermaine McGillvary, Jake Wardle, Ricky Leutele, Ashton Golding, Tui Lolohea, Danny Levi, Michael Lawrence, Josh Jones, Chris McQueen, Matty English, Joe Greenwood, Jack Cogger, Owen Trout, Adam O’Brien, Leroy Cudjoe, Louis Senior, Innes Senior, Nathan Mason, Jack Ashworth, Sam Hewitt.