Rugby League

Super League

Sunday 4th May 2025

Kick Off 15.15

Wigan Warriors 22 Warrington Wolves 20, attendance 32,862

@ Newcastle United F.C.

St. James’ Park

Leazes Terrace

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 4ST

£30 Admission (Day ticket covering 3 games) + £1 Booking Fee, Print at Home Ticket

£5 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

With the gap between the first game and this, which for me, was the main one I’d come for, was about 45 minutes. To be honest, if this had been up first, then I’d be heading off home by now. Not because of the standard of the games, but the fact that it was absolutely freezing cold and impossible to get out of the wind. I can’t remember being this cold at an evening game during winter, let alone an afternoon game in May!

Wigan came into the game third in the league table, a point behind second placed Leigh Leopards and a further three adrift of leaders Hull Kingston Rovers, but with this game in hand. Warrington were down in tenth place, but a win here could see them move up to fifth. These two had played each other in Las Vegas earlier this season, with Wigan coming out with a 48-24 win, having led 42-0 before Warrington got on the scoreboard. Today it looked to be heading for another thrashing, when tries from Jai Field and Bevan French, both converted, saw Wigan race into a 12-0 lead, but a try in the corner by Jake Thewlis saw Warrington pull it back to 12-4 midway through the half and it remained this way until halftime. An early second half try from Rodrick Tai was then converted, which saw Warrington close the gap to two points, before Wigan hit back with tries of their own, from Abbas Miski and Adam Keighran to extend their lead to 22-10. A Joe Philbin try, then converted, saw Warrington back in the game with seven minutes left and when Thewlis went over for his second try just a couple of minutes later, the unlikely looking comeback was very much on. Unfortunately, Stefan Ratchford was unable to add the two points and Wigan hung on to their slender two point advantage. If there’d been another few minutes on the clock, then Warrington would have probably won it. Even though their team lost, the Warrington fans certainly won the ‘best of the day’ award. They were by far the loudest of the four teams in the matches I saw, with tremendous backing from start to finish.

After the game I had about a five minute wait for a Metro and was soon back at the car. Home via A1 and M25 saw me arrive back just before 23.00, certainly helped by a lack of roadworks, although just as I was one junction from home, the two outside lanes were beginning to be coned off.

Rugby League

Super League

Sunday 4th May 2025

Kick Off 13.00 (advertised as 13.15 on match ticket)

Huddersfield Giants 12 Hull 10, attendance 32,862

@ Newcastle United F.C.

St. James’ Park

Leazes Terrace

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 4ST

£30 Admission (Day ticket covering 3 games) + £1 Booking Fee, Print at Home Ticket

£5 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

This was the eighth time Newcastle United have hosted the ‘Magic Weekend’ and with doubts/rumours that it may be the last time here, I finally got round to ticking off St. James’ Park for rugby league. I’d been here for football, way back on New Years Day 1990, to see Newcastle United host Wolverhampton Wanderers in a Football League Division 2 match, a game that Wolves won 4-1, with Steve Bull scoring all four goals for the visitors in front of a crowd of 22,054. The ground has changed beyond all recognition since then, now having an all seated capacity of 52,305, with one end and one side totally dwarfing the rest of the ground. I opted for an unreserved seat in the Gallowgate End (the small end behind the goal) which covered all three games today. I’d travelled up from my games in Cambridgeshire yesterday, staying overnight in Newton Aycliffe. A 30 minute drive up the A1 saw me arrive at Felling, just east of Gateshead, where I opted to catch the Newcastle Metro in to the ground. Street parking was not restricted around the station on a Sunday and it was only four stops (including changing at Monument for one stop to St. James station). Buying a one day travel card (£5.60) worked out to be the marginally cheaper than two singles (no return option) and the inward train only had a wait of a couple of minutes. You emerge from the Metro right behind the Gallowgate End, which was perfect as far as I was concerned.

First game up was bottom of the table Huddersfield Giants against Hull, who were fifth. Giants had lost all nine games they’ve played so far, but were well deserved winners here. A George Flanagan penalty put them ahead, before a Leroy Cudjoe try, converted by Flanagan, saw them open up an 8-0 lead. A Herman Ese’ese try, converted by Aidan Sezer saw Hull reduce the lead to 8-6, but they then had Liam Knight sent off right on halftime, following a shoulder charge on Sam Hewitt. Giants extended their lead after fifty six minutes with a try from Jacob Gagai, but failed to convert, so led 12-6. Within five minutes a Lewis Martin try (conversion missed) saw the twelve men pull it back to 12-10, but playing with an extra man meant Giants were able to hang on for their first win.