Super League big kick-off: Five things we learned from opening two rounds

There have been thrills and spills aplenty and some eye-catching results in the early stages of the 2023 campaign.

Here, The Yorkshire Post takes a look at five things we have learned after seeing every team in action.

Ominous Saints

If anybody hoped that the four-peat champions would be slow starters under Paul Wellens after an epic trip to Australia for the World Club Challenge, they were sadly mistaken.

With the effects of jetlag still lingering, St Helens were never going to be picture-perfect at Castleford Tigers but the serial winners got the job done.

While they were given a helping hand by a profligate Castleford, Saints defying fatigue to outlast their hosts without several star names is an ominous sign.

The question is: who is going to stop them? Wigan Warriors are widely considered to be the biggest threat to St Helens' crown but they are not the same team away from home, losing at Hull KR in round one after suffering eight defeats on the road in 2022.

The rest of the pretenders have some way to go to prove they can last the pace and end Saints' stranglehold on the Super League trophy.

Giants draw short straw

Huddersfield Giants have been backed for silverware after assembling one of the strongest squads in the competition but they find themselves on the back foot early, not helped by the schedule.

Ian Watson's side were handed an away trip to St Helens in round one, only to see the fixture postponed due to the World Club Challenge.

That meant the Giants, who played their second and final friendly against Dewsbury Rams on February 12, were the only team sidelined on the opening weekend.

There was a danger of Huddersfield being caught cold by a battle-hardened Warrington Wolves and that is exactly what happened as Watson's men went down 26-16 at the John Smith's Stadium.

Losing an opening game is not the end of the world but it is a disappointing start for a team with a proud home record and lofty ambitions.

Something in the West Yorkshire water

All four West Yorkshire clubs lost in round two, leaving Castleford, Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity in the bottom three.

There is an element of deja vu for all three clubs after sluggish starts to the 2022 campaign.

Castleford and Leeds each lost their first three games, while Wakefield had to wait until round five to get off the mark.

In a twist of fate, the Rhinos and Trinity will meet in round four in a repeat of last season.

If both teams fail to win again this week, it promises to be another tense West Yorkshire derby, even at this early stage of the campaign.

Hull clubs mean business

Of the four clubs that won both games, two hail from East Yorkshire.

Hull KR saw off Wigan and Salford Red Devils, while Hull FC followed up a tense win over Castleford with another dramatic victory at Headingley on Friday night.

While both teams had wobbles at various stages, they showed enough heart and grit to encourage new coaches Willie Peters and Tony Smith.

Winning ugly is a good trait to have but they will know that it is only a small sample size at the start of a long campaign.

Whether the rivals can sustain their early-season form or not, the Good Friday derby – the first since Smith crossed the divide – will be an unmissable event.

Back with a bang

Round two may have lacked the razzmatazz of the opening weekend but the attendance figures were healthier still.

After 49,159 supporters attended the five games in round one, a combined figure of 59,657 was recorded last week.

Leeds and Hull fans led the way with 16,140 squeezing into Headingley, while 10,042 spectators watched Castleford's home opener against Saints.

Huddersfield welcomed a crowd of 7,771 for their clash with Warrington.

It is early days but there is a nice buzz on and off the field, which augurs well with warmer weather around the corner.