Leeds, Wigan & York win again in Super League
Leeds prop Izzy Northrop took her Super League career try tally to nine with her first hat-trick
- Published
Defending champions York Valkyrie along with Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors continued their perfect starts to the new Women’s Super League season with second-round wins.
Leeds followed up their 66-4 demolition of Huddersfield in week one with a 68-0 shutout win over Warrington on Saturday to set the early-season pace at the top.
Rhinos prop Izzy Northrop completed her first senior hat-trick, and also teed up Caitlin Beevers for the game’s opening try.
Amy Hardcastle, Lucy Murray, Evie Cousins added to Northrop’s first-half brace as the hosts went in 36-0 up at the break.
Kaiya Glynn had to be stretchered off and Jasmine Cudjoe suffered a broken ulna, but it did not stall the Leeds momentum.
Jenna Greening, Shona Hoyle, Ruby Enright, Tara Moxon and Hardcastle completed a 13-try win, with Enright landing eight goals.
Valkyrie and Warriors power on
After edging St Helens in the opening round, York saw off Barrow 28-8 in Cumbria.
Emma Kershaw scored four tries as the 2022 and 2023 Grand Final winners scorched into a 28-0 lead at the break.
After Kershaw’s early score, Barrow held out until the half-hour when Savannah Andrade extended York’s lead.
The floodgates then opened as Kershaw crossed three times in seven minutes before the break.
Valkyrie back row Lacey Owen and Raiders second row Temple were shown yellow cards for their part in a second-half tussle.
The hosts hit back during the sin-bin with Claire Hutchinson touching down twice in three minutes, but York had done enough to close out the game 28-8.
Five converted tries saw Wigan rack up a big half-time lead at home to Featherstone on Sunday.
Isabel Rowe crossed twice, in addition to tries from Grace Banks, Mary Coleman, and Anna Davies as the Warriors raced into a 30-6 advantage, with Brogan Kennedy replying.
Ellise Derbyshire extended the lead before Olivia Grace hit back for the visitors to make it 36-12.
But Rowe completed her hat-trick and there were second tries for Davies and Coleman as Warriors pulled away to a 54-12 victory, with Emma Knowles perfect off the tee with all nine conversions.
St Helens got their season up and running with an emphatic 60-6 win over Huddersfield.
The hosts were ahead inside four minutes through Darcy Stott and had the job done by half-time thanks to a try apiece for Phoebe Hook and Georgia Sutherland, and braces from Leah Burke and Luci McColm.
Amelia Brown hit back for Giants soon after the restart, but Burke took her tally to four tries with two quick scores.
Tara Jones, Katie Mottershead and Stott also went over as Saints added a further five tries in the second half to cement their first win of the campaign.