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Super 8s: Super League leaders Castleford Tigers start at home to St Helens

Last updated on .From the section Rugby Leaguecomments30

Zak Hardaker
Castleford Tigers won 20 of their 23 games during the regular Super League season

Super League leaders Castleford Tigers will host St Helens in the first match of the Super 8s on Thursday, 3 August.

The Tigers are 10 points clear of Leeds Rhinos and need five points from their final seven games to win the League Leaders' Shield for the first time.

The other first-round games see Wakefield travel to Huddersfield Giants, Hull FC host Salford Red Devils and Leeds host Wigan Warriors.

Warrington Wolves begin the Qualifiers at Widnes Vikings on Friday, 4 August.

The Wolves, last year's Grand Final runners-up, finished ninth after 23 games and join the top four Championship sides in the battle to secure Super League status for 2018.

How the Super 8s work

Each team plays seven games in the second phase of the season.

In the top tier, points from the regular season are carried over and the top four sides in the Super League table will progress to the play-off semi-finals for a chance to reach the Grand Final at Old Trafford on 7 October.

In the Qualifiers, the leading three teams will automatically earn a place in next season's Super League, with the clubs finishing fourth and fifth playing in the Million Pound Game - a one-off contest - for the last remaining spot in the top flight.

Joining Warrington, Catalans Dragons, Leigh and Widnes in the Qualifiers are Hull KR, London Broncos, Halifax and Featherstone, who were the top four sides in the Championship after 23 games.

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30 comments

  • Comment posted by RoyaltyinTheChampionship, at 12:13 26 Jul 2017

    This annoys me. How on earth do Wigan get to play Cas at home????

    This is total nonsense. If you finish top you should get 7 home games. You get the extra money because you deserve it for finishing top. Wigan finished seventh and should be playing 6 games away from DW. Want more home games? Try harder during the regular season. Just hope we get a new name on the SL trophy this year.

  • Comment posted by Steve, at 11:38 26 Jul 2017

    I'd rather the top prize was the League Leaders Shield, as that's the one that really shows how well you played during the season. No need for playoffs.

    As a Warrington fan though, I'm just hoping the team gets through the Qualifiers. On paper should be easy, but no easy games now.

    Think most SL sides will stay up, but got a feeling Hull KR might sneak back up in the Million Pound Game.

  • Comment posted by Pete, at 12:20 26 Jul 2017

    Well I'm a Hull FC fan, and despite the excellent performance so far this season, Cas are deserved champions in my book, and that should be the way it is. Simple.

    All this end of season stuff is just another opportunity to make money and its killing the game, not making it any better. Its turning fans away, do we really want that?

  • Comment posted by farthrum, at 11:30 26 Jul 2017

    Not a big fan of this season-ending lottery. Most neutral observers would regard Castleford as hugely deserving Grand Final winners. I hope they do it.

  • Comment posted by St Reatham, at 11:22 26 Jul 2017

    Am really looking forward to Cas kicking on and am hoping they can go all the way and win the GF.

  • Comment posted by Colin, at 09:42 26 Jul 2017

    Life long Wigan fan but I really hope Cas do it this year. Strong all season with only the occasional wobble. Would like to get to play them in the final though :)

  • Comment posted by Rewstep, at 14:27 26 Jul 2017

    Let's be honest, the middle 8s were the highlight of last year and I reckon they will be again. I can genuinely see Widnes, Leigh and Catalans struggling against London and HKR and both could go up. At the topsoil could say Cas are a shoo-in for the GF but you an make an argument for any of the top 6. Wakefield vs Salford, anyone?

  • Comment posted by Ian 90, at 12:05 26 Jul 2017

    Not impressed by this "End of Season" stuff.....just a money spinner for TV again with little thought for what the majority of true fans want.
    As more and more sport becomes marginalised on media that is far too expensive and the BBC continue to move away from mainstream sport soon there will be nothing that is affordable. Just another instance of The GB Giveaway whether in business or sport.

  • Comment posted by Murrayjon, at 09:15 26 Jul 2017

    As a Saint Helens supporter I hope you win it. You totally deserve it. You lot play rugby how it is supposed to be played. I might want us to win the first game of the 8's though.

  • Comment posted by El Pee, at 08:52 26 Jul 2017

    Just win your home games Cas, keep our home ground a fortress. Rest players for away games and go into the playoffs strong. Amazing season so far easily the best of my life.

  • Comment posted by Johnvaughan1965, at 23:05 27 Jul 2017

    What a ridiculous format. Castleford are by far and away the best team. Imagine if in the Premier league in football you did this and everton beat chelsea in a one off game to be the champions! it is laughable and makes a mockery of a whole season. Let's hope the Tigers win for the integrity of what is otherwise a great sport to watch (certainly better than rugby union)

  • Comment posted by farthrum, at 21:11 26 Jul 2017

    Denny who?

  • Comment posted by ranting codger, at 16:29 26 Jul 2017

    I really enjoyed the middle 8s last year. It was good to see Leeds at Featherstone and Batley at Headingley, although I would have preferred that match to have been at Mount Pleasant (full to overflowing). We need to keep the links among all the teams and avoid a purely elitist competition. Everything has a downside, but the current set up is not that bad.

  • Comment posted by ddsm, at 12:59 26 Jul 2017

    not a rugby league fan but i'm horrified at the way all sports are being totally dominated by money and greed at the expense of the real fans, wigan and hull announce they will play in australia, and the fans will love it ? why should they go to the other side of the world to see a game that should be played in england , are the clubs going to pay for the fans to travel out there, i think not

  • Comment posted by AndyB_MOT, at 11:41 26 Jul 2017

    Congrats to Cas - the true champions. Hope everyone else enjoys their end-of-season jolly up.

  • Comment posted by U15835941, at 12:31 27 Jul 2017

    Ref 20

    Agree with you to a certain extent. It is sad that the next Country where this is popular is Oz .

    Maybe they should try to expand the sport south of the M62 Corridor for starters !

    As for the South of England , no chance . RL is just a strange game played by Weird Northerners who wear flat caps and own a whippet and say 'eh by gum' a lot.

    (Not that I am an inverted snob)

  • Comment posted by U15835941, at 12:22 27 Jul 2017

    Ref 23

    Sticks and stones mate , sticks and stones.

    Remember we have a new manager now - wait and see , should be a cracker !!!

  • Comment posted by BC, at 21:10 26 Jul 2017

    Really hope Cas go on to win the Grand Final. Not only have they consistently played attractive rugby, but they have also consistently fielded full strength (or close to) teams each week.

    How many clubs can genuinely say that they have also fielded the best team they can each week, whilst still getting the salary cap to balance at the end of the year? Cynical thought I know!

  • Comment posted by mick, at 12:46 26 Jul 2017

    I see the super 8s as an extension to the season, we used to have 27 games and this gets us to 30. The big plus is that the top 4 go into a proper semi final competition rather than the complicated play offs we used to have, with the added bonus that the top 2 get the advantage of playing at home.

  • Comment posted by WhiteRose, at 12:44 26 Jul 2017

    The Super 8's are nonsense but that is the current situation; I just see lots of good games ahead. Very tough for the Giants to qualify but ever hoping...

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