There have been some impressive performers in the early rounds since the Super League restart, not least the holders St Helens, with three wins out of three, and Wigan Warriors, who continue to lead the table having won both of their games.
But there has been one clear winner since rugby league resumed at the beginning of this month: Covid-19.
The outbreak at Hull FC was a stark reminder of the challenges still posed by the coronavirus pandemic with 12 players and staff testing positive following their match against Salford Red Devils, and both of those teams have been sidelined in the fortnight since.
There was praise from Public Health England for how Hull dealt with the situation and Super League will have been desperately hoping it would prove a one-off. But dangers lurk at every turn, and on Tuesday night the latest piece of devastating news arrived as Catalans Dragons confirmed three positive tests.
With the squad in self-isolation back in France, the fixtures have been rescheduled for a second round in succession. Instead of facing the Dragons, who had been in red-hot form with three wins on the bounce after their Challenge Cup success over Wakefield Trinity, Wigan now face Castleford Tigers (Saturday, 4.15pm), who had been due a bye but have now been called into the action.
Castleford, who have lost both matches since the restart though showed great resolve two weeks ago against the might of Saints, had already been on standby with nimble-footedness now required in the ‘new normal’.
They will certainly go into the match as underdogs against a Warriors team boosted by the returning trio of George Burgess, Ben Flower and Thomas Leuluai, while Jackson Hastings can feature with his 14-day suspension for breaching Covid-19 protocols already over.
Both coaches are having to accept the challenging circumstances as matches are rearranged, with Wigan boss Adrian Lam saying: “It’s difficult times but also exciting times. Everyone’s accepted it and we’re moving on.” It’s the second time Castleford have faced an about-turn but Daryl Powell said: “We’re getting a lot thrown at us at the moment and we just have to get on with it, but it’s not the easiest season to prepare for, that’s for sure.”
Saints and Wolves look to apply pressure
Three teams trail Wigan by just a couple of points at the top of the table and, while Catalans have to sit out the next two weeks, St Helens and Warrington Wolves will look to keep up the pressure having both had perfect records since the restart.
Warrington are hosts for the weekend, with all of the matches taking place at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in the same manner as previous rounds in Leeds and St Helens, and they close out play when they take on Wakefield (Sunday, 6.30pm) with Leilani Latu in line for a debut after signing from Gold Coast Titans.
Chris Chester’s Trinity have endured a miserable few weeks, losing to Wigan and twice to Catalans, and they have been weakened this week by the forced self-isolation of Alex Walker and Jay Pitts, who were deemed to have had a dangerous level of contact with the Catalans players who have since tested positive for Covid-19.
David Fifita has also been stood down by the club after he refused to wear the GPS vest used to track contact in matches.
The only side with a worse record than Wakefield is Hull Kingston Rovers, who are bottom of the pile with just one win from seven and had bad news themselves this week, with owner Neil Hudgell announcing his intention to step down as chairman in December and his desire to find new ownership for the club.
Rovers been out of action for three weeks since a pasting at the hands of Warrington, and the odds of success look pretty slim coming up against St Helens (Sunday, 1pm).
They have been hampered by the loss of Ben Crooks, who tore a calf muscle in training, while Saints winger Tommy Makinson serves the first match of his five-game ban.
Hull FC make welcome return
Amidst the doom and gloom, there will be a welcome return to the field for Hull FC, who face a Yorkshire derby with Huddersfield Giants (Sunday, 4.15pm) after their enforced break.
They do so without a host of first-team players though, with Jake Connor, Josh Jones and Scott Taylor among seven left out of the squad with several youngsters in line for an opportunity.
Even the players that they do have at their disposal will be short on fitness and training. Add that to how poorly they performed in Andy Last’s only game so far as head coach, a whopping defeat to Salford, and they will do will to pick up a result against a Giants side who have been unlucky to lose both of their games by a point since the restart.
Salford have been out of action since that Hull game too, of course, and with all players and staff in the clear they return with a face-off against Leeds Rhinos (Saturday, 6.30pm).
Leeds got something of a reality check with back-to-back losses to St Helens and Wigan, but welcome half-backs Rob Lui and Richie Myler back into the fold to face a Red Devils outfit shorn of Dan Sarginson and Lee Mossop but with hooker Andy Ackers itching to make his debut.
Rugby league milestone
Saturday also marks a special milestone for rugby league, which will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the sport’s founding on August 29, 1895. It was on that day at Huddersfield’s George Hotel that 22 clubs broke away from the Rugby Football Union to form the Northern Union, which later became the Rugby Football League.
The game has faced many varied obstacles in its 125-year existence but, as events over the past few weeks have underlined, it has faced few times as challenging as this.