Goncalo Ramos gets on the end of a fizzing Ousmane Dembele cross as Paris Saint-Germain come from two goals down to draw level with Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup final in Udine.
MATCH REPORT: UEFA Super Cup – Tottenham v Paris Saint-Germain
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THE Super Cup will take place at the Stadio Friuli TONIGHT.
Champions League kings PSG will take on Europa League winners Tottenham in a huge clash ahead of the new season.
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In May, Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought with a stunning 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Bilbao final.
New Tottenham boss Thomas Frank will get the chance to claim silverware in his first competitive match at the helm as he looks to lead the Lilywhites to the Super Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
The former Brentford boss will know it will be a big ask for Spurs as they face a PSG side who were the best team in Europe last season.
But this summer, the French giants failed to add the Club World Cup to their four trophies last term after they were thrashed 3-0 by Chelsea in the final.
Luis Enrique’s side will be looking to bounce back and add more silverware to their ever-expanding collection.
But it’s not just a trophy up for grabs in Udinese, with the Super Cup having huge cash incentives for both clubs.
Both PSG and Spurs will earn £3.4million each for playing in the Super Cup.
Whichever team goes on to lift the trophy, they will pick up an extra £900,000.
Meaning the Super Cup winner will bank a total of £4.3million.
Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season
Who: Paris Saint-Germain vs Tottenham Hotspur
What: UEFA Super Cup
Where: Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy
When: Wednesday, August 13 at 9pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 5pm (15:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
The first major trophy of the season is up for grabs and UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain will be targeting a fourth title in the calendar year when they face Europa League champions Tottenham Hotspur.
Luis Enrique’s Parisians swept all before them on home soil and in Europe last year, although success wasn’t to follow on the global stage in the summer.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank inherits a side that secured their first European trophy in more than four decades. The north Londoners, however, finished only one place above the relegation zone in the English Premier League.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the match being played at the home of Italian side Udinese.
The competition pits the winners of the previous season’s UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League competitions.
PSG hammered Inter Milan 5-0 in the final of last season’s UEFA Champions League.
French teenage sensation, Desire Doue, scored twice and provided an assist as the Italians were swept aside in Munich.
Tottenham overcame Manchester United 1-0 in the final of the UEFA Europa League.
Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game in the first half. It wasn’t enough to save Ange Postecoglu’s job as manager, as the Australian was sacked two weeks later following the 17th-place finish in the Premier League.
PSG sealed the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season by an incredible 19 points – despite easing off for the final three-winless matches.
The Parisians also sealed the French Cup, beating Reims 3-0, a week before the Champions League final.
Following their treble, PSG had the chance to follow in the footsteps of Manchester City, who lifted five trophies in a calendar year in 2023.
Pep Guardiola’s side followed up the domestic and European treble with wins in the Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) that year.
PSG’s chance to replicate that unique achievement was ended by a shock 3-0 defeat by unfancied Chelsea in the final of this year’s expanded CWC.
Every winner since 2000…
Who’s next? 🤷♂️#SuperCup pic.twitter.com/j0Ykxaj94m
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 12, 2025
Spanish giants Real Madrid beat Italian side Atalanta 2-0 in the final in Monaco last year.
Real were the Champions League holders, having overcome Germany’s Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final the previous season.
Atalanta also topped a German side in the Europa League final the year before, as they beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.
Yes. The Spanish giants’ victory against Atalanta in 2024 was a record-extending sixth Super Cup victory. It was also the fifth time in 11 years that Los Blancos lifted the trophy.
Both finalists have already qualified for this season’s UEFA Champions League based on their European victories last season.
UEFA retains the official trophy, but a replica, alongside 40 gold medals, are presented to the winners to keep.
The winners will receive a cheque for 5 million euros ($5.8m) in prize money.
The runners-up don’t fare too badly, receiving 4 million euros ($4.64m).
Midfielder Joao Neves is suspended following his red card in the FIFA World Cup final defeat by Chelsea.
Conversely, Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez were both suspended for that final but are free to return for this match.
New signing from Lille, Lucas Chevalier, could start in goal with rumours that Gianluigi Donnarumma could be about to leave the club.
James Maddison tore his ACL in the preseason friendly with Newcastle United and is now set to miss most of the forthcoming campaign.
Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin and Dominic Solanke all remain sidelined, while Destiny Udogie is also a doubt.
Spurs last week waved goodbye to their captain, Son Heung-min, who joined Major League Soccer side Los Angeles.
Chevalier; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Palhinha, Sarr; Johnson, Richarlison, Kudus
In 2020, inside the clang-and-clatter of Neshoba Central High’s powerlifting gym, Jarquez Hunter’s coach laid down a dare: squat 645 pounds on three counts.
With a nod and quick coat of chalk, Hunter went to work. Challenges don’t faze him.
At a Mississippi water company three years prior, Hunter’s co-workers coaxed him into a pickup basketball game. Still in his button-down shirt and cowboy boots, the 5-foot-9 Hunter went airborne. And dunked.
In those same boots, the Rams’ rookie running back completed more delicate tests: He patiently broke and nurtured a horse that he eventually rode across Auburn’s campus.
“Stay true to the thing you’re doing,” Hunter said.
On Saturday at SoFi Stadium, Hunter made his NFL debut in a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, Lining up behind quarterback Stetson Bennett, he took a handoff on a third-and-six play and mimicked a sprinter stealing a head start — his shoulders low and knees churning. Hunter knifed through the defense and broke for an 11-yard gain.
“That was a great run,” said Rams coach Sean McVay. “He’s knocking guys back and finishing forward where what might be a four-yard run ends up being an eight-yard or seven-yard run.”
That bruising style helped Hunter rush for 3,371 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in four seasons at Auburn. The Rams selected Hunter in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft, adding him to a running back corps that features starter Kyren Williams and second-year pro Blake Corum.
“He’s definitely laser-focused on what you’re saying,” Rams running backs coach Ron Gould said during training camp.
Or, as McVay illustrated it: “He can stare a hole through you.”
Gould dubbed Hunter’s speed as his “super power,” a gift confirmed by a 4.44-second 40-yard dash. But Hunter’s ability to twist defenders out of position mid-chase is his calling card. Proof? He amassed 278 yards in 23 carries last October against Kentucky.
“Since I was in middle school growing up, I did a lot of squatting,” Hunter said. “I do a lot of leg workouts. I run hills and pull sleds. That’s really how I get the power in my legs.”
Rams linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr., a fellow rookie, played against Hunter three times at Arkansas before Paul transferred to Mississippi. Every matchup against Hunter’s Tigers, Paul said, was the same headache.
Rams running back Jarquez Hunter is tackled by the Dallas Cowboys defense during a preseason game Saturday at SoFi Stadium.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“We knew he ran hard,” the Rams linebacker said. “We knew he was hard to bring down. We knew he had speed. Very good in pass [protection]. … Man, he’s very dangerous.”
But that danger vanishes once the pads come off. They’re replaced by the patience of a country boy.
Hunter, who also stashes party tricks like leaping out of a swimming pool, grew up in the rolling greens of central Mississippi. And back home, Hunter’s most loyal running mate doesn’t wear pads. Danger, a chestnut quarter horse with a white blaze down his face and a deep copper coat, was born the same summer Hunter first wore an Auburn jersey.
The colt was born while Hunter was driving home for a short break before fall camp, its spindly legs still wobbly in the pasture.
The patience to break a horse, the stubbornness to work one until it trusts you, the dawn-to-dusk commitment of tending to something that can’t speak back — Hunter said he swears it all bleeds into his game.
“When you’re out there working with animals, you gotta stay true,” Hunter said, “you gotta go with the training. You still gotta work with them.”
That same discipline shows when Hunter rides his ATV up a steep hill, hauls in catfish by hand, or waits patiently for a buck in the woods — and it’s the same grit he’ll lean on as he pushes for a place in the Rams’ running back rotation.
For now, Hunter will line up again Saturday against the Chargers, with a chance to outpace the 41 yards he logged in 11 carries in his debut.
“Pretty decent,” Hunter said, “but it’s things I got to fix.”
Because for Hunter, the fixes are the fun part of challenges — whether it’s mending a missed block, pumping out another squat or winning the trust of a restless colt.
Staff writer Gary Klein contributed to this report.
Huddersfield: Flanagan; Gagai, Milne, Bibby, Halsall; Rush, Frawley; Rogers, Woolford, Powell; Rushton, Greenwood, Cudjoe
Interchanges: Wilson, Golding, English, King
Catalans: Aispuro-Bichet; Makinson, Romano, Laguerre, Darrelatour; Keary, Fages; Maria, Da Costa, Navarrette; Garcia, Sironen, Partington
Interchanges: Sims, Satae, Dezaria, Balmforth
Sin-bin: Sironen (31 mins)
Referee: Aaron Moore.
Wakefield: Jowitt, L Walmsley, Hall, Pratt, Myers, Trueman, Lino, McMeeken, Hood, Faatili, Griffin, Storton, Pitts
Interchanges: Atoni, Vangana, Cozza, Smith
Sin-bin: Pratt
St Helens: Sailor, Feldt, Robertson, Percival, Dagnall, Lomax, Mbye, A Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Whitley, Knowles
Interchanges: Paasi, Wingfield, Delaney, Burns
Sin-bin: Delaney
Referee: Liam Moore.
Aug. 1 (UPI) — President Donald Trump‘s super PAC has raised $177 million in the last six months, and has nearly $200 million in cash available to use in the next midterm elections.
His leadership PAC raised $28 million, according to filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission Thursday.
It’s an unprecedented amount for a president who can’t run again.
Donors include, Jeffrey Yass, billionaire trader, $16 million; Ronald Lauder, cosmetics heir, $5 million; Marc Andreessen, Silicon Valley investor, $3 million; Elon Musk, $5 million; Kelcy Warren, CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, $12.5 million, and the company also gave $12.5 million; Securing American Greatness, a pro-Trump dark money group, $13.75 million and Blockchain.com, $5 million.
The two PACs reported a combined $234 million in cash at the end of June.
They mostly haven’t spent the cash. Instead, they’ve been stockpiling it to use in 2026 primaries or to boost Republicans in midterms.
Never Surrender is now the president’s primary leadership PAC. It was converted from his 2024 campaign committee. It reported $38 million in cash on hand after spending $16.8 million, which was mostly leftover expenses from the campaign.
The main pro-Trump superPAC is MAGA Inc., which reported $196 million in cash on hand after only spending a few million.
SuperPACs have no donation limits. They can pay for political ads, but they can’t coordinate with or contribute directly to campaigns or political parties.
Musk donated $5 million to MAGA Inc. on June 27, three days before reigniting his feud with Trump over his megabill. He also donated $5 million each to two super PACs to help Republicans keep their House of Representative and Senate majorities.
St Helens: Sailor; Feldt, Robertson, Percival, Dagnall; Lomax, Mbye; Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Whitley, Knowles.
Interchanges: Paasi, Wingfield, Delaney, Burns.
Castleford: Rooney; Simm, Cini, Senior, Djeukessi; Asi, Atkin; Singleton, Lawler, Amone, Stimson, Mellor, Westermann.
Interchanges: Wood, Griffin, Robb, Hall.
Referee: Aaron Moore.
Responding to a limp defeat at lowly Castleford Tigers last time out, Warrington showed aggression and energy from the get-go, pinning their hosts deep inside their own territory for much of the opening quarter.
Yet despite their dominant play, steadfast Leigh defence limited them to just two points – Sneyd chipping over a penalty for Joe Ofahengaue’s high tackle on Sam Powell, who had been held up on the line moments earlier.
And having barely set an attacking boot in Wire territory, Leigh were soon level through O’Brien’s penalty for late contact by Wire debutant Ryan Matterson.
Yet order was restored in the 32nd minute when Josh Thewlis, inside his own half on the right wing, cut back into the centre with a breathless run, slaloming through challenges before sending Dufty in under the posts.
If there was hope for a below-par Leigh, and concern for Wire, it was that just one score separated the sides going into the second half.
Sneyd slotted a second penalty before George Williams’ superb kick down the left wing bounced kindly for Jake Thewlis to collect and cross for his eighth Super League try of the season.
Leading 14-2 with 15 minutes left, Dufty had a second score – and a potential decider – overturned by the video referee following a Lachlan Fitzgibbon obstruction.
And two minutes later, and having barely troubled the Warrington line, Leigh were back in it when Hanley stretched out to touch down O’Brien’s deflected grubber kick.
O’Brien’s conversion brought the Leopards back within six points, but Sneyd’s dead-eye penalty from long distance again took the visitors two scores clear.
But once again after a Warrington score was ruled out after a video review – this time from Toby King – Hanley powered through for a second try and O’Brien’s conversion cut the gap to 16-14.
Wire were suddenly hanging on and buckled moments later as Trout capped his 100th Super League appearance with the winning score from close range.
Super League’s 12 current clubs have voted to expand the competition to 14 teams from next season.
In a statement, the league said the expansion would take place by combining the club grading system with an independent panel.
The panel is to be chaired by Lord Jonathan Caine, who was recently elected to the RFL’s board, as well as the strategic review sub-committee.
The top 12 clubs under the grading system at the end of 2025 will be joined by two clubs recommended by the panel “provided there are two applications of sufficient merit against the set criteria”.
It will be the first time since 2014 that the league will have operated with 14 teams, having dipped down to 12 for the 2015 campaign.
The decision to expand was made, external following a meeting of member clubs at Headingley on Monday.
Clubs have been graded under media giant IMG and Rugby League Commercial’s ‘Reimagining Rugby League’ initiative in the past two seasons, but only 2025’s league structure has been decided by its criteria, which saw London replaced by Wakefield in the top flight for this term.
Under the system, Super League, Championship and League One clubs are assessed based on points calculated by on and off-field performance in order to decide who will make up the top flight, rather than promotion and relegation between the divisions.
Jalen Hurts is ready to move on.
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback spent nearly 10 minutes talking to reporters Wednesday after the team’s first day of training camp. From the first question to the last, Hurts was clear that he has no interest in dwelling in the past — even if that past includes hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX and being named that game’s MVP a mere five months ago.
“It’s a new journey, it’s a new season, and those things are far behind us,” Hurts said. “The past is behind us, and the future’s too far away, so we have to stay present and worry about right now.”
It’s not that Hurts doesn’t look back fondly at what he and his teammates accomplished last season, when they thwarted the Chiefs’ attempt to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. He allowed himself to do so last week when the Eagles received their championship rings.
“It was honestly surreal to see it in person,” Hurts said of the Super Bowl ring, “almost — not nostalgic, but to see something that you’ve earned, have a moment to appreciate that one last time.”
And now, Hurts reiterated, “that moment’s behind us.”
One reporter noted that Hurts wasn’t seen actually wearing the ring at the ceremony and asked if he’s put it on at any point.
“I’ve moved on, moved on to the new year,” Hurts replied, “It’s as simple as that.”
Another reporter noted that Hurts has spent time this offseason with Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA titles two times (1991-1993, 1996-1998). The journalist asked if the basketball legend had any advice about how to approach a season after winning a championship.
“He used every word but ‘repeat,’” Hurts said, “and I can appreciate that.”
Hurts isn’t the only one at Eagles camp with that mindset. Offensive lineman Jordan Mailata told reporters it irks him to hear the team described as the “defending champions.”
“We’re not defending nothing,” Mailata said. “We just won the title and now we gotta go win it again. Prove it all over again. And that’s the mentality this team is going to have.”
Similarly, coach Nick Sirianni said: “Every year at training camp feels the same. You’re not looking back, you’re not looking forward, you’re solely focused on today and how we can get better today.”
So, yeah, don’t expect to see Hurts strutting around camp wearing his shiny new Super Bowl ring.
“Ultimately, it’s a new journey,” Hurts said. “It’s a blank canvas. And we are who we are. We have what we have. And regardless whether you win a championship or lose a championship the next year, you have to be able to reset, have the right focus and pursue it with great intensity, great passion. And I think that’s where we are.”
Leeds: Miller, Hall, Newman, Handley, Edgell, Croft, Connor, Jenkins, O’Connor, Palasia, Bentley, McDonnell, Watkins.
Interchanges: Ackers, Lisone, Smith, Cassell.
Salford: Murphy, Ryan, D. Russell, Hankinson, Connell, Brierley, O. Russell, Ormondroyd, Mellor, C. Hill, Foster, Whitehead, Shorrocks.
Interchanges: Morgan, Wilson, Glover, Chan.
Referee: Liam Rush.
Prop Joe Ofahengaue scored both Leigh Leopards tries as his side pulled off their first victory at St Helens since 1982 and kept up the pressure on Super League’s top two.
Ofahengaue crossed midway through the second half to provide the Leopards with some breathing space after two Gareth O’Brien penalties had put them 4-0 up at the break.
Saints, who went into the game on the back of five straight victories, enjoyed plenty of possession but could not break down Leigh’s gritty defence.
Ofahengaue capitalised to grab a second try after Kyle Feldt spilled Lachlan Lam’s kick and, although Harry Robertson belatedly put Saints on the scoresheet, it was too late to prevent the Leopards moving to within a point of second-placed Wigan.
The two sides traded blows during a lively, yet scoreless opening 20 minutes – although video referee Jack Smith was called to adjudicate three times in quick succession on possible tries.
Saints’ Owen Dagnall, stretching to reach Tristan Sailor’s kick, was unable to make a clean connection and Leopards full-back Bailey Hodgson’s quick thinking to ground the ball denied the home side again, sandwiching a disallowed score for Ofahengaue.
Leigh – who had overcome league leaders Hull KR and Wigan in their two most recent outings – soaked up pressure well but errors going forward, from O’Brien and Edwin Ipape, slowed their progress.
Eventually, it was O’Brien who broke the deadlock, landing a successful kick from 35 yards after Saints scrum-half Moses Mbye had been penalised for interference.
O’Brien put another penalty attempt wide following a foul by Feldt, but his next – a routine kick just before the interval – was successful after St Helens had been rattled by Tesi Niu’s barnstorming tackle to drag Sailor out of touch.
Saints looked the sharper side after the turnaround, working the ball from left to right and Alex Walmsley’s charge down the middle carried them close to the try-line, only for Leigh’s tenacious defence to hold firm again.
Having unsuccessfully challenged a knock-on against Jonny Lomax, the home side conceded a penalty and Leigh broke clear, with O’Brien’s short-range pass setting up Ofahengaue to wriggle over between the posts.
Ipape might have wrapped up the victory, racing away on the counter-attack but failing to find Lam – and instead it was Ofahengaue who made the points safe, pouncing on Feldt’s fumble and bursting over the line.
Saints at least averted the indignity of a blank scoresheet on their own turf, with Robertson going over in the corner in the final minute, but it was not enough to deny rampant Leigh their sixth win in seven games.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens told BBC Radio Merseyside:
“It was a tough night. Opportunities were quite limited out there – what I can’t fault is the players’ effort, that was there in abundance and has been for a number of weeks.
“But it’s probably a timely reminder that we need to handle certain moments better on both sides of the ball because they are crucial in big games like that.
“We’ve got to take our lessons from this. It’s been great winning in the last few weeks but when you get beat in a game like that and there hasn’t been a lack of effort, there’s been a lack of something else.
“Maybe we were a little bit conservative at times. In big games you’re going to need to nail opportunities and it took us until the 79th minute to do that.”
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Manchester:
“That’s three in a row for us against some really big clubs. We didn’t play the style we wanted to tonight but we adjusted – it was very physical and defence-orientated, but we got through it. That’s a real positive sign that we can adjust on the run.
“There were times when we made a few simple, basic errors but the way we rallied defensively was awesome. I didn’t think Saints were going to score tonight until that last play.
“We hadn’t won here for 43 years and we had to come here and defend and be physical and we did all of that. We’re in control of how it ends for us this season and we’re still striving to climb that ladder.
“He (Joe Ofahengaue)’s a try-scorer, his effort areas are as good as any in the game and he’s there or thereabouts all the time. He’s massive for us, he’s been a great leader and certainly helped the group.”
Former NFL linebacker and special teams player Bryan Braman, who rose from undrafted free agent to Super Bowl champion, died Thursday morning after a battle with cancer. He was 38.
“You look at his journey and beating the odds to make it to the NFL after going undrafted,” Braman’s agent Sean Stellato told KPRC-TV in Houston. “Not only making it, but producing and becoming a world champion, he had a real hard journey. … To die at age 38, the game of football and his family are hurting today. He was a staple for what football and underdogs are about.”
Stellato told the station that he had learned from one of Braman’s closest friends that the former Long Beach City College player “took his last breath while surrounded by friends and family.”
Braman graduated from Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash., and redshirted for a year at Idaho before playing at LBCC in 2007 and 2008. He transferred to West Texas A&M in 2009.
After going undrafted in 2011, Braman signed with the Houston Texans and remained for three seasons, playing in 46 games, mostly on special teams. In the final game of his rookie season, Braman earned the admiration of Texans fans when he tracked down and tackled Tennessee’s Marc Mariani after losing his helmet earlier in the play. The following season, Braman was a Pro Bowl alternate on special teams.
“We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Bryan Braman,” the Texans wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Braman family during this difficult time.
Braman went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2014-2016, then signed with them again late in the 2017 season for a playoff run that culminated in a 41-33 victory against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
“During his four seasons in Philadelphia, Bryan was a loyal teammate, a supporter of the community, and a valuable member of our Super Bowl LII-winning team,” the Eagles said in a statement. “More importantly, he was a devoted father who passionately loved his family and everyone around him.”
According to a GoFundMe page set up for Braman in February, he was battling “a very rare form of cancer.” Several of Braman’s former teammates contributed to the fund, including retired Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who donated $10,000.
On Thursday, Watt also paid tribute to his late teammate on X.
“Rest in Peace brother,” Watt wrote in a post that also featured a photo of Braman in his Texans uniform. “Gone far too soon.”
Salford Red Devils picked up only their second Super League win of the season by coming from behind to beat Castleford Tigers.
The beleaguered bottom club, who suffered an exodus of 11 senior players after suffering financial troubles related to a takeover, ended a run of 13 straight defeats against a side which had already beaten them twice this season.
Tries from Ethan Ryan, Harvey Wilson, Joe Mellor, Esan Marsters and Chris Hankinson – the first time they have scored more than three in a game this season – were enough against a Tigers side without a head coach following Danny McGuire’s sacking on Monday.
Director of rugby Chris Chester took charge while Cas seek a replacement, but two tries from Daejarn Asi and others from Josh Simm and George Lawler were not enough to prevent them slipping to a fourth consecutive loss.
Victory came at a cost for Salford, however, as they lost key players to injury with Jayden Nikorima going off with a wrist problem, Marsters dislocating his shoulder as he scored the try which re-established the Salford lead in the second half and both Loghan Lewis and Chris Hill needing head injury assessments.
Coach Paul Rowley had talked about seeing “green shoots” as they ran Warrington Wolves close last week, but he then lost half-back Danny Richardson, recalled from loan by Hull Kingston Rovers, and was forced to patch up his squad once more.
Cas have been poor this season and McGuire paid the price for that last week as he was dismissed after less than nine months in charge.
They were off to a bad start at the Salford Community Stadium too, as winger Ryan put the home side ahead after just nine minutes.
It looked like a familiar story for Salford, however, as Simm levelled and then Asi cut back inside the scrambling cover after a scrum in front of the posts to open up a 10-4 lead for the visitors.
Wilson then came up with two big moments at either end of the field, managing to force a knock-on over the line from Jeremiah Simbiken as he was poised to score, and then forcing his way over for a try of his own to level up the match once more.
Salford rediscovered the kind of flair that took them to fourth place last season as Marsters set up Hankinson for a try which put them six points up at half time, but two quick penalties at the start of the second half brought the pressure from which Asi scored a try, with Chris Atkin’s conversion making it 16-16.
Salford might have folded a few weeks ago but they came strong again as Marsters finished after a great break by Jack Ormondroyd and then debutant Olly Russell, brought in on loan from Wakefield Trinity this week, kicked through for Hankinson to score.
Lawler’s late try cast some doubt over the result but Salford fought hard to maintain the lead, sparking celebrations from their support at the end, although they remain bottom of the table.
The season’s opening night served up a cruel reminder that netball players risk serious injury every time they take to the court.
Teams are offering better training facilities and more opportunities to spend time in the gym, but women in sport remain far more susceptible to non-contact serious injuries than men.
That was highlighted when London Mavericks’ Vicki Oyesola crumpled to the court floor after landing a little awkwardly against Cardiff Dragons.
It was the dreaded anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury, the bane of many a netballer’s career – a season-ender on day one.
NSL says women are six times more likely to sustain such a non-contact injury than men, while a National Ligament Registry study has shown there are only more ACLs suffered by women in skiing than in netball.
More setbacks have followed, with Birmingham Panthers goal shooter Sigi Burger suffering a complete tear of her medial collateral ligament.
Manchester Thunder captain Amy Carter, who is a junior doctor and missed the 2022 season with an ACL injury, explained to BBC Sport why netballers suffer so badly.
“It’s a few different things. Your hips are a little bit wider, your knees are a bit closer together, you’re more likely to do your ACL,” Carter said.
“You’ve got the menstrual cycle to take into account, which can increase your risk when you’re on your period. The nature of the game, the change of directions, the high impact, the stopping still straight away, that can also contribute to it.”
Research continues into how players might mitigate risk, but knees are not the only problem. Panthers’ Gabby Marshall retired in May after a second concussion injury in a month.
Wardle pierced the Leopards’ resistance after just five minutes, taking a short cut-out pass from Jai Field to dot down for the first time since grabbing a try in Wigan’s last win against Leigh in May.
The score from the decorated centre came in a week that he was called up for an England squad get-together that has had national team boss Shaun Wane calling for greater intensity from Super League’s biggest names as they prepare to take on Australia in the autumn Test series.
The clash of regional rivals delivered on Wane’s demand for a “low-scoring” game which has “teams going at it”.
While Leigh were kept scoreless in the first half, they went close through Frankie Halton, who failed to ground his finish after racing onto a grubber kick from Ipape, while Charnley should have done better to link up with Hodgson when in a promising position after breaking clear.
Leigh finally got their chance to respond thanks to Harry Smith’s attempted 40-20 kick that went long and out on the full.
The hosts made the most getting the ball back inside Wigan’s half, with Tonga international Niu weaving his way over from close range following clever work from Ipape and Lachlan Lam.
Ipape then went over himself at the end of a free-flowing move, with the ball passing through multiple hands before Umyla Hanley sent him clear to touch down under the posts.
And after Charnley had a try of his own ruled out – which would have been the 250th of his career in Super League – Trout profited from an in-goal fumble from Wigan’s defence as they tried to mop up the danger created by a Ipape kick in the final minute.
While Wane grapples with his own issues, notably a lack of time on the field with his players, there are still plenty of things for their autumn opponents to sort out before they board the flights for the ‘Old Dart’.
Firstly, a coach needs to be appointed, after long-standing boss Mal Meninga left his role to take up the position at new NRL franchise Perth Bears, who do not enter the competition until 2027 but for whom an entire roster needs to be raised.
Then there are the logistics, which still need fixing if former captain Brad Fittler’s interview with Australian radio station 2GB is to be believed, citing a need to sort accommodation, training facilities, kit and other tour essentials.
Fittler ruled himself out of the job, citing his media commitments, and the most recent links have suggested Cameron Smith, another former Kangaroos, could take it on.
Regardless of who picks up the baton, Wane expects high-quality opposition come October.
“I hope they are in some disarray, that would perfect! Any help I can get the better,” Wane joked.
“But, they’ve got a great team, some great players to pick from, they’ll be competitive and whoever the coach is so when they come over here in October they’ll be ready to play.
“If we can have a full stadium to make it as harsh as we can at Wembley, that’ll do for me.”
The recent State of Origin representative series – which will come to a head on 9 July in Brisbane – is locked at one game each between New South Wales and Queensland, and has helped the England coaches get a flavour of what to expect.
“I’m Whatsapping my staff, Lee Briers and Andy Last, during the game with things I want them to clip up – I look at it a different way,” Wane added.
“I’ve watched the Origin five or six times now and I can’t wait for the next one.”
Loughborough Lightning have the chance to go for an unprecedented three-peat after booking their spot to face London Pulse in the Netball Super League Grand Final.
Defending champions Lightning were condemned to the preliminary final after they were beaten last week by Pulse, the regular season leaders.
That meant a repeat of last year’s Grand Final against Manchester Thunder and hosts Lightning came from behind to win 69-57 on Sunday.
Thunder scored 10 unanswered goals en route to a 19-12 lead after the first quarter, but Lightning did not look back after a blistering second.
After going 27-20 down, Jodie Gibson came on at goal defence to give Lightning a boost, while Samantha Wallace-Joseph did the damage at the other end.
The Trinidad and Tobago shooter converted five two-point super shots during the second quarter to help Lightning into a 37-30 lead at half-time.
Thunder called a tactical timeout at 44-33 down, while South Africa shooter Elmere van der Berg was brought off for the first time all season.
But Lightning still led 52-40 heading into the final quarter and stayed clear to book a rematch with Pulse in next Sunday’s Grand Final at London’s O2 Arena.
Castleford: Cini; Simm, Senior, Wood, Tate; Asi, Atkin; Singleton, Horne, Amone, Lawler, Mellor, Westermann.
Interchanges: Griffin, Hall, Hill, Stimson.
Wigan: Field; Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Douglas; Farrimond, Smith; Byrne, O’Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis.
Interchanges: Havard, Mago, Dupree, Leeming.
Referee: Tom Grant.