Hall the difference for Hull KR's play-off push

Hull KR maintained their hopes of a play-off place yesterday, with a 24-22 home victory over third-placed St Helens. A try from Craig Hall was crucial as Rovers remained a point behind their city rivals, Hull, with two games left.

The two teams preparing for Saturday's Challenge Cup final at Wembley experienced wildly different fortunes over the weekend. Super League leaders Wigan thrashed Bradford 60-12 to show that their minds were firmly on the job in hand.

Pat Richards scored a hat-trick of tries, but the star was Sam Tomkins, whose second try was an unforgettable length-of-the-field effort.

Leeds, by contrast, had a bad case of pre-Wembley malaise at Harlequins, trailing 26-0 at one stage before a late rally reduced the margin to a more respectable 32-22. Luke Dorn claimed three tries and Leeds had extra worries, with Kallum Watkins, Carl Ablett and Ali Lauitiiti all limping off.

Salford got their first win under the coaching of Matt Parish, beating Huddersfield 24-18, with recent signing Danny Williams becoming another of the weekend's hat-trick men.

The return of Lee Briers from injury made all the difference to Warrington in France, where he led them to a 25-12 win over the Catalan Dragons, which keeps them on Wigan's coat-tails at the top of the table.