11 Conclusions: Sam Burgess pressure, Catalans coach, Jake Connor for England

There was a lot to learn over the weekend from Super League and the Championship – with plenty of conclusions to be drawn from the action over the past four days.

Whether it’s Hull KR’s relentless run of form at the top of Super League, or the battle to avoid dropping into League 1, there are plenty of stories all across the game right now.

Here’s everything we learned this weekend..

Hull KR might be unstoppable

Granted, the opposition wasn’t all that strong. But any notion of a Wembley hangover after the Challenge Cup final was put to bed in emphatic fashion on Friday evening.

The momentum behind Rovers is building and building, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down. Can they open up a commanding up lead at the top before they meet Wigan again to be well on their way to leg two of a potential treble

Is Sam Burgess under pressure?

It’s a long leap at this moment in time to really suggest Burgess is in danger of losing his job: we have to be reasonable.

But the pressure on the Warrington coach and the Wolves in general is rising at a rapid rate. It’s more the manner of their defeat against Leeds on Saturday evening which will be the stinger, as opposed to the result.

Now four points shy of the top six, Warrington have to find some form fast: or their season will truly fizzle out.

Catalans need a permanent coach

It may be Joel Tomkins. It may be someone else. But what Catalans need right now is clear clarity on who will be leading the club for the rest of this season and beyond.

Sacking Steve McNamara has changed things. It’s somehow made things worse – that’s the only issue. They need some stability, and their players need to know where they are heading. Because performances like last Friday were completely unacceptable.

Leigh’s overseas recruitment is good news for Castleford

Yet again, Leigh have shown that they lead the way when it comes to signing players from the NRL: but that’s not just good news for the Leopards these days.

Their former head of rugby Chris Chester was the man who drove much of that recruitment at the Leopards, with players like Joe Ofahengaue and David Armstrong signing on his watch.

Chester is now at Castleford – and if he can maintain his track record on the transfer front, that signals good times for the Tigers.

Jake Connor for England

We’ve said it before, and we’re going to say it again. If Jake Connor continues this way over the next few months, he has to be in the mix for a place in Shaun Wane’s Ashes squad.

There aren’t many English half-backs performing better right now. Connor was majestic in Leeds’ win over Warrington Wolves on Saturday afternoon. You would assume Wane is taking notice at how well he is thriving in the halves.

Leeds are Grand Final contenders

Obviously, the Rhinos are going to need to win at either Hull KR or Wigan the way things are going. Which is easier said than done.

But if the Robins or the Warriors were to slip up, it looks like it will be Leeds who will be best-placed to take advantage of any error. Brad Arthur’s side have won six games in a row and they look to be on a real roll.

How do Wigan get Jack Farrimond games?

It’s fairly obvious that with England scrum-half Harry Smith and former Man of Steel Bevan French, Jack Farrimond’s minutes are going to be limited if both stay fit.

But when Farrimond is dropped in, he almost always performs. That was evident again on Saturday in the win over Huddersfield.

Surely he can’t play second fiddle for too much longer.

Huddersfield’s glimpse into the future

The result didn’t go the way of the Giants on Saturday afternoon but there was a lot to be optimistic about for Luke Robinson’s side. Their performance, for one, was incredibly spirited and showed there’s still a lot to work with at Huddersfield.

But the big takeaway? The atmosphere at Dewsbury. It was night and day compared to what it’s normally like at the John Smith’s Stadium, and a real glimpse into the future if Huddersfield can get a smaller stadium built. It will suit them and allow them to thrive.

York for the Championship?

Well, it’s not completely unreasonable to suggest after the culmination of a brilliant week for Mark Applegarth and his men.

Having gone the distance at Wembley last week and come out on top, they then showed all their mettle at Odsal on Sunday afternoon, securing a dramatic and impressive win at Bradford.

It means they’re still four points behind leaders Toulouse: but only two behind the Bulls. A top-two finish is all-important come the play-offs, don’t forget.

London may be heading for the Super 8s

There’s still a lot of time to turn things around but as the mid-point in the season approaches, London are now eight points adrift of the top eight in the Championship.

That means they’re increasingly likely to be embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation to League 1 in the Super 8s. Dropping into the third-tier would be unthinkable.

They need results, and recruits, fast.

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