Cup action takes centre stage this weekend, with a break in the fixture schedule for the top two divisions.
We will discover the Women’s Challenge Cup winners (holders St Helens and 2019 winners Leeds clash in the final at Elland Road on Saturday) and the line-up for the men’s and 1895 Cup finals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 28.
But it’s also an opportunity to take stock of the Super League and Championship campaigns to date (it’s business as usual in League One).
There’s a familiar look to the top-flight table with St Helens, chasing a fourth straight title, leading after eleven rounds.
But it’s only on points difference, with Wigan, the holders’ Cup semi-final opponents on Saturday, matching their record of nine wins from eleven, although Saints were clear victors in their Easter meeting.
Coach Matt Peet – supported by Sean O’Loughlin and Lee Briers, who made a successful return to Warrington on Friday – is making his mark at the Warriors, not just in terms of results but also with an attractive style of play.
And Australian ace Jai Field has enjoyed a blistering start to the season, making himself an early favourite for the Rugby League’s individual awards, including this newspaper’s Albert Goldthorpe Medal.
And Catalans Dragons, chasing a second successive Grand Final appearance, look strong once again, with eight wins on their record.
All three were successful in round eleven, and as ever, there are detailed reports of all the latest matches in this issue.
Catalans’ French colleagues Toulouse aren’t finding their first taste of Super League too palatable, however.
Sylvain Houles’ newcomers have just one win, interestingly against St Helens, and are already four points adrift of Wakefield and Salford at the bottom.
Trinity have slumped after three straight league wins while Salford have suffered five losses on the spin, although coach Paul Rowley will have taken some encouragement from spirited performances against Wigan and St Helens in the last two games.
Then there’s fourth-bottom Leeds, whose new Australian coach Rohan Smith arrives this week aiming to maintain the upturn in results under Jamie Jones-Buchanan.
The next round of Super League has two intriguing match-ups on Sunday week, May 15… Toulouse versus Wakefield and Salford against Leeds.
Meanwhile in the Championship, while Featherstone and Leigh slug it out at the top, both in terms of results and signings, there’s a desperate battle going in at the foot, where Workington have yet win while second-bottom London Broncos clinched a crucial victory in their home meeting with third-bottom Dewsbury on Sunday afternoon.
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