The Warrington Wolves have made the perfect start to the Betfred Super League season with a 42-10 victory over the Leeds Rhinos on opening night.
The Wolves put in an impressive performance to secure the win, thanks to seven tries in total from Matt Dufty, Josh Thewlis, Daryl Clark, Danny Walker, Sam Kasiano, James Harrison and Greg Minikin. They can challenge the title following a disappointing 11th-place finish in the 2020 season.
The hosts started the game brightly, with Dufty crossing the line after just four minutes to set the tone for the rest of the evening. Thewlis, Clark and Walker added to the scoreline before the break, leaving the Wolves with a comfortable 30-0 lead at half-time.
The Rhinos, who had reached the Grand Final in 2020, failed to get a foothold in the game, with debut tries from Derrell Olpherts and Justin Sangare failing to spark a comeback.
Wolves, however, continued to dominate and sealed the win with further scores from Harrison and Minikin. Stefan Ratchford made the performance even more impressive.
He celebrated his 300th appearance for Warrington with the boot, slotting six conversions and a penalty. It was a hugely impressive display from the Wolves and suggested they are on their way to challenging for the title this season.
On the other hand, their opponents will need to improve if they are to replicate the success of last year, and they will be hoping that this was just a blip in what to be an exciting season.
It was a great start to the new Super League season, with the Wolves proving their credentials and the Rhinos learning to step up their game to compete for the title. With the remainder of the season still to come, it promises to be an exciting time for fans of the sport.