Event of the Day: Super League Grand Final
Our event of the day…
is the 2017 Super League Grand Final between Castleford Tigers and Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford, Manchester. The two semi-finals in the build-up to this match couldn’t have been any closer: Leeds inched past Hull FC 18-16, while Castleford beat St Helens 23-22 with a dramatic drop-goal in extra time from Luke Gale who had only just recovered from appendix surgery three weeks before. If the final is anything like the two semis we’re set for an enthralling and fiercely-contested day of rugby league.
Castleford could be seen as the underdogs coming into the final, making their first ever Grand Final appearance against a Leeds side that has won seven of their nine appearances in the competition’s showcase finale. However, Castleford have won all four meetings with the Rhinos this year and finished the season top of the table – a whole ten points ahead of Leeds. Adding to intrigue is that full-back Zak Hardaker (scorer of thirteen tries this year) has been dropped for the final by Castleford due to a breach of club rules. The climax of this year’s Super League promises to be an intriguing and noisy occasion between the top two teams in the country.
Honourable mentions…
around the globe go to the Lightweight fight between Anthony Crolla and Ricky Burns at Manchester Arena. With both fighters looking to bounce back from defeats to put them in contention for a shot at the world title, this fight is a must-win for both. In Stuttgart, Germany Chris Eubank Jr takes on Avni Yildrim in an IBO Super-Middleweight bout.
In the Aviva Premiership, it’s fourth against second as Exeter host Newcastle at Sandy Parkas. It’s day three of the European PGA Tour Alfred Dunhill Championship at St Andrews and in tennis, Rafael Nadal is in semi-final action against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov while Jelena Ostapenko takes on Simona Halep at the China Open. In MLB it’s the second Division Series match between Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs at Nationals Park, and Los Angeles Dodgers take on Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. In cycling it’s the UCI World Tour Il Lombardia in Italy.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Fixture
Photos by Super League