Rugby League to Sparkle Under Friday Night Lights

It's one of those nights when you'd like to be in five places at once. Four fascinating Super League fixtures with significant implications all the way down the table, and even in the National League a grudge match between Salford and Widnes which has been stirred up beautifully by some provocative comments from the City Reds' football director Steve Simms in the Manchester Evening News.

Let's start at Leeds, who remain top of the table despite last Saturday's home defeat by Wigan, and face fourth-placed Warrington at Headingley. It will be intriguing to see how the Rhinos bounce back, especially without Danny McGuire and Ali Lauitiiti. But there's even more pressure on Warrington after consecutive defeats by Harlequins and Wakefield in which they managed a grand total of eight points. It appears that despite the arrival of Michael Monaghan the Wolves still rely as much as ever on Lee Briers, who missed both those games with a calf strain, but returns to their 19-man squad for tonight. How Warrington's coach Paul Cullen could use a repeat of Briers' heroics in the play-offs at Headingley two years ago, if only to avoid facing St Helens in a fortnight on the back of three straight losses for his much-hyped team.

But who knows what state Saints will be in by then? Last Sunday's shocker at Castleford leaves them in danger of losing four on the bounce for the first time in the Super League era when they face Harlequins at Knowsley Road. Willie Talau will be back to stiffen their left-side defence, and Paul Sculthorpe returns earlier than expected from his latest hamstring problem - with the fact that he hasn't been allowed to ease himself back in next weekend's Challenge Cup tie against London Skolars suggesting that Daniel Anderson is desperate for some experienced leadership out on the field in the continued absence of Keiron Cunningham. Now would be a decent time for Cunningham to open negotiations for another year on his contract, given the problems Saints have endured without him in the last few weeks.

Over Billinge Hill in Wigan, there's a repeat of last summer's momentous Challenge Cup semi-final, and the Catalans Dragons shouldn't be short of confidence as they aim to build on a club-record five-match unbeaten run. That form has been even more remarkable considering the absence of the team's main play maker, Casey McGuire, with a fractured cheekbone. He returns to the squad tonight while Wigan will again be without their Australian schemer Trent Barrett. Whatever the result at the JJB, the Catalans are looking a decent bet for a first top six finish.

Given the various appeals of those three matches, it seems a bit bizarre that the Sky cameras will be at the Jungle for the meeting of the bottom two in the table, Castleford and Hull - without even the threat of relegation or an appearance by Dwain Chambers to add to the mix. But they've fallen lucky, as the stakes could not be higher for Hull's coach Peter Sharp, with another defeat for the black and whites likely to prove terminal for his career at the KC Stadium as well as to his team's realistic play-off prospects. The fates continue to conspire against the droll Australian, who is still missing seven of his own senior players - including, crucially, Adam Dykes - while the signing of Matt Cook plus the return of Scott Moore, Michael Shenton and Stuart Donlan allows Cas to field their strongest side of the season. But if Hull's players really do want Sharp to stay, as I'm assured they do, then they need to produce a win for him tonight.

All this makes it impossible to do justice to the match of the National League season so far, as Salford and Widnes, two of the front-runners for a place in the Super League next year, clash for the first time since submitting their license applications. "I believe that our case is the best and it's definitely better than the Widnes one," said Simms. "For starters, we have never had major financial problems and we have never ended up in administration." Unlike Widnes, he might as well have added, although the Vikings have responded with a press release citing support from Jason Robinson, Sean O'Loughlin and Jason Demetriou. It should be a lively night at the Willows.

Tipping panel

Castleford v Hull (Friday 7.30pm, Sky) Andy Wilson (Guardian): Hull by 6 Gareth Walker (Guardian): Hull by 2 Dave Lawrenson (Observer): Cas by 8 Barrie McDermott (Sky Sports): Hull by 4 Rod Studd (Racing Post & Sky Sports): Cas by 6 Dave Woods (BBC 5 Live & Super League Show): Cas by 8

St Helens v Harlequins (Friday 7.30pm) Wilson: Saints by 10 Walker: Saints by 8 Lawrenson: Saints by 10 McDermott: Saints by 4 Studd: Saints by 8 Woods: Saints by 14

Leeds v Warrington (Friday 8pm) Wilson: Wire by 4 Walker: Leeds by 16 Lawrenson: Leeds by 18 McDermott: Leeds by 4 Studd: Leeds by 12 Woods: Leeds by 14

Wigan v Catalans Dragons (Friday 8pm) Wilson: Wigan by 6 Walker: Wigan by 2 Lawrenson: Dragons by 6 McDermott: Dragons by 6 Studd: Wigan by 8 Woods: Wigan by 8

Huddersfield v Wakefield Trinity (Saturday 6pm, Sky) Wilson: Giants by 10 Walker: Giants by 6 Lawrenson: Wakey by 8 McDermott: Giants by 8 Studd: Wakey by 4 Woods: Giants by 8

Hull KR v Bradford (Sunday 3pm) Wilson: Bulls by 14 Walker: Bulls by 6 Lawrenson: Bulls by 8 McDermott: Bulls by 12 Studd: Bulls by 10 Woods: Bulls by 4

Table: Barrie McDermott (Sky Sports) 15, Dave Woods (BBC 5 Live & Super League Show) 15, Dave Lawrenson (Observer) 13, Gareth Walker (Guardian) 13, Rod Studd (Racing Post & Sky Sports) 11, Andy Wilson (Guardian) 8