A packed schedule gave rugby league fans around the world some great entertainment over the Easter period.

Three of Super League’s round-eight matches took place on the Thursday, including two fierce local derbies: Hull FC v Hull KR and Widnes v Warrington.

The latter game saw the Wolves suffer from the same problems they had in their home defeat to Huddersfield in the last round. A lack of organised half-back play and a failure to do the simple things well cost them another result, as the Widnes Vikings ran out 30-10 winners.

It was a similar story for Hull FC, who couldn’t get the basics right and fell to a 20-6 defeat against their city rivals Hull KR.

Terry Campese pulled the strings for Rovers, and his half-back partner Albert Kelly bordered on brilliant, but as is often the case it was the hard work from the forwards in the middle which created the platform.

Full-back Kieran Dixon was key in both attacking areas, taking the heat off the forwards with his 18 carries and 10 tackle busts and crossing for a try of his own.

In the final Thursday game, Catalans picked up their first away win of the season as they easily dispatched Wakefield, 40 points to 4, meaning the Wildcats remain bottom of the table on points difference.

Good Friday saw another classic encounter between Wigan and Saints, as the rivals met at the DW Stadium. Just over 24,000 fans turned out for what was a typically tough encounter, in which Wigan gained slight revenge for last season’s grand final defeat with a 12-4 win.

It was a low-scoring but highly entertaining game, with Dom Manfredi crossing in the first minute, fooling the fans into thinking they were in for a try-fest. What followed was an attritional battle, in which only two further tries were scored.

The impressive Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook deservedly crossed for Saints in the first half but Wigan regained the lead and took the points late in the game when a George Williams kick was collected by Joe Burgess, who crossed for a try.

Huddersfield lost their first game in five when Salford visited and came away with an 18-12 win. It was an important victory for the Red Devils, who continue to make steps towards being real contenders in the new Super League era.

Giants’ coach Paul Anderson summed up the game, and his disappointment: “The tale of our season so far is that we make things too hard for ourselves. But well done to Salford — they threw the kitchen sink at us.”

Leeds and Castleford completed the round-eight ties, with the Rhinos securing a 26-12 win over their neighbours which sent them two points ahead of St Helens at the top of the table.