Broncos bucked by Wigan: Rugby league preview

THE ONE place - apart from Wigan - where they were grinning broadly at Good Friday's results and hoping for more of the same in the second leg of the Easter programme tomorrow was Brisbane.

The Brisbane Broncos made cheerfully impartial noises last week about being equally happy to meet Bradford Northern in the World Club Challenge on 1 June, but their protestations lack conviction because they know that the Australian sporting public take only one British club team seriously - and that team, unsurprisingly, is Wigan.

Confident predictions of a 70,000 sell-out at the ANZ Stadium will turn into a desperate sales-pitch to shift surplus tickets if Wigan miss the plane. Despite their victory over St Helens on Good Friday and Bradford's loss at Halifax, that remains a real possibility.

All the problems at Wigan have not been solved by one hard-earned win at Knowsley Road, or by their closest challengers' failure. The position of the coach at Central Park, John Dorahy, is still precarious; even in the wake of a victory that must have come as a huge collective relief, Wigan players nabbed for interviews were still declining invitations to give Dorahy a vote of confidence.

Home games against Warrington have traditionally found out Wigan sides in a better state of health than the present one. The match at Central Park tomorrow really is make-or-break for Warrington, which will give the match an extra edge. Warrington have the loss of Rob Myler, who dislocated his shoulder in the win over Widnes, to cater for, while Wigan looked much more their old selves at St Helens for the return of Phil Clarke.

Meanwhile, Bradford are at home to Hull and will be glad that they are at Odsal rather than The Boulevard after Hull's destruction of Wigan on Humberside 11 days ago.

It is still a fascinating three- cornered contest and could well remain so until the last week of the season. The battle for promotion to the Premiership is no less intense, with only six points separating the top six clubs. Doncaster, who seem to have timed their run perfectly, can consolidate their lead at the top of the Second Division by beating the early-season pacesetters, Huddersfield.

TOMORROW'S FIXTURES (3.0 unless stated) Stones Bitter Premiership Bradford Northern v Hull (1.30); Featherstone v Wakefield (3.30); Hull KR v Sheffield (3.15); Leeds v Halifax (11.30); Leigh v Salford; Oldham v Castleford; Widnes v St Helens; Wigan v Warrington. Second Division Barrow v Workington (3.15); Batley v Bramley (3.15); Doncaster v Huddersfield; Hunslet v Dewsbury (7.30); Keighley v Ryedale-York (3.15); London Crusaders v Rochdale; Swinton v Highfield; Whitehaven v Carlisle.