Super League talking points: Tony Smith pays price for wretched form, Wakefield Trinity back in mire, mouthwatering Magic Weekend

St Helens have seen their advantage at the top cut to two points following their loss to Catalans Dragons, while Toulouse Olympique are back to within four points of Wakefield Trinity thanks to a huge win over Hull KR, a result that cost Tony Smith his job.

Leeds Rhinos hammered Hull FC to set up a crucial Magic Weekend clash with Castleford Tigers, big winners against Huddersfield Giants on Friday night.

Here, The Yorkshire Post takes a look at the talking points across the county in the aftermath of round 17.

Smith pays price for wretched form

After suffering a seventh defeat in eight games in the south of France, it felt like something had to give at Craven Park.

Smith can point to a lengthy injury list but KR's poor form can be traced back to his sudden departure announcement in April.

With their season in danger of petering out, Rovers had nothing to lose by parting ways now.

The powers that be at Craven Park will be hoping the interim appointment of a popular figure in Danny McGuire will spark the team back into life, starting against fierce rivals Hull at St James' Park on Sunday.

Wakefield back in mire

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in" - a famous movie line that could apply to Willie Poching's Wakefield in their battle to avoid relegation.

Back-to-back wins over Hull and Warrington Wolves appeared to be enough to end the threat but Toulouse are not going away without a fight, beating the Robins before seeing Wakefield lose to Wigan.

The French side will be gunning for Trinity this week, knowing a win in Newcastle would really put the cat among the pigeons with successive home games against Leeds, Salford Red Devils and Hull coming up.

Toulouse failed to build on their win over Wakefield in May but Poching's men cannot afford to give their relegation rivals another sniff.

Time for Rhinos to make move

Like Toulouse, Leeds should be sensing a real opportunity after putting themselves back in the play-off picture.

The stunning 11-try win at the MKM Stadium leaves the Rhinos three points adrift of the top six ahead of their Magic Weekend date with Castleford.

Another victory and Leeds are suddenly in the mix for fifth spot, which says more about the lack of consistency in the middle part of the table.

On the flip side, the Tigers will be viewing the derby as an opportunity to nail down a top-six spot while hurting their rivals' hopes, making it a must-see event on Saturday.

Rare off day for Giants

Huddersfield were beaten by the better side at Wheldon Road but it has to go down as an off-colour performance from Ian Watson's men.

As they hammered away at the Castleford line in the first half, they were crying out for the powerful Ricky Leutele.

But the injured centre was not there and the Giants did not carry the same threat on a notoriously small pitch.

Huddersfield will feel more at home at St James' Park, where they meet Paul Rowley's rejuvenated Salford.

Super League strikes gold

If Super League bosses were asked to draft their ideal Magic Weekend schedule at the start of this week, it would not look too dissimilar to the one thrown up by a formula late last year.

Fans can look forward to top versus second when Saints and Wigan meet after an opening game that pits bottom against second bottom.

Leeds and Castleford bring the curtain down on day one and Sunday kicks off with an interesting match-up between Huddersfield and Salford before two desperate rivals go head to head in the Hull derby.

When Catalans versus Warrington is the least appealing fixture, organisers know they are onto a winner.