WRAP: 2024 Betfred Super League Round 26

A wrap-up of the weekend's Super League action, together with reports from AJ Lucantonio and stats from Rugby League Project.

All listed times are BST (UK local)

RELATED: See the full list of 2024 Betfred Super League Draw and Results.

Wigan thrash Leeds to stay top

The Wigan Warriors have continued to keep ahead of Hull KR in the race for the minor premiership as they shut out Leeds Rhinos 38-0 at home.

Wigan started ruthlessly inside the opening five minutes. A well weighted cross-field kick sat up perfectly for Liam Marshall who somehow kept it in the field of play and Jake Wardle finished it off to score first for the Warriors. Off the next set the Warriors were at it again, Kaide Ellis went through a gap bigger than the Eastenders canals before finding Bevan French who crossed under the posts and Leeds were up against it.

Thirteen minutes before the half, a lovely sweeping move saw Wardle set up Marshall spectacularly this time as the movement went sideline to sideline. An amazing flick pass from the centre found the winger who crossed untouched to make it 14-0 at the half-time break.

After the break, the Warriors struck a further blow to Leeds as Ellis crossed after a brilliant short ball. There was a hint of a shepherd but it was given the all clear by the referee and it was 20-0. Just as the hour mark ticked over the clock, a French grubber kick sat up perfectly for Abbas Miski who crossed and the floodgates were soon opening.

Two further tries by the Warriors were getting Catalans very excited down south as their for and against to chase down Leeds was becoming more achievable. A lovely chip from Harry Smith sat up perfectly for Adam Keighran who touched down to make it 32-0. Another brilliant chip from Smith sat up for French which summed up the game for Wigan as they cleaned up with another win to place a further hand on the minor premiership.

Wigan Warriors 38 Leeds Rhinos 0
Venue: The Brick Community Stadium, Wigan

Date: Fri, 13th September.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Wigan 14-0.   Penalties: Wigan 7-4.   Referee: Liam Moore.   Crowd: 15,146.

Wigan: Field, Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Havard, Leeming, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell (C), Ellis. Int: Byrne, Mago, Dupree, Forber.
Leeds: Edgell, Fusitu'a, Momirovski, Newman, Lumb; Croft, Frawley; Oledzki, Ackers, Sangaré, McDonnell, Martin, Smith (C). Int: Bentley, O'Connor, Lisone, Donaldson.

Wigan Warriors (38)
Tries: Bevan French 2, Jacob Wardle, Liam Marshall, Abbas Miski, Kaide Ellis, Adam Keighran
Goals: Adam Keighran 5/7

Leeds Rhinos (0)

Saints stay in the six, smash Cas

St Helens' position in the top six will still come down to the last week of the season despite a 40-4 win over the Castleford Tigers.

The Saints were keen to go out on top in their final home game as the home faithful were keen to send Tommy Makinson and Sione Mata'utia out as winners for the last time at Totally Wicked Stadium. A short ball had Alex Walmsley through in the opening minutes before finding Jake Burns to score and put Saints out to a fast start. Six minutes later, St Helens had a second try as Lewis Dodd found a pass to put Jack Welsby through before he linked up with Jon Bennison to cross for the first of his three tries to make it 10-0.

Bennison had to wait until 15 to go before half-time to add to his try haul after a brilliant passing motion out to the right edge. Johnny Lomax found Mark Percival who quickly found Bennison with a lovely catch and run to the corner and it was 14-0 as things looked ominous. Castleford added a try in the shadows of half-time as Fletcher Rooney crossed after skipping on the outside of the Saints defence and we had an interesting contest at half-time.

Unfortunately, any hope of a contest was short-lived as St Helens crossed quickly after half-time. Johnny Lomax charged across from dummy half to extend the margin further. Just shy of the hour mark, Agnatius Paasi charged over after a brilliant pass from Daryl Clark and Castleford were preparing the white flag. Bennison completed his hattrick after 61 minutes after a nice back-line movement saw the winger cross virtually untouched.

The final fifteen minutes saw the Saints run in two further tries. The first came as Makinson crossed in his final home game, flying down the sideline to score one-handed. George Delaney crashed over late and Mata'utia landed a traditional farewell kick to thrash the Tigers convincingly.

St Helens 40 Castleford Tigers 4
Venue: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens

Date: Fri, 13th September.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: St Helens 14-4.   Penalties: Castleford 8-5.   Referee: Jack Smith.   Crowd: 12,058.\

St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Mata'utia, Percival, Bennison; Lomax (C), Dodd; Walmsley, Burns, Lees, Whitley, Batchelor, Knowles. Int: Clark, Bell, Paasi, Delaney.
Castleford: Rooney, Qareqare, Hooley, Mellor, Senior; Milnes, Miller; Watts, McShane (C), Mustapha, Lawler, El-Zakhem, Horne. Int: Windley, Hindmarsh, Martin, Matvejev.

St Helens (40)
Tries: Jon Bennison 3, Jonny Lomax, Thomas Makinson, Agnatius Paasi, George Delaney, Jake Burns
Goals: Jon Bennison 3/7, Sione Mata'utia 1/1

Castleford Tigers (4)
Tries: Fletcher Rooney

KR keep League Leader's dream alive

Hull KR have let the disappointment of letting the League Leaders Shield slip away by shutting out finals contenders Leigh by 24-0 away from home.

It was a tense start to the game, showcasing how both sides had so much on the line. It took until the 20 minute mark for Rovers to produce the first scoring opportunity. A Mikey Lewis bomb was contestable and poor Matt Moylan was a sitting target. The bomb was batted back by May who found Ryan Hall who scored the opening try of the contest in a cracking movement to lead 4-0.

That try gave Rovers a new lease on the game and they soon found a second try in remarkably similar fashion. Seven minutes later, Lewis went to the air once more and once again Moylan was a target. May was able to bat it back and Hall found Lewis who dived across. Despite a sloppy end, the execution was brilliant at the end and Rovers led 10-0 at the change of ends.

Leigh started poorly in the second half and Rovers made them pay. A deceptive pass from Matt Parcell found Sauaso Sue who charged across to score and the Leopards were up against it. Just shy of the hour mark, the Rovers were trying to go around Leigh and resorted to some team brilliance to score a cracking team try. It went through several sets of hands which saw Matt Storton end up with it before finding Lewis who scored a second try.

A confusing passage of play saw Tom Opacic denied a try, Hull KR receive a penalty and Rovers go down to 12 men. Rovers received a penalty for an escort, Elliot Minchella was sin-binned for a high shot on Moylan while Rovers knocked on after Moylan was hit high. Lewis added a penalty goal to seal a commanding 24-0 verdict away from home in front of a massive travelling army at Leigh.

Leigh Leopards 0 Hull KR 24
Venue: Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Leigh

Date: Fri, 13th September.   Kickoff: 8:00 PM.   Halftime: Hull KR 10-0.   Penalties: Hull KR 5-1.   Referee: Chris Kendall.   Crowd: 8,412.

Leigh: Moylan, Charnley, Leutele, Hanley, McIntosh; O'Brien, Lam; Amone, Davis, Mulhern, O'Donnell, Halton, Asiata (C). Int: Trout, Pene, Hughes, Dwyer.
Hull KR: Evalds, Burgess, Hiku, Gildart, Hall; May, Lewis; Sue, Parcell, Hadley, Storton, Batchelor, Minchella (C). Int: Opacic, Litten, Luckley, Brown.

Leigh Leopards (0)

Hull Kingston Rovers (24)
Tries: Mikey Lewis 2, Ryan Hall, Sauaso Sue
Goals: Mikey Lewis 4/5

Salford clean Hull's clock

In Hull FC's final home game of the season, the Salford Red Devils have secured a finals place in spectacular fashion as they trounced Hull by 58-4.

Salford crossed early inside the first five minutes as Tim Lafai charged over for the first of his three tries. Five minutes later, Deon Cross scored for the Red Devils as a well-worked scrum move created the extra man and Cross touched down un-touched for a 10-0 lead.

Midway through the opening half, Joe Mellor crossed after taking advantage of some appalling marker defence and Hull were in major trouble. That trouble signal soon turned to an SOS as Brad Singleton crossed after 24 minutes courtesy of a barge over ball from Mellor. Lafai had a first half double with five to go before the break after he took an intercept, spoiling Hull's only real attacking chance of the first half and it was a commanding 28-0 lead at the half.

A brief resistance was quickly broken down as Salford crossed for three tries in quick succession to put an end to this game being a contest. The first came after 47 minutes as Nene MacDonald charged across with little resistance on offer from the Hull defence. Three minutes later, Shane Wright crossed after some exciting play. A clean break saw the Red Devils go close before a quick shift saw Wright score a try as he waltzed over the line. Hull's defence was parting at the seems and Kallum Watkins crossed after the FC defence completely fell apart and after Lafai completed his hattrick, it was 52-0.

Hull did pick up a lone consolation try for the brave home fans who were still in their seats. It was fortuitous as the pass was touched in flight and picked up by Jack Walker who ran away before finding a lofted pass to Zach Jebson who scored to avoid the duck-egg. A further try added salt to the wound as Mellor completed his double and Salford completed a big rout away from home.

Hull FC 4 Salford Red Devils 58
Venue: MKM Stadium, Hull

Date: Sat, 14th September.   Kickoff: 5:05 PM.   Halftime: Salford 28-0.   Penalties: 3-all.   Referee: Aaron Moore.   Crowd: 9,274.

Hull FC: Moy, Barron, Litten, Chamberlain, Martin; Charles, Walker; Ese'ese, Smith, Gardiner, Lane, Fash (C), Aydin. Int: Ashworth, Jebson, Balmforth, Chan.
Salford: Brierley, Ryan, Macdonald, Lafai, Cross; Nikorima, Sneyd; Singleton, Mellor, Dudson, Wright, Watkins (C), Partington. Int: Shorrocks, Hankinson, Lewis, Bullock.

Hull FC (4)
Tries: Zach Jebson

Salford Red Devils (58)
Tries: Tim Lafai 3, Joe Mellor 2, Kallum Watkins, Brad Singleton, Nene Macdonald, Shane Wright, Deon Cross
Goals: Marc Sneyd 9/10

Catalans grind out win over London to stay afloat

The Catalans Dragons have kept their faint finals hopes alive with an unconvincing 12-8 verdict over a brave and determined London Broncos side at home.

It was a tense start with Catalans dominating field position. However, their attacking field position and execution left a lot to be desired. Coach Steve McNamara was disappointed post-game with their attacking output. London eventually took advantage of Catalans' complacency towards the end of the first half as a lovely looping pass saw Lee Kershaw find open pastures to score. Oli Leyland threw the conversion over and London were looking to continue to lift themselves off the bottom.

Catalans got a rocket at half-time from the coach. However, a cheap penalty allowed London to add to their six-point advantage and extend the margin beyond two scores. Given the way Catalans were attacking in the first half, it seemed a wise move, but it was one that soon came back to bite. A cheap error from London eventually took it's toll on their defensive shape. Julien Bosquet was allowed to stand and offload the ball before finding Jarrod Wallace to cut the gap back to just two points.

With just over an hour gone, Catalans were aggressively coming home with a wet sail. A clever grubber kick from Arthur Morugue sat up perfectly for Arthur Romano and the Dragons had a four point lead. It was a tense finish as Chris Satae was sin-binned for a late shot on a London player but despite throwing everything at them, the Broncos couldn't get the win. But, after Hull got blown out earlier in the day, they are out of the wooden spoon position by just a solitary for and against point.

Catalans Dragons 12 London Broncos 8
Venue: Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan

Date: Sat, 14th September.   Kickoff: 9:00 PM.   Halftime: London 6-0.   Penalties: Catalans 4-2.   Referee: Marcus Griffiths.   Crowd: 8,855.

Catalans: Mourgue, Davies, Romano, Smith, Yaha; Abdull, Tomkins; Navarrete, Garcia (C), Satae, Sims, Sironen, McMeeken. Int: Bousquet, Rougé, Dezaria, Wallace.
London: Rourke, Kershaw, Natoli, Bassett, Miloudi; Leyland, Campagnolo; Butler, Davis, Kennedy, Lovell (C), Jones, Stock. Int: Bienek, Adebiyi, Waine, Tison.

Catalans Dragons (12)
Tries: Jarrod Wallace, Arthur Romano
Goals: Arthur Mourgue 2/2

London Broncos (8)
Tries: Lee Kershaw
Goals: Oliver Leyland 2/2

Wire wipe out Giants

The Warrington Wolves have inflicted further misery on the Huddersfield Giants subjecting them to their biggest defeat since 2018 and their second largest in the Super League era after being trashed 66-0 at home.

Warrington made their intentions known early as they shifted left. Toby King was able to get on the outside of the defence to find Matty Ashton to cross for the first try of the contest after just five minutes. Eight minutes later, an amazing lofted pass from George Williams found Ashton on the chest and had a first half double.

Midway through the opening half, Ben Currie turned into Isaah Yeo as he turned ball-player with a cracking pass to James Harrison who charged across the line to score for the Wire and Huddersfield simply had no answers for the attacking rampage that Sam Burgess' side had. Currie turned provider again nine minutes from half-time with a cracking pass to Williams and it was 24-0.

Five minutes before the break, Josh Drinkwater set up a short pass to future Raider Matty Nicholson who crossed to make it 30-0 with under five to go. Right before half-time a bomb caused all sorts of problems at the back and Cai Taylor-Wray scored to make it 36-0 at the change of ends.

Right after the break, Huddersfield's challenge was raised to an impossible level as rookie replacement Jack Billington was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle early in the second half. Nice hands to the right hand side saw Josh Thewlis score although he had to do more work than he needed to but he scored to make it 42-0. A rare schism saw the scoring halted but in the last twenty minutes.

A well worked move down the right saw Ashton complete his hattrick and the scoring rampage was back on in the last quarter of the contest. Two minutes later, a short ball saw King break through, he found Williams before linking up with Taylor-Wray and Warrington were having it all their own way. Three tries in the last ten through King, Nicholson (completing his double) and Roderick Tai saw the Giants humiliated on home turf in their largest loss since 2018.

Huddersfield Giants 0 Warrington Wolves 66
Venue: John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield

Date: Sat, 14th September.   Kickoff: 6:00 PM.   Halftime: Warrington 36-0.   Penalties: Warrington 8-2.   Referee: Tom Grant.   Crowd: 4,181.

Huddersfield: Lolohea, McGowan, Marsters, Carter, Wallis; Clune (C), Russell; Salabio, Deakin, Greenwood, Livett, Bibby, Savelio. Int: Ikahihifo, Rush, Bibby, Billington.
Warrington: Taylor-Wray, Thewlis, Tai, King, Ashton; Williams (C), Drinkwater; Yates, Walker, Musgrove, Bateman, Nicholson, Currie. Int: Harrison, Philbin, Crowther, Powell.

Huddersfield Giants (0)

Warrington Wolves (66)
Tries: Matthew Ashton 3, Matthew Nicholson 2, Cai Taylor-Wray 2, George Williams, Toby King, James Harrison, Josh Thewlis, Rodrick Tai
Goals: Josh Thewlis 9/12

Round 26 table

RELATED: Click here to view the current Betfred Super League table.

RLP stats leaders

TOP TRYSCORERS

TOP GOALKICKERS

TOP POINTSCORERS