WRAP: 2025 Betfred Super League Round 1

AJ Lucantonio recaps the opening round of the 2025 Super League season, together with the current table and stats leaders thanks to Rugby League Project.

All listed times are venue local (UK GMT except for Catalans - CET)

RELATED: See the full list of 2025 Betfred Super League Draw and Results.

Wigan Warriors 0 Leigh Leopards 1

In a game that saw one point scoring play, a clock that malfunctioned at full time and plenty of scoring chances, the Leigh Leopards managed to escape with victory with a golden point 1-0 win over Wigan.

Both sides played the game at a frantic pace with Leigh signing David Armstrong causing all sorts of problems at the back for the Wigan defence. The Warriors were the defending champions and were renowned for their staunch defence as they continued a near 7 hour streak without having their try-line breached.

That effort was made all the more impressive after having to endure two separate sin-bin stints for separate incidents. Despite both sides having strong chances, the score would remain unchanged for 80 minutes as we headed to golden-point. This marked the first time since 1993 in England that a game finished 0-0 after 80 minutes.

The start of golden point was farcical with a near 10 minute delay due to a malfunctioning game clock. Leigh had the better field position in extra time and Gareth O'Brien made no mistakes with the attempt of field goal as the Leopards won in Wigan for the first time since August 1983. This also marked the first game to finish 1-0 since 1994 when Barrow defeated Hull KR.

Wigan Warriors (0)

Leigh Leopards (1)
Field Goals: Gareth O'Brien 1

Venue: The Brick Community Stadium, Wigan. Date: Thu, 13th February. Kickoff: 8:00 PM. Halftime: 0-all. Penalties: Leigh 3-1. Referee: Liam Moore. Crowd: 21,748.

Wigan: Field, Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Byrne, Leeming, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis. Int: Mago, Dupree, Hill, Forber.
Leigh: Armstrong, Brand, Niu, Hanley, Charnley; O'Brien, Lam; Trout, Dwyer, Mulhern, Halton, O'Neill, Liu. Int: Hughes, Tuitavake, Davis, Ipape.

Hull KR 19 Castleford Tigers 18

A field goal in the first period of golden point from reigning Man of Steel Mikey Lewis has secured a 19-18 win over a brave Castleford Tigers outfit at Craven Park.

A well worked scrum move from Lewis and fullback Niall Evalds sent flying winger Joe Burgess down the sideline for the game and season's first try after 14 minutes.

The Tigers didn't die wondering and hit back seven minutes later when their new halves combination of Daejarn Asi and Tex Hoy combined brilliantly down the right to send Josh Simm racing for the corner. Six minutes later, they hit the lead with talented young fullback Fletcher Rooney stepping through some suspect Rovers defence before leaving Evalds in his wake to give the Tigers an unlikely 10-4 lead.

Hoy added a penalty goal to extend the margin to two possessions before Hull KR hit back before the break. Some quick hands out to the right saw Peta Hiku go through a gaping hole. The experienced centre beat the cover and got the ball down to make it a 4 point margin at the break.

Burgess was having a fine season opener and that continued 13 minutes into the second half. A lovely shift to the left saw the English international dive for the corner, which got approval from the video referee and we were level at 12-12. Rhyse Martin's kicking boots got back on track to give Rovers the lead back.

Ten minutes from time, Rovers went back to basics as Lewis engaged the line to send Burgess over for a season opening hattrick and a six point gap. Martin's off day with the boot continued as he only nailed 1/4. Castleford went for a short kick-off, recovered it and went on the attack. A great kick from Hoy was taken out of the air by new signing Zac Cini to score and make it 18-18.

Hoy had a chance to be the hero after last week's Challenge Cup heartbreak but missed a penalty goal late that would've won the match for his side. As we entered golden point, a harsh but correct penalty against the Tigers for a dangerous tackle gave Rovers field position. Lewis made no mistake in the third minute of golden point to give Hull KR a season opening victory.

Hull Kingston Rovers (19)
Tries: Joe Burgess 3, Peta Hiku
Goals: Rhyse Martin 1/4
Field Goals: Mikey Lewis

Castleford Tigers (18)
Tries: Josh Simm, Zac Cini, Fletcher Rooney
Goals: Tex Hoy 3/3

Venue: Sewell Group Craven Park, Hull. Date: Fri, 14th February. Kickoff: 8:00 PM. Halftime: Castleford 12-8. Penalties: Hull KR 7-4. Referee: Liam Rush.

Hull KR: Evalds, Davies, Hiku, Gildart, Burgess; Lewis, May; Sue, McIlorum, Waerea-Hargreaves, Martin, Batchelor, Minchella (C). Int: Litten, Hadley, Whitbread, Tanginoa.
Castleford: Rooney, Simm, Wood (C), Cini, Senior; Asi, Hoy; Westerman, Rimbu, Lawler, Simbiken, Hodson, Horne. Int: Griffin, Mustapha, Namo, Davies.

Catalans Dragons 4 Hull FC 24

Hull FC have won their first game away from home in three seasons, upsetting a disappointing Catalans side by 24-4.

It was a tense opening to the game as both sides looked to impose themselves early in the contest and it was the visitors that found opening points after a tense opening 25 minutes. A cross-field kick took an unfavourable Catalans bounce and Jordan Lane capitalised to give the visitors an unlikely lead.

The lead quickly extended with two tries in three minutes to give Hull a deserved half-time advantage of 18-0. The first try came through new signing Cade Cust. A lovely, sweeping move to the left saw Jordan Rapana fire a pass to Lewis Martin who got it back on the inside to Cust and it was 12-0. That was extended just before the break after Ligi Sao's offload ricocheted off the palm of Cesar Rouge into the grateful hands of Aidan Sezer, whose pass wide sent Tom Briscoe over.

The Dragons offered most of the second half attack and got the first try of the second stanza. A clever kick was chased hard and the ball was grounded by Arthur Mourgue and the Dragons were back in the contest. They had several chances but were unable to crack the Hull defence. 

Cust raced away for his second try following a Catalans error and Hull were able to run down the clock and win their first game away from Hull in three seasons and their first in France in five seasons.

Catalans Dragons (4)
Tries: Arthur Mourgue

Hull FC (24)
Tries: Cade Cust 2, Tom Briscoe, Jordan Lane
Goals: Aidan Sezer 4/5

Venue: Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan. Date: Fri, 14th February. Kickoff: 8:00 PM. Halftime: Hull FC 18-0. Penalties: Catalans 6-5. Referee: Chris Kendall. Crowd: 9,273.

Catalans: Mourgue, Makinson, Sironen, Romano, Cotric; Keary, Rougé; Satae, Garcia (C), Navarrete, Sims, Whitehead, Partington. Int: Pangai Junior, Bousquet, Da Costa, Séguier.
Hull FC: Rapana, Barron, Hardaker, Briscoe, Martin; Cust, Sezer (C); Ese'ese, Bourouh, Aydin, Cartwright, Lane, Asiata. Int: Ashworth, Balmforth, Fash, Sao.

Leeds Rhinos 12 Wakefield Trinity 14

Freshly promoted Wakefield Trinity have made their mark back in the top flight after upsetting the Leeds Rhinos by 14-12. 

It was a tense opening to the game. Wakefield generated the more dangerous attacking phase and were rewarded after 20 minutes. A spectacular save to keep the ball in play was rewarded as Leeds couldn't scramble efficiently. Max Jowitt finished off a spectacular movement that went through several Wakefield hands before being grounded. 

The Wildcats added two tries in the next ten minutes to set up a 14-0 advantage. Jowitt added a second three minutes after his first as he backed up a huge break from Jake Trueman and got past Jake Connor to put Wakefield two possessions ahead. 

Mason Lino made the Wakefield fans forget the try they had taken off for obstruction, scoring one of his own to make it 14-0. The home fans finally had something to cheer for when Harry Newman hit back before the break to reduce the gap to eight points.

Lino went from hero to zero after being sin-binned for a high tackle. Fortunately, the Rhinos struggled to really take advantage of it. In the dying moments, Sam Lisone managed to spin over and Connor converted to bring the scoreline to 14-12 but Wakefield managed to hold on and wrap up a huge win to get their return to Super League off to an electric start.

Leeds Rhinos (12)
Tries: Sam Lisone, Harry Newman
Goals: Jake Connor 2/2

Wakefield Trinity (14)
Tries: Max Jowitt 2, Mason Lino
Goals: Max Jowitt 1/3

Venue: AMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds. Date: Sat, 15th February. Kickoff: 3:00 PM. Halftime: Wakefield Trinity 14-6. Penalties: Leeds 7-4. Referee: Aaron Moore. Crowd: 15,364.

Leeds: Connor, Lumb, Handley (C), Newman, Hall; Croft, Frawley; Oledzki, Ackers, Palasia, Bentley, McDonnell, Smith (C). Int: Lisone, Holroyd, Gannon.
Wakefield: Jowitt, Russell, Pratt, Hall, Johnstone; Trueman, Lino; McMeeken (C), Hood, Uele, Storton, Croft, Pitts. Int: Russell, Doyle, Vagana, Faatili.

St Helens 82 Salford Red Devils 0

In a game that will be remembered by most league fans for all the wrong reasons, St Helens have started 2025 with a bang, thrashing a depleted Salford by 82-0.

Off the top, let's mention the obvious. Salford were working under a ‘sustainability cap' which meant Salford remain bound to a £1.2million squad after failing to provide the RFL with the necessary requirements to lift that restriction following their takeover last week.

This meant that their season opener was essentially a non-event as the Saints ran absolutely riot against a second-string Red Devils squad. Despite this, St Helens played ruthless attacking football and were keen for revenge following Salford's first win on their home turf in over 40 years last season.

It was an ominous start for the hosts as they crossed for four tries in the first quarter-hour of the contest. Morgan Knowles was keen to put the home fans back on side following his rumoured move to the NRL by crossing for the first try. New signings Tristan Sailor and Lewis Murphy added four pointers and the baby Red Devils were up against it early. Knowles added a second try before Harry Robertson scored in the shadows of half-time as Saints led 38-0.

Australian winger Kyle Feldt added a try to his strong performance to open the second half before Tristan Sailor added three second half tries to his first half effort as the Saints ran absolutely riot. Further tries to Johnny Lomax, Mark Percival, Joe Batchelor and George Delaney saw the Saints outlast the clock.

The drama won't end for Salford. The RFL will likely investigate Salford that could result in a charge of breaching operational rules. In addressing the claims over the side, coach Paul Rowley declared that "I can't put half a team out made of the reserves (and first-team) and introduce them all on the bus because I don't think it's the right thing to do," Rowley said.

St Helens (82)
Tries: Tristan Sailor 4, Morgan Knowles 2, Harry Robertson 2, Jonny Lomax, Curtis Sironen, Mark Percival, Kyle Feldt, Joe Batchelor, Lewis Murphy, George Delaney
Goals: Mark Percival 11/15

Salford Red Devils (0)

Venue: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens. Date: Sat, 15th February. Kickoff: 5:30 PM. Halftime: St Helens 38-0. Penalties: St Helens 6-4. Referee: Jack Smith. Crowd: 12,218.

St Helens: Welsby, Feldt, Robertson, Percival, Murphy; Sailor, Lomax (C); Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Knowles. Int: Bell, Whitley, Wingfield, Delaney.
Salford: Connell, Fitzgerald, Wagstaffe, Coan, Murray; Morgan, Gatcliffe; Bardyel-Wells, Yates, Hope, Shields, Hutchings, Lagar. Int: Bullock, Hellewell, Chan.

Huddersfield Giants 12 Warrington Wolves 20

In a duel of Burgess brothers, it was older brother Sam that tasted victory as the Warrington Wolves outlasted the Huddersfield Giants in a tough fixture to close the first round of Super League.

It was a tense opening quarter of the match, both sides were going set for set and Warrington were imposing themselves with stern defence. The Huddersfield kicking game was causing some problems, a bomb was allowed to bounce and the Giants quickly made the Wolves pay. A looping pass from Zac Woolford put milestone man Tui Lolohea in space and in game 200, the half scored to make it 6-0.

Warrington hit back just before the break following a Giants error coming out of yardage. A quick shift to the right saw Arron Lindop into space as he busted through some tackles to score. The conversion was waved away to see Wire trail by two points at the break.

A lofted pass from Matt Dufty saw the Wolves get off to the perfect start in the second half. Following a Jacob Gagai error, the Wolves quickly went to their favoured left edge and it was Dufty that got a magic pass to Ashton to score in the corner seven minutes into the second half.

Just before the hour mark, a 20/40 from Danny Walker with his side under defensive pressure seemingly turned the tide of the game as Gagai seemingly forgot the 20/40 rule. Dufty again delivered a majestic ball to centre Toby King and the Giants were trailing by eight points (goal kicking proved to be a little problematic for the Wire).

Huddersfield wouldn't go away as Joe Greenwood crossed with just over 10 to play off a short ball from Woolford and the Giants were coming to get them. Poor discipline from the Giants proved costly. In the dying moments, Dufty kicked for himself and got the bounce to give the Wolves a narrow win to start the season.

Huddersfield Giants (12)
Tries: Joe Greenwood, Tui Lolohea
Goals: Daniel Richardson 2/2

Warrington Wolves (20)
Tries: Toby King, Matthew Ashton, Matt Dufty, Arron Lindop
Goals: Stefan Ratchford 2/4

Venue: John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield. Date: Sun, 16th February. Kickoff: 3:00 PM. Halftime: Huddersfield 6-4. Penalties: Warrington 7-2. Referee: Tom Grant. Crowd: 5,871.

Huddersfield: Gagai, Swift, Hewitt, Bibby, Wallis; Lolohea, Richardson; Wilson, Woolford, Burgess, Murchie, Greenwood, Cudjoe (C). Int: Rushton, Golding, English, Rogers.
Warrington: Dufty, Thewlis, Lindop, King, Ashton; Williams (C), Ratchford; Vaughan, Walker, Yates, Holroyd, Russell, Currie. Int: Powell, Philbin, Musgrove, Crowther.

Round 1 table

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

Rugby League Project stats leaders

Most tries

Most goals

Most points