Betfred Super League Round 20
Friday 1 August 2025 (8pm)
Leopards Den
Leigh Leopards 20-16 Warrington Wolves
Leopards moved within one point of second placed Wigan with seven rounds of the Betfred Super League season remaining after a dramatic and unlikely comeback victory.
Player of the Match Umyla Hanley and Owen Trout scored the late tries in front of an unbelieving Leopards Den home crowd, who celebrated wildly as the impact of the great escape sunk in.
Trailing by eight points with nine minutes remaining and having survived two video referee decisions for what would have been match-clinching Warrington tries, Leopards showed a never-say-die spirit to earn their seventh win in their last eight games.
Warrington, searching for their first win against Leigh at the LSV to revive their play-off hopes, dominated most of an intense game and could scarcely believe the turnaround. They played with an intensity, energy and belief that made a mystery of their current league position, a complete contrast to their limp display in defeat at Castleford last time out.
The Rugby League community came together to honour Micky Higham, local Leigh hero and former Warrington favourite, who has been diagnosed with cancer. All supporters engaged in an emotional minute’s applause in the ninth minute and the Wolves contingent carried on serenading Higham and his family as they waved back from a box. Bucket collections and a superbly backed auction after the game added to the fundraising for his treatment.
Leopards hung on defensively for most of the first half, making 50 more tackles, and trailed 8-2 at the break. After Marc Sneyd and Gareth O’Brien traded penalties, Matt Dufty finished off a brilliant elusive run from deep inside his own half by Josh Thewlis for an outstanding converted try, definitely one of the tries of the Super League season.
Sneyd added a second penalty before the visitors extended their lead as Jake Thewlis, younger brother of Josh, collected George Williams’s kick after a brilliant left-wing move. Dufty had a second try, which would have effectively decided the issue, overturned by the video referee following obstruction by Lachlan Fitzgibbon in the build-up.
Hanley cut the deficit with his first try, stretching out for the vital touch from O’Brien’s grubber kick, O’Brien converting from the touchline. But another Sneyd penalty from just inside the Leopards half with nine minutes remaining gave the Wolves an eight-point cushion.
Seemingly down and out and surviving another video referee decision- this time to rule out Toby King’s claims for a try- Leopards mounted an unlikely comeback in a breathless finish.
Hanley brilliantly scythed through from Lachlan Lam’s assist before Owen Trout, playing his 100th Super League game, collected Edwin Ipape’s pass and crashed over for the winning score with less than three minutes to go.
Jack Hughes, celebrating his 300th Super League game, played the full 80 minutes and was a driving force in a Leopards team that achieved the unlikeliest of victories.
Leopards
Bailey Hodgson; Keanan Brand, Umyla Hanley, Tesi Niu, Josh Charnley; Gareth O’Brien, Lachlan Lam; Owen Trout, Edwin Ipape, Joe Ofahengaue, Frankie Halton, Jack Hughes, Isaac Liu
Bench:
Ben McNamara, Alec Tuitavake, Matt Davis, Andrew Badrock. 18th man: AJ Towse (not used)
Tries:
Hanley (67, 73), Trout (76)
Goals:
O’Brien 4/ 4
Wolves
Matt Dufty; Josh Thewlis, Connor Wrench, Toby King, Jake Thewlis; George Williams, Marc Sneyd; Luke Yates, Sam Powell, Paul Vaughan, Sam Stone, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Ben Currie
Bench:
Danny Walker, Joe Philbin, Max Wood, Ryan Matterson. 18th man (not used) Luke Thomas
Tries:
Dufty (31), Jake Thewlis (50)
Goals:
Sneyd 4/ 5
Scoring sequence: 0-2, 2-2, 2-8 (ht) 2-10, 2-14, 8-14, 8-16, 14-16, 20-16
Attendance: 9,361
Referee: Liam Moore; Touch judges: G Jones & J Roberts; Reserve referee: A Williams; Video referee: Marcus Griffiths; Timekeeper: A Smith; M Com: Keith Leyland
Penalty count: 3-5
GLDO: 3-0
Main Match sponsor: Bolton Steel Structures Ltd
Player of the Match sponsor: Cal (awarded to Umyla Hanley)
Match ball sponsor: Leigh Works
Champagne Moment sponsor: CatonLloyd Audio Visual Solutions (awarded to Owen Trout for his match-winning try)
Official Kit & Retail partner: Reebok
