Betfred Super League Round 25
Saturday 6 September 2025 (3pm)
Halliwell Jones Stadium
Warrington Wolves 12-34 Leigh Leopards
Week by week Leopards re-write the history books.
The History Boys have already won away at Wigan and Saints this season for the first time since the 1980s.
They completed a hat-trick with this impressive, clinical and comprehensive victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, their first on Warrington soil since April 1987.
Back then John Henderson’s injury time secured Leigh’s 17-10 win at the old Wilderspool ground and enabled them to escape relegation in the final game of the season.
These days Adrian Lam’s team are chasing bigger and better things, their third successive play-off place already in the bag and now the aim switches to achieving their first home playoff tie of the Super League era.
Victory against fifth-placed Saints, who visit the Leopards Den next Friday, will secure fourth spot and that home tie in the eliminators.
If Leopards win against Saints and then Huddersfield in their final two home games they’ll be hoping that Leeds Rhinos slip up in one of their last two games- Catalans home, Wigan away- and third place will be theirs.
It’s sign of the respect that Lam’s side are viewed with these days that the bookies rated them 1/ 4 to win here, the home side 11/4 against.
They justified that confidence with a strong all-round display, building on a first half of dominant field position and possession, when they built a 10-0 lead, to add four second half tries.
On another day Keanan Brand would have been the Player of the Match. The former Warrington player, one of seven in the Leigh ranks, scored a sparkling hat-trick with two spectacular corner finishes and a smart inside run for his third.
But he was upstaged by his centre partner Umyla Hanley, who scored one try himself and made over 220 metres with no less than 13 tackle breaks.
The only downsides for Leopards were losing Tesi Niu to a failed HIA after a double tackle by Brad Yates and Sam Stone that referee Chris Kendall put on report. Niu will now miss the Saints game. Andrew Badrock came into the action as 18th man for another taste of Super League action.
The also looked like leaving Warrington with a clean sheet until the Wolves roused themselves with two late tries, both converted by Stefan Ratchfoird, playing the final home game of his distinguished career.
Warrington set the standard for another disappointing display when Marc Sneyd kicked out on the full at the start.
Sneyd, so influential in the cup semi-final win that broke Leopard hearts, was far less of a threat this time.
Warrington also lost Leon Hayes, so unlucky with injuries of late, to a broken arm early in the game.
Hanley set his stall out for a dominant game by making an eye-catching break, then leaping high to challenge for Lachlan Lam’s kick in the build up to Brand’s early try by the corner flag.
For all their dominance Leopards added only one further try before half-time, Matt Davis chasing down Edwin Ipape’s grubber to get the touchdown ahead of Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Gareth O’Brien kicking the first of his five goals.
There was no lack of effort by the Wolves, still stinging from a home defeat by Salford the week before, but very little by way of attacking invention.
Jack Hughes had a try disallowed before Brand’s second try in the corner from Hanley’s assist after Alec Tuitavake’s great offload in a three-man tackle set up the momentum of the attack.
With Lachlan Lam and Gareth O’Brien dominant in midfield, more Leopards tries in front of the massed ranks of their supporters looked inevitable.
Hanley scored the try his own efforts deserved with a brilliant finish to O’Brien’s long pass before Lam’s inside ball set up Bailey Hodgson for a clinical dodging run to the line.
Wolves finally showed attacking threat with two tries in three minutes, Toby King and Josh Thewlis the scorers, Ratchford converting both from touch.
But this was a day for Leopards to savour and Brand fittingly sealed the history-making first win at the Halliwell Jones Stadium with a smart inside finish from Hanley’s delicious delayed pass.
Wolves
Matt Dufty; Josh Thewlis, Stefan Ratchford, Toby King, Jake Thewlis; Marc Sneyd, Leon Hayes; Joe Philbin, Danny Walker, Luke Yates, Sam Stone, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Ryan Matterson
Bench:
Sam Powell, Adam Holroyd, Max Wood, Luke Thomas. 18th player: Tom McKinney (not used)
Tries: King (72), Josh Thewlis (75)
Goals: Ratchford 2/ 2
Leopards
Bailey Hodgson; Keanan Brand, Umyla Hanley, Tesi Niu, Josh Charnley; Gareth O’Brien, Lachlan Lam; Robbie Mulhern, Edwin Ipape, Aaron Pene, Jack Hughes, Frankie Halton, Isaac Liu
Bench:
Matt Davis, Owen Trout, Brad Dwyer, Alec Tuitavake. 18th player: Andrew Badrock (played)
Tries:
Brand (5, 50, 78), Davis (32), Hanley (64), Hodgson (69)
Goals:
O’Brien 5/ 6
Referee: Chris Kendall
Touch judges: N Horton & G Jones; Reserve referee: A Williams
Video referee: Liam Rush; Timekeeper: Keith Leyland; M Com: P Smith
Penalty count: 5-7
GLDO: 0-1
Scoring sequence: 0-4, 0-10 (ht) 0-16, 0-22, 0-28, 6-28, 12-28, 12-34
