Round 16 Round Up

Round 16 of the Betfred Super League got underway with Warrington Wolves edging Catalans Dragons, 18-16. It was the first of seven ties in the scorching sunshine, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Thursday Night.

The Wolves took an initial lead through Matty Ashton, but the first hydration break soon changed the momentum of the game, as the Dragons scored two tries before the break to go in front.

Zac Lipowicz capitalised on a an aerial kick from Toby Sexton, and ten minutes later, Nick Cotric strolled in at the corner.

Despite major injury disruption to Sam Burgess' side, Albert Hopoate regained the lead for the hosts after the break, and from then on, Wire managed to maintain this.

James Bentley extended their advantage, but Lewis Dodd did pull a try back for Catalans with ten minutes left to set up a nervy ending.

Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet then looked like he could snatch victory for the French side, but Ewan Irwin produced a crucial try-saving tackle to ensure the Wolves would be the ones to take the win.

On Friday Night, Leeds Rhinos held their annual MND Awareness Game and beat current champions Hull KR in emphatic fashion.

The tone was set early doors with a great pre-match show celebrating rugby league legend Rob Burrow and the incredible fundraising work of Kevin Sinfield.

With Vegas still fresh in everyone's mind, both teams entered this game fired up, setting the stage for a fiercely contested battle.

However, the Robins simply could not match the league leaders in Round 16, who scored five tries and dominated their opponents to ensure they would be sitting top of the table heading into Magic WKND.

Chris Hankinson went over for Leeds' first try, while Jake Connor landed two of his three first-half penalties.

Maika Sivo headlined an outstanding performance, taking his tally of Super League tries to a whopping 27 for the season, as he crossed for two more on Friday.

Playmaker Connor then score his first try in 2026, before Ash Handley rounded off the win.

Only Noah Booth managed to hit back for Hull KR, as Leeds recorded their fourth straight win over the Robins, in front of their biggest home crowd since 2020 (34-8).

Meanwhile, York Knights ended their losing run away at Castleford Tigers.

Semi Valemei put the Tigers in front with fantastic finish, but Cody Hunter quickly responded for the visitors.

Jason Qareqare's try - his ninth in six matches - then gave Castleford a a one-score lead at half-time.

However, a second half scoring spree from the Knights gave Mark Applegarth's the upper hand. Oli Field, David Nofoaluma and Scott Galeano all touched down to put York in control.

Valemei was to score again for the Tigers which led to a frantic finish, although York held on to win their first game in seven (14-20).

Saturday's triple-header kicked off with Hull FC going head-to-head with Wigan Warriors in an entertaining encounter.

It was a hard fought clash at the MKM Stadium and the Warriors were made to work for their 16-20 win.

Tries from Lewis Martin and Harvey Barron shocked the visitors, as a spirited Hull FC led 10-4 at the break, with Zach Eckersley scoring in between each one.

Noah Hodkinson then crossed after a tactical play by Wigan from the scrum, before Jed Cartwright replied to put the hosts eight points ahead.

Adam Keighran scored before kicking a crucial penalty to level things up, and Harry Smith produced the match-winning moment to claim the spoils.

Over at Stade Ernest-Wallon, Leigh Leopards asserted their dominance as they put Toulouse Olympique to the sword, 16-40.

The Leopards coped impressively with the sweltering weather conditions, racking up eight tries to continue their Play-Off push and keep pressure on the teams above them - now snapping at the heels of Hull KR, St Helens, Wakefield and Wigan.

Josh Charnley stole the show with four tries on Saturday evening, further extending his lead as Super League's all-time top try scorer, as he continues to battle with Ryan Hall for the accolade.