BWSL: Super Four and Shield Competitions get underway this week

The Betfred Women’s Super League returns this week with one of the biggest fixtures in the calendar as St Helens host Wigan Warriors in the latest instalment of their fierce rivalry - live on Sky Sports (Thursday 6 August, KO 5.15pm).

The game also marks the start of the Super Four and Shield competitions, with the league entering its final six rounds of the 2026 season.

In both competitions, all league points earned during the regular season will be carried forward with each team playing every other team home and away.

The opening Super Four fixture sees reigning champions the Warriors travel to the BrewDog Stadium to take on the Saints in a blockbuster derby to kick off the next phase of the season.

Excited for the challenge ahead is the Warriors’ Ellise Derbyshire:

“It’s going to be another tough challenge.

“It’s something that we’ve not really experienced before, going back-to-back for 6 weeks with really tough competitive, physical games.

“I think it’s going to be really important to be getting our recovery right every week because sometimes you get a week off and you have a couple of weeks to get over the weekend and the game you’ve just played.

“It’s going to be really tough but I think we’re all looking forward to testing ourselves.”

With the Rugby League World Cup approaching at the end of the season, the stakes are even higher as players look to make their case for selection over the final six weeks:

“Sometimes when you do have a game against the bottom half of the league you can drop off and you don’t take training maybe as intense that week,” added Derbyshire.

“I think it’ll be good, especially going into the World Cup at the end of the year, to test ourselves and see if we can go back-to-back for a couple of months with tough, physical games.” 

While individual ambitions are important, Derbyshire is equally focused on helping the Warriors defend their title in what promises to be a demanding final run:

“I think we’ve definitely got what it takes as a team, but this year is very different to last year with the league split so I think it’s going to be a lot more difficult to try and retain that title.

“But I do think we’ve got what it takes as a team, physically and mentally to get that done.”

Also facing off in the Super Four are Leeds Rhinos and York Valkyrie (8 August, KO 2pm).

The pair last met in June when the Rhinos claimed a convincing 30-10 victory over the Valkyrie. 

This weekend, York will be hoping they can turn the tables and come away with the win this time around.

Meeting in the Shield Competition are Huddersfield Giants and Barrow Raiders (8 August, KO 1pm).

Their previous meeting was a closely contested affair with the Giants edging out the Raiders 30-24.

Barrow will be looking to build on the positive start they made in that fixture, this time holding onto their first-half advantage to secure the result.

The final game of the weekend sees Leigh Leopards host Featherstone Rovers on Sunday (9 August, KO 2pm).

The pair haven’t met since the opening round when the Leopards kicked off their campaign with an emphatic 34-8 victory.

Featherstone will be hoping the progress they have made throughout the season can help them to close the gap and challenge the Leopards this weekend.

Super Four:

Thursday 6th August

St Helens v Wigan Warriors – The BrewDog Stadium, KO 5:15pm

Saturday 8th August

Leeds Rhinos v York Valkyrie – AMT Headingley, KO 2pm

Shield Competition:

Saturday 8th August:

Leigh Leopards v Featherstone Rovers – Leigh Miners Rangers, KO 1pm

Sunday 9th August:

Huddersfield Giants v Barrow Raiders – Laund Hill, KO 2pm