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Round 22 Round Up

7 hrs

The Rhinos became the first team to qualify for the 2026 Play-Offs
Brad Arthur's side are two points clear at the top of the table
The Warriors climb into second spot, whilst teams in 3rd-6th are battling to finish as high as possible
Are Saints' Play-Off chances slipping away?

Round 22 brought more twists and turns as the Betfred Super League regular season reaches its boiling point.

On Thursday Night, Hull FC pulled off a shock 18-32 victory over St Helens, which delivered a massive blow to the Red V’s Play-Off aspirations.

This was the Black & Whites’ first win at the BrewDog Stadium in nine years, inspired by a Harvey Barron hat-trick.

Despite leading on the second minute through Lewis Murphy, a faltering Saints failed to ever really get going.

Jack Welsby scored in between Barron’s first two tries to make an early contest out of it, but further tries from Hull’s Cade Cust and ex-Saint James Bell put the game firmly out of reach.

Whilst FC ended a seven match losing streak, Saints slumped to their third straight defeat.

The Red V have never failed to reach the Play-Offs in their Super League history but remain seventh with all teams above them to play in the coming days...

The standout tie of the round saw Leeds Rhinos place one hand on the League Leaders’ Shield as they came from behind to beat Wakefield Trinity, 22-24, in an exhilarating encounter.

The top two collided in front of a house at the DIY Kitchens Stadium on Friday Night, where spectators were thoroughly entertained with the pulsating action on display.

And despite trailing for all but three minutes of the contest, Leeds managed to snatch a dramatic victory thanks to the boot of their maverick Jake Connor, moving two points clear at the top of the Betfred Super League table with just five regular rounds left to play.

Wakefield shocked their opponents to begin with and took an initial 16-0 lead with terrific tries from Isaiah Vagana, Caleb Hamlin-Uele and Jayden Myers following a nearly perfect first half performance.

It would turn out to be a tale of two halves, however, as the Rhinos went on to produce a stunning fightback and prove why they are sitting at the top of the tree.

Brodie Croft kickstarted this with a brilliant score, before James McDonnell and Cam Smith powered over and Trinity started to creak under pressure.

There was a memorable moment for Jack Sinfield in between this who crossed for a sensational solo effort against his former side, but it was Chris Hankinson who turned out to be the man of the hour for the visitors.

With three minutes left on the clock, Hankinson pounced on Connor’s kick to touch down for the match-winner and send the away crowd into raptures.

Sinfield’s earlier missed kick turned out to be a costly one, as Connor’s successful conversion ensured a two-point win and also saw the Rhinos officially qualify for the 2026 Play-Offs.

Also on Friday Night, Hull KR scored 44 unanswered points away at Castleford Tigers, as they continued their mission to retain the title.

It was an improved first forty minutes for the Tigers who restricted the current champions to just ten points, before it became an all too similar scenario in the second stanza.

Tom Davies and Tyrone May grabbed braces, with Joe Burgess, Peta Hiku and Rhyse Martin also on the scoresheet, as the Robins strengthened their chances of a top four finish (0-44).

Likewise, Leigh Leopards are still in the race for a top four spot after they grinded out a win against York Knights.

The Knights pushed Leigh all the way, but David Armstrong’s try would eventually separate the two teams.

Josh Charnley opened the scores on Friday evening, and in doing so, climbed into the top 20 all-time try scorers in the British Game.

Joe Ofahengaue and Andrew Badrock were the Leopards’ other scorers, with York’s Jon Bennison scoring all fourteen of their points, which included a hat-trick.

It’s an important two points for Leigh, who not only strengthen their top four claims, but now find themselves four points clear of seventh-placed Saints (22-14).

Saturday’s triple-header got underway with Huddersfield Giants recording their third successive win after a formidable first half showing.

Jim Lenihan’s side welcomed the Dragons to the Accu Stadium where almost 9,000 spectators gathered to hear the hosts’ ‘Giant Announcement’ at half-time, which revealed Huddersfield will invest and move to the FLAIR Stadium in Dewsbury from the 2027 season.

The game kicked off with a party atmosphere where tries from Fenton Rogers, Connor Wrench, Sam Hewitt, Zane Dunford and two from Sam Halsall racked up an incredible 36-0 advantage at the break.

The second half was far quieter, although Wrench did score a seventh try for the Claret & Gold.

There was then a chance for Catalans to get a few points on the board and they did so via Ben Condon, Leo Darrélatour and closed out the game with a length of the field effort from Super League’s current top metre maker Charlie Staines (42-20).

Bottom of the table Huddersfield move to just within two points of Bradford and Hull FC - which teams will be able to avoid the wooden spoon?

Wigan Warriors secured their tenth win in a row after putting Toulouse Olympique to the sword, 48-18, and moved into second in Super League.

The Warriors are now hot on the Rhinos’ heels, and their victory on Saturday was heavily influenced by the magic of dynamic duo Bevan French and Jai Field.

Both stars scored sensational tries for the relentless Warriors, whilst Zach Eckersley, who kept increasing his try tally, crossed twice, as did opposite winger Liam Marshall, with Noah Hodkinson and Sam Eseh also adding tries.

Round 22 then concluded with a clinical display from Warrington Wolves as they travelled to play Bradford Bulls.

The Wolves may have gone under the radar in recent weeks, but are well and truly in the battle for a top four spot and further highlighted this with a resounding 4-42 scoreline against the Bulls.

Tries came from Matty Ashton (x2), Albert Hopoate, Toby King, Joe Philbin, Jordy Crowther and Ewan Irwin, and Irwin enjoyed a perfect afternoon with the kicking duties.

With four of the top six winning earlier in the weekend, it was crucial the Wolves came away with the two points. Remember, they still have a game in hand, as do the Robins, when both sides clash in less than two weeks' time.

Are you ready for The Final Charge? So many questions are yet to answered...