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Round 23 Play-Off Permutations

2 hrs

It’s that time of year again. The Final Charge has arrived, and it promises to bring more fireworks than ever before.

But what are this week’s Play-Off Permutations? Let’s explore the possible outcomes this weekend…

Who will finish where? ?

Five regular rounds remain ?#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/CMD5YGQDYN
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 8, 2026

Leeds Rhinos became the first team to book their spot in the 2026 Play-Offs in Round 22, following a dramatic last-gasp victory over West Yorkshire rivals Wakefield Trinity.

The Rhinos are favourites to win the race for the League Leaders’ Shield for the first time since 2015, as they find themselves sitting two points clear at the top of the Betfred Super League table, with a superior points difference in their favour.

But with the likes of Wigan Warriors and Trinity still hot on their heels, Brad Arthur’s side can ill-afford to slip up in these five remaining matches. The battle for the Shield could still take an exciting turn at any point.

And this week, there’s the chance for two more teams to confirm their place in the Play-Offs.

Five games left to play means a total of ten points up for grabs.

The Warriors are currently sitting on 34 league points, with Trinity on 32.

Seventh-placed St Helens have 24 next to their name, meaning if Wakefield defeat the Saints in Round 23, both Wigan and Wakefield will book their respective Play-Off places - and in turn would dramatically dent the Red V’s top six hopes.

But if Saints win, any Play-Off confirmation announcements for Wakefield would be delayed for another week. For Wigan, avoiding a loss would be enough to qualify this week; that's if St Helens come away victorious.

Did you know that St Helens have never missed out on the Play-Offs in the 30 years of Super League?

This makes every game a must-win for Eamon O'Carroll’s men moving forward. It’s a going to be an extremely tough ask, but as the famous saying goes, ‘Never Write Off the Saints’.

It’s also sets up Wakefield and Saints’ blockbuster tie on Saturday perfectly - who doesn’t love it when the stakes are high?

Trinity are chasing a home Semi-Final after all. For Saints, it’s do or die from this point on.

Before this, if Leeds happen to fall short to Leigh Leopards on home soil on Thursday night, and Wigan win at Bradford Bulls’ Bartercard Odsal on Saturday, then the Warriors would move levels on points with the Rhinos at the top.

Given how the lively Leopards have been performing recently, it’s not impossible.

Elsewhere, it’s too close to call. Wakefield, Warrington, Hull KR and Leigh are all fighting it out for the top four. A home tie in the Play-Offs Eliminators is on the line.

And Trinity and the Wolves will be aiming even higher with top two aspirations not out of the question for either team.

Whilst this may be more of an outside chance for Sam Burgess’ side - anything can happen! Plus, they still have a game in hand against the champions in less than two weeks’ time, which could end up having huge implications.

At the moment, the fourth and fifth positions are looking spicy.

Fourth-placed Warrington face York Knights in Round 23 and, while many will expect them to come through, the Knights have been testing the competition’s top sides in recent weeks.

A Wolves win keeps them fourth. They could even climb into third by the end of the round if Wakefield were to take a beating.

Lose, though, and things get very interesting. If fifth-placed Hull KR beat a struggling Catalans Dragons side on Thursday, the Robins will leapfrog into fourth ahead of their monumental fixture against Warrington the following Tuesday. Wowzers!

In sixth, the Leopards are looking up. If they were to win on Thursday coupled with a Saints loss on Saturday, then this would create a six-point gap between sixth and seventh place, making it highly unlikely that Saints will catch them, even if other results were to go their way.

Mathematically though, it’s not over yet.

If Saints win and Leigh lose, then it’s back to being a two-point gap and the tension carries on for another week.

Both lose and it stays as it is - a four-point gap.

It's all to play for as we head into Round 23. Here are the current league standings...