Round 26 Round Up

On Thursday, Bradford Bulls claimed their first victory since early July as they beat local rivals Castleford Tigers, 32-22.

The Bulls dominated the opening forty minutes at Bartercard Odsal, taking control with tries from Riley Dean, Connor Wynne, Caleb Aekins, Dan Russell and Waqa Blake, as former Castleford man Chris Atkin cleverly pulled the strings.

Louis Senior's try was the Tigers' only response in the first half.

The visitors improved in the second stanza with a brace from Krystian Mapapalangi and their captain Alex Mellor, however, Ebon Scurr's try ensured the two points went the way of the Bulls, as they look to avoid ending the 2026 season at the bottom of the league standings.

On Friday, the action kicked off in the south of France with plenty of points scored, as Toulouse Olympique withstood a Hull FC comeback to claim a third consecutive Super League victory and move into eighth in the table with one regular round remaining.

The hosts were outstanding in the first half, opening up a 30-0 lead through tries from Henry O'Kane (x2), Luke Polselli, James Roumanos and Paul Ulberg.

And Hull's task became even harder when their skipper Aidan Sezer spent time in the sin bin on the stroke of half-time.

Andy Last’s side responded emphatically after the break, however, with Lewis Martin, Sezer and Logan Moy all crossing in a devastating eight-minute spell.

Three converted tries in quick succession reduced the deficit to just 12 points and breathed new life into Hull FC’s fightback.

However, Harvie Hill's yellow card halted the visitors' charge, with Cesar Rouge producing a brilliant individual score before returning Olly Ashall-Bott added Toulouse's seventh try and the hosts saw out an applaudable 44-30 win.

The later matches saw the Play-Off picture finally settled, with Hull KR and Leigh Leopards confirming their places in the top six, while St Helens' hopes were ended after a heavy defeat at the Leigh Sports Village.

The Leopards sealed their Play-Off berth in emphatic fashion, running in eight tries to overwhelm St Helens and secure a top six finish for the fourth consecutive season.

The result also brought an end to Saints' remarkable record of qualifying for every Play-Off series in the Super League era.

Josh Charnley got the ball rolling early, followed up by a unique celebration which involved signing a new contract with his current club live on Sky Sports, before David Armstrong added a superb long-range effort.

Saints briefly threatened a spell of momentum through Jacob Douglas and Tristan Sailor, reducing the deficit to just two points, but Leigh responded strongly before the break through Umyla Hanley and Adam Cook to establish a commanding 24-10 advantage.

After the restart, Leigh turned the screw. Edwin Ipape powered over, while Hanley grabbed his second of the night, and further scores from Jacob Alick-Wiencke and Robbie Mulhern completed a dominant 48-10 victory.

The win guarantees Leigh a place in the Play-Offs, while Saints' campaign will conclude at the end of the regular season.

At Sewell Group Craven Park, Hull KR booked their Play-Off place with a convincing victory over Huddersfield Giants.

Eliot Minchella, Arthur Mourgue and Jack Broadbent all crossed as the home side raced into an 18-0 lead in a fiery opening forty minutes.

Tanguy Zenon got Huddersfield on the scoreboard before the interval, but the Robins never looked troubled.

A Rhyse Martin penalty nudged the hosts further ahead before Jez Litten's try put the outcome beyond doubt. Mourgue then grabbed his second of the evening and Tom Davies rounded things off as Willie Peters' side eased to a 36-6 success.

The victory confirms Hull KR's place in the top six as they continue building momentum ahead of the Play-Offs and are given a chance to defend their title.

On Saturday afternoon, Wakefield Trinity strengthened their push for a top four finish with a hard-fought 25-18 victory over Warrington Wolves.

It was the Wolves who initially looked set to tighten their grip on third place after opening up a 14-6 half-time lead.

Leon Hayes kicked two penalty goals, before Tom Johnstone briefly put Trinity ahead, although the visitors pulled it back with tries from Josh Smith and Matty Ashton in the later stages of the first half.

But Daryl Powell's side went on to produce an outstanding response after the restart. Isaiah Vagana scored twice in the opening ten minutes of the second half to turn the game on its head.

Albert Hopoate did level matters for Warrington, but it was Cam Scott who delivered the decisive blow, crossing with nine minutes remaining before Max Jowitt added the extras.

Mason Lino then kicked a late drop goal to bank an important two points and keep Wakefield firmly in the hunt for a home Play-Off tie heading into the final round of the regular season.

Meanwhile, York Knights enjoyed a memorable evening as they came from behind to defeat Catalans Dragons 16-28 and record their first ever win in Perpignan.

The hosts made the perfect start through a stunning first-half hat-trick from Leo Darrelatour, whose three tries helped Catalans establish a 16-12 lead at the break.

York refused to give up though and Oli Field and David Noafoaluma both crossed before half-time to keep the Knights in contention, and they produced a superb defensive effort after the interval to completely shut out the Dragons.

Liam Harris swung the contest back in York's favour with a brilliant 70-metre effort before Scott Galeano extended the lead midway through the second half.

Mark Applegarth's side held firm, and Paul Vaughan's late try wrapped up the win and sent the away fans into raptures.

The final game of the Penultimate Round saw Wigan Warriors produce a statement performance at an electric AMT Headingley, defeating Leeds Rhinos to move into the driving seat for the League Leaders' Shield.

The Warriors struck early through Adam Keighran, who crossed twice inside the opening quarter to silence the home crowd.

Leeds responded through skipper Ash Handley and remained within touching distance at half-time, trailing 16-8 after Austin Daniel's try had restored Wigan's cushion.

Matt Peet's side took complete control after the break. Liam Marshall and Jai Field both crossed, while Bevan French once again ran the show with another influential display.

Keighran then completed his hat-trick late on as Wigan powered to a commanding 8-40 victory, rising to the big occasion.

The result moves the Warriors to the top of the table with one regular-season fixture remaining, secures their Semi-Final place, and leaves the Rhinos needing both a win next week and a favour from the Dragons if they are to claim the Shield…

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