Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos will go head to head at the Halliwell Jones Stadium this evening in what is the 5000th Super League game. It’s a milestone that will be recognised but ultimately the night is about collecting two points and that’s exactly what both Sam Burgess and Brad Arthur will be focused on as kick-off approaches.
Both sides have had a mixed start to the 2025 season, winning three games and losing two and there’s certainly a long way to go. However, both Leeds and Warrington know they could do with collecting two points this evening, climbing the table and getting one over a potential play-off rival.
Brad Arthur has named an unchanged squad from the one that beat Wigan Warriors last time out, while Sam Burgess has made one change with Luke Yates making a surprise return from injury to replace Josh Thewlis. Yates was expected to miss the next few weeks of action due to an ankle issue, but he has returned to the fray and could be involved against the Rhinos.
With that in mind, here’s how we think Warrington could potentially line-up against Leeds.
This week’s team is particularly hard to predict, with Sam Burgess hinting that a number of key players could miss out through injury, including several outside backs. If we are to assume that the 21 players selected in his squad are fit to play, though, it seems we can expect a backline of Matty Ashton, Arron Lindop, Toby King and Jake Thewlis, with the latter potentially replacing his injured brother.
George Williams and Marc Sneyd will obviously play alongside each other in the halves, while it would not be a surprise to see James Harrison and Paul Vaughan start in the front row. Harrison was named at 13 last time out against St Helens but there might be a change on that front.
With Dan Russell included in the squad, Ben Currie could make the move to loose-forward and while the aforementioned Yates is an option, his injury suggests a bench spot might be more appropriate for the Australian in the hope of being able to manage his minutes and work load.
Joe Philbin and Sam Powell are more or less fixtures on the bench, while Harrison starting would see Zane Musgrove named on the bench.
Predicted Warrington Wolves line-up: Matt Dufty; Jake Thewlis, Toby King, Arron Lindop, Matty Ashton; George Williams, Marc Sneyd; James Harrison, Danny Walker, Paul Vaughan; Dan Russell, Lachlan Fitzgibbon; Ben Currie
Bench: Joe Philbin, Sam Powell, Zane Musgrove, Luke Yates.
