In the fifth game of Super League Rivals Round, Leigh Leopards hosted Warrington Wolves and here’s our verdict on the game.
Warrington threatened a late comeback but it was too little too late as Leigh held on to secure an 18-14 win with Lachlan Lam proving the star of the show.
George Williams’ absence was clear to see as Warrington struggled to create with Matt Dufty proving the spark when needed, albeit not often enough for the Wolves who remain outside the play-offs and could slip further if Catalans beat Salford.
The major talking point coming into the game was how would Sam Burgess replace George Williams with the England and Warrington captain set for an eight to ten week layoff after the Wolves confirmed he’d go under the knife for ankle surgery.
Danny Walker being shifted from hooker to six wasn’t the answer many expected but it was the one we got as Burgess overlooked Stefan Ratchford and Oli Leyland, who played on dual registration for Widnes. The positive team news for Leigh was that Josh Charnley was finally back whilst Ethan O’Neill also returned to the forward pack.
With these two sides meeting in a few weeks time for the Challenge Cup semi-final, here’s our verdict on today’s Super League affair.
Lachlan Lam shines as Leigh Leopards beat Warrington Wolves
The Leopards edge a close contest 👊#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/BiF8fGcqAa
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) April 19, 2025
It was a first half packed full of nearly moments with three tries ruled out compared to just one scored and that one came late and it came for the hosts, with Edwin Ipape collecting Lachlan Lam’s offload to score.
Lam had earlier had one ruled out because Gareth O’Brien was judged offside, that came just over ten minutes after David Armstrong saw one ruled out for obstruction. Zane Musgrove of Warrington also thought he’d got over but was ruled held up with that coming just minutes before Ipape’s try.
Wire had taken the lead after just ten minutes through a Marc Sneyd penalty so the score was just 6-2 to the hosts at the half in a first 40 that saw both teams attack look blunt, perhaps unsurprisingly given the stars who were absent.
David Armstrong didn’t come back out for the second half which looked to be a major blow, however, the Leopards actually started the second half far faster with O’Neill crossing almost immediately thanks to some Lachlan Lam magic. Leigh scored again through Frankie Halton to make it 18-2 with 20 minutes to go, at which point the game looked over.
However, quickfire tries for Warrington through Toby King and Matty Ashton set up a tense final eight minutes at the Leigh Sports Village with the Wolves trailing by just four points. Ultimately, Warrington wouldn’t be able to score that third and final try as Leigh held on for a gritty win to move third in Super League.
Good day for
Josh Charnley made his return and whilst he didn’t add to his huge Super League try-scoring tally, he went well and it would seem came through unscathed. The winger adds so much to how Leigh play with his carries out of yardage and it seems that the layoff hasn’t affected his pace with the veteran keeping pace with Matt Dufty when needed.
Bad day for
Adrian Lam’s side might have managed the win but an injury to David Armstrong would be a massive blow. Whilst there’s no way to know yet how serious any issue is, it would be devastating if they’re to be without him.
Star man
Lachlan Lam put in his season-best performance as he pulled the strings, creating tries and even unlucky not to score one of his own. It won’t be long before his off-contract status becomes a key focal point with plenty of teams both sides of the equator sure to be interested in his services.
Teams
Leigh Leopards XIII: David Armstrong, Darnell McIntosh, Keanan Brand, Bailey Hodgson, Josh Charnley, Gaz O’Brien, Lachlan Lam, Owen Trout, Edwin Ipape, Robbie Mulhern, Ethan O’Neill, Frankie Halton, Isaac Liu
Interchanges: Matty Davis, Alec Tuitavake, Aaron Pene, Jack Hughes
Warrington Wolves XIII: Matt Dufty, Matty Ashton, Toby King, Rodrick Tai, Josh Thewlis, Danny Walker, Marc Sneyd, Paul Vaughan, Sam Powell, Luke Yates, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Dan Russell, Ben Currie
Interchanges: Zane Musgrove, Joe Philbin, Jordan Crowther, Max Wood
The sides are in for the penultimate game of Rivals Round 👀
Watch the Leopards face the Wolves on @BBCTwo, SkySports+ or SuperLeague+ 📺#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/qE55NMlsCX
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) April 19, 2025
