Leeds Rhinos have gone clear atop Super League after a dominant win over second-place Warrington Wolves in which star man Maika Sivo scored a fifth hat-trick of the season.
The Rhinos won 34-6 in a six-try win with three of those going to the inevitable Maika Sivo as Leeds put on a show to establish themselves as the competition’s clear leaders.
Both sides went into the game with limited changes, each making one, but Leeds’ was more significant as they recalled Man of Steel front-runner Lachie Miller after his three-game ban with Fergus McCormack making way for the Australian.
That change was pivotal in Leeds landing the win and go top of Super League with the Australian combining wonderfully with his other spine players to help hammer Warrington.
Despite taking the lead through Ewan Irwin, Wire found themselves 16-2 at half time after the Rhinos scored three tries inside ten minutes and Leeds picked up where they left off, scoring with ease against Warrington’s right edge in the second half.
Matty Ashton would score late on as a consolation for Warrington but that’s all it was with Leeds the clear victors both in terms of the two points but also in landing a major blow in the race to Old Trafford.
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Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos talking points
Not their year
It’s a phrase that is said with jest about it always being Warrington Wolves’ year but for the first 14 rounds of Super League, you’d be forgiven for believing it, however, tonight’s performance will have convinced many that is far from Warrington’s year.
Wire were in the grind early on and opened the scoring through a penalty but Leeds grew into the game and once they scored one, they immediately scored a second, before adding a third inside ten minutes.
Boos at half-time suggest displeasure from the home crowd and they were loud again soon after the half as Leeds scored almost immediately, shutting down any hopes of a comeback but also seriously bringing into question Warrington’s title credentials.
Two of their three Super League losses have come at the hands of the Rhinos so perhaps it’s a case of a bogey team rather than an inability to ice big games but ahead of a run of games that includes Leigh twice, Wigan and Hull KR, yet more questions will be asked of their credentials.
Grand Final favourites
They might not have started the season as favourites and there might be concerns about what next year holds given how many starters are leaving but for now, you have to say that Leeds Rhinos are the red-hot favourites for the Grand Final on the basis of this performance and the fact they’re now leading Super League outright.
Wigan Warriors are in imperious form of late and they may well remind us just how special they are when they face York on Saturday, but as it stands, Leeds look the team to beat and this was a huge statement win.
Whilst Wigan have a win over Leeds this year, Leeds have the big advantage on the Super League ladder and a top two finish is a huge advantage when bidding to make it to Old Trafford, something Leeds have not done since 2022 but are surely now favourites for.
Lachie Miller
One reason, among many, why Leeds are standouts for the Grand Final is their number one with Lachie Miller returning in spectacular fashion tonight.
The Australian had been out for the past three games through suspension but all that appears to have done is recharge him with the full-back terrorising Warrington with his pace but also his skill.
His link-up with Croft and Connor makes them a true trifecta that is near impossible to deal with whilst his defensive abilities have improved massively since his arrival at the club in 2024.
New record-breaker?
We saw Josh Charnley break the all-time Super League try-scoring record last weekend but Maika Sivo is well on his way to break the single season try-scoring record.
Heading into tonight’s game on 22 tries inside 14 rounds, the Fijian added another three in what was his third hat-trick of the season, moving onto 25 with 12 games still to play.
The record, held by Denny Solomona, is 40 with the Castleford man setting that in 2016 during a 30-game season. Should Sivo break it then he’ll have to score over a try a game for the rest of the season but for a man averaging over two a game as it stands, you wouldn’t back against him.
Booed off at HT and FT
After Leeds Rhinos hit them with three tries inside ten minutes, Warrington Wolves were left facing a big deficit approaching the half and they looked set to be offered an opportunity as Leeds knocked on with 90 seconds to go.
Wire considered the two but played on, however, they were slow in getting going and lacked any real structure before eventually putting the ball to ground in what has to be considered a major wasted opportunity.
That wastefulness and the ten-minute lapse in which they shipped 16 points led to what was a chorus of boos at half time at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, only countered by the chants of Yorkshire and the rapturous applause of the Leeds fans.
After a second half where their fate did not improve, it was understandable that those same boos recurred after the final hooter.
Bizarre opening try
Despite Warrington taking the lead through a Ewan Irwin penalty, it was Leeds who scored the first try and who else but Maika Sivo, however, this one was very different from the 22 Super League tries he’d scored prior to tonight.
Leeds looked to shift the ball right but Brodie Croft shifted it back left to Lachie Miller who put a spinning grubber kick through that started to arc away from Ash Handley who could only pat it backwards inadvertently when he tried to ground.
Fortunately for Leeds, that failure to ground saw the ball roll straight back to the chasing Sivo who simply had to pick the ball up and ground for his easiest try of the season but also one of the strangest. Making matter worse for Wire was that Leeds went back-to-back and doubled their lead straight after.
.@LeedsRhinos go clear at the top of the @Betfred #SuperLeague table 🦏 pic.twitter.com/fa5SVfM73g
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 18, 2026
