Warrington Wolves have beaten Leigh Leopards for the second week running to claim a place in the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
A 24-10 result sees Wire through to the last four, with Marc Sneyd producing a vintage display at half-back to guide his team into the next round.
Both sides welcomed back bodies, with four Leigh players returning from injury and three Wire men also making their comeback.
However, neither side came away unscathed and it was a returnee from each side who has potentially aggravated their injury.
Super League Rivals Round madness, broken video referee system and Challenge Cup predictions – Click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show
Warrington Wolves v Leigh Leopards talking points
Wire have a semi on:
After being beaten finalists in 2024 and 2025, Warrington are 80 minutes away from a third consecutive Wembley final.
Their opponents will be revealed in tomorrow’s Challenge Cup draw, but they more than deserved their place in the last four following some terrific efforts from their experienced heads.
Tries came from Ben Currie, who scored twice, Danny Walker and Toby King, and those four scores would be enough to defeat the Leopards for a second week in a row.
Leigh’s returnees certainly gave them new life and an improved effort kept them in the game for the majority, but two late tries from Currie put the game to bed for Sam Burgess’ men.
Returning pair suffer further injury:
After making their returns from injury in this game, Warrington’s Luke Yates and Leigh’s Umyla Hanley lasted less than half of the game and both were escorted from the field in the first half.
The pair both looked to suffer arm injuries, which is particularly concerning in Hanley’s case given that he has missed the start of the season it a shoulder complaint.
Thankfully, the rest of the returnees looked to come away from the game unscathed, but concern will be in both camps with two key men potentially coming back from injury too early and suffering the consequences as a result.
Careless Thewlis hampers Wire:
After a routine kick from George Williams went over the dead ball line, a deliberate knock of the ball into the crowd from Josh Thewlis proved costly for the home side, with referee Jack Smith sending the winger to the sin bin for delaying the restart.
Just minutes after his exit, Leigh pounced on the man advantage and a break down the left edge, where he would have been defending, saw Lachlan Lam cruise over for Leigh’s second try.
His actions wouldn’t come to cost his side, but the needless effort certainly made for a few more pulls on the heartstrings than were necessary from a Warrington perspective.
Ipape impact:
The difference in performances Leigh produce when they have Edwin Ipape in the side compared to when they don’t is night and day. With the PNG man returning for the first time since round two, it was clear that his presence was something they’d hugely missed.
Both in attack and defence, Adrian Lam’s side looked more comfortable and could begin to find their creative flair that the hooker is so pivotal to. Combining with Lachlan Lam, the pair sent Innes Senior over for the club’s first try to open the scores on nine minutes.
In the second half, his first touch after returning from the bench saw him put away Lam for his try, giving Leigh a 10-6 lead with 23 minutes to go.
Wonderful Williams and Vintage Sneyd:
After a hugely disappointing 2025 season, one man who have been in brilliant form in the early part of this year is Wolves skipper George Williams. Many questioned his inclusion in the Ashes squad in the Autumn, and rightly so, but this season he has upped his game and has been crucial for Sam Burgess’ side.
The NRL-bound half-back is top of the assist charts in Super League this season, and in the second half he added another to his tally as he delivered a sublime ball to Toby King who managed to convert the opportunity and level the game at 10-10.
His half-back partner Marc Sneyd was equally as impressive, with his kicking both with ball in-hand and from the tee a key reason as to why Warrington are in the semi-finals.
Kicking four from five conversions (compared to Leigh’s one from three), his place kicking put over Currie for his second try. Game management was also top class, as last year’s Lance Todd Trophy winner rolled back the years in a vintage display.
