Warrington Wolves returned to the top of the Super League table with a 42-6 victory over Leigh Leopards in the Rivals Round at Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Warrington took Leeds Rhinos on goal difference, but things went the other way for Leigh.
Thanks to yet another crushing defeat, they have now moved up the table and sit at the bottom of the table.
Leopards have suffered from a lack of depth compared to other teams, with a number of injuries to starters Edwin Ipape and Umira Hanley, which has caused head coach Adrian Lam to worry.
Warrington led overall 24-0 at half-time thanks to tries from Josh Smith, Matty Ashton, James Bentley and Joe Philbin.
Mark Sneed added all four conversions with the boot perfectly.
Matty Ashton shows off her gymnastics skills on second attempt
The home side then had 18 points, 40 in the second half, thanks to Snead’s penalty, Ashton’s second goal and tries from George Williams and Sam Powell. Sneed converted 2 of 3.
Lee managed to come on after Adam Cooke converted his own shot, but the goal was just a consolation.
Warrington’s show style with Lee under pressure in last place
Lee spent the afternoon on defense.
It was clear early on that Warrington would lead the team. After just two minutes a kick was collected and taken wide, with Smith walking in the corner and scoring to get Warrington on the scoreboard. Sneed scored to make it 6-0.
Less than 10 minutes later, they turned things around again with a shot that defeated Lee’s attempt to take the lead.
As he was about to play into Warrington’s half, Ashton came up with a massive interception, racing 70 meters downfield to give Snide a 12-0 victory over the hosts.
Warrington’s Josh Smith opened the scoring for the home side.
It was all Warrington’s fault, and the defensive burden started to get to Lee. Needing to defend repeat sets, they fell out of tackles and allowed Warrington to steal passes to add vital meters.
Fifteen minutes later, George Williams found Bentley running a great line and Warrington came on again. In his Super League debut for the club, Bentley made a strong attack and Snead converted an extra kick to take an 18-0 lead.
Warrington’s Joe Philbin makes sure Mark Snide’s kick dives
Warrington added another point in the 35th minute when Philbin dived in through Snide’s perfectly weighted glover. Snead converted 4 of 4 for a solid 24-0 advantage at halftime.
Warrington came on looking to continue the second half in the same vein as the first, and six minutes later Lee was penalized for offside and Sneid converted the penalty over to score.
Lee was short on steals and had a great moment in the 55th minute when Williams danced and weaved before diving under the sticks. His halfback partner converted again, giving them a 32-0 lead.
Ashton had a field day, hitting a double that included a 70-meter interception effort.
The home side continued to score and Ashton, who has been in great form since his return, showed off the acrobatic skills he has become famous for by diving off the edge. For the first time, Snead couldn’t convert.
With an excellent 40/20, Lee eventually got past Cook and took the score to 36-6.
But Warrington quickly turned it around when Powell cut under the sticks with seven minutes remaining.
Lamb: We need to minimize ‘bleeding’ | Burgess: Being on top means nothing
Lee head coach Adrian Lam wants his team to get the basic principles right
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam told Sky Sports:
“It was tough to watch. There were a lot of substitutions towards the end, players playing out of position, but we were probably our biggest opponent. We made it really difficult from the start.
“Are we confident that we can get back on track once the injury heals? That’s the hope. But that being said, we still have a decent team on the field.
“What’s letting us down at the moment is the standards and fundamental principles. It doesn’t matter who wears the jersey, it should be at the same level. We certainly haven’t figured it out at the moment.”
“There’s still a lot of hope there. We’ll see a different look next week, maybe one or two guys back, some changes, just supporting the group until that happens.”
“At the moment we have to minimize the bleeding. We are only four points out of the top five. We have been in this situation before and we know that once we get back on track with our strongest team we will feel a little better. But we have to make sure we find wins along the way and stay positive.”
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Sam Burgess joked with Rod Studd after Warrington Wolves’ win over Leigh Leopards when he was asked if he could take advantage of being top of the Super League table.
Warrington head coach Sam Burgess told Sky Sports:
“I was happy to manage the conditions better. Last week (against Leeds) we struggled with the wind, especially in the second half. As a professional, it was a good performance overall.”
“We know Lee is short-staffed and we have a lot of players injured at the moment, but we still needed to be physical and get the job done.
“It makes no sense (to be top at this stage of the season). History tells us that. I’m not too worried about the league position. I’m more concerned about improving and making sure the players are looking forward to challenging themselves and developing every day.”
On Snyde’s Man of the Match performance: “He’s a very experienced player and we’re grateful to have had him. Euan Erwin didn’t play today, but he was a bit off last week. We have the luxury of Marc. We can rest Ewan if we need to. He’s a great player to have around. His attitude is first class and he’s a very talented player.”
2026 Super League – Important dates and highlights
Paris Super League: Saturday 6 June: Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports) Magic Weekend: 4 July – 5 July Rivals Round Reversal: 23 July – 26 July Elimination Play-offs: 19 September – 20 September Play-off Semi-Finals: 26 September – 27 September Grand Final: October 3rd, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will continue to broadcast every Super League match live this season. Exclusively live, including two matches from each round, the remaining five matches will be shown weekly on Sky Sports+.
