Wakefield Trinity held their own to beat Leigh Leopards 18-14 in Round 5 of the Super League at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.
There wasn’t much difference between the teams at half-time, with Wakefield scoring eight points thanks to a converted try from Jazz Tebaga and a penalty from Max Jowitt, while Leigh hit back with an unconverted Gareth O’Brien shot to make it 8-4 at the break.
Wakefield opened the scoring early in the second half with a goal from Jayden Myers, followed by a goal from Oliver Platt, with Platt scoring a try from behind the sin bin as Jack Hughes thwarted a try-scoring chance.
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Jack Hughes’ professional foul leads to Oli Platt’s try in Wakefield Trinity v Leigh Leopards
Lee scored with goals from Josh Charnley and Jacob Alick-Wienke, but added the point too late and suffered another defeat.
The win was Wakefield’s third of the season, but Lee has won one of five games thanks to injury. In fact, head coach Adrian Lamb said they entered the contest with the last 18 healthy players remaining.
Wakefield is nervous because Lee’s game is too slow.
Lee Leopards said they went into the match with a simple game plan, but in the opening two minutes it was clear that Wakefield was thinking the same thing, after which an arm-wrestle broke out and both teams seemed intent on completing the set.
Wakefield, now in the lead, made a breakthrough in the 11th minute. After a set restart in the opponent’s half, Tyson Smoothie threw a fun flat pass to Tebaga on a nice line that went under the sticks. Jowitt converted for an early 6-0 advantage.
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Jazz Tebaga gives Wakefield the lead.
Lee thought they had hit back eight minutes later, but Jack Hughes was thwarted on the line. That being said, Leopards looked the more dangerous of the two.
Wakefield thought they were rewarded for standing firm against Lee’s misfiring attack in the 28th minute when Jaden Myers stretched out for a corner. However, an examination revealed that his feet had touched the ball before grounding it, and his effort was canceled for a choke.
The home side were the next to take the points in the 30th minute when Jowitt converted from Jack Sinfield’s high shot, but their decision to go for two rather than try for a second was indicative of the state of the game.
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Gareth O’Brien shows a dummy and rides the tackle past Lee.
Still, Leigh remained undeterred and finally made it back in the 33rd minute when Liam Horn forced a knock-on on Caius Fertili with a big shot. Then, with Wakefield’s defensive line out of action, O’Brien was allowed to throw a dummy, ride a tackle and score. Adam Cook was unable to add a conversion and they were down 8-4 at half-time.
Wakefield returned after half-time and immediately regained momentum from the unlikeliest of providers. Prop Caius Fertili sent in an unexpected kick that bounced back to Myers who picked it up and ran in to extend the lead.
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Wakefield prop Caius Fertili’s kick scores Jaden Myers’ try.
Both players looked for chances, but the result was only a “no try.” Myers thought the first goal would come on again in the 59th minute, but it was canceled out by a knock-on from Cam Scott in the build-up.
Lee then had a shot on Frankie Hulton called off for a similar foul as Horne was knocked on during a challenge in the air.
But in the end, after a dramatic few minutes, Wakefield got the try they were looking for. It happened after Hughes was sent to the sin bin for a pull, denying him a try-scoring opportunity.
From there, Wakefield shifted the ball wide and Pratt powered his way over, with Jowitt converting for an 18-4 lead.
Leigh fought back again in the 69th minute at Charnley, but Cook again missed the conversion and they were 18-8 down with 10 minutes remaining as time expired.
That meant Aric-Wienke made a comeback with a minute left and Cook converted his shot, but Wakefield held on with 15 seconds left and Lee fell four points shy of his second win of the season.
Powell: We are at the beginning of this season’s journey | Lam Zheng: We must remain positive even in difficult times
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Daryl Powell felt Leigh Leopards took time to get into shape, but was happy with the win despite Wakefield Trinity’s lack of form.
Wakefield Trinity Head Coach Darryl Powell:
“I thought there was a lot to like about us last week, but not so much tonight.”
“Credit to Lee, they came after us and we didn’t deal with it very well.
“We didn’t play smart. It took us a long time and we squandered some chances. We have a lot to improve on tonight.
“We were a little inconsistent in our performance tonight, but we have to win the game and that is important.
“This is a journey every season and we’re just at the beginning of it and we want to get a little bit better and we’re definitely going to do that starting tonight.”
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Adrian Lamb has spoken about Gareth O’Brien’s HIA, which he feels should have been allowed back in Leigh Leopards’ defeat to Wakefield Trinity if nothing went wrong.
Lee Leopards head coach Adrian Lamb:
“Discipline hurt us because we had some important moments in that game.
“I think they’re just looking to connect as a team.
“It was very awkward, but in the end it was the too many penalties that hurt us.
“I think the penalty count at halftime was 7-1. I don’t know what it was overall, but it was a blow for us.
“We just have to get through this difficult time.
“We only picked 18 players this week and only had 11 to train, but we don’t have to worry too much, just keep a positive attitude and be there for each other.”
“It seems like we have a long way to go at the moment, but I’m positive.”
2026 Super League – Important dates and highlights
Super League 30th Anniversary: Thursday 26 March Castleford Tigers v Bradford Bulls, 8pm (Sky Sports) Rivals Round: 3 April to 5 April Super League in Paris: Saturday 6 June Tarrans Dragons vs. Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports) Magic Weekend: July 4th – July 5th Rivals Round Reversal: July 23rd – July 26th Elimination Playoffs: September 19th – September 20th Play-off Semi-Finals: September 26th – September 27th 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+.
