Cai Taylor-Wray shows why Warrington Wolves are backing their youth as a star is born against St Helens
Cai Taylor-Wray put in a star showing in the first 40 minutes for Warrington Wolves as they got their season off to the perfect start against St Helens; Sky Sports is the only place to watch every Super League game live in 2026
Saturday 14 February 2026 07:24, UK
Warrington Wolves put faith in young fullback Cai Taylor-Wray when they handed him the No 1 jersey ahead of the season and in the first 40 minutes of Super League 2026 he delivered.
Taylor-Wray is just 19 years of age but what he does not have in age, he has in speed, fearlessness, and a clear desire to win.
His pace was simply electric, stripping the St Helens defensive line then outpacing fullback Jack Welsby as he ran in for a sensational solo effort for Warrington's second try of the night.
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His next-level speed then saw him involved once again in their third try, breaking through for Albert Hopoate to go over.
Those moments sent the Halliwell Jones Stadium into delight as they saw that their youth system had really produced another star.
"Cai Taylor-Wray has been simply sensational. What speed. What I love about him is his instincts when there is an opportunity. He's so excited by that space under the ruck. His pace has been blistering," said Sky Sports Rugby League's Jon Wilkin at half-time.
"Taylor-Wray has been so, so good. He just senses opportunity, and when you've got wheels like this young man, it's going to be a tough day for any fullback. Warrington have another man along with George Williams who can spot space and execute," added Sam Tomkins.
For Taylor-Wray, it is now about repaying the faith that his club has showed in him.
"I'm just buzzing. We had a gameplan from the start and we did it well. Thankfully I did my job and my role, hopefully I can build on that," he told Sky Sports.
"I want to get better than this. This is just the start of the season, we've got a long way to go, hopefully I can have many more games like this.
"At the start of the off-season, he [Sam Burgess] said he had full confidence in me. I was buzzing to hear that. Hopefully I can repay that."
His captain George Williams was also impressed with what he saw and believes it is an "exciting" time for Warrington.
"He's really good, he's still learning the game, but he's got natural speed and ability," said Williams.
"As you saw, he's agile and very hard to handle. He's got a good future ahead of him, but he's still learning the game which is exciting for Warrington.
"He's learning, he wants to learn, and hopefully this is just the start for Cai."
Burgess: Taylor-Wray is a 'work in process'
While Taylor-Wray was being lauded, head coach Sam Burgess was quick to instil a sense of reality that it is only round one and he had some defensive errors in his game.
Indeed, he added in his post-match press conference that he felt Taylor-Wray had had an "indifferent" night but was quick to praise his development and the path towards stardom that he is on.
"We all see how talented Cai is. He's a great young lad and a joy to coach. He's exciting, but he's also got a lot to work on in his game. He made a number of errors tonight, and he'll make them throughout the year - and we're OK with that as a club. We're happy to watch him develop," Burgess said.
"I thought he was very good tonight. When he needed to come up with a few plays, he made them, so I'm happy with him.
"It's completely up to Cai to find out what he's capable of - whatever he wants to be capable of.
"Like most players, he applied himself over pre‑season. He's very committed to his role and to the big responsibility of being fullback for this side.
"He's been in our system for a long time. It's going to be a work in progress with him throughout the year, but there are some wonderful parts of his game that we really enjoy watching."
Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season - including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week shown on Sky Sports+
