Super League: Warrington Wolves beat Hull KR before Hull FC's comeback at Leigh Leopards falls just short
After winning last year's Super League Grand Final, Hull KR's top-six hopes are in serious doubt after losing three out of their last four matches; Hull FC almost pulled off a sensational comeback against Leigh Leopards
Sunday 19 July 2026 00:19, UK
Hull KR's Super League title defence continues to unravel as they crashed to a 34-12 defeat against resurgent Warrington at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Willie Peters' men looked flat-footed and woefully short of ideas as they failed to respond to last week's home loss to Wakefield and left their hopes of sealing a top-six play-off slot in doubt.
Having lost three of their last four, the hosts entered the game under arguably more pressure to produce a result but Sam Burgess' side reacted brilliantly, slamming the door in a shut-out first half before ultimately cruising to a much-needed win.
Peters said after the game: "The way we played today, that team shouldn't be in a semi-final.
"The first 30 minutes couldn't have gone any worse for us. It's very tough, but there's no time to feel sorry for ourselves. It's difficult to pinpoint one thing at the moment, but we certainly need to simplify things and actually start to get better."
Hull KR started the game without winger Joe Burgess amid reports of a training ground altercation with captain Elliot Minchella and a testing week got worse as they limped to half-time 22-0 adrift.
An early Oliver Gildart break was ruled out for offside before Leon Hayes set up Lachlan Webster to wriggle over for the hosts' opener after eight minutes. Hayes was the provider again for the second try as James Harrison galloped through a static Hull KR line to score.
Mikey Lewis was fortunate to avoid punishment for an apparent headbutt on Adam Holroyd before Arthur Mourgue and Tom Davies collided, enabling Matty Ashton to step inside and cross for his 100th Super League try.
Within two minutes, Toff Sipley's break was finished off by Danny Walker, and Ewan Irwin's third successful kick put Warrington in command at the break.
Hayes punctured a hole in the Rovers rearguard after 52 minutes and Joe Philbin then crashed over for Warrington's fifth, before the visitors finally got on the scoresheet through Gildart on the hour mark.
As the momentum ebbed out of the game, Lewis was eventually sin-binned for a ridiculously late tackle on Irwin, who duly kicked his personal tally for the day into double figures. Lewis is now likely to miss Thursday's derby with Hull FC.
Ashton scored his second and Warrington's sixth with two minutes remaining before James Bachelor's late effort at least gave Rovers the scant consolation of ending the afternoon in double figures.
Leigh and Toulouse survive second-half scares
Later in the day, Hull FC fell short in a spirited fightback against Leigh, hauling themselves back from 28-0 down before losing 32-22.
Super League's all-time top try-scorer Josh Charnley, who had opened the scoring for Leigh, produced a crucial score nine minutes from time after Andy Last's struggling side had moved to within six points of a stunning comeback.
First-half tries from Charnley, Adam Cook, David Armstrong (two) and Umyla Hanley put Leigh in charge to put Hull on the way to a ninth loss in 10.
After the break, Harvey Barron scored twice with Cade Cust and Lennon Clark also going over to inject jeopardy back into the contest.
Leigh's Owen Trout was sin-binned as the visitors wobbled, before Cook produced a 40-20 and then a brilliant pass to set up Charnley's second to settle nerves.
It leaves Leigh fifth in the table, six points from the top. Defeat means Hull still sit just one place from the bottom, six points ahead of Huddersfield.
Saturday's final game followed a similar pattern as Toulouse moved two points clear of opponents York Knights in ninth place with a 30-22 victory at the Stade Ernest-Wallon.
The French side led 28-0 at half-time thanks to five tries from Jake Shorrocks, Luke Polselli, Olly Ashall-Bott, Paul Ulberg and Henry O'Kane.
However, Oli Field got York on the board two minutes after the break before Sam Wood (52) and Nikau Williams (57) reduced the deficit with more than 20 minutes to play.
After that nine-minute blitz, Shorrocks, who signed a new two-year contract this week, scored a penalty to extend Toulouse's margin once again before Tom Inman bagged a try with three minutes to go to set up a tense finale.
However, Toulouse hung on for their third win in three matches following their big wins over St Helens and Catalans Dragons in recent weeks.
Super League 2026 - upcoming key dates
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
- Grand Final: October 3
Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+.
