Wakefield host Leigh in sudden-death play-off rematch
Wakefield Trinity host Leigh Leopards at 8pm on Friday 18 September in the opening Super League play-off eliminator.
The tie is an instant rematch. Wakefield won 19-8 at Leigh last week to seal fourth place and earn home advantage for this game, Sky Sports reports.
It is sudden death. The winners stay alive in the six-team play-offs. The losers go home. The play-offs run across three weeks to the Betfred Super League Grand Final on Saturday 3 October, with all games shown live on Sky Sports.
Wakefield finished fourth. That is the club's highest-ever Super League finish, according to BBC Sport. They only returned to the top flight for the 2025 season after winning the Championship League Leaders' Shield in 2024. The revival has come under head coach Daryl Powell, whose arrival coincided with the investment of owner Matt Ellis.
Form has wobbled. Wakefield lost three of their final six regular-season games, including defeats by Leeds and Wigan. Wigan finished top to take the League Leaders' Shield, the prize for finishing first after the regular season.
Leigh finished fifth under head coach Adrian Lam. They opened the season with victory against Leeds, lost eight of their next 16 games in all competitions, then won nine of 12 to close the regular season. That run continued a strong return since promotion back to Super League in 2023 and the rebrand as the Leopards.
The comeback has already brought a Challenge Cup win and a play-off place in every season since 2023. Neither Wakefield nor Leigh have ever reached a Super League Grand Final. Leigh centre Umyla Hanley brings star quality after being named in the Super League Dream Team, the competition's team of the season, for a second successive year after 17 appearances this season.
Wakefield hold the recent edge. They completed a league double over Leigh this season, winning 18-14 in March before last week's 19-8 victory at Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Super League notes. In rugby league, where teams get six tackles to move the ball before they must hand it over, that kind of control of field position matters. Wakefield imposed it twice.
For fans, this means a full house and fine margins. Adult tickets were priced at £25 and concessions at £20, with only limited tickets left for the tie. One of these two clubs will move a step closer to a first Grand Final. The other will be done.
