It’s the final week of the domestic season in rugby league – and have we had a dramatic few days to recap with some huge storylines in Super League, the NRL and the Championship.
With Brisbane Broncos champions of the NRL and Toulouse on top in the Championship, there are some big teams celebrating significant victories.
With that in mind – and looking ahead to the Grand Final this Saturday in Super League – here’s everything we learned over the weekend that was.
Hull KR are a tougher proposition than 2024
The Robins return to Old Trafford with two major trophies under their belt and as a far stronger team mentally than they were 12 months ago.
That was evident on Saturday night. St Helens threw everything they had at the Robins but in reality.. did anyone really think the Robins wouldn’t be the ones heading to the Grand Final?
Wigan will have to be right on it. Last year, you felt that the Warriors could have won the Grand Final without being at their best. That will not be the case this time.
We should now get a World Club Challenge
And what a World Club Challenge it would be. Michael Maguire is a keen advocate of Super League and a keen admirer of the concept, so you would hope that puts the onus on all parties to get a deal done.
Whether it is Brisbane v Hull KR or Brisbane v Wigan remains to be seen. It would likely be in England – and could yet pit Maguire up against the club where he made his name as a head coach.
Leigh will be even better in 2026
That they managed to block out all of the noise through the week – some of which was ridiculous – to put in a spirited and merited display at the home of the Super League champions was telling.
This is a very different Leigh side to last year and this off-season, there is no real need for a huge overhaul. As Adrian Lam admitted post-match, the Leopards will merely tweak and look to add a little bit of star power.
They’re well set to really go again bigger and better in 2026.
The noises on Paul Wellens are telling
It’s felt like for a good while that Paul Wellens would be St Helens coach in 2026 but the noises from all parties last night felt pretty telling.
First and foremost, Wellens stopped short of answering whether he actually wanted to be the coach. There was then a lengthy discussion between the Sky Sports team when it was largely agreed that the direction of travel appears to be a new man in the dugout.
We should get some clarity soon: and the Saints need it.
The brilliance of Bevan French
Is Jai Field actually the Man of Steel favourite?
We know the play-offs don’t count in the reckoning to be crowned winner of the Man of Steel in 2025, but the focus has been on Jake Connor and Mikey Lewis so much, we’ve perhaps overlooked the other man on the shortlist.
Field has been sensational for Wigan in 2025 and he was so again on Friday, playing an influential role in the Warriors’ win over Leigh Leopards. Perhaps he is the man who will get the nod after all, when you really think about it..
Don’t expect England shocks
Shaun Wane has picked up his media duties in recent days – first with Love Rugby League before a wider media session on Friday evening – as the Ashes starts to approach.
And it’s easy to start to see a pattern in how Wane is going to select his 24-man squad. As is his right, Wane can go down whichever route he pleases, but it looks like it will be tried and tested for the most part. That is evident with him admitting the likes of Kallum Watkins and John Bateman are both in contention.
With that in mind, don’t expect too many shocks.
Toulouse should now be locked in for Super League
It’s only right that if there are as many as three teams coming up from the Championship in 2026, one of them has to be the team that has just won the competition.
Toulouse’s victory is huge on multiple fronts, not least because it gives them an enormous chance of making the top 12. But even if they didn’t get in that way, surely they have to be given the nod? It would be ludicrous if three teams beneath them somehow got the call-up and they didn’t.
..but York should be in too
It wasn’t their day on the pitch on Sunday afternoon, but a bumper crowd approaching 6,000 at just a week’s notice underlines there is a public appetite for rugby league in York. If they’re in Super League, those numbers would grow even more, too.
Given the progression they’ve made, their location, their facility and so much more – wouldn’t it be a huge error to cut them out?
Which means one from two, probably
On the assumption Salford don’t make the top 12, that would leave us with Toulouse and York in, and just one spot free in this hypothetical scenario. And in all reality, it will be two clubs fighting for it.
London Broncos and Bradford Bulls.
There are huge positives to both. But there are also negatives you can hang against each team too which has them slightly below Toulouse and York in our eyes. Both have potential to improve Super League, but if the two Grand Finalists are in, then only one of that pair can make the cut.
