A date with Hull KR at Wembley in early June awaited the victors in the second semi-final between the Warrington Wolves and Leigh Leopards as the two sides clashed at the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens.

The Wolves were handicapped by two points on the coupon despite being five points and six places behind their opponents on the current Super League table, Leigh having won the league meeting between the two sides back in April 2025.

The Wolves were looking for their second consecutive final appearance, and to go one better than last year and lift the trophy, the Leopards for their second appearance in three seasons after famously lifting the trophy in 2023 when they beat Hull KR thanks to that Gareth O’Brien golden point drop goal.

Only forty-seven seconds had elapsed when Edwin Ipape charged down and collected a marc Sneyd kick on the halfway line, sprinting fifty metres to score in the corner. Gareth O’Brien was unable to add the conversion from the right touchline, but it was the dream start for Leigh.

Warrington’s spectacular equaliser came on eleven minutes, Roderick Tai leaping to take a Josh Thewlis offload which had been knocked back by Josh Charnley. Tai was just able to get the ball to ground before going dead in goal. Sneyd added the difficult conversion from the touchline to edge the Wolves in front.

There were more brilliant offloads in the build-up before Paul Vaughan bumped off a tackle and span over the line with a scoot from dummy half. Sneyd kicked a simple conversion from the shadow of the sticks for 12-4.

Leigh were caught offside, five metres in front of their own sticks on twenty-seven, Sneyd adding to his points haul with a penalty goal.

Fifteen seconds before the interval, Warrington turned defence onto attack with a Thewlis break after he collected a grubber kick on his own line. The Warrington winger went seventy metres before being tackled but set up the field position to allow Sneyd to kick a drop goal to give the Wolves a 15-4 half time lead.

Ipape went close to getting his second on forty-three minutes, but he was brilliantly hauled down centimetres from the line.

Three minutes later the Leopards were right back in the game with a seventy-metre effort through several sets of hands, before Tesi Niu was put through a gap by O’Brien and went in from thirty metres out. O’Brien was unable to add the extras from wide, Leigh still seven points adrift.

With fourteen minutes remaining Toby King took a Dufty pass and stepped off both feet to lunge for the line and ground. Sneyd nailed the conversion from the touchline to push his side out to a thirteen-point lead, Leigh needing to score three times in twelve minutes.

Inside a minute Niu got his second of the afternoon, busting the line and scrambling over. O’Brien added the conversion, the lead back down to seven points but it was too much for Leigh and the fightback ended there.

The closing minutes got fractious but delivered no further points.

It was a high-quality game between two quality sides in challenging conditions which was well refereed by Liam Moore. The Leopards hearts were broken by a determined Wolves side who overcame a lengthy injury list to set up the Wembley final against Hull KR, the first time that the two sides have met in the prestigious final since Warrington lifted the trophy in the 1904-05 season after they won by 6-0 in a final played at Headingley.

Warrington Wolves: Dufty, Thewlis Josh, Tai (T), King (T), Ashton, Ratchford, Sneyd (G 3/3, DG), Yates, Powell, Vaughan, Holroyd, Fitzgibbon, Currie.  Subs: Philbin, Crowther, Lindop, Harrison. 18^th Man:  Musgrove.

Leigh Leopards: Armstrong, McIntosh, Niu (2T), Hanley, Charnley, O’Brien (G 1/3), Lam, Trout, Ipape (T), Mulhern, O’Neill, Hughes, Liu. Subs: Hodgson, McNamara, Davis, Ofahengaue. 18^th Man: Tuitavake.

Half-Time: 15-4.

Full-Time: 21-14.

Score Progression: 0-4, 4-4, 6-4, 10-4, 12-4, 14-4, 15-4: HT: 15-8, 19-8, 21-8, 21-12, 21-14:FT.

Lead Exchanges: Leigh – Square -  Warrington.

Referee: Liam Moore.