2026 Super League Coach's Assessment

There are just two days remaining of the year 2025. The Super League season kicks off in about 6 weeks time, and most of the pre-season signings have been made and the returning Internationals are back with their clubs.

2026 promises to be an exciting year for Northern Hemisphere rugby league with three new teams, pushing the ranks up to 14 teams. Everybody has an opinion as to how teams will perform over the course of the season based on existing squad strength and the quality of new recruits. In my opinion the quality of the Head Coach matters more than the quality of the playing roster.

Love Rugby League have compiled Super League coaches' win percentages Ranking every 2026 Super League coach's career win percentage . This gives an indication but does not reveal the whole picture.

Below is my gut reaction to the current crop of Super League coaches:

14. Kurt Haggerty - Unlike Love Rugby League, I actually know that Haggerty was in charge of Leigh Centurions in 2021, after John Dufty left by mutual consent. Leigh won only two games out of the 19 with Haggerty in charge. During his tenure, Leigh played attacking formations, which would have been familiar to Haggerty from his playing days. Having been an Assistant Coach for the last four seasons, it is unclear whether Haggerty has incorporated modern playing styles into his repertoire. Inexperienced in the top job, I expect him to struggle to create a cohesive team in time to win many games.

13. Sylvain Houles - 12 years and counting, Houles has been a permanent fixture at Toulouse Olympique. Last year, he guided Toulouse to a 2nd-placed finish and victory in the grand final against York. A career record of 67% win percentage also includes a solitary season in the 2022 Super League. Favouring a core of home grown French players, and not being backed financially to bring in a full complement of overseas players. It's hard to assess his coaching strengths when he's not competing on a level playing field.

12. Ryan Carr - There is a lot of excitement in Rugby League press about Castleford's chances in 2026. Carr returns to the UK after previously being in charge of Featherstone Rovers in 2019. Carr was interim manager at St George Illawarra Dragons in 2022, but only managed three wins from 14 matches. Carr inherits a team very much influx. Castleford have been bumbling around the bottom of the table for the last three years, and a major culture change and some good management are required. Not sure that Ryan Carr has the necessary skills to make such a quick change around.

11. Luke Robinson - A total of 48 games in charge of Huddersfield with a 31% win percentage, has overseen a steady decline in Huddersfield's fortunes. Ken Davy the owner of the Giants, has been incredibly loyal in recent seasons. Rhetoric coming from Davy suggests that he wants to see Huddersfield win a trophy in the next few years. Robinson may have had to overcome a terrible string of injuries, but the jury is out as to how much time he has to turn things around.

10. Joel Tomkins - A strange choice to take on the Catalans Dragons. No experience in the role, and a team massively underperforming under Steve McNamara. Tomkins was able to add a little steel to a very poor Les Dracs team. Unlikely to make Catalans into a top six side in 2026.

9. Mark Applegarth - A single season in Super League with Wakefield was very demoralising for the young coach. Highly rated as a youth coach, he was unable to get any tune out of a very poor Wakefield side. Moving to York, has given Applegarth a new appetite for the game, and made the York City Knights into a free-flowing side. Recruitment is thought to be good for the new season and Applegarth will relish a second chance in the top flight.

8. Sam Burgess - As a player Burgess did not accept any nonsense. As a coach he has allowed a poor culture to fester at Warrington. An experienced coach like Daryl Powell was unable to sort out the behaviour and matey Burgess appeared far too close to the players to maintain discipline. Tactically naive last year, the backroom staff appeared to have no idea how to turn the team around. Steve McNamara might be the catalyst for a change in the culture at the HJ Stadium.

7. Paul Rowley - Rowls is considered to be one of the best man managers in the game. Able to get the best out of old hands and bring on young talent. At St Helens he will have to deal with an abundance of both. Often considered to be tactically naive, with players given free rein to attack from any part of the field, it creates an attractive spectacle when it comes off, something that will be greatly appreciated at St Helens. This will be Rowley's big opportunity to achieve something at a big club. Rowley is shrewd observer of the game, and his time as a pundit shows a real understanding for the game.

6. John Cartwright - Cartwright inherited a Hull side on the slide, with consecutive 9th, 10th and 11th finishes. Myler revitalised the squad by raiding the Leigh Leopards. Cartwright with 7 seasons at the Gold Coast Titans as Head Coach, and many more as an assistant in the NRL, was able to add steel and style to a new Hull side. Injuries to key players eventually proved to be the downside to reaching the play-offs. A complete season under his belt, Cartwright will be expecting bigger and better things for the Black and Whites.

5. Daryl Powell - Powell's resurrection from the disastrous spell at Warrington. Wakefield and Powell are a match made in heaven. A return to West Yorkshire was exactly what Powell needed with previous success at Leeds, Featherstone and Castleford. With a season reset in the Championship, Powell has built a strong base for Wakefield's first assault back in Super League, next season looks promising for a second consecutive play-off season.

4. Brad Arthur - Arthur is an experienced NRL coach with 10 consecutive seasons at the Parramatta Eels. A tough coach who expects to win games through defensive endeavours. He inherited a Leeds Rhinos team with a soft underbelly after the tenure of Rohan Smith. His greatest success so far in Super League is taming the maverick nature of Jake Connor. Any Arthur team will be physically fit and defensively organised.

3. Matt Peet - Controversial choice for a coach who has every trophy in his short tenure at Wigan. Credited with creating the cultural envy of Super League, it is actually unclear where the ideas and philosophy emanate. The reality is probably from Kris Radlinski, who controls the club with a rod of might. Wigan are often described as a 2 man team, and their results without Field and French back up these criticisms. What is often overlooked is that they were signed under Adrian Lam's tenure, with both being injured in Lam's final season at Wigan. Peet is one of Rugby League's great thinkers, but he is surrounded by the best training facilities and a great team of assistants, with arguably the best academy 

2. Adrian Lam - Much maligned during his tenure of Wigan Warriors for their boring five drives and a kick philosophy. Lam took a recently relegated side and built it up in the image of himself. With a small coaching setup, essentially just Clubb and Lam, they have recruited well, starting with older experienced players and finally moving to a young, dynamic team. Well respected for bringing talent through like, Trout, Brand, Hanley and Hodgson, with an eye for talent both old and young like Asiata, O'Donnell, Amone and Ipape. More recently, Ofahengaue, Nui, Liu and O'Neill. To establish Leigh in the top six, three years running is an incredible achievement.

1. Willie Peters - Little Willie is my choice at number one. He has a ruthless streak in the recruitment market and will quickly move players on if a better option becomes available. Without having insider information, he also appears to be ruthless when dealing with assistant coaches who don't agree with him. He needs total commitment to the cause and has created a united defence and a maverick attacking side capable of striking anywhere on the pitch. Hull KR were deserving champions of 2025.