Warrington Wolves v Leigh Leopards (Friendly) 29th January 2026

 

A wet, windy and cold evening in Warrington for a local friendly. I have no desire to discuss the game due to the chaotic nature of interchanges, but I will identify a few performances and the refereeing of the game. 

With the law changes, both sides failed to adapt to the new interpretation of the rules in the first half. This was costly to Leigh, with Sneyd able to hammer the penalties 50 metres downfield with the wind at his back. The best player on show was definitely Danny Walker, who used the quicker rucks to steal metres at every play-the-ball, in a way that his opposite number never managed. Sneyd and Williams were largely anonymous except for the forward pass from Williams for the second try. Not sure how the officials miss these things when a player before the white line passes and the receiving player is on the other side of the markings. At least 2 points were not at stake. Not sure how video refs can make calls on knock-ons but not forward passes.

There were no exceptional performances from the Leopards, but there are encouraging signs from Adam Cook, who possesses a booming left peg. This is an area in which Leigh has always struggled. Lam worked on kicking longer distances last season, but Gaz O'Brien always struggled to get big metres from the boot. Cook also converted two tries from the left edge, which should, in theory, be the most difficult kick for left footer.

Not related to the game itself, but the Leigh pack looked very light without Mulhern and Liu, both of whom did not take part in the game. Added to these absences, Joe Offahengaue and Liam Horne have potential HIA protocols to fulfil for next week's 3rd round Challenge Cup fixture. 

The new recruits, Liam Horne looked lively until he got his tackle technique all wrong and was removed for an HIA. Innes Senior looks ungainly with his 6ft 4in matchstick frame. Considering his height, he looks decidedly iffy under the high ball. Jacob Alick-Wienke does worry me. He was totally anonymous playing for PNG in the recent Pacific Bowl tournament, and only marginally better in this friendly match. Lammy talks about his X-factor, but unless things change, I predict a swap in positions with Owen Trout.

Leigh are currently miles away from being ready to face Leeds in Round 1. Can't blame the weather, it can be just as bad in February as it was in January. Leigh also need to learn how to defend short kick-offs and drop outs. If not they are going to coughing up possession about 75% of the time.

Tom Grant was the official for this game, and after one penalty for interference at the play-the-ball, it became very obvious when the whistle would blow. Without video referees, it is quite easy to see how much they depend on the technology to get them out of a hole.

Looking forward to a faster game throughout the season. The players are still probing how far they can go before they test the referees patience.

Rugby League Fans and the Away Games

 

For Rugby League fans, it is a cold and desolate wait for the new season. The 2025 Super League season ended with the Grand Final on Saturday 11th October 2025, with the Challenge Cup 3rd Round starting on the weekend of 7th/8th February 2026, a total of 119 days, with only Christmas and New Year to brighten the wait. The result of the waiting is the need to attend Friendlies and Testimonials. The first such event is the annual pilgrimage to the Halliwell Jones stadium, the home of the Warrington Wolves, on Friday, 30th January 2026. Personally, this is the nearest Super League to my home, at 3.3 miles, it is actually walkable at an estimated 1 hour and 10 minutes. This, compared to the home games at the LSV, is an absolute doddle.

Every year I always attend at least one away game (Warrington) plus a special trip. This started:

• 2021 – Magic Weekend Newcastle
• 2022 – 1895 Cup & (Challenge Cup final was a bonus) also included Featherstone, York, Bradford, Sheffield, Widnes and Halifax
• 2023 – Challenge Cup final Wakefield
• 2024 – London Broncos
• 2025 – Perpignon and St Helens (semi-final Challenge Cup)
• 2026 – York, Colwyn Bay and Magic Weekend (Everton)

2022 was a great year in the Championship, with most games being played on a Sunday, which allows the travelling supporter to be able to get across the Pennines without worrying too much about traffic on the M62. The other years are all Super League years, Wigan and St Helens have always been slightly more intimidating places to go, and until 2025, wins against the local rivals were as rare as hen's teeth, hopefully that will change now the hoodoo has been broken.

Round 3 of the Challenge Cup sees the Super League teams join the competition. All top-flight teams are supposed to play away, although Hull KR and Warrington think they are exempt from this ruling (I think that I will save that rant for another time). Leigh has drawn North Wales Crusaders on the 7th February 2026, and having been starved of Rugby League during the dark nights, it was decided to buy tickets for the short trip to Colwyn Bay (63 miles away). I appear not to be the only person with the same idea, and The Stadiwm CSM (see photo above), appears to be heading for a sell-out. 

A big part of these trips away is to have a weekend away or, at the very least, a nice meal. I will be looking forward to visiting Porth Eireas (Michelin Bib Gourmand) for something fishy before heading to the ground. The Stadiwm CSM looks like a nice stadium, but suffering the misfortune of having an athletics track around the pitch. Opera glasses might be the order of the day. Still only two more days until I hear the roar of the Halliwell Jones Stadium, and enjoy a curry with a cold pint of Cobra.