The Rules:

• Each person predicts the results of every Super League match.
• Predicting the correct winner will get you 1 point.
• If the predictor’s scoreline has the same winning margin, then 4 points will be awarded (only if the predicted winning team is correct).
• Correctly predicting the exact score will win you an additional 5 points.
• Two bonus points will be awarded if the first try scorer is predicted correctly, whereas 1 point will be awarded if the selected player scores during the match.

Last Round’s Results:

• Bradford Bulls 32 – Castleford Tigers 22 (Nathan – 1, Ian – 0)
• Toulouse Olympique XIII 44 – Hull FC 30 (Nathan – 1, Ian – 0)
• Hull KR 36 – Huddersfield Giants 6 (Nathan – 2, Ian – 0)
• Leigh Leopards 48 – St Helens 10 (Nathan – 2, Ian – 3)
• Wakefield Trinity 25 – Warrington Wolves 18 (Nathan – 1, Ian – 1)
• Catalans Dragons 16 – York Knights 28 (Nathan – 0, Ian – 0)
• Leeds Rhinos 8 – Wigan Warriors 40 (Nathan – 3, Ian – 2)

Current Score: Nathan 230 – Ian 211

Oh, Ian. You’ve had a nightmare of a weekend there! There’s just one round left, and you have a mountain to climb, being nineteen points behind. Although, given you’re a Hull supporter, you should be used to being miles behind everyone else by now¹…

There is a small, very small, chance that Hull FC could end up as wooden spooners in 2026. It would take an exact sequence of results, none of which are beyond the realm of possibility, but are a long shot. Thankfully, for the sake of mine and Ian’s friendship, I’m not predicting this to be the outcome, as much as I really want to. This game could have been somewhat of a ‘spoon bowl’, that is to say, a game where the loser gets the wooden spoon, but this past weekend has made that an unlikely outcome. York enjoy a far superior points difference to Bradford and likely won’t finish bottom anyway, but I do think York will chalk up another win at the LNER Stadium, to land a perfectly respectable finishing spot.

I think the Knights at home will just have a bit too much for a Bulls team dealing with the emotion of a first win in longer than I can remember, especially with the spring in their step after an away win in Perpignan. I do think it will be a close run thing, which is another reason why I suspect the home side will prevail, because they have seen out a few close games already this year, so they have that know-how about them.

Like Hull’s plight at the bottom, there is still a slight possibility that Leeds can snatch the LLS. They have a superior points difference, so all they need is for Wigan to lose and them to win and, hey presto! League Leaders. Sadly for Leeds, Wigan are playing the hapless Catalans Dragons, who have staked a claim to the best sun loungers; they’re on the beach to such an extent, so no shield for the Rhinos, but still probably a win against Hull, who have long since joined Les Dracs on the beach.

I keep trying to make a case for a victory for the Black & Whites, certainly since Nathan will predict a heavy defeat for us, which can be a really good catalyst for us, but after the way they were humbled by Wigan, I just can’t see them slipping up at home twice on the trot before they have the luxury of a week off in the playoffs. Lachie Miller will be a big miss for them, and the returning James McDonnell and Maika Sivo will be nothing even remotely like match fit, but one suspects they will still have too much in the tank, although a good early start for the Airlie Birds, and the thought of what is still to come for Leeds could possibly make things interesting at least until the 2nd half.

Both Leigh and Wakefield still have something to play for, that being preferable league positions. The Leopards could technically still finish fourth, although their points difference makes that unlikely, and likewise Wakey could still finish third, but are in the same boat as the Leopards, and would need Warrington to lose. I think Wakefield will prevail to seal fourth, and the Leopards dropping points will leave the door open for Hull KR to finish fifth.

It’s fair to say the Trin have stuttered along somewhat in recent weeks, but they will be in a confident mood after beating the in-form Warrington last time out. However, I think the Leopards at home will be just a bit too much for them to handle. Adrian Lam has been getting a good tune out of his side pretty consistently, including an unforeseen victory at Headingley, and they have certainly made the LSV into quite the fortress and one which I think will just be a step too far for Shaky Wakey!

Speaking of my beloved Robins, they wrap up their regular season with a trip to St Helens, which would have seemed like a fearsome proposition a few years ago, but not so much now. The Saints have been reduced to a toothless shadow of their former selves, but Rovers should be wary of the game nonetheless, with memories of Warrington’s kids giving us an almighty scare in the last game of the regular season in 2025, no quarter must be given here, as Willie Peters’ side scrape into fifth place in the playoffs, and a trip to Wakefield next week awaits if so.

I think Saints, bereft of their customary playoff place, will make a go of this, but the Robins will ultimately confirm their higher status over them that they enjoy these days. Saints have shown in recent weeks that they can get into the grind and stick with teams for the majority of a game, and their thumping win in Wakefield was certainly no fluke, but now they’re playing for nothing, and I suspect that Rovers, rather like their nearest and dearest a few weeks ago, will simply put them away quite comfortably in the 2nd half.

Make no mistake, Warrington will be smarting from their loss at Wakefield this past weekend, and they will be in no mood for sentimentality about how well The Olympians have managed to do in 2026. The Wolves will want to go into the playoffs with their claws thoroughly sharpened, and I think that means a long night at the office for the French outfit.

After their slip-up at Wakey, I expect the Wire to get off to a fast start and put too much distance between themselves and their gutsy visitors on the scoreboard before having to hold off a valiant effort later on. Toulouse will certainly give the home side something to think about, but the Wolves should have too much in reserve for them.

Wigan are on the back of a thumping statement victory at Headingley, and in the midst of a mammoth winning run that stretches all the way back to the Challenge Cup final. Let’s face it, failing a repeat of their ‘play the kids’ tactic we saw against Hull KR at Craven Park in May, which is highly unlikely, they’re not likely to be stopped by John Cartwright’s Dragons. I wouldn’t be shocked if another thumping victory is added to the pile to secure trophy number two of 2026.

After they dismantled their nearest competitors, I expect the Dragons to suffer much the same fate as the Warriors wrap up their 2nd trophy of the season. We all know it’s that time of the year when Matty Peet’s charges usually raise the level of their game, as evidenced by their imperious performance at the home of the previous league leaders, and it’s hard to see anything beyond a thumping defeat for their French visitors who were similarly walloped in Paris during the non-existent Wembley hangover at the beginning of June.

Finally, we have a dead rubber game between Huddersfield and Castleford, two teams for whom the 2026 season cannot possibly end soon enough. You could flip a coin as to how this will end, but with Huddersfield still facing the possibility of a wooden spoon finish if they slip up here and other results go against them, I think they will have more motivation to go out and win.

Huddersfield were brought back down to earth with a big bump last time out, so I expect them to take that out on a Jekyll and Hyde Tigers team who recently employed a certain Mr Luke Robinson. It is also their last game at a stadium that has not really been that great for them, so they will want to leave with a good final memory of it, while the Tigers will just want this car crash of a season over and done with.

Nathan’s Picks:

• York Knights 24 – Bradford Bulls 12. First try scorer: Paul Vaughan
• Leeds Rhinos 36 – Hull FC 10. First try scorer: Maika Sivo
• Leigh Leopards 18 – Wakefield Trinity 26. First try scorer: Tom Johnstone
• St Helens 6 – Hull KR 38. First try scorer: Mikey Lewis
• Warrington Wolves 42 – Toulouse Olympique XIII 12. First try scorer: Albert Hopoate
• Wigan Warriors 52 – Catalans Dragons 6. First try scorer: Harry Smith
• Huddersfield Giants 30 – Castleford Tigers 8. First try scorer: Niall Evalds

Ian’s Picks:

• York Knights 20 – Bradford Bulls 16. First try scorer: Toa Mata’afa
• Leeds Rhinos 34 – Hull FC 10. First try scorer: Tom Briscoe
• Leigh Leopards 26 – Wakefield Trinity 18. First try scorer: Umyla Hanley
• St Helens 12 – Hull KR 34. First try scorer: Jez Litten
• Warrington Wolves 32 – Toulouse Olympique XIII 20. First try scorer: Albert Hopoate
• Wigan Warriors 42 – Catalans Dragons 10. First try scorer: Zach Eckersley
• Huddersfield Giants 30 – Castleford Tigers 10. First try scorer: Zac Woolford

Written by Nathan Major (site editor & Hull KR fan) and Ian Judson (site contributor & Hull FC fan)

1. Sorry, couldn’t resist. ↩︎