A fourteen-point win would have been enough to take Adrian Lam’s Leigh Leopards into second spot at the conclusion of round two of Super League 2025, all that stood in their way was a Huddersfield Giants side looking for their first two points of the season after their opening weekend loss to the Warrington Wolves.

The Leopards were without captain Josh Charnley who is expected to be out for up to four weeks after suffering a neck injury but were, nevertheless, favourites with the bookies for back-to-back wins as they were handicapped by twelve points on the coupon against a side who showed strongly in defeat last time out.

As ever, there was a great atmosphere at the Leigh Sports Village, boosted by the news that the signature of Edwin Ipape had been secured until the end of 2031.

A win of any description would be enough to ensure that St Helens ended round two at the top of Super League, but stood in their way was Danny McGuire’s Castleford Tigers who were themselves looking to get the first points of their 2025 campaign.

The Tigers were given a twenty point start on the handicap coupon by the bookies who couldn’t see anything other than a Saints win based on their commanding demolition of Salford last weekend coupled with a low expectation of the Tigers despite their golden point loss to the much-fancied Robins last time out.

Castleford needed to stop Saints getting on a roll, because if the did then the likelihood was that they would be on the end of a hiding.

This week’s Salford Red Devils were likely to be a very different proposition to the side which were heavily beaten by St Helens in the opening round as the salary cap restrictions were lifted allowing Paul Rowley to select a full-strength side to take on the Leeds Rhinos, both sides seeking their first win in the competition.

The home side were the favourites with the bookies to start to repair the terrible points difference which they suffered in the 82-0 drubbing last week, the Rhinos were keen to get back on the bike after their unexpected loss at home to newly promoted Wakefield Trinity last weekend.

It is very early in the season, but both coaches knew that the outcome of the game was crucial for both sides.

It was only round two of the 2025 Super League, but both Hull FC and the Wigan Warriors already had plenty to play for, Wigan to get their first win of the season while Hull had one eye on the top of the table, and the pride of lifting themselves above the red and white half of the city.

Wigan were the favourites to overcome their opening day loss to the Leigh Leopards and they were handicapped by twelve points on the coupon, the bookies predicting another close Super League game in what promises to be a close Super League season.

Wigan had Adam Miski back in their line-up, the only change to last weekend, Hull coach John Cartwright made several changes to their line-up, the most notable being the loss of Zak Hardaker who was replaced by Ed Chamberlain after suffering a groin injury.

Two sides who got their 2025 season off to winning ways in round one met in Wakefield for a round two Thursday night fixture with Hull KR being the visitors to Trinity with an important two points up for grabs and the top of the table beckoning, at least overnight.

The bookies had given Wakefield a twelve point start on the handicap coupon, respectful to the newly promoted home side while sending a clear message that the Robins were the favourites to take the win as they looked to replicate last season’s exceptional form.

The full house notices were up in Wakefield with 8,065 crammed into the stadium.

Game six of a roller coaster opening weekend of Super League 2025 took place on Sunday afternoon as a much-fancied Warrington Wolves made the journey to Huddersfield to take on a Giants side who many were tipping to have a season battling to avoid the wooden spoon.

The Giants had been given a ten points start on the coupon by the bookies who must have been collectively sweating on another win for the underdogs in a round which had seen the Warriors and Rhinos beaten in games that they were expected to win, Hull FC upsetting the odds with a big win in the south of France, and St Helens recording a record Super League win over the Salford Red Devils.

There were a handful of new signings on show for both sides as Luke Robinson’s Claret and Gold took on the Primrose and Blue of Sam Burgess’s hopefuls.

The most talked about game of the round, for all the wrong reasons, was the game selected by the BBC for free to air broadcast as St Helens played host to an Academy line-up from the Salford Red Devils who were seemingly trying to prove a point to the games administration.

The lowest shirt number in the Salford starting thirteen was twenty-seven with all thirteen selected starters unlikely to get another game in 2025 once their takeover paperwork is rubber stamped, much to the embarrassment of their fans.

Salford had a fifty-two-point start on the coupon and were expected to take a heavy beating as they selected their side under a restricted salary cap which included just three players on the substitutes bench, two of which were rumoured as unlikely to take the field in the eighty minutes.

The draw for the fourth round of the 2025 Challenge Cup took place at the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens at half time in the game between Saints and an under-strength Salford Red Devils side.

The games will be played on the weekend of the 15^th and 16^th of March with a place on the quarter finals up for grabs.

The balls were drawn by Paul Sculthorpe and Robbie Hunter-Paul, two men with some Challenge Cup pedigree.

After a season in the Championship the much-heralded return of Daryl Powell’s Wakefield Trinity saw them travel to AMT Headingley for a round one opener against Brad Arthurs much fancied and revitalised Leeds Rhinos.

The visitors were given a respectful twelve-point start, but after an opening weekend of shocks and close games, who would bet against another close encounter and an extension of the eighty minutes with more golden point drama.

Both sides came into the game of the back of massive Challenge Cup third round victories, the Rhinos putting ninety-two unanswered points past Wests Warriors, while Trinity scored eighty-two against York Acorn with a big zero in the against column.

Two sides who are happy to forget poor 2024 seasons met in the opening round in the south of France as the Catalans Dragons sought a winning start to their campaign against the re-structured Hull FC who needed a much brighter 2025 to pacify their passionate supporters.

It was an almost unrecognisable Hull FC side, and the bookies had some belief that they may put on a good show in Perpignan as they only gave them a very respectful ten point start on the handicap coupon.

Both sides picked up wins last week in the Challenge Cup, the Dragons unconvincing in a 14-0 win over Halifax Panthers, FC getting a confidence boost in their 52-6 win over York Acorn.

The wait was over, on a chilly evening in Wigan and the battle of the Borough between the Warriors and the Leopards heralded the start of the 2025 Super League season as the Champions took on former boss Adrian Lam’s much fancied Leopards.

The bookies had plumped for a convincing Wigan win and had handicapped the home side by a big sixteen points on the coupon as a large crowd filed in through the turnstiles, eager for the season to get underway.

Nothing would be decided today but local bragging rites were up for grabs, the Leopards looking to spring a surprise and get their season off to the best start, the Warriors looking to take up where they left off at the end of 2024.

Another Super League versus Championship Challenge Cup tie pitted the Bradford Bulls against near neighbours Castleford Tigers in a third-round match-up which saw Danny McGuires visitors as favourites to overcome Brian Noble’s charges.

It was a heavily experienced Bulls side, and one which the BBC had selected to broadcast indicating that they believed that it was the most likely to be a giant-killing, the pitch at Odsal being a leveller for what promised to be a tremendous cup tie.

A place in the fourth round awaited, with both sides and coaches were eager to progress, the Bradford crowd swelled by a decent contingent from Castleford.

Another Challenge Cup third round game, which looked like a one-sided affair, saw amateurs York Acorn against Super League opposition in the form of the Black & Whites of Hull FC.

The bookies had given the Airlie Birds a sixty-eight-point handicap on the coupon, forecasting one-way traffic to keep the hoards of FC fans who had made the journey to Post Office Road in Featherstone to cheer on their side.

Hull FC gave seven debuts, but this was the easiest of first games that was possible for the FC new men as they edge towards the start of the Super League season.

It was a bumper payday for Acton based amateur side Wests Warriors as they switched their Challenge Cup game against the Rhinos to Headingley, with the Leeds faithful happy to get to see their side start their cup campaign on home soil, with the hope of a massive points win to give a confidence boost going into the start if Super League.

The bookies had given the Warriors a ninety-two point start on the coupon but with Brad Arthur fielding a very strong side, there was every chance that the statisticians would be reaching for the record books before the final hooter.

It was a Southern Conference League side making a two-hundred-mile trip north to face the Super League side, four tiers difference between the two, and there could only possibly be one winner.

The 2025 Challenge Cup welcomed the ‘big boys’ to the competition at round three, with a money-making day for a number of smaller clubs with an opportunity to play host to the top sides in the country, but few with more than ‘a snowball’s chance in hell’ of progression into the fourth-round draw.

One of the hopefuls was York RLFC Knights whose reward for a comprehensive 72-12 win over the Keighley Cougars last weekend was a home tie against last years Grand Finalists, and on of the favourites for this seasons Super League crown, Hull Kingston Rovers.

There was a record home crowd in attendance, those from York with the hope of a cup upset, but with the fear of a cricket score in the away column.

The 30th Super League season was officially launched at Manchester’s Co Op Live today with season ticket sales across the 12 clubs already up by more than 10% on 2024, laying the foundations for another opening round aggregate attendance in excess of 70,000.

The 2024 Betfred Super League season began with a record-breaking Round One attendance of 76,752 and ended with a memorable Play-Off series – the most-watched ever, through live coverage on Sky Sports and BBC Sport, and with a Grand Final attendance of 68,173 at Old Trafford the best for seven years.

All the indications are that the competition will maintain that momentum when it kicks off on Valentine’s Weekend – starting on Thursday February 13 as Wigan Warriors launch their title defence against their local rivals Leigh Leopards.

The final place in the third round of the challenge cup, and a televised game at home against Hull Kingston Rovers, was the reward on offer as the Keighley Cougars hosted York RLFC Knights at Cougar Park.

A division apart in the league ladder, Championship side York were firm favourites for the win and progress, but Keighley came into the game determined to put on a show and hoping to spring a shock in a pre-season environment.

The cameras and commentators from The Sportsman were in attendance, along with a normally noisy and partisan home crowd.

Both coaches elected to field very strong starting line-ups for the Ash Handley Testimonial game at Headingley between the Leeds Rhinos and defending Champions, Wigan Warriors, in a pre-season friendly.

With the third round of the Challenge Cup just a fortnight away, the Rhinos preparing for a trip to London to face Wests Warriors and Wigan Warriors planning their game against the Sheffield Eagles, there were plenty of eager substitutes looking to secure their spot as the competitive season loomed.

Handley made his Leeds debut in 2014 away at London Broncos and his home debut in 2015 against the Wigan Warriors, and has 212 competitive appearances under his belt for his hometown side being a single club career man, having played eight games on loan at Featherstone Rovers in three spells.

With the British Army having been knocked out of the 2025 Challenge Cup yesterday afternoon by Wests Warriors, the only remaining armed forces side, the Royal Navy, sought progress towards a third-round home tie against the Leigh Leopards but faced a daunting task as they entertained Workington Town.

A win today would see the Navy into the third round for only the third time in their Challenge Cup history, but the bookies favourites were professional side Workington Town, who lifted the trophy in the 1951-52 season after beating Featherstone Rovers at Wembley.

London Broncos entered the 2025 Challenge Cup with a home encounter against the Hull Vikings, the rugby league’s newest admission to the Championship One for a game at Rosslyn Park with a third-round game against Super League side Wakefield Trinity.

London had struggled in the close season from an administrative perspective since their relegation from the topflight at the end of 2024 with reputedly only twelve registered players, as they took on a brand-new side who had spent the close season gearing up for a season in the semi-professional game with a smattering of players with Super league experience.

There was every chance that Goole could spring a giant killing surprise, but the expectation was that the home side would be making progress, and they were the bookies favourites.