Leeds Rhinos ran in eight tries to demolish Catalans Dragons 46-4 at Headingley and remain top of the Betfred Super League, while Hull FC won big at Castleford Tigers.
Leeds’ victory was a seventh win in nine this season and ensured them a two-point lead at the summit. Ash Handley opened the scoring with a try after two minutes and the floodgates opened from there. Maika Sivo and Ryan Hall added further tries to send Leeds in 16-0 up at the break.
Danny Levi, Cooper Jenkins, Brodie Croft and Hall then crossed for four Leeds tries inside a woeful 16-minute spell for Catalans in the second half, who simply collapsed. Leo Darrelatour added a late score for Catalans but James McDonnell ensured Leeds had the final say in a dominant display. It was a disappointing showing from the visitors, whose inconsistent season continued and left them mired in mid-table.
At Castleford, Andy Last began his second stint as Hull FC interim head coach following the departure of John Cartwright, overseeing a nine-try battering of the Tigers in a 50-10 victory. Jake Arthur, Tom Briscoe, Davy Litten and Connor Bailey helped Hull lead 20-6 at half-time, before further tries from Lewis Martin, Litten, Zak Hardaker, Bailey, Cade Cust and Yusuf Aydin completed the rout.
Zak Hardaker converted six goals and added a penalty. Krystian Mapapalangi scored twice for Castleford in the heavy defeat, a week after their shock win over Wigan Warriors. In Last’s first interim spell in charge in 2020 he picked up eight victories from 14 games; he will aim to move Hull up the table ahead of Steve McNamara’s arrival in 2027.
2026 Super League – key dates and what to look out for
– Super League in Paris: Sat Jun 6 — Catalans Dragons vs Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6.30pm UK (Sky Sports)
– Magic Weekend: July 4-5
– Rivals Round reversed: July 23-26
– Elimination Play-offs: September 19-20
– Play-off semi-finals: September 26-27
– Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford
Sky Sports will again show every Super League game live this season, including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week shown on Sky Sports+.