The Super League table rarely lies, and it certainly doesn’t usually have too many glaring abnormalities at the halfway point in a regular season. But a quick glance at the running order right now tells a slight mistruth; Wigan Warriors may not be top, but they are quite clearly the best side in the competition right now.
There is a four-point gap between Wigan and the two sides joint-top of the table, Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves. But you would surely not find too many arguments against Matt Peet’s side being some way ahead of that pairing at present after the Challenge Cup winners delivered yet another masterclass against one of their playoff rivals.
Wakefield Trinity have made huge strides since returning to Super League at the start of last season, so much so that the feeling here was if they backed up last week’s win over the reigning champions, Hull KR, with another prized scalp then they too could be considered genuine title contenders in 2026.
This was perhaps the most brutal lesson of all as to how they still have a way to go. But in truth it was more about the place Wigan find themselves in at present as they dismantled Daryl Powell’s side with one of the performances of the year so far to secure a sixth win in seven games in all competitions.
That run includes the Challenge Cup final win over Hull KR earlier this month and the one blot in that run was the week before Wembley, when they lost after resting almost their entire first-team squad against Rovers. Here, they scored nine tries of the highest quality with the young winger, Noah Hodkinson, scoring four of them to suggest he could be the next Wigan breakout star.
It was finely poised as the half-hour mark approached, with the teams level at 6-6. But three Wigan tries in eight minutes before the break swung the momentum firmly the way of the visitors and by the time Wakefield crossed again through Tom Johnstone, the contest had been emphatically decided in favour of the Warriors.
“I’m proud of the performance,” Peet said. “The result is an important one for us, Wakefield have got a formidable pack and some formidable players and I thought we dealt with that, and our backs could showcase what they could do. We don’t get too carried away but we got the chance to play some good stuff.”
That is an understatement. Hodkinson’s four tries stole the headlines but the likes of Junior Nsemba, Jake Wardle and Harry Smith showed their class throughout. They were in a battle in the early exchanges, with Liam Farrell’s 150th Wigan try cancelled out by Matty Storton’s effort for Wakefield.
At 6-6, it looked and felt like a game between two impressive sides. But when Wigan clicked their performance up a gear as half-time approached, Wakefield had no answer. With Nsemba running riot on the left edge, Hodkinson scored his first two of the evening either side of a clever finish from Oli Partington.
That made it 20-6 in the blink of an eye and unfortunately for Wakefield, it would only get worse from there. “I thought Wigan were awesome from start to finish,” their coach, Powell, lamented. “It was too slow from us, a really poor performance but that’s all I’ve got to say. We got beat in every facet of the game and we’ll have to put it behind us and move on.”
Trinity had to score first after half-time to stand a chance. Instead, Hodkinson’s hat-trick try put real daylight between the teams before Wardle capped his own excellent display with a try. Hodkinson’s fourth, a stunning individual finish, removed all doubt from proceedings before the returning Bevan French sent Zach Eckersley over.
This may have felt like a disappointing evening for Wakefield, but they were in the Championship just two years ago, and their progression to this point is worth including for context. But this showed how they are still to make the decisive final step, with Farrell’s second in the final moments after another wonderful French assist showing all of the Warriors’ class.
The bigger challenges may still be to come. But right now, it is hard to imagine anyone being able to cope with this Wigan side in this form.
