Magic Weekend 2026 delivers with a Wigan and St Helens grudge match, Leigh Leopards statement and shining performances from England hopefuls

Magic Weekend 2026 was action-packed, dramatic, and the biggest ever- but what did we learn at Hill Dickinson Stadium?

An old derby battle delivers with young stars at the core

Magic Weekend saved the best until last when Wigan Warriors and St Helens went to battle in a ferocious, fiery and dramatic derby.

Both teams had a raft of injuries but, somehow, young kids and experienced heads combined on the big stage where three yellow cards were shown.

Wigan came out 16-14 victors in a nail-biting contest in which the tackles made you wince and momentum changed throughout.

Indeed, it looked like the match was going to head to golden point when St Helens were awarded a penalty with no time remaining. However, Jackson Hastings’ conversion attempt went wide much to the delight of the travelling Wigan faithful.

The atmosphere was already loud but it turned up a notch with this match, the rivalry between these two reigniting.

Over the past few years, the word ‘respect’ has been used a lot by these two clubs when they play each other. After Wigan head coach Matt Peet’s comments in the wake of the Challenge Cup semi-final that Saints had “lost their identity”, the veil of camaraderie was removed and the animosity very much restored.

That was evident from the opening exchanges when David Klemmer ran into Brad O’Neill. It was evident from every tackle being cheered like it was a try. It was evident from the two sets of players coming together in scuffle after scuffle.

They showed just why an old derby grudge match delivers.

England watch: Putting on a show for a place on the plane

The further we go into the season, the more eyes are going to be on the players who will be in England contention.

Brian McDermott has already named his performance squad but that will have to be narrowed down for when the side head over to Australia and try to claim World Cup glory.

Jake Connor missed out on playing at Everton’s home when he was not picked for the Ashes but got his moment when Leeds romped past Bradford. It was Rhinos captain Ash Handley that stood out, though, with the centre on fire in attack.

Another centre who made his mark was Umyla Hanley. He was not named in the group but in Leigh’s statement win over Warrington, his try showed just why with ball in hand he is one of the best.

Zach Eckersley came through as a leader for Wigan as they asked a lot of their young guns in the pack. He scored the crucial try and returned the ball with some gusto throughout to try and get his side on top.

Caleb Hamlin-Uele stood out for Wakefield in their drubbing of Castleford, making an immediate impact as he scored a double. The prop is in some form and if he keeps it up, will move closer to being a certainty for a place on the plane.

The Leopards are hunting: Leigh send a statement to the top six

There is nothing better than a close competition and Leigh Leopards put the top six on notice with their win over Warrington Wolves.

The Leopards are on quite the run at the moment and sit just two points behind those play-off spots after beating one of the top six teams for the first time since their round one win over Leeds.

Leeds are well in front on 28 points. Wigan, Warrington, and Wakefield are then on 24 points.

Hull KR and St Helens make up fifth and sixth on 22 points. Then, Leigh are chasing.

After a raft of injuries, Adrian Lam’s side are coming good and firing and will know that if they keep it up, a top six spot will be in their sights.

The Huddersfield project: Patience is a virtue

Down at the bottom end of the table, there is a massive project ongoing. Jim Lenihan has a job on his hands as he tries to revive Huddersfield, but after their tough loss to York Knights patience will be required.

Lenihan had talked in recent weeks about how he had been working on his side’s fitness and so was not focused on results but more on improvement in matches.

It seemed they might have taken a step forward with their heartbreaking loss to Wakefield last week but the York game looked like another step back.

Ultimately, Lenihan is at the club for the long haul and will have his eyes on a recruitment cycle in which he can mould the team into his vision.

Right now, they will just be trying to get through the season.

Hill Dickinson embraces rugby league

What a venue. Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium is not unaccustomed to rugby league after it hosted the second Ashes Test between England and Australia in the autumn but Magic Weekend took things up a notch.

The fan zone was packed, the noise was loud, the DJs brought the atmosphere, and Example and Jax Jones brought the party.

With that, we had the highest Magic Weekend Attendance ever with 82,925 across the two days – 5,000 of those in Castres for the French contest.

It makes sense, then, that Magic will return to Hill Dickinson Stadium next year across the weekend of May 1 and 2.

Bring it on!

Super League 2026 – upcoming key dates

Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
Grand Final: October 3

Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+.

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