11 Conclusions: Hull transfer target, Sam Burgess pressure, play-off dark horses

From Super League to the Championship and League 1, it’s been another hectic weekend with storylines everywhere.

Coaches under pressure, transfer sagas and big results on the pitch were the headlines as we head into summer and the mid-point of the domestic campaign.

Here’s everything we learned over the last few days at all levels of the game..

Hull KR v Wigan may not yet matter

There are another six Super League rounds until the top two meet – and given the contrasting form of Hull KR and Wigan right now, who knows what the gap could be by then.

If Rovers continue in this relentless fashion, they will be at least four points clear by that meeting. Another Wigan slip-up, and it could be six. The destiny of the League Leaders’ Shield is now firmly in the grasp of the Challenge Cup winners. However..

Write Wigan off at your peril

If it feels like we have been here before well, that’s because we actually have.

Wigan and mid-season blips are not a rare occurrence, but the one thing Matt Peet’s side always do well – better than anyone in recent years – is peak when it matters. Were they poor on Friday? Yes.

Does that mean much for the business end of the season? History would suggest no.

Hull’s transfer priority for 2026

..should be prop Sam Eseh. He’s clearly popular among his Hull FC team-mates, and indeed the huge army of Black and Whites fans.

And as a young, British middle, he’s a precious commodity – especially with Jack Ashworth going to Castleford in 2026.

He’s under contract at Wigan next year, and it remains to be seen whether they can get a deal done. But as he showed on Sunday, Eseh has got bags of potential.

When is Sam Burgess truly under pressure?

If you were judging on sections of the Warrington fanbase, that moment has probably already arrived.

The Wolves are now five points off the play-offs, meaning they’ll likely have to win three games more than a team such as Hull FC in the final 12 rounds of the season. Based on what they served up on Saturday, that doesn’t seem likely.

Unless they turn it around soon, the noise – and indeed the pressure – will only continue to rise.

How dangerous could Wakefield be in a play-off game?

They have to make it first, of course – but the early suggestions would be: very.

In the space of a week they have run third-placed Leigh Leopards very close and beaten the defending champions. It’s likely they’d have to do something similar way from home unless they can go on a real run, but they’re dangerous.

With the amount of close games they’ve lost this year, Wakefield could be pushing for the top three. They are a huge threat.

MONDAY’S READS ON LRL

👉🏻 The Super League players facing bans including St Helens and Wigan stars

👉🏻 Super League injury room: Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves among those to suffer fresh blows

👉🏻 Super League attendance watch: St Helens record only five-figure crowd in underwhelming weekend

👉🏻  Hunslet double down on Salford transfer accusations with fresh new statement

St Helens’ future could be bright

Even if the present remains slightly questionable. For all the struggles they have had with recruitment in the last year or two, one thing is still of the highest quality: their youth academy output.

Harry Robertson is now already a nailed-on Super League starter – and Owen Dagnall is the latest cab off the rank to catch the eye too following a sensational display on Friday evening.

Get the signings right to compliment players like Robertson and Dagnall, and there’s something to build on.

What are Leigh capable of?

They have been outstanding for most of this season, and their brilliant form continued on Saturday evening in the south of France.

Now third once again, Adrian Lam’s side are purring along nicely, and this squad – or large parts of it – are locked in for at least the next year.

Expectations are high at the Leigh Sports Village. Can the Leopards do something historic this season? The evidence appears to suggest they’re entirely capable.

What are Catalans actually doing?

In case you haven’t noticed, Catalans still haven’t officially confirmed that the most successful coach in their history has been sacked.

In that time, they’ve plummeted to even lower depths since Steve McNamara’s exit and to suggest they’re anything but play-off contenders would be putting it mildly.

Will Joel Tomkins get the gig for the rest of the year? Will Catalans appoint someone? Will they address McNamara’s exit officially? Right now, they’re a club drowning in uncertainty on and off the pitch.

The Championship play-off picture is incredible

Toulouse, Bradford and York are the clear top three on a variety of metrics in the second tier – but just below that, almost everything is fascinating.

From Oldham in 4th to Widnes in 9th, there are just four points. Six teams, two wins between them all after the weekend’s results.

It’s why the Championship is probably the best league in the game. And we love it.