Wire and Leigh aim for Hull KR and Wigan upsets

Sam Burgess has led Warrington to third position in Super League and the Challenge Cup final in his first season as a head coach

Wigan Warriors and Hull KR have led the Super League charge for much of the season, with Matt Peet's side edging out the Robins to take the League Leaders' Shield.

The Cherry and Whites face neighbours Leigh Leopards in an all-Wigan borough tie to round off the play-offs live on BBC Two from 17:15 BST on Saturday.

The night before, Willie Peters' Rovers will be hoping to reach a first Super League Grand Final as they host Sam Burgess' Warrington at Craven Park.

But having tested their mettle in the eliminators last week to reach the penultimate stage of the domestic season, what shape are Warrington and Leigh in as they prepare to tussle with two formidable rivals in their respective semi-finals?

Wire and Robins 'iron out a few creases'

In one of the games of the season, Warrington staged a stirring comeback last Saturday to beat St Helens in golden-point extra time.

That result continued a stellar season for Burgess in his first season as a head coach, having already reached the Challenge Cup final earlier in 2024.

"Watching it back, it was a great game to watch. We just made a couple of fundamental errors and we lost our composure at times," Burgess told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"Having the ability to stay composed in the hot moments and when things are moving fast, you've got to be able to slow it down. But I loved everything about us, I thought we were competitive."

The Wire travel to Hull KR knowing their opponents were a tough nut to crack during a transformative 2024 season under Peters.

The Robins lost just six times in the league this term and only two sides - Warrington and Catalans - beat them on their home ground, with Burgess masterminding the only win against KR at Craven Park inside 80 minutes.

"It's good that we've been over there and got the game on but it was different conditions and it was very heavy under foot, I remember that, as it had been raining for about a month beforehand," he added.

"The game was a bit quicker and both teams have sharpened up since then and ironed out a few creases."

Leigh 'not finished yet'

Twenty-four hours before Warrington's remarkable victory over St Helens, Leigh also took part in a thriller in their Super League play-off eliminator against Salford Red Devils.

About 4,000 fans made the short trip to Salford Community Stadium to witness a sensational tie between two sides aiming to extend their season.

Leigh came out on top, edging out Paul Rowley's Salford, but not without their share of injuries.

Their season has started and is now drawing to a close under a cloud of injuries. At Salford, the Leopards lost Josh Charnley to a neck problem which led to him being taken to hospital, while Frankie Halton also failed a head injury assessment.

"We feel like we're not finished yet, we've had some injuries during the season and a few more HIAs including last week," boss Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Manchester.

"It seems like the whole season's been disrupted in some way. We're quite used to that, but in a sense of the importance of the game, the past couple of months have been quite consistent so we're excited to go over there and play our best rugby.

"We haven't had much to cheer about at Leigh, history would show, but the fans have got a real strong voice at the moment."

Leigh are bidding farewell to the core of a side which has outperformed expectations since their return to Super League last season.

Lam hopes his team can channel their emotion into a winning result when they travel to World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup and League Leaders' Shield winners Wigan on Saturday.

Zak Hardaker, Oliver Holmes and John Asiata are all heading for Hull FC next term, Kai O'Donnell and Tom Amone are going to the NRL, while a number of other players - including talismanic centre Ricky Leutele - are leaving the Leopards at the end of the season.

"I think it will play a part emotionally," Lam added. "Hopefully it plays its part against Wigan.

"The boys wanted to be on their terms when it ends and I think more importantly than that, we need to make sure we've got clarity on how we want to play, try to defend the threats and take our opportunities."