Getting into the Super League play-offs is one thing but coming through them is another as it pits the best against the best, and that’s where the top teams often separate themselves.
To help us predict how this year’s play-offs could go, we’ve looked at the head-to-head record of every play-off team against one another and created a league table to see which contender stacks up best when facing their top-end rivals.
Taking only Super League results, meaning Challenge Cup clashes such as Wigan’s win over Hull KR in the final is not included, it’s fair to say that the table has produced some interesting results.
It’s perhaps no surprise that table toppers Wigan Warriors come out on top in this mini-league, with Matt Peet’s side winning eight of their ten games against fellow top six sides.
Their only two losses are the 62-4 defeat to Hull KR ahead of the Challenge Cup Final, in which Wigan rotated their team almost entirely, and a 23-6 loss away to Warrington in round nine when both Bevan French and Harry Smith were absent.
Outside of those defeats, they have been dominant and they top the table with a points difference of plus 153, something that is all the more incredible when you consider they shipped over 60 in the defeat to Hull KR.
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What every other Super League play-off sides record looks like
Interestingly, the table of results against top six rivals directly mirrors the full Super League table with Leeds second, Warrington third, Wakefield, fourth, Leigh fifth, and Hull KR sixth, and the Robins are a distant sixth.
Their only three wins have come in the aforementioned game against Wigan, whilst they also did the double over Leigh with Willie Peters’ side losing both exchanges against Leeds, Wakefield, and play-off opponent Warrington.
The Robins did knock Wire off in the Challenge Cup but this league only focuses on league results and concerningly, Hull KR concede 28 points per game against top six rivals – including 34 per match against Saturday’s opponents Warrington.
Leigh rank fifth in the table but they, like Warrington, have played 11 games courtesy of the sides playing each other at Magic Weekend. Leigh won that exchange and one of their other games against Wire, meaning 50% of their wins against top six sides have come against Warrington. The others came against Leeds in round one and Leeds in round 23.
The Leopards face Wakefield on Friday, with Trinity having a record of five wins and five losses against fellow top six sides but thankfully for them, they have done the double over Leigh so that perhaps spells success this weekend.
Warrington actually sit ahead of Wakefield in this mini-league courtesy of points difference despite playing a game more, with Wire’s five wins comprising two against Hull KR, and one against each of Wigan, Leigh and Wakefield.
As for Leeds, who sit second, they boast six wins from ten with their four defeats coming at the hands of Wigan and Leigh.
The most telling element of the table is just how dominant Wigan have been and when removing the anomalous game against Hull KR, they boast eight wins from nine and have recorded an average of 32.6 points per game scored, compared to just 9.2 conceded.
If anyone is to beat Wigan, they will have to do something very special.
Super League Top Six Head-To-Head Table
