Wakefield rally to defeat Leeds in West Yorkshire derby
Wakefield Trinity recovered from a 14-12 halftime deficit to secure a narrow victory against Leeds Rhinos in a closely contested West Yorkshire derby. Meanwhile, Super League leaders Wigan Warriors convincingly defeated Bradford Bulls in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup.
The match at the DIY Kitchens Stadium experienced a significant delay due to a power failure, which lasted 24 minutes. Once play resumed, Wakefield took the lead through a try by Harvey Smith.
Leeds responded with two tries from the in-form Maika Sivo and one from Ash Handley. However, Oliver Pratt's try just before halftime reduced Wakefield's deficit to two points at the break.
In the second half, Matty Storton scored to put Wakefield ahead, and Ky Rodwell's try later in the game secured a 24-14 victory, ensuring Wakefield's progression to the quarter-finals for the second consecutive season.
Leeds have now failed to reach the last eight of the competition since their 2020 triumph.
Wigan dominate Bradford at Brick Community Stadium
Wigan Warriors displayed their strength with a commanding performance against Bradford Bulls. The home side scored four tries in the first half through Luke Thompson, Zach Eckersley, Liam Marshall, and Adam Keighran.
Bradford's only try came from Ethan Ryan, while debutant Dajon Sambou added a late score to complete a 30-6 win for Wigan.
Wakefield show resilience to upset Leeds
The power outage early in the Wakefield-Leeds match created an unusual atmosphere, with the floodlights going out and halting play for 24 minutes. When the game resumed, Leeds appeared slow to react, allowing Wakefield to take control and open the scoring through Smith.
Leeds eventually found their rhythm, with Sivo scoring in the corner and Handley adding his first try of the season to put Leeds ahead. Sivo then extended Leeds' lead with his 11th try of the season in just his fourth game.
However, Pratt's try on the halftime whistle brought Wakefield back into contention.
Building on this momentum, Storton scored on 51 minutes to restore Wakefield's lead. Leeds attempted to respond, but a costly knock-on by James McDonnell and a sin binning for Harry Newman hampered their efforts.
Wakefield capitalized on these setbacks, with Rodwell scoring in the 70th minute to seal the victory in their first cup meeting with Leeds in 12 years.
Wigan maintain perfect start with strong win
Wigan Warriors have continued their unbeaten run this season, securing four wins from four in Super League and demonstrating their dominance against Bradford.
The Warriors introduced academy graduate Noah Hodkinson at full-back and opened the scoring after seven minutes with Thompson's first try of the season.
Bradford conceded a penalty due to an ankle tap on Jack Farrimond, which Keighran converted. Eckersley extended the lead by collecting a kick from Ethan Havard, and Marshall scored on the halftime hooter by grounding a kick from Harry Smith, bringing the score to 20-0.
Keighran added a fourth try for Wigan following a grubber kick from Brad O'Neill. Bradford managed to get on the scoreboard through Ryan's try.
Dajon Sambou marked his Warriors debut memorably by intercepting a Bradford pass and scoring his first try 16 minutes after entering the game.
The remaining six matches of round four are scheduled for Saturday.
