Wakefield Trinity have been crowned champions of England for the first time since 1968, marking a monumental achievement in their first-ever Super League Grand Final appearance. Under the guidance of head coach Daryl Powell, Trinity dominated at Old Trafford, defeating the Warrington Wolves 23-10 to become only the sixth club to win the Super League title. Wakefield guarantee legendary status. And Wakefield Trinity then stunned the whole of rugby league as they demolished Wigan on the Warriors’ own patch to make it to Old Trafford, but Warrington snuck past Leeds Rhinos. In the build-up during the week, Powell had challenged his players to earn legendary status, knowing that was their long-term reward if they could emerge victorious. After scoring 33 unanswered points in a spell at Wigan, Wakefield simply brought that momentum with them to Old Trafford as they absolutely bossed the first half, stretching that streak to 52 points.
The victory completes a remarkable two-year resurgence for Wakefield, who were relegated from the top flight in 2023. After winning the Championship play-off final last year, the club secured their Super League place via the IMG grading system and built on that momentum to finish a career-best fourth in the regular season. Their path to the final included impressive play-off victories over the Leigh Leopards and Wigan Warriors. Let alone at any point throughout the season, this is a final few would have predicted seven days ago.
Match Scoring and Key Performance
- Wakefield Tries: Cameron Scott, Isaiah Vagana, Jazz Tevaga, Tom Johnstone
- Wakefield Goals: Max Jowitt (3)
- Wakefield Drop Goal: Jack Sinfield
- Warrington Tries: Arron Lindop (2)
- Warrington Goal: Ewan Irwin
Wakefield’s victory was built on a devastating first-half performance. Carrying the momentum from their semi-final success, they raced into a commanding 19-0 lead. Tries from Scott, Vagana, and Tevaga, combined with a composed drop goal from Jack Sinfield, left Warrington struggling to find a response before the interval.
Team Lineups
- Warrington Wolves: Thewlis, Hopoate, Lindop, King, Ashton, Williams (capt), Irwin, Byrne, Walker, Harrison, Bentley, Stone, Currie. Interchanges: Powell, Yates, Philbin, Tanginoa.
- Wakefield Trinity: Jowitt, Walmsley, Scott, Hall, Johnstone, Trueman, Sinfield, McMeeken (c), Smoothy, Rodwell, Vagana, Lipowicz, Tevaga. Interchanges: Lino, Potts, Faatili, Hamlin-Uele.
Warrington, appearing in their fifth Grand Final, sought their first championship since 1955. Despite being managed by Sam Burgess and entering the fixture with nine wins from their previous 10 matches, they were unable to overcome the early deficit. Although Trinity’s Corey Hall was sin-binned early in the second half, allowing Arron Lindop to score twice for Warrington, Wakefield maintained their defensive composure. A decisive try from Tom Johnstone eventually sealed the result, extending Warrington’s wait for a title into its 72nd year. While Warrington have been close in previous years, Wakefield have been spectacular bolters in 2026. Johnstone had already had one try denied by a TV review before Lachlan Walmsley’s brilliant reverse pass sent Scott over to score. And in a period where everything they did was working, Jake Trueman’s high kick on the last tackle was spectacularly caught by Johnstone above opposite wing Albert Hopoate and tapped back for the supporting Vagana to dive over.
