Hull KR's sputtering Super League defence continues with Catalans loss

Hull KR, who won a historic domestic treble last year, have lost three of their opening four matches in 2026; Warrington hammer Castleford as Matty Ashton scores hat-trick on return from injury; Sky Sports is the only place to watch every Super League game live in 2026

Saturday 21 March 2026 20:29, UK

Hull KR's disappointing start to their Super League title defence continued as they slipped to a 26-20 defeat to Catalans Dragons after Lenny Marc's 79th-minute try.

Catalans squandered a 20-6 lead as they shipped 14 unanswered points in Perpignan but teenage wing Marc pounced late on, collecting Solomona Faataape's pass and touching down before Toby Sexton converted.

That handed the Robins, who claimed a historic first domestic treble last year before winning the World Club Challenge by defeating Brisbane Broncos last month, a third defeat in their opening four matches of the 2026 season.

Willie Peters' side, who lost just five times in all of 2025, hit the front early on when former Catalans half-back Tyrone May, making his 100th Super League appearance, dotted down.

But they trailed 14-6 at the interval following a brace from Zac Lipowicz, with Sexton adding the extras to both tries and booting a penalty in between.

Romain Navarrete's converted try extended Catalans' lead but Joe Burgess showed a clean pair of heels after collecting Oliver Gildart's pass to score.

When Tom Amone got to May's grubber kick first, with Mikey Lewis converting both tries and adding a penalty, Hull KR were back on level terms and firmly in the ascendancy.

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But Faataape drew in a couple of defenders on the left before offloading to 19-year-old Marc, who skipped past a desperate tackle to go over and break the visitors' hearts.

Matty Ashton marked his first appearance in 10 months with a hat-trick to set Warrington Wolves on the way to a 72-6 thrashing of Castleford Tigers at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

While Kelepi Tanginoa bagged four of Wolves' 12 tries to maintain their 100 per cent start to the Super League season, Ashton took top billing on his return from rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament last May.

Ashton's first carry earned a penalty, earning him cheers from the crowd, and better was to follow as he displayed some quick hand speed to dot down in the corner just seven minutes into his comeback.

The England wing was in dreamland when he raced to George Williams' chip over the top, sprinting past the sluggish Mikaele Ravalawa down the left and kicking past Zac Cini before touching down after 14 minutes.

Ben Currie scored the first of his two tries to extend Warrington's lead to 20-0 and while Semi Valemei pulled one back, it was one-way traffic from then on as Sam Burgess' side flexed their muscles in stunning fashion to move up to second in the table.

Tanginoa, part of the Hull KR side that clinched a domestic treble last year, scored twice before half-time and completed his hat-trick shortly after the resumption before the forward added a fourth try.

Albert Hopoate, Sam Stone and James Harrison also scored tries and 18-year-old half-back Ewan Irwin collected 24 points, splitting the posts with 10 conversions and two penalties in an impressive display.

But Ashton fittingly completed the scoring when, with Castleford's defence stretched, the 27-year-old crossed the whitewash for a third time in the left corner three minutes from time.

Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season - including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week shown on Sky Sports+