Magic Weekend is three days away as both Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves prepare to close out Saturday's round of fixtures at Elland Road, kick off 7.30pm.

As matchday approaches, find out more about Burgess' Wolves side here:

Overview

Name: Warrington Wolves

Founded: 1876

Seasons in Super League: 29

Head Coach: Sam Burgess

Club Captain: Stefan Ratchford

Last three season finishes: 2023 = 6th, 2022 = 11th, 2021 = 3rd 

Best SL finish: First (2011 and 2016)

Grand Final appearances: Four (All finalists 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018)

Most career appearances: Brian Bevan (620 appearances)

Most career tries: Brian Bevan (740 tries)

Most career points: Lee Briers (2,586 points)

So far in 2024...

Should results go their way, Sam Burgess and Warrington Wolves know that victory at Magic Weekend is paramount if they want to lead the charge for the League Leaders' Shield heading into the final stretch of the season.

Despite having a tough start to the season with a 16-10 defeat to Catalans at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, Burgess' side were convincing against Hull FC, Castleford and London, whilst also pipping Hull KR to a 22-20 result in one of the games of the season so far. Rivals Round pitted the Wolves against the Dragons for a second time in the year, but the French outfit got their second win over Burgess' side with a 32-24 result as Tom Johnstone scored twice, but they bounced back to beat the Rhinos in their round eight meeting at the start of April, and Leigh in a 16-14 result. 

Even a 17-12 loss to Salford didn't set the Wire off their rhythm as they took down both Hull sides and got their revenge on the road in Catalans, but Wigan and the Red Devils proved the Wolves undoing either side of the Challenge Cup Final. A big win against Huddersfield saw eight different try scorers contribute to a 48-0 win, before they downed Leeds, St Helens and Wigan to summit the league table, only for Hull KR to topple them a week later with a 22-4 win at the Halliwell Jones.

Victory over London in the capital now sees the Wolves sit behind Wigan and the Robins in the current standings, but as they have tough tests against Leigh and St Helens, Burgess' third victory over Leeds this season would put them right back in the fight with five games left.

Squad

Magic Weekend form

Since they were involved in the first Magic Weekend in 2007, Warrington have gone on to play nine different teams down the years at the event. They have also accumulated nine wins from 16 matches, and have been one of the only teams to draw a match, which came in 2017 against Wigan.

Having won three of their first five Magic Weekends, the Wolves hit a run of form from 2012 to 2014 as they beat Widnes and St Helens. 2012's Magic Weekend at Manchester's Ethiad Stadium saw Joel Monaghan join Danny McGuire in scoring five tries in one game at the event as they beat Widnes by 68 points, plus they recorded back to back wins over St Helens in 2013 and 2014.

From 2017 until 2021, they played near rivals Wigan Warriors during which the Wolves won twice, lost once and drew once in tight encounters. More recently, they put Catalans to the sword at St James' Park in 2022, but last time out saw Hull FC get the better of them in a 30-18 defeat.

Results:

2007 - Won 50-18 vs Salford Red Devils

2008 - Won 36-34 vs Huddersfield Giants

2009 - Lost 28-36 vs Hull KR

2010 - Won 68-16 vs Salford Red Devils

2011 - Lost 18-28 vs Huddersfield Giants

2012 - Won 68-4 vs Widnes Vikings

2013 - Won 48-22 vs St Helens

2014 - Won 41-24 vs St Helens

2015 - Lost 16-20 vs St Helens

2016 - Lost 14-34 vs Castleford Tigers

2017 - Drew 24-24 vs Wigan Warriors

2018 - Lost 10-38 vs Wigan Warriors

2019 - Won 26-14 vs Wigan Warriors

2021 - Won 10-6 vs Wigan Warriors

2022 - Won 36-10 vs Catalans Dragons

2023 - Lost 18-30 vs Hull FC

Fixtures

Round 22 - Vs Leeds Rhinos (Elland Road, KO 7.30pm)

Round 23 - Vs Castleford Tigers (The Jungle, KO 8pm)

Round 24 - Vs Leigh Leopards (Leigh Sports Village, KO 8pm)

Round 25- Vs St Helens (Halliwell Jones Stadium, KO 8pm)

Round 26 - Vs Huddersfield Giants (John Smith's Stadium, KO 8pm)

Stats Performers

Tries: Matt Dufty (14 tries)

Goals: Stefan Ratchford (39 goals)

Carries: Matt Dufty (419 carries)

Metres: Matt Dufty (3844 metres)

Tackles: Danny Walker (557 tackles)

Offloads: Toby King (28 offloads)

Last Super League match

Be at this year's edition of Magic Weekend!

Tickets for this year's Magic Weekend are selling fast, particularly for the Saturday, so now is the time to make sure you're supporting the Rhinos against the Wolves.

Did you know Members save 50% on their Magic Tickets? That’s just £15 for adults, £11.25 for concessions and £7.50 for juniors to watch all three matches!

If you’re not a member, there’s still plenty of time to fix that - pick up a Supporter Membership for just £30 and you’ll get a credit for one Betfred Super League home fixture as well as 50% off your Magic Weekend tickets. 

Groups of 10 or more will also get 50% off their tickets – just email ian.wilson@therhinos.co.uk for more information.

To book tickets now, visit tickets.therhinos.co.uk