UK Championship Play Offs: 2026

I covered the league* and now it's on to the finals. It's a convoluted affair, spanning five rounds. 

Round 1: It was Whitehaven and Batley that departed. As 9th and 10th in the league, not surprising. Widnes and Doncaster earned byes for the next round.

Round 2: In came London and Newcastle. The Sheffield Eagles and Midlands Hurricanes bade farewell. Seeing that they were 7th and 8th in the league, that meant all of the top six remained. London and Newcastle earned byes. 

Round 3: Widnes Vikings and Barrow Raiders said adieu, with Doncaster and Oldham into the semi finals. The top four league sides all making it through.

Round 4: The semi finals had arrived. League winners London easily and expectedly cruised into the final. Fourth placed in the league Doncaster overcame the second placed league team the Newcastle Thunder to take the other spot.

Round 5: The grand final between hot favourites and massive underdogs. The scoreline reveals the extent of the gap. The only fully professional club in the competition made that count. Well done Doncaster for making it to the grand final. The Broncos should be a Super League Club next season, confirmation surely a formality.

*You can view the league article by clicking here.

A full replay below of a live stream. Best watched on YouTube. You have to slide the progress bar along if you want to avoid the live build up.

NRL 2026 Finals (Men)

If you missed my coverage of the regular league season, you can see it by clicking here.

All the top eight sides hit the first round of the finals. Four have a second life if they lose. For two it's sayonara. 

First round: The two that went were the South Sydney Rabbitohs (6th in the league) and North Queensland Cowboys (8th). The NZ Warriors (2nd) and Sydney Roosters (4th) lost so missed out on a bye. 

Quarter finals: An out of form Cronulla Sharks (5th) were blown away by the Roosters. The Warriors didn't lift enough for the finals and were ousted by the Newcastle Knights in a somewhat controvesial cliff hanger. 

Semi finals: The Dolphins (3rd) had been hot leading up to the finals series but were outplayed by the Roosters. Favourites the Penrith Panthers (1st) were likewise upset by the Knights.

Grand Final: The Roosters were favourites but the diogged Knights were not out of the equation. The Knights led 12-6 at the break but with less possession and a poorer field position, it was always going to be tough. Yet the Knights only lost by one point. That determination summed up how they got there. 

The Roosters played a grand final how it should be played. Give the opposition as little as possible. The stats say they should have won by more but the margin of victory isn't the point. Winning the grand final is, no matter how you do it.

The highlights of the final are below. Best watched at YouTube. 

NRLW 2026 Finals (Women)

Six clubs lined up for a shot at the coveted crown, the grand final. The third to sixth sides comprised the first round. The regular season summary can be seen by clicking here.

Quarter finals: The Wests Tigers (4th in the league) and Newcastle Knights (6th) ended their journey here. The Wests lost out in a tight one. In came the top two league teams for the semi final.

Semi finals: Neither match had a run away scoreline. The League winner and hot favourite Sydney Roosters went through and the Brisbane Broncos (3rd in the league) defeated second placed Gold Coast Titans. 

Grand final: Last year's finalists were back for round two. Brisbane edged that match but the Roosters were favoured to reverse that result. So it proved with the Roosters taking a 26-0 half time scoreline. The game was over but the second half was close. 

The highlights are below, best watched at YouTube.