Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards: What caused the dispute ahead of Super League semi-final?

The Super League semi-final between Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards is set to take place on Friday night after a rather bizarre build-up.

In an extraordinary turn of events on Wednesday, Wigan released a statement saying that Leigh did not intend to fulfil the fixture because of a ticketing gripe.

However, Leopards owner Derek Beaumont later released a lengthy counterstatement implying he had never formally requested the game be cancelled.

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As it stands, the clash at the Brick Community Stadium - live on Sky Sports from 7.30pm on Friday (8pm kick-off) - is on with both clubs naming their 21-strong squads.

But what exactly has gone on? Here are some of the questions answered…

What has caused the dispute between Wigan and Leigh?

Wigan gave Leigh the choice of 4,600 unreserved seats or 5,400 reserved seats in the North Stand of the 25,000-capacity Brick Community Stadium.

Warriors said that allocation had been determined for safety reasons after consultation with the police and that the number of tickets given to Leigh was almost double the 10 per cent minimum required for away supporters.

In his statement, Beaumont said the offer of an unreserved 4,800 seats was only an initial allocation and "never was it communicated this would be our only allocation".

Beaumont went on to say that he had been told spaces in the first block in the East and West stands would be available if Leigh could sell the tickets.

He also said Leigh were not given a "reasonable explanation" as to why they were not given more tickets when the seats in the North Stand sold out quickly.

That call, according to Beaumont, came from Wigan CEO Kris Radlinkski following disturbances in the crowd during the clubs' semi-final in 2024.

In that match - won 38-0 by home side Wigan - a small section of visiting fans let off flares and were subsequently banned by Leigh, with Beaumont insisting there have been no issues since as he described Wigan's stance as "against the spirit of the game".

Beaumont - annoyed at tickets being unavailable despite the fact the game is not a sell-out - also accused Wigan of sharing private WhatsApp messages and implying it was official correspondence.

The Rugby Football League has declined to comment on the matter.

What did Wigan say about the safety element of the game?

In the statement released before Beaumont's, Wigan said: "While we regret that Leigh Leopards found this arrangement unacceptable, our club is legally, and professionally, bound to comply with the directions of our ground safety officer and the conditions of our Ground Safety Certificate.

"The safety and welfare of all supporters must come first. This is not open to negotiation and underpins every decision we make.

"We continue to prepare for Friday's semi-final and will release further information as the situation develops."

Are there serious fears Leigh could withdraw?

Those concerns appear to have been somewhat eased by Beaumont's statement with the Leigh owner maintaining he "would not deprive our fans and players, nor myself, the opportunity to play at Old Trafford in a grand final."

He added: "I sincerely hope my genuine concerns can be satisfied so the game we are still preparing as normal for can proceed as planned.

"It has always been and always will be our intention to play the game we have worked hard all season to earn the right of."

Leigh published a post on X shortly after Wigan's initial statement saying "two days until the semi-final" and the prospect of the Leopards withdrawing - and Wigan presumably being given a bye to the final against either Hull KR or St Helens - now seems remote.

Can Leigh pull off a history-making win over Wigan?

Leigh were thumped by Wigan in last year's semi-final but confidence will be high they can reach a first Super League Grand Final after ending the regular season with six straight victories to finish third in the table - their best-ever result.

Leigh - who ended up one place and three points shy of Wigan - have also won two of the three meetings between the teams this season, including 1-0 on the opening day of the campaign when the game was settled by Gareth O'Brien's golden-point drop goal.

Head coach Adrian Lam said: "It's about taking those learnings from last year's finals. The biggest turnaround for me was that four months after being beaten, we won in the 84th minute in round one which broke the hoodoo.

"There have been a lot of different moments of growth. I've been on a journey with the same team, so as a group we've learned how to approach (big games) and what works.

"I suppose the most important thing is to trust the players because a lot of the work has been done through the years. The hype is done for us. The players are aware that the event is going to be huge and the crowd and the atmosphere will bring so much of that."

Super League 2025 - remaining fixtures

All live on Sky Sports; all times UK and Ireland

Semi-finals

• Fri October 3: Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards - 8pm
• Sat October 4: Hull KR vs St Helens - 5.30pm

Grand Final (Old Trafford)

• Sat October 11: TBC vs TBC - 6pm

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards: What caused the dispute ahead of Super League semi-final?