Leeds dominance underlined as six Rhinos headline 2026 Super League Dream Team

Leeds Rhinos’ impressive Betfred Super League campaign, capped by a second-place finish in the regular season, has been underlined by a commanding presence in the 2026 Dream Team, with six players named in the competition’s flagship individual line-up.

Half-backs Jake Connor and Brodie Croft, full-back Lachie Miller, winger Maika Sivo, centre Ash Handley and back-rower James McDonnell have all been selected in a side chosen through a panel process involving journalists, supporters and former players.

The selections offer a snapshot of a season shaped by Leeds’ attacking fluency and Wigan Warriors’ pursuit of major honours, while also feeding directly into national-team planning ahead of this year’s Rugby League World Cup.

Leeds core reflects attacking shift at the top of Super League

The Dream Team recognises players operating in the top tier of the domestic game, run under the umbrella of the Rugby Football League. It is unofficial but influential, often shaping perceptions of form, value and selection at both club and international level.

Although Leeds were edged out by Wigan for the League Leaders’ Shield at the tail end of the campaign, their consistency across the regular season translated into a heavy presence in the notional best XIII. Their attack amassed more than 900 points, reflecting a shift towards high-tempo, ball-in-hand rugby that has characterised recent Super League seasons.

At the heart of that output was reigning Man of Steel Connor, who, at the time of selection, had produced 43 try assists. Operating in tandem with Croft in the halves, he controlled field position and tempo while providing the final pass for a significant volume of Leeds’ scoring plays.

Miller’s inclusion at full-back underlines the growing expectation that modern custodians contribute heavily in both metres and creativity. He delivered 18 try assists, ran for 3,781 metres and recorded a competition-best 166 tackle busts, numbers that reflect his role as both a secondary playmaker and primary ball carrier on kick-returns and early sets.

Croft’s 12 try assists and 28 tries in all competitions underline the dual-threat role of the stand-off in the current tactical era: a genuine scoring option in his own right as well as a distributor.

Out wide, Sivo’s return of 31 tries in 20 games before a broken arm checked his progress highlighted the value of power wingers in finishing sets and converting pressure into points. Much of that service came from Handley inside him, who finished with 14 assists and 10 tries, evidencing a centre role that blends strike running, passing and defensive workload.

In the pack, McDonnell’s industry in the back row – 651 tackles, 222 carries and 12 tries – made a strong statistical case in a position where work-rate and line-running are central to how top Super League sides now build pressure across an 80-minute contest.

Wigan’s treble bid and the balance of club power

Wigan Warriors, who have secured the League Leaders’ Shield and remain two-thirds of the way towards a potential domestic treble, are represented by hooker Brad O’Neill and winger Zach Eckersley.

Selection for only two Wigan players, despite the club’s position at the summit and pursuit of multiple trophies, illustrates the nature of the Dream Team as an individual accolade. Collective systems can share contributions across a squad, making standout statistical cases harder to separate, particularly in a spine where Jai Field, Bevan French and Harry Smith have all been heavily involved in steering the “Cherry and Whites” to silverware contention.

O’Neill’s inclusion at hooker comes after he put last season’s Grand Final sin-binning and the disappointment of defeat behind him to confirm his international credentials. His campaign blended high-volume defence – 894 tackles – with a genuine running threat and sharp distribution from dummy-half, the modern standard for elite No. 9s in both hemispheres.

Eckersley’s versatility across the backline, having featured at centre and full-back, coupled with 36 tries in 31 games, almost 3,000 running metres and 30 clean breaks, positions him as both a short-term strike weapon for Wigan and a long-term option for national selectors.

Leigh, Wakefield, Warrington and Toulouse share in recognition

The Dream Team’s remaining places underline the spread of individual excellence beyond the two leading title contenders.

Leigh Leopards see centre Umyla Hanley and prop Joe Ofahengaue rewarded for their form. Hanley retains his Dream Team spot from 2025, reflecting sustained performance levels across two seasons, while Ofahengaue’s selection in the front row recognises his influence in the middle, where elite props underpin defensive resilience and go-forward for sides outside the traditional heavyweights.

Ofahengaue lines up alongside Wakefield Trinity prop Caleb Hamlin-Uele in the Dream Team pack. Auckland-born Hamlin-Uele, who qualifies for England through his grandparents, surpassed 3,000 running metres, registered 78 tackle busts and made 751 tackles, an indicator of the two-way responsibility placed on modern front-rowers in both collision and repeat-effort metrics.

At loose forward, Warrington Wolves mainstay Ben Currie is recognised for another consistent season. His 933 tackles and 349 hit-ups for 2,333 metres underline the positional evolution of the No. 13 shirt into a hybrid role combining traditional middle-forward workload with link-play between forwards and halves.

Toulouse Olympique second-rower Mathieu Jussaume, who scored 16 tries, becomes the club’s first Dream Team representative. His selection reflects both individual impact and the progress of the French side in embedding itself in the competition and contributing to Super League’s strategic ambition of expanding rugby league’s footprint beyond its traditional heartlands.

Rhinos and Leigh mainstays underline year-on-year consistency

Connor, Hanley and McDonnell all retain their places from the 2025 Dream Team, a rare level of continuity that speaks to their ability to sustain form across campaigns where tactical trends, opposition analysis and squad composition can change significantly.

For Leeds, in particular, having both Connor and McDonnell back in the line-up reinforces the club’s long-term spine and edge structures. For Leigh, Hanley’s repeat selection at centre signals that his impact has not been a single-season spike but part of a durable contribution in attack and defence.

England selection picture sharpened ahead of World Cup

For England head coach Brian McDermott, the composition of the Dream Team is directly relevant to World Cup planning, with the tournament a little over a month away. A high proportion of England-qualified players in the side provides both form benchmarks and positional options across the squad.

O’Neill’s elevation at hooker strengthens the national side’s depth in a position central to both defensive organisation and attacking rhythm. His 2026 season has combined high-intensity tackling with a running and passing game that translates well to the tempo of international rugby league.

Eckersley’s output – 36 tries, almost 3,000 metres and 30 clean breaks – showcases a player capable of operating across the backline, a valuable asset in tournament play where short turnarounds and injury risk place a premium on versatility.

Handley’s inclusion both at club and Dream Team level feeds into McDermott’s three-quarter planning, with the Leeds centre having already been named in a 40-strong England pool earlier in the year. Leigh’s Umyla Hanley, also in that extended group, comes into contention despite missing part of the domestic campaign through injury, after delivering 10 try assists, 65 tackle busts and 12 clean breaks.

Up front, Hamlin-Uele’s qualification for England via his grandparents provides an additional middle-forward option with a proven engine and collision profile at Super League level. His combined yardage, tackle-bust count and defensive contribution over the season mark him out as a candidate for high-intensity international fixtures.

Currie’s Dream Team selection at loose forward aligns with his status as one of Warrington’s most reliable performers. For England, his 933 tackles and 2,333 running metres across 349 hit-ups this year offer a template for the type of work-rate and durability expected from a tournament No. 13.

Fine margins and the players who missed the cut

The Dream Team inevitably leaves several high-performing players on the outside, underlining the depth of talent across Super League and the subjective element inherent in any season-end selection.

Wigan’s creative spine of Field, French and Smith would have been part of the conversation for the halves and full-back roles and may still feature prominently in the Man of Steel voting for their part in guiding a Shield-winning and title-chasing campaign.

Centre Adam Keighran, loose forward Oli Partington and second-rower Junior Nsemba all had reasonable claims based on their contributions within Wigan’s system, while Wakefield hooker Tyson Smoothy produced a standout season in his single year in Super League before a planned return to the NRL, yet ultimately missed out on selection.

Leigh winger Josh Charnley, who has moved ahead of Ryan Hall at the top of the all-time Super League tries leaderboard, underlined his continued finishing quality in 2026 but did not make the Dream Team’s backline. In the halves, Leigh’s Lachlan Lam was influential throughout the campaign with 19 try assists, combining effectively with Adam Cook but facing fierce competition from Connor and Croft for recognition in the playmaking roles.

How the 2026 Dream Team lines up

In positional order, the 2026 Super League Dream Team is:

• Full-back: Lachie Miller (Leeds Rhinos)
• Winger: Maika Sivo (Leeds Rhinos)
• Centre: Ash Handley (Leeds Rhinos)
• Centre: Umyla Hanley (Leigh Leopards)
• Winger: Zach Eckersley (Wigan Warriors)
• Stand-off: Brodie Croft (Leeds Rhinos)
• Scrum-half: Jake Connor (Leeds Rhinos)
• Prop: Joe Ofahengaue (Leigh Leopards)
• Hooker: Brad O’Neill (Wigan Warriors)
• Prop: Caleb Hamlin-Uele (Wakefield Trinity)
• Second-row: Mathieu Jussaume (Toulouse Olympique)
• Second-row: James McDonnell (Leeds Rhinos)
• Loose-forward: Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves)

As the domestic season moves into its decisive phase and the World Cup approaches, this 13 not only recognises the standout performers of 2026 but also maps the shifting balance of power between clubs and offers a strong indication of the England core likely to shape the international campaign.