WARRINGTON WOLVES made a storming start to their 2026 Super League campaign on Friday night, when 19-year-old full-back Cai Taylor-Wray lit up the opening weekend of the new season.

York Knights had already made sure the competition began dramatically on Thursday night, when the Super League debutants defeated 2025 treble winners Hull KR, which will be one of the biggest results of the season, regardless of what comes next.

Similarly, Taylor-Wray’s will be one of the performances of the season, but Warrington will hope there are plenty more similar displays to come.

The combination of agility, lithe evasiveness, and explosive speed shown by Taylor-Wray can be rare in modern rugby, where strength and endurance are often prioritised.

Quick players can soon empty the tank throughout a gruelling match or season, which means when the opportunity to break beyond the defensive line does arise, the top speed is unattainable.

That was certainly not the case for Taylor-Wray here, though, as he zipped between and beyond several lines of St Helens defenders before sprinting over half the length of the pitch to add Warrington’s second try.

Toby King had opened the scoring, and Taylor-Wray broke through once again to produce the third, offloading to Josh Thewlis, who then fed new signing Albert Hopoate.

Over 15,000 spectators were packed into Warrington’s home ground on Mike Gregory Way to witness this memorable performance from the young full-back, with the announced attendance of 15,064 breaking the record at the stadium in which Warrington have played since 2004.

It was also Warrington’s largest home attendance since 1973, when 15,600 watched the Wire in a narrow Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat to Featherstone Rovers at their previous home at Wilderspool Stadium.

There was to be no defeat on this occasion, although St Helens did come back into the game.

Warrington had looked unstoppable in the first half, racing to an 18-0 lead at halftime, but had to endure wave after wave of St Helens attacks at the start of the second period.

They resisted well for a long time, barely seeing any of the ball themselves, but St Helens did eventually start to mount a comeback. 

Saints managed to get the scoreline to 18-10, and the visiting supporters began to find their voice in a packed away end, believing a comeback could be on the cards.

Their team tired though, and despite defending for long periods, it was Warrington who stayed the course better. 

They soon got back on track with a try from Thewlis that sealed the win, making sure Taylor-Wray’s eyecatching performance was accompanied by an opening day victory.