Super League (Europe)

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Super League (Europe)
Super League XII
Founded
1996
Nations
Flag of England England
Flag of France France
Relegation To
National League 1
Number of Teams
12
Cups
Challenge Cup
World Club Challenge
Current Champions
Leeds Rhinos
Website
Official

Super League is the only full-time professional rugby league football club competition operating in the northern hemisphere. Most of the teams are based in Great Britain, though there has been French involvement with Paris Saint Germain at the birth of the Super League and French club Union Treiziste Catalane, known as Les Catalans Dragons, who joined for the 2006 season. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Rugby Super League.

Super League (Europe) (SLE) began in March 1996 and saw the season switch from winter to summer. During the league's regular season, each team plays 27 games over 27 rounds from February to September. At the end of the regular season, the top six teams in Super League play in the playoffs, which finishes with the Grand Final.

Each year the competition winners play a game against the premiers of the Australasian National Rugby League competition in the World Club Challenge.

Each English team is allowed to have five quota players. Harlequins Rugby League are permitted five quota players as they are considered to be a non-heartland team. French side Catalans Dragons are allowed six non-French players.

Contents

Super League (Europe)
Team Stadium City/Area
Bradford Bulls Grattan Stadium, Odsal Bradford, West Yorkshire
Castleford Tigers The Jungle Castleford, West Yorkshire
Catalans Dragons Stade Gilbert Brutus Perpignan, France
Harlequins RL Twickenham Stoop Twickenham, London
Huddersfield Giants Galpharm Stadium Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Hull FC Kingston Communications Stadium Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Hull Kingston Rovers Craven Park Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Leeds Rhinos Headingley Carnegie Stadium Leeds, West Yorkshire
St Helens RFC Knowsley Road St Helens, Merseyside
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Belle Vue Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Warrington Wolves Halliwell Jones Stadium Warrington, Cheshire
Wigan Warriors JJB Stadium Wigan, Greater Manchester

The competition was first mooted during the Australian Super League war as a way for Rupert Murdoch to gain the upper hand during the battle for broadcasting supremacy with the Australian Rugby League. Murdoch also approached the British clubs to form Super League (Europe) (SLE). A large sum of money aided the decision, and the competition got under way in 1996. Part of the deal saw rugby league switch from a winter to a summer season.

Initially, several mergers between existing clubs were proposed:

They were to be included with the following stand-alone clubs:

However this proved so unpopular that only existing clubs were selected for the competition. The clubs finishing below 10th in the existing top flight were excluded, which meant Hull FC, Wakefield and Widnes were left out, as were pioneering club Keighley Cougars who had just won the Second Division Championship. London Broncos, now known as Harlequins Rugby League, who had come fourth in the Second Division, were “fast-tracked” in on commercial grounds. A new team, Paris Saint Germain, was created to give a French dimension.

After two years Paris were dropped from the competition, thus the 'Europe' in 'Super League (Europe)', became somewhat otiose; it was however retained. Promotion and relegation between Super League and the Rugby League National Leagues was re-introduced, and in 2002 the SLE governing body re-integrated fully into the Rugby Football League. For most intents and purposes, Super League is now simply a re-titled first division of British Rugby League. However, in 2006, French side Catalans Dragons (also known as UTC or Les Catalans) from Perpignan joined the league (giving more credence to the Super League (Europe) name). In order to facilitate this move, two clubs were relegated from Super League at the end of the 2005 season, with only one club coming up from the National Leagues, thus the number of clubs in Super League remained at 12.

After 2009 there will be no automatic promotion or relegation from Super League and new teams will be admitted on a franchise basis. Three-yearly reviews of franchises will take place to ensure ambitious clubs lower down the leagues can still be successful. However, some teams, including St Helens, Hull Kingston Rovers and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are not yet guaranteed entry due to ground requirements.

Currently, 12 teams compete in Super League. They play each other twice on a home-and-away basis, interrupted by the Millennium Magic round. An additional four fixtures are then played (prior to the introduction of Millennium Magic in 2007, an additional six fixtures were added). After the 27 rounds, a play-off structure is then used to determine the two teams who will meet in the Super League Grand Final to decide the championship. Currently the top six teams enter the play-offs. The structure is designed to reward the teams finishing nearer the top with easier routes to the Grand Final, which is played at Old Trafford. The system works like this:

Week One

  • Elimination Semi-final A: 3rd vs 6th
  • Elimination Semi-final B: 4th vs 5th

Week Two

  • Elimination Final: Winners of Elimination Semi-final A vs Winners of Elimination Semi-final B
  • Qualification Match: 1st vs 2nd

Week Three

  • Final Qualifier: Losers of Qualification Match vs Winners of Elimination Final

Week Four

  • Grand Final: Winners of Qualification Match vs Winners of Final Qualifier

See Rugby League Championship for full list of championship winners (1895-date).

Year Grand Final winner Runner up League leader
1996 n/a n/a St Helens
1997 n/a n/a Bradford Bulls
1998 Wigan Warriors(1st) Leeds Rhinos(2nd) Wigan Warriors
1999 St Helens(2nd) Bradford Bulls(1st) Bradford Bulls
2000 St Helens(2nd) Wigan Warriors(1st) Wigan Warriors
2001 Bradford Bulls(1st) Wigan Warriors(2nd) Bradford Bulls
2002 St Helens(1st) Bradford Bulls(2nd) St Helens
2003 Bradford Bulls(1st) Wigan Warriors(3rd) Bradford Bulls
2004 Leeds Rhinos(1st) Bradford Bulls(2nd) Leeds Rhinos
2005 Bradford Bulls(3rd) Leeds Rhinos(2nd) St Helens
2006 St Helens(1st) Hull FC(2nd) St Helens
2007 Leeds Rhinos(2nd) St Helens(1st) St Helens

NB. Brackets donate Super League regular season finishing position.

The Man of Steel Award is an annual award for the best player of the season in Super League.

Super League - the first ten years, Phil Caplan and Jonathan R. Doidge, ISBN 0-7524-3698-8

 v • d • e Super League (Europe)

Bradford Bulls | Catalans Dragons | Castleford Tigers Harlequins Rugby League |
Huddersfield Giants | Hull FC | Hull Kingston Rovers | Leeds Rhinos | St Helens RFC |
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | Warrington Wolves | Wigan Warriors
v • d • e
Rugby league in Britain and Ireland
Competitions Super League · National League · Challenge Cup · National League Cup · National Conference League · CMS Yorkshire league ·
North West Counties · Pennine League · Cumberland League · Hull & District League · Barrow & District League · Rugby League Conference · Midlands Merit League · London League
National teams Great Britain · England · Ireland · Scotland · Wales
Federations RFL · BARLA · Rugby League Ireland · Wales Rugby League · Scotland Rugby League
Former competitions Championship · Premiership · Lancs/Yorks Cups · Lancs/Yorks League
Regal Trophy · Charity Shield · BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_League_%28Europe%29"
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