Super League Grand Final

The Super League Grand Final is the championship-deciding game of rugby league's Super League competition.^[1] It is played between two teams who have qualified via the Super League Play-Off series.^[2] The winning team receives the Super League Trophy and goes on to play the NRL champions in the World Club Challenge. The Harry Sunderland Trophy is awarded to the man of the match. The match is normally played at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester.

Super League Grand Final

Super League Trophy
Location	Trafford, Manchester
Teams	2
First meeting	1998
Latest meeting	2023
Next meeting	2024
Broadcasters	Sky Sports BBC
Stadiums	Old Trafford
Statistics
Meetings total	24
Most wins	St Helens (9)
Most player appearances	Jamie Peacock James Roby (11)

Only four clubs have won the Super League, as of 2023 - St Helens (9), Leeds Rhinos (8), Wigan Warriors (6), and Bradford Bulls (3).

(St Helens and Bradford Bulls each won one of their Super League titles before the Play Off and Grand Final system was introduced in 1998).

Wigan Warriors are the current champions, after winning the 2023 Super League Grand Final, defeating Catalans Dragons 10–2, who also become the first ever team to have 2 or more players sin binned in the grand final.

Background

See also: Rugby Football League Championship

Use of a play-off system to decide the Championship brought back a rugby league tradition that had fallen out of use in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The Premiership replaced the Championship final but it was to decide the Premiership winners, not the Championship winners. The Premiership was discontinued after the introduction of the Super League play-off series in 1998, ending with the Super League Grand Final. The inaugural Grand Final match was played that year on Saturday 24 October, between Wigan and Leeds.

Venue

 

Leeds celebrating their 2008 Grand Final victory at Old Trafford

Main article: Old Trafford

The Grand Final has been held at Old Trafford in Manchester every year since 1998, except in 2020, when it was held at the KCOM Stadium in Hull due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

City	Stadium	Years
Manchester	Old Trafford	1998–2019, 2021–
Hull	KCOM Stadium	2020

Trophy

 

The winners of the Super League collect the Grand Final rings and the team's name, captain and year are engraved into the trophy. The winners also collect £100,000 with the runner up collecting £50,000.

Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield currently holds the record for captaining the most Super League title winning sides after leading Leeds to seven of their Grand Final successes. St Helens contested the final six years in a row (from 2006 until 2011) during which time they succeeded only once in lifting the trophy, against Hull F.C. in 2006, after which they suffered consecutive defeats against Leeds in 2007, 2008, 2009, Wigan in 2010 and Leeds once again in 2011.

Awards

Main article: Harry Sunderland Trophy

The Harry Sunderland Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in the Super League Grand Final by the Rugby League Writers' Association. Named after Harry Sunderland, who was an Australian rugby league football administrator in both Australia and the United Kingdom, the Trophy was first awarded in the Rugby Football League Championship Final of the 1964–65 season following Sunderland's death.

Finals

See also: League Leaders' Shield

The Super League Grand Final has been the championship-deciding game since Super League III in 1998:^[3] This final is held at Old Trafford.

Year	Winners	Score	Runner-up	Attendance
1998	Wigan	10–4	Leeds	43,533
1999	St Helens	8–6	Bradford	50,717
2000	St Helens	29–16	Wigan	58,132
2001	Bradford	37–6	Wigan	60,164
2002	St Helens	19–18	Bradford	61,138
2003	Bradford	25–12	Wigan	65,537
2004	Leeds	16–8	Bradford	65,547
2005	Bradford	15–6	Leeds	65,728
2006	St Helens	26–4	Hull	72,575
2007	Leeds	33–6	St Helens	71,352
2008	Leeds	24–16	St Helens	68,810
2009	Leeds	18–10	St Helens	63,259
2010	Wigan	22–10	St Helens	71,526
2011	Leeds	32–16	St Helens	69,107
2012	Leeds	26–18	Warrington	70,676
2013	Wigan	30–16	Warrington	66,281
2014	St Helens	14–6	Wigan	70,102
2015	Leeds	22–20	Wigan	73,512
2016	Wigan	12–6	Warrington	70,202
2017	Leeds	24–6	Castleford	72,827
2018	Wigan	12–4	Warrington	64,892
2019	St Helens	23–6	Salford	64,102
2020	St Helens	8–4	Wigan	N/A
2021	St Helens	12–10	Catalans	45,177
2022	St Helens	24–12	Leeds	60,783
2023	Wigan	10–2	Catalans	58,137

Results

Grand Final winners and runners up

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Years won	Years runner-up
St Helens	9	5	1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022	2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Leeds Rhinos	8	3	2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017	1998, 2005, 2022
Wigan Warriors	6	6	1998, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2023	2000, 2001, 2003, 2014, 2015, 2020
Bradford Bulls	3	3	2001, 2003, 2005	1999, 2002, 2004
Warrington Wolves	0	4		2012, 2013, 2016, 2018
Catalans Dragons	0	2		2021, 2023
Hull F.C.	0	1		2006
Castleford Tigers	0	1		2017
Salford Red Devils	0	1		2019

The Double

Main article: The Double (rugby league)

In rugby league, the term 'the Double' is referring to the achievement of a club that wins the top division and Challenge Cup in the same season. To date, this has been achieved by ten clubs, four of them during the Super League era.

	Club	Wins	Winning years
1	Wigan	7	1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2013
2	St Helens	4	1965–66, 1996, 2006, 2021
3	Huddersfield	2	1912–13, 1914–15
4	Broughton Rangers	1	1901–02
5	Halifax	1	1902–03
6	Hunslet	1	1907–08
7	Swinton	1	1927–28
8	Warrington	1	1953–54
9	Bradford	1	2003
10	Leeds	1	2015

The Treble

Main article: The Treble (rugby league)

The Treble refers to the team who wins all three domestic honours on offer during the season; Grand Final, League Leaders' Shield and Challenge Cup. To date seven teams have won the treble, only Bradford Bulls, St Helens and Leeds Rhinos have won the treble in the Super League era.

	Club	Wins	Winning years
1	Wigan	3	1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95
2	Huddersfield	2	1912–13, 1914–15
3	St Helens	2	1965–66, 2006
4	Hunslet	1	1907–08
5	Swinton	1	1927–28
6	Bradford	1	2003
7	Leeds	1	2015

The Quadruple

Main article: The Treble (rugby league) § Further Achievement

The Quadruple refers to winning the Super League, League Leaders' Shield, Challenge Cup and World Club Challenge in one season.

	Club	Wins	Winning years
1	Wigan	1	1994–95
2	Bradford	1	2003–04
3	St Helens	1	2006–07

Headliners

Year	Act
1998–2003	none
2004	Heather Small
2005	Madness
2006	Deacon Blue
2007	The Kaiser Chiefs
2008	Scouting for Girls
2009	The Wombats
2010	Diana Vickers
2011	Feeder*
2012–2013	none
2014	James
2015	The Charlatans
2016	Feeder
2017	Razorlight
2018	Blossoms
2019	Shed Seven
2020–2022	none
2023	Reverend and the Makers

• 2011- Feeder were cancelled due to Manchester United not wanting a stage to be erected on the wet pitch

Records

Match records

• Largest margin of victory:

31 points -   Bradford 37-6   Wigan (2001)

• Smallest margin of victory:

1 point -   St Helens 19-18   Bradford (2002)

• Highest scoring:

48 points -   Leeds 32-16   St Helens (2011)

• Lowest scoring:

12 points -   St Helens 8-4   Wigan (2020),   Wigan 10-2   Catalans (2023)

• Highest attendance:

73,512   Leeds v   Wigan (at Old Trafford, 2015)

Club records

• Most Grand Final victories:

9 -   St. Helens (Super League Grand Final 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)

• Most consecutive Grand Final victories:

4 -   St. Helens (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)

• Most Grand Final appearances:

14 -   St Helens (1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)

• Most Grand Final defeats:

6 -   Wigan (2000, 2001, 2003, 2014, 2015, 2020)

• Most Grand Final defeats (without victory):

4 -   Warrington Wolves (2012, 2013, 2016, 2018)

Player records

• Most Grand Final appearances:

• 11:

Jamie Peacock (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015)

James Roby (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)

• Most Grand Final victories:

• 9:

Jamie Peacock (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015)

• Most Grand Final appearances as captain:

• 8:

Kevin Sinfield (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015)

• Youngest finalist:

• Leon Pryce (18 years)

• Youngest winner:

• Jack Walker (18 years, 60 days)

• Oldest finalist:

• Sean O'Loughlin (38 years, 3 days)

• Oldest winner:

• Jamie Peacock (37 years, 300 days)

See also

•  Sports portal

• Championship Grand Final
• Million Pound Game
• Super League
• Super League play-offs
• Old Trafford
• Super League Trophy
• Harry Sunderland Trophy
• NRL Grand Final

References

1. . superleague.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
2. . superleague.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
3. . superleague.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2022.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Super League Grand Final.