2014 Super League Grand Final

Last updated

2014 (2014) Super League Grand Final  ()
St Helens RLFC Wigan Warriors
146
12Total
STH Saintscolours.svg 21214
WIG Wigancolours.svg 606
Date11 October 2014
Stadium Old Trafford
Location Flag of England.svg Manchester
Harry Sunderland Trophy Flag of England.svg James Roby ( Saintscolours.svg St Helens)
Headliners James
Referee Phil Bentham
Attendance70,102
Broadcast partners
Broadcasters
Commentators
←  2013
2015  →

The 2014 Super League Grand Final was the 17th official Grand Final and conclusive and deciding match of Super League XIX. It was held on Saturday 11 October 2014, [1] at Old Trafford, Manchester with a 6pm kick-off time. The game was played between the top two teams from the regular season, St Helens RLFC and Wigan Warriors. [2]

Contents

Background

The 2014 Super League season (known as the First Utility Super League XIX due to sponsorship by First Utility) [3] was the 19th season of rugby league football since the Super League format was introduced in 1996. Fourteen teams competed for the League Leaders' Shield over 27 rounds (including the Magic Weekend in Manchester), after which the highest finishing teams will enter the play-offs to compete for a place in the Grand Final and a chance to win the championship and the Super League Trophy.

PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 Saintscolours.svg St. Helens 271908796563+23338 [4]
2 Wigancolours.svg Wigan Warriors 271818834429+40537

Route to the Final

St Helens

St Helens
RoundOppositionScore
Qualifying Play-Off Castleford colours.svg Castleford Tigers (H)41-0
Semi-Final Catalanscolours.svg Catalans Dragons (H)30-12
Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue.

Wigan

Wigan
RoundOppositionScore
Qualifying Play-Off Giantscolours.svg Huddersfield Giants (H)57-4
Semi-Final Wolvescolours.svg Warrington Wolves (A)16-12
Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue.

Match details

12 October 2014
18:00 BST
St. Helens Saintscolours.svg 14–6 Wigancolours.svg Wigan Warriors
Tries: Soliola Ru ball.svg 54'
Makinson Ru ball.svg 69'
Goals: Percival 3/3 30', 54', 69'		 (Report)
Tries: Burgess Ru ball.svg 40'
Goals: Smith 1/3 17'
Flower Red card.svg 3'
Old Trafford, Manchester
Attendance: 70,102
Referee: Phil Bentham
Player of the Match: James Roby
St Helens Position Wigan Warriors
17 Flag of England.svg Paul Wellens (c) Fullback 1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Matthew Bowen
2 Flag of England.svg Tommy Makinson Wing 2 Flag of England.svg Josh Charnley
22 Flag of England.svg Mark Percival Centre 5 Flag of the Cook Islands.svg Anthony Gelling
4 Flag of England.svg Josh Jones Centre 23 Flag of England.svg Dan Sarginson
5 Flag of England.svg Adam Swift Wing 32 Flag of England.svg Joe Burgess
15 Flag of England.svg Mark Flanagan Stand-off 6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Blake Green
6 Flag of New Zealand.svg Lance Hohaia Scrum-half 7 Flag of England.svg Matty Smith
16 Flag of Ireland.svg Kyle Amor Prop 10 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Ben Flower
9 Flag of England.svg James Roby Hooker 19 Flag of England.svg Sam Powell
8 Flag of Samoa.svg Mose Masoe Prop 17 Flag of England.svg Dom Crosby
10 Flag of Ireland.svg Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook Second-row 11 Flag of England.svg Joel Tomkins
11 Flag of New Zealand.svg Iosia Soliola Second-row 12 Flag of England.svg Liam Farrell
3 Flag of England.svg Jordan Turner Loose forward 13 Flag of England.svg Sean O'Loughlin (c)
13 Flag of Tonga.svg Willie Manu Interchange22 Flag of the United States.svg Eddy Pettybourne
18 Flag of England.svg Alex Walmsley Interchange24 Flag of England.svg Tony Clubb
27 Flag of England.svg Greg Richards Interchange25 Flag of England.svg John Bateman
28 Flag of England.svg Luke Thompson Interchange27 Flag of England.svg George Williams
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nathan Brown Coach Flag of England.svg Shaun Wane

Following a fiery opening that started with the kind of big tackles that this derby game has become known for, the game suffered a dramatic twist in only the second minute of the game when Wigan Prop, Ben Flower, became the first and only player to be sent off in a grand final by referee Phil Bentham after he punched Lance Hohaia in the face, thus knocking him out, then as he lay defenceless on the floor, he punched him in the face again. [5]

This forced Wigan to play 78 minutes with 12-men, causing a switch in the Wigan approach to one of smash-and-grab. A valiant first-half performance by Wigan's 12-men meant they entered the break with a 6–2 lead. [6]

Despite further strong defensive displays by the Wigan outfit in the ensuing second-half, Iosia Soliola forced himself over the Wigan try-line in his final appearance in the Red-Vee to put St. Helens ahead, and in control of the game. An admirable, yet desperate display by Wigan, to get themselves back into contention was halted, when Tommy Makinson crashed over for Saints, 12 minutes from time to make the score 14–6, after a precise kick over-the-top of the Wigan defence from Saints stalwart, Paul Wellens. Despite a late Wigan flurry, Makinson's try proved to be the one that sealed the game and the championship for St. Helens, meaning that the Saints claimed their first championship title since 2006, and their sixth overall in the Super League era (St Helens are now equal with Leeds Rhinos for titles since 1996, both have 6 titles). [7] [8]

World Club Series

By winning this match the Saints had qualified for the World Club Series Final, to be played early in the 2015 season against the winners of the 2014 NRL Grand final, the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Wellens</span> English rugby league coach (born 1980)

Paul Simon Wellens is an English professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of St Helens in the Betfred Super League and a former professional rugby league footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Hohaia</span> New Zealand rugby league footballer

Lance Koro Hohaia, also known by the nickname of "The Huntly Hurricane", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international representative utility back, he played in the NRL for the New Zealand Warriors and the Super League for St Helens, with whom he won the 2014 Super League championship. In 2008 Hohaia was a member of the World Cup winning New Zealand team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook</span> Ireland & England international rugby league footballer

Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook is a former rugby league footballer who last played as a prop, second-row or loose forward for St Helens in the Betfred Super League. He has played for both England and Ireland at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matty Smith (rugby league)</span> England international rugby league footballer

Mathew Joe Smith is a former English rugby league footballer who last played as a scrum-half for the Widnes Vikings in the Betfred Championship. He has played for the England Knights and England at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Flanagan (rugby league)</span> English rugby league footballer

Mark Flanagan is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a loose forward or second-row forward in the Super League and the NRL, and the England Knights at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Flower</span> Wales international rugby league footballer

Ben Flower is a Welsh professional former rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for the Leigh Centurions in the Betfred Super League, and has played for Wales at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gil Dudson</span> Wales international rugby league footballer

Gil Dudson is a Welsh professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Salford Red Devils, on season-long loan from the Warrington Wolves in the Betfred Super League and Wales at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Farrell</span> England international rugby league footballer

Liam Matthew Farrell is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League, and has played for England at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Amor</span> Ireland international rugby league footballer

Kyle Amor is a TV broadcaster with Sky Sports and is a former Ireland international rugby league footballer who played most of his career with St Helens. Amor last played as a prop for the Widnes Vikings in the Betfred Championship for 10 games during the 2023 season before retiring mid-season in May 2023. Outside of Rugby League, Kyle is also an ambassador for Ortus Energy, a leading U.K. Solar company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Makinson</span> England international rugby league footballer (born 1991)

Tommy Makinson is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a Fullback and winger for St Helens in the Betfred Super League and England at international level.

The 2012 Super League Grand Final was the 15th official Grand Final and conclusive and championship-deciding match of the Super League XVII season. The match was held on Saturday 6 October 2012, at Old Trafford, Manchester, and was contested by English clubs Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves. The 2012 Grand Final was a repeat of the 2012 Challenge Cup Final, in which Warrington beat Leeds 35-18 at Wembley Stadium, although it was Leeds who would win the Super League Grand Final, winning 26-18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Walmsley</span> GB & England international rugby league footballer

Alex Walmsley is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for St Helens in the Betfred Super League, and England and Great Britain at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Powell</span> English professional rugby league footballer

Sam Powell is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a scrum-half or hooker for the Warrington Wolves in the Super League and the England Knights at international level.

The 2014 St Helens R.F.C. season is the club's 140th in its history; its 119th in rugby league. The Saints will be looking to end a 6-year silverware drought this season by competing for the Super League XIX title as well as the 113th edition of the Challenge Cup. This season marks Australian Nathan Brown's second season as head coach of the club, continuing from his first season in 2013 which ended in a 5th-place finish and an early playoff exit courtesy of an 11–10 defeat at Leeds Rhinos. They began their season by taking on last seasons runner-up Warrington Wolves at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, which ended in an 8–38 win for Saints. This win sent Saints on a win streak that lasted for eight Super League games before being defeated on 18 April 2014 by arch-rivals Wigan Warriors at Langtree Park in the annual Good Friday derby match. Easter was a period to forget for the Saints as they were beaten by Widnes Vikings for their second league defeat in a row, following the Good Friday defeat to bitter rivals Wigan, and then by Leeds Rhinos in Round 5 of the Challenge Cup meaning the Saints will miss out on the trophy for a sixth year. The Saints bounced back however on 1 May with a 48–18 win over the London Broncos. Saints suffered another Magic Weekend to the Warrington Wolves on 18 May with the game ending 41–24 to the Wolves. Results picked up after the Magic Weekend with two straight wins at home against Huddersfield & Salford however the Saints then traveled to Perpignan where they suffered a humiliating 42–0 loss to the Catalans Dragons. Once again, the Saints bounced back with an impressive win over Castleford Tigers at Langtree Park and with another outstanding performance in a pulsating game at the DW Stadium against arch-rivals Wigan Warriors that ended 12–16 in favour of the Saints; the win avenging the Good Friday defeat at Langtree Park. Following this win, Saints suffered a shock 40–10 defeat to Hull Kingston Rovers but bounced back with three straight wins before losing to Hull KR's cross-town rivals, Hull FC, 19–12. However, a 40–16 win over Wakefield Trinity Wildcats & an extremely tight 12–13 win over Leeds Rhinos at Headingley put the Saints in a position where a win against Warrington on 4 September would hand them their first League Leaders' Shield since the 2008 season; with Castleford Tigers being the only other team in contention for the top spot. Despite losing their last two games of the regular season, Saints acquired the League Leaders' Shield following Castleford's failure to beat Catalans Dragons in their last game of the season; meaning that the Saints took their first piece of silverware since 2008. The unlikely success of the 2014 season culminated in a 14–6 win over arch-rivals Wigan Warriors in the 2014 Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford making Saints the Super League champions for the first time since 2006 in an extremely lively, well-fought contest that saw Wigan player Ben Flower sent off for a sucker punch on a defenceless Lance Hohaia in the 2nd minute of the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Burgess</span> England international rugby league footballer

Joe Burgess is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for Hull KR in the Betfred Super League, and England at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Thompson (rugby league)</span> GB & England international rugby league footballer

Luke Thompson is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as prop and loose forward for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League, and for England and Great Britain at international level.

The 2015 World Club Series was the inaugural World Club Series and was contested by six clubs, including Super League XIX champions, St Helens R.F.C. and 2014 NRL Premiers, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The 2015 series marked a departure from the previous format, whereby only the premiers from the two respective competitions would take part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Richards (rugby league)</span> English rugby league footballer

Greg Richards is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for Toulouse Olympique in the RFL Championship.

The 2019 Super League Grand Final was the 22nd official Grand Final and championship-deciding game of Super League XXIV. It was held at Old Trafford in Manchester on 12 October 2019. The final was contested by St. Helens and Salford Red Devils.

The 2020 Super League Grand Final was the 23rd official Grand Final and championship-deciding game of Super League XXV. The game was won 8–4 by St Helens over their local rivals Wigan Warriors. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first Super League Grand Final not held at Old Trafford.

References

  1. ↑ "2014 Super League fixtures announced". Super League. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "Super League Grand Final 2014: Wigan favourites but St Helens have momentum ahead of Old Trafford showdown". Daily Telegraph. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "First Utility powers title sponsorship of Super League". Super League. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "League Table". Super League. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "St Helens 14 Wigan Warriors 6: Moment of madness from Wales international Ben Flower costs Wigan dear". Daily Telegraph. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "St Helens 14-6 Wigan Warriors". BBC Sport.
  7. ↑ "St Helens win Grand Final after Wigan's Ben Flower is sent off". Guardian. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "St Helens 14–6 Wigan Warriors". BBC Sport. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.