2017 RFL Women's Super League

Last updated
2017 Women's Super League
Duration6 rounds
Teams4
Matches played14
Champions Bullscolours.svg Bradford Bulls
League Leaders' Shield Bullscolours.svg Bradford Bulls

The 2017 Women's Super League was the inaugural season of the top level rugby league competition for women in England. [1] Run by the Rugby Football League there were four teams in the league; three (Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers and Featherstone Rovers) associated with professional clubs in West Yorkshire and one (Thatto Heath) associated with a leading amateur club in Lancashire.

Contents

The league was won by Bradford Bulls who went undefeated in the six round regular season before defeating Featherstone Rovers 36–6 in the Grand Final. [2] The win completed a treble for Bradford who in early August had defeated Featherstone 50–16 in the final of the 2017 Challenge Cup. [3] [4]

Teams

Northern England location map.PNG
Locations of teams in Northern England
ClubLocation
Bullscolours.svg   Bradford Bulls Bradford, West Yorkshire
Castleford colours.svg   Castleford Tigers Castleford, West Yorkshire
Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers Featherstone, West Yorkshire
Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens St Helens, Merseyside

Results

The season comprised six rounds during which each team played the others home and away. [5] The team finishing top of the league automatically qualified for the Grand Final. The teams finishing second and third playing a preliminary final to determine who the other grand finalists were.

Round 1

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueReferee
Castleford colours.svg   Castleford Tigers 48–14 Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers 23 July 2017, 14:00Neil Pascall
Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens 26–32 Bullscolours.svg   Bradford Bulls 23 July 2017, 14:00Phillip Salisbury
Source: [6] [7]

Round 2

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueReferee
Bullscolours.svg   Bradford Bulls 72–18 Castleford colours.svg   Castleford Tigers 13 August 2017, 14:00Neil Pascall
Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers 20–30 Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens 13 August 2017, 14:00
Source: [6] [8]

Round 3

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueReferee
Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers 0–24 Bullscolours.svg   Bradford Bulls 20 August 2017, 14:00 [a] Connor Astbury
Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens 64–4 Castleford colours.svg   Castleford Tigers 20 August 2017, 14:00Phillip Salisbury
Source: [6] [9]

Round 4

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueReferee
Bullscolours.svg   Bradford Bulls 40–10 Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens 3 September 2017, 144:00Neil Pascall
Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers 48–20 Castleford colours.svg   Castleford Tigers 3 September 2017, 14:00Gareth Billingham
Source: [6] [10]

Round 5

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueReferee
Castleford colours.svg   Castleford Tigers 12–60 Bullscolours.svg   Bradford Bulls 10 September 2017, 14:00Philip Lawley
Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens 14–24 Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers 10 September 2017, 14:00Phillip Salisbury
Source: [6] [11]

Round 6

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueReferee
Bullscolours.svg   Bradford Bulls 72–10 Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers 24 September 2017, 14:00Jake Brook
Castleford colours.svg   Castleford Tigers 4–38 Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens 24 September 2017, 15:00Neil Horton
Source: [6] [12]

Regular season standings

PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDPtsQualification
1 Bullscolours.svg   Bradford Bulls 660030076+22412Grand final
2 Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens 6303182124+586Preliminary final
3 Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers 6204116208924
4 Castleford colours.svg   Castleford Tigers 61051062961902
Source: [13]

Play-offs

Preliminary final

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueReferee
Thattoheathcolours.png   Thatto Heath St Helens 20–21 (g.p.) Fevcolours.svg   Featherstone Rovers 1 October 2017, 14:00Phillip Salisbury
Source: [6] [14]

Grand Final

7 October 2017
Noon BST
Bullscolours.svg Bradford Bulls36 – 6 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers
Tries: Kirsty Moroney, Lois Forsell, Charlotte Booth, Claire Garner, Amy Hardcastle, Charlene Henegan, Haylie Hields
Goals: Claire Garner (4)
report
Tries: Georgia Roche
Goals: Georgia Roche
Manchester Regional Arena
Referee: Neil Pascall [6]
Player of the Match: Lois Forsell

Notes

  1. Report indicates match was postponed/forfeited [9]

References

  1. "England Rugby Football League". International Rugby League. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  2. "Bradford Bulls become first-ever Women's Super League champions". RFL. 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  3. "Bradford Bulls win Women's Challenge Cup". RFL. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  4. "Rugby League World Cup: 'It's been a long journey with lots of tears', says Amy Hardcastle". BBC Sport. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  5. "Rugby League". www.rugby-league.com. RFL. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "2017 Women's Super League: Fixtures/Results". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  7. "Tigers and Bulls win as Women's RL Super League gets underway". 4 The Love Of Sport. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  8. "Women's Rugby League Weekly Round up 13th August". 4 The Love Of Sport. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Women's Rugby League Weekly Round up 20th August". 4 The Love Of Sport. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  10. "Women's Rugby League Round up 3rd September 2017". 4 The Love Of Sport. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  11. "Women's Rugby League Round Up 10th September". 4 The Love Of Sport. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  12. "Women's Rugby League Round Up 24 September". 4 The Love Of Sport. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  13. "2017 Women's Super League: Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  14. "Featherstone Rovers secure Grand Final spot". RFL. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2023.