2025 Super League season | |
---|---|
League | Super League |
Duration | 27 rounds |
Teams | 12 |
Matches played | 133 |
Points scored | 5,440 |
Highest attendance | 45,209 Wigan Warriors vs Warrington Wolves (1 March) |
Lowest attendance | 2,051 Salford Red Devils vs Castleford Tigers (13 July) |
Average attendance | 9,843 |
Attendance | 1,299,327 |
Broadcast partners |
|
2025 Season | |
League Leaders Shield | Hull KR |
Biggest home win | St Helens 82–0 Salford Red Devils (15 February) |
Biggest away win | Salford Red Devils 12–74 Hull KR (31 July) |
Man of Steel | ![]() |
Top point-scorer(s) | Arthur Mourgue (171) |
Top try-scorer(s) | Lewis Martin (21) |
The 2025 Super League season, known as the 2025 Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the 30th season of the Super League and 131st season of rugby league in Great Britain.
Wigan Warriors are the defending champions, having beaten Hull KR in the Grand Final, to win their seventh Super League title. [1]
The 2025 Super League broke the record for the highest attended season (for seasons with 12 teams) with over 1.62 million fans attending games across the regular season. This beat the previous record set in 2008, and was also the first Super League season where average game attendance was over 10,000. Further television viewing figures had risen by 52%. [2]
In December 2024, the Rugby Football League (RFL) announced the introduction of the Captain's Challenge, first introduced to the National Rugby League in Australia in 2020 and also used during the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, for all Super League and Challenge Cup matches from 2025 onwards. Teams are permitted a ten-second window to contest a referee's decisions at a stoppage in play and refer to the video referee for a second opinion, with each team permitted to have one unsuccessful challenge per match. [3] Captain's Challenges are not permitted for forward passes, roll balls, certain penalties, time-wasting, dissent and scrum penalties. [4]
In January 2025, the RFL announced a change to the Super League's disciplinary system for the 2025 season onwards. Incidents charged from Grades A through to C by the RFL's Match Review Panel, will now be graded in a points system; the lowest, Grade A, will result in one penalty point being charged against a player, followed by Grade B (3 points), and Grades C (5 points). Should a player be charged with a Grade D, then they will receive 12 points, and a 2 match suspension. Grade E, will see players automatically referred to an RFL tribunal, which is a minimum 6 match suspension. When issued, these penalty points will stay on a player's record for one year. [5]
The amount of penalty points accumulated by a player will determine how long a match ban they may receive: for example, a player with 6 to 11 penalty points will receive a one-match ban, while a player with 54 or more points will receive a 12-match ban. [5]
Two variants of drop-outs were introduced for 2025:
Changes to tackle height rules were first announced by the RFL for all leagues in December 2023, with tackling above the armpit outlawed in order to reduce rates of head concussion injuries during matches. [6] Though the rule was introduced to grassroots, academy and reserve rugby leagues in 2024, elite rugby leagues were to see this rule implemented in their 2025 seasons, [7] however in December 2024, the RFL announced that tackle height laws would remain the same after concussion injuries were found to have been reduced with the introduction of instrumented mouthguards. [4]
Green cards, first introduced in 2022 to permit defending players to leave the pitch for a maximum two minutes, [8] were permitted to also be used by the referee to allow attacking players to leave the pitch. [4]
Referees are also permitted to differentiate between active and passive offside players at a kick chase. [4]
Gradings were introduced to the Super League by IMG and the RFL from 2024 onwards, removing automatic relegation as a result of finishing 12th from 2024 onwards. After a proposal to reintroduce automatic promotion from lower leagues irrespective of grading was rejected, changes for the 2025 season largely centred on factors as to how teams are graded at the end of the season. [9]
Clubs can now earn grading points based on how often their matches are aired or streamed on any platform, with the six clubs scoring the highest match viewership from these platforms securing 1.0 points; clubs who qualify with a minimum six-camera match production score 0.75 points, while clubs who do not have matches broadcast on any platform scored 0.5 points. Additional points can be secured by expanding their social media footprint, as well as through expanding their supporter catchment by signing a Rugby League Development Agreement with a bordering local authority. Clubs whose stadiums are undergoing major renovation work have been allowed to retain their previous stadium facilities score for a maximum of two years, while clubs who do not publish their data capture scores will be penalised 0.25 points. [9]
After 2024's mid-season away match against the France national rugby league team held on 29 June was criticised for poor attendance, a lack of advertising and placement in the middle of a triple-header of matches, [10] the England national rugby league team announced that they did not plan to play matches in June and July 2025, therefore removing the Super League's international break for the 2025 season. [11] When the Super League's 2025 fixtures were announced, Round 20 was split across two weeks between 24 July and 1 August to compensate for the international break. Six teams - Catalans, Hull FC, Huddersfield, Leeds Wakefield, Wigan - played Super League matches in the first week, while the remaining six - Castleford, Hull KR, Leigh, Salford, St Helens and Warrington - played in the second week, allowing each team to rest their players for one week regardless of whether they progressed into the Challenge Cup final. [12]
BBC Sport are broadcasting matches as well as match highlights in the second year of their three-year deal with the Super League, replacing Channel 4 as the league's free-to-air partner from 2024 season. [13] Ten games per season will be shown live on television, with a further five shown on iPlayer, the BBC's streaming platform.
The league comprises 12 teams. The regular season comprises 27 rounds.
Wigan Warriors are the defending champions after winning the 2024 Grand Final. [1] London Broncos, who finished bottom of the Super League table in 2024, were relegated to the Championship under IMG's grading system. They were replaced by Wakefield Trinity, who were promoted from the Championship under the grading system after finishing top of the Championship table. [14]
Legend | |
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Reigning Champions | |
Previous season Runners-Up | |
Previous season League Leaders | |
Promoted |
If a match ends in a draw after 80 minutes, then a further 10 minutes of golden point extra time is played, to determine a winner (five minutes each way). The first team to score either a try, penalty goal or drop goal during this period, will win the match. However, if there are no further scores during the additional 10 minutes period, then the match will end in a draw. [27]
The Round 1 fixture between Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards at the Brick Community Stadium on 13 February ended in a 0–0 draw, the first time a match has ended with no scoring in Super League history. Wigan's Jai Field did score a try in the second half, however it was disallowed for a ball steal in the build-up. The game then went to golden point, and Gareth O'Brien kicked the winning drop goal for Leigh, defeating Wigan away for the first time since 1983. [28]
The Round 1 fixture between Hull Kingston Rovers and Castleford Tigers, at Sewell Group Craven Park on 14 February finished 18–18 after 80 minutes, however, Tex Hoy missed a last minute penalty to potentially win the game for Castleford, and the game went to extra time. Mikey Lewis kicked the winning drop goal to win the game for Hull KR 19-18. [29]
The Round 4 fixture between Hull FC and Leigh Leopards on 6 March 2025, finished 22–22 after 80 minutes. The game then went to extra time. The first drop goal attempt came from Lachlan Lam at the end of the first period, but his effort was short, and with no further scores, the score remained the same. The second period of extra time saw Jordan Rapana's drop goal attempt charged down, and at the end of the second period, Lam attempted another drop goal, but his effort was charged down also, and with no further points scored, the match ended in a draw. [30]
The Round 9 fixture between Catalans Dragons and Wakefield Trinity on 26 April 2025, finished 20–20 after 80 minutes. The game then went to extra time, which saw Mason Lino sent to the sin bin for a high tackle, and from the resulting penalty, Reimis Smith scored the winning try, to win the game for Catalans 24–20 [31]
During the season, Salford have been hampered by financial difficulties, which has resulted in numerous players leaving the club. In the round 21 fixture against Hull, Salford only managed to raise a 17-player squad which included the use of loan players from other Super League teams and were thrashed 80–6 by Hull. [32] The following week, Salford were due to play Wakefield, but with the other clubs now reluctant to loan players, Salford could only name a squad including only two players with Super League experience. [33] Citing player welfare as the issue, Salford therefore withdrew from the round 22 fixture against Wakefield. [34] The match was awarded to Wakefield as 48–0 victory as covered in the operational rules. [35]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 27 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 786 | 292 | +494 | 44 | Advance to Semi-finals |
2 | ![]() | 27 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 794 | 333 | +461 | 42 | |
3 | ![]() | 27 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 619 | 452 | +167 | 39 | Advance to Eliminators |
4 | ![]() | 27 | 18 | 0 | 9 | 610 | 310 | +300 | 36 | |
5 | ![]() | 27 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 677 | 314 | +363 | 34 | |
6 | ![]() | 27 | 15 | 0 | 12 | 688 | 458 | +230 | 30 | |
7 | ![]() | 27 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 539 | 461 | +78 | 27 | |
8 | ![]() | 27 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 480 | 641 | −161 | 20 | |
9 | ![]() | 27 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 425 | 652 | −227 | 20 | |
10 | ![]() | 27 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 347 | 738 | −391 | 14 | |
11 | ![]() | 27 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 396 | 815 | −419 | 12 | |
12 | ![]() | 27 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 234 | 1129 | −895 | 4 [b] |
The end of season awards took place on Tuesday 7 October. Jake Connor was announced as the Man of Steel, whilst Hull KR coach Willie Peters was named as coach of the year, for the second successive season. [38]
Eliminators | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||
1 | Hull KR | 20 | ||||||||||||
3 | Leigh | 26 | 5 | St Helens | 12 | |||||||||
6 | Wakefield | 10 | 1 | Hull KR | ||||||||||
2 | Wigan | |||||||||||||
2 | Wigan | 18 | ||||||||||||
4 | Leeds | 14 | 3 | Leigh | 6 | |||||||||
5 | St Helens | 16 |
Leigh Leopards | 26–10 | Wakefield Trinity |
---|---|---|
Tries: Brand (11') Liu (24') Charnley (29') Tuitavake (62') Goals: O'Brien (13', 25', 30', 46' (pen), 64') | 1st: 18–0 2nd: 8–10 Report | Tries: Myers (44') Scott (71') Goals: Lino (71') |
The Progress With Unity Stadium Attendance: 10,011 Referee: Liam Moore Touch judges: Ryan Cox John Roberts Player of the Match: Isaac Liu (Leigh Leopards) |
Leigh Leopards | Position | Wakefield Trinity | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Number | Number | Name | |
Bailey Hodgson | 24 | 23 | Josh Rourke | |
Keanan Brand | 18 | 30 | Jayden Myers | |
Tesi Niu | 3 | 3 | Cameron Scott | |
Umyla Hanley | 4 | 19 | Ollie Pratt | |
Josh Charnley | 5 | 5 | Tom Johnstone | |
Gareth O'Brien | 6 | 6 | Jake Trueman | |
Lachlan Lam | 7 | 20 | Mason Lino | |
Joe Ofahengaue | 32 | 8 | Mike McMeeken | |
Edwin Ipape | 9 | 9 | Liam Hood | |
Robbie Mulhern | 10 | 31 | Caius Faatili | |
Frankie Halton | 11 | 17 | Matthew Storton | |
Owen Trout | 8 | 12 | Josh Griffin | |
Isaac Liu | 13 | 13 | Jay Pitts | |
Jack Hughes | 12 | 10 | Ky Rodwell | |
Alec Tuitavake | 15 | 11 | Seth Nikotemo | |
Matt Davis | 16 | 16 | Renouf Atoni | |
Brad Dwyer | 17 | 28 | Harvey Smith | |
Adrian Lam | Coach | Daryl Powell |
Leeds Rhinos | 14–16 | St Helens |
---|---|---|
Tries: Hankinson (11') McDonnell (27') Goals: Connor (13', 29', 65' (pen), | 1st: 12–6 2nd: 2–10 Report | Tries: Lomax (23') Bennison (75') Wright (80') Goals: Percival (24') Bennison (75') |
Leeds Rhinos | Position | St Helens | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Number | Number | Name | |
Lachie Miller | 1 | 6 | Tristan Sailor | |
Ryan Hall | 5 | 5 | Jon Bennison | |
Harry Newman | 3 | 26 | Harry Robertson | |
Ash Handley | 4 | 4 | Mark Percival | |
Chris Hankinson | 31 | 36 | Deon Cross | |
Brodie Croft | 6 | 1 | Jack Welsby | |
Jake Connor | 18 | 7 | Jonny Lomax | |
Mikolaj Oledzki | 8 | 8 | Alex Walmsley | |
Jarrod O'Connor | 14 | 9 | Daryl Clark | |
Keenan Palasia | 10 | 10 | Matty Lees | |
James McDonnell | 12 | 11 | Curtis Sironen | |
Morgan Gannon | 16 | 16 | Matt Whitley | |
Kallum Watkins | 28 | 13 | Morgan Knowles | |
James Bentley | 11 | 14 | Moses Mbye | |
Sam Lisone | 15 | 15 | James Bell | |
Cooper Jenkins | 17 | 19 | George Delaney | |
Tom Holroyd | 19 | 36 | Shane Wright | |
Brad Arthur | Coach | Paul Wellens |
The game saw a controversial St Helens try awarded by the video referee Chris Kendal after an initial call of no try. The try resulted in St Helens advancing and Leeds Rhinos being knocked out. The RFL later stated that the try should not have stood and apologised to Leeds for resultant outcome. [39] [40]
A controversy occurred ahead of the first semi-final after Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont informed Wigan Warriors of his intent to boycott the fixture following "unacceptable" ticket allocation for his team's travelling support. This was in spite of Wigan's ticket allocation to Leigh being over double the minimum 10% of ground capacity required by the RFL at 5,400 in a 25,000 capacity stadium. Wigan stated that their allocation was the maximum they could give under the rules of the independent Safety Advisory Group and the club's Ground Safety Officer in addition to a police consultation. [41] [42] [43]
Beaumont alleged that Wigan's statement on the issue was factually incorrect and an intentional attack on character, in addition to accusing Wigan of sharing private WhatsApp messages between the two clubs' CEOs and passing them off as formal correspondence. He further stated that threats to boycott the game came after Wigan cancelled a number of Leigh fans' tickets that were bought in the home stands and that the further ticket allocation was for these fans' safety to ensure these fans were segregated. This was in spite of him downplaying Wigan's safety concerns by citing the absence of safety issues between the two sides in previous games of the season. Beaumont claimed there was an agreement in place for Leigh to have a block in the East and West stands allocated to them if Leigh sold out the North Stand, and claimed he received no reasonable explanation as to why this was no longer the case. He further cited his side's deservace of extra allocation due to Wigan's allocation still being on sale and their previous season's semi-finals not selling out. He also stated his club was preparing for the semi-final as normal. [44] [45] [46]
Wigan Warriors | 18–6 | Leigh Leopards |
---|---|---|
Tries: French (14') (40') Walters (81') Goals: Keighran (16') (39') (pen) (40') | 1st: 14–6 2nd: 4–0 Report | Tries: Mulhern (27') Goals: O'Brien (29') |
Wigan Warriors | Position | TBC | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Number | Number | Name | |
1 | 1 | |||
2 | 2 | |||
3 | 3 | |||
4 | 4 | |||
5 | 5 | |||
6 | 6 | |||
7 | 7 | |||
8 | 8 | |||
9 | 9 | |||
10 | 10 | |||
11 | 11 | |||
12 | 12 | |||
13 | 13 | |||
Matt Peet | Coach | Adrian Lam |
On the Monday following the tie, Leigh Leopards made an official complaint to the RFL over the aforementioned build up and Wigan's stewarding before and during the game. [47]
Hull KR | 20–12 | St Helens |
---|---|---|
Tries: Lewis (17') Burgess (24') Gildart (63') (71') Goals: Mourgue (14') (pen) (19') | 1st: 12-0 2nd: 8-12 Report | Tries: Cross (44') Robertson (75') Goals: Lomax (45') (75') |
Hull KR | Position | St Helens | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Number | Number | Name | |
1 | 1 | |||
2 | 2 | |||
3 | 3 | |||
4 | 4 | |||
5 | 5 | |||
6 | 6 | |||
7 | 7 | |||
8 | 8 | |||
9 | 9 | |||
10 | 10 | |||
11 | 11 | |||
12 | 12 | |||
13 | 13 | |||
Willie Peters | Coach |
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1 | ![]() | ![]() | 1 |
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1 | ![]() | ![]() | 2 |
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2 | ![]() | ![]() | 1 |
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Club attendances
| Top 10 attendances
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