Championship Grand Final

Last updated

Championship Grand Final
Teams2
First meeting2003
Latest meeting2024
Next meeting2025
Statistics
Most wins Leigh colours.svg Leigh Leopards (3 titles)

The Championship Grand Final (previously the National League One Grand Final) is the championship-deciding game of the Championship competition via the playoffs. In 2022 and 2023 the Grand Final was also used to determine promotion to Super League.

Contents

History

2003–2007: Promotion

In 2003 as the Second Division was rebranded National League One and promotion and relegation was reintroduced between the Super League and National League One. Rather than having a traditional one up one down system, the RFL decided to implement a top 6 playoff system that was being used in the Super League at the time to decide promotion.

2008–2014: Licensing

In 2007 it was announced licensing was to be introduced for the 2008 season, replacing promotion and relegation, but the Grand Final would be retained and the division would be rebranded the Championship.

Salford and Celtic Crusaders were the first teams to be awarded Super League licenses and both teams reached the Grand Final which was reduced to being decided by a 5 team playoff, however it would return to six teams the following season.

In 2013, the playoffs were expanded for the first time to eight teams as it had been seen to be a success in the Super League for a number of years before. The eight team playoff would be the last before it was announced the Championship Grand Final would be scrapped in 2014 due to a league restructure in 2015.

2015–2018: Million Pound Game

In 2015 the Championship Grand Final was effectively replaced with the Million Pound Game. In the new league structure the top four Championship clubs would form a mini league with the bottom four Super League clubs. Teams finishing in the top three were promoted to Super League while teams in the bottom three were relegated to the Championship, meanwhile teams finishing 4th and 5th would play each other in the Million Pound Game for the final Super League place. In the four years it was contested three Championship clubs competed in it with 2018 being the only time both teams in it were from the Championship. [1]

2019–present: Reintroduction

After scrapping the Super 8s in 2019 the RFL Championship Grand Final returned as the promotion deciding game. [2] [3] Despite this, the "Million Pound Game" name was still kept for marking purposes until 2022 season. [4] [5]

Results

YearWinnersScoreRunner-upStadiumAttendance
2003 Redscolours.svg Salford 3114 Leigh colours.svg Leigh Halton Stadium 9,186
2004 Leigh colours.svg Leigh 3216 Haven colours.svg Whitehaven 11,005
2005 Castleford colours.svg Castleford 36–8 Haven colours.svg Whitehaven 13,300
2006 HKRcolours.svg Hull KR 2916 Widnes colours.svg Widnes Halliwell Jones Stadium
2007 Castleford colours.svg Castleford 4210 Widnes colours.svg Widnes Headingley 20,814
2008 Redscolours.svg Salford 3618 Cruscolours.svg Celtic Crusaders Halton Stadium 7,104
2009 Barrowcolours.svg Barrow 2618 Faxcolours.svg Halifax Halliwell Jones Stadium 11,398
2010 Faxcolours.svg Halifax 2322 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone 9,443
2011 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone 404 Sheffeagles colours.svg Sheffield 7,263
2012 Sheffeagles colours.svg Sheffield 2016 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone 6,409
2013 Sheffeagles colours.svg Sheffield 1912 Batley colours.svg Batley Leigh Sports Village 6,800
2014 Leigh colours.svg Leigh 3612 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Headingley 9,164
For 2015-2018 see Million Pound Game
2019 New Zealand Kiwis colours.svg Toronto Wolfpack 24–6 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers Lamport Stadium 9,974
2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [6]
2021 ToulouseRLcolours.png Toulouse Olympique 34–12 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers Stade Ernest-Wallon 9,235
2022 Leigh colours.svg Leigh Centurions 44–12 Batley colours.svg Batley Bulldogs Leigh Sports Village 7,233
2023 Broncoscolours.png London Broncos 18–14 ToulouseRLcolours.png Toulouse Olympique Stade Ernest-Wallon 3,974
2024 Wcatscolours.svg Wakefield Trinity 36–0 ToulouseRLcolours.png Toulouse Olympique Belle Vue 8,016

Winners

ClubWinsRunners-upWinning Years
Redscolours.svg Salford Red Devils 202003, 2008
Castleford colours.svg Castleford Tigers 202005, 2007
Leigh colours.svg Leigh Centurions 312004, 2014, 2022
Sheffeagles colours.svg Sheffield Eagles 212012, 2013
HKRcolours.svg Hull Kingston Rovers 102006
Barrowcolours.svg Barrow Raiders 102009
Wcatscolours.svg Wakefield Trinity 102024
Faxcolours.svg Halifax 112010
Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers 152011
New Zealand Kiwis colours.svg Toronto Wolfpack 102019
ToulouseRLcolours.png Toulouse Olympique 122021
Broncoscolours.png London Broncos 102023
Haven colours.svg Whitehaven 02N/A
Widnes colours.svg Widnes Vikings 02N/A
Cruscolours.svg Celtic Crusaders 01N/A
Batley colours.svg Batley Bulldogs 02N/A

See also

References

  1. "Rugby à XIII : La nouvelle organisation de la Super League dévoilée".
  2. "Super League decides to scrap controversial Super 8 format". The Guardian . 12 June 2018.
  3. "2019 Structure". Rugby Football League. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  4. "Million Pound Game 2021: Old friends do battle as Featherstone Rovers and Toulouse Olympique clash".
  5. "Championship Grand Final: Jon Wells on Toulouse or London Broncos aiming to join Super League in 2024".
  6. "Championship and League One null and void". Serious About Rugby League. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.