RFL Wheelchair Super League

Last updated
Wheelchair Super League
Current season, competition or edition:
Sports current event.svg 2024 RFL Wheelchair Super League
Sport Wheelchair rugby league
Founded2019;5 years ago (2019)
No. of teams5
CountryFlag of England.svg  England
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
Most recent
champion(s)		 Wigancolours.svg Wigan Warriors
Most titles Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers
(2 titles)
Level on pyramid1
Relegation to RFL Wheelchair Championship
Domestic cup(s) Wheelchair Challenge Cup
Official website Official website

The RFL Wheelchair Super League is the highest level of wheelchair rugby league in England and Wales.

Contents

The Wheelchair Super League was founded in 2019, whilst the wheelchair competition was played in Great Britain prior to this, 2019 was the first official Super League season.

The league operates a promotion and relegation system with the second tier RFL Wheelchair Championship.

Staring in 2023, the previous year's league champions play the previous year's French Elite 1 champions in the European Club Challenge.

Background

Plans were unveiled in 2011 for a Wheelchair Super League and Championship. The competition would feature Wigan, Halifax, Mersey Vikings, Bury Jigsaw and Wolverhampton Rhinos in the Super League, and Bradford Bulls, Mersey Vikings A, Wakefield, and Medway Dragons in the Championship. Small festival tournaments would also take place for clubs not yet ready to join the top divisions. [1] The competition ran from April to September when the Grand Final was held. [2] In 2012, the leagues were restructured with the Super League and Championship being replaced with a Premier League, Division One and Entry Division. [3] The lower tiers were later renamed as the "Championship" and "Championship 1" and the top tier became the Super League at the start of the 2019 season. [4]

Format

Like the men's and women's running competition, the league operates a round robin system to determine the League Leaders' Shield before a playoff series leading to a grand final.

Teams

The 2024 Super League teams are: [5]

Teams to have previously played in Super League are: [4]

Results

The following is a summary of Wheelchair Super League seasons: [4]

Key

  Qualified for playoffs

Pre Super League seasons

In the 2011 season, when the competition was also known as the "Super League", it was won by Bury Jigsaw who defeated Halifax in the Grand Final. [2] [7] [8] In 2013, the National Championship was decided using a three team round-robin format in which Bury Jigsaw defeated Halifax and Mersey Storm to win the title. [9] [10] The same format was used for the finals day in 2014 when Leyland Warriors won the competition. [11] Halifax won the Premier League title in 2015 and retained it in 2016 when they beat Leeds Rhinos 68 points to 54 in the Grand Final. [12] Halifax won the title again in 2017, also by defeating Leeds in the final. [13] The 2018 Grand Final saw Leeds Rhinos beat Halifax 54 points to 44. [14] [13]

2019 season

The first Super League season saw six teams compete: Argonauts, Halifax, Hereford Harriers, Leeds Rhinos, North Wales Crusaders, and St Helens.

Leeds Rhinos Rhinoscolours.svg 42–50 Faxcolours.svg Halifax [15] [16]
(19 September 2019; 19:00; Medway Park Sports Centre, Gillingham)

2020 season

The 2020 season saw Leyland Warriors and Hull F.C. promoted to Super League, whilst Hereford Harriers and St Helens were relegated. [17] The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [18]

POSCLUBPWLDPFPADIFFPTS
1Leyland Warriors110011228842
2Argonauts11006026342
3 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos11006032282
4 Faxcolours.svg Halifax00000000
5 NWCrucolours.png North Wales Crusaders10103260−280
6 Hullcolours.svg Hull FC202054172−1180

2021 season

With the 2020 season being cancelled due to the pandemic, no new teams were included in the 2021 Super League. [19]

POSCLUBPWLDPFPADIFFPTS
1 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos (C)990062220641618
2Argonauts54102241101148
3 Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers7430312316−48
4Leyland Warriors9450348372−248
5 NWCrucolours.png North Wales Crusaders5050103322−2190
6 Hullcolours.svg Hull FC707081364−2830
Playoffs
Leeds Rhinos Rhinoscolours.svg 66–63 Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers [20]
Leyland Warriors 76–38 Argonauts [20]
Leeds Rhinos Rhinoscolours.svg 52–36 Leyland Warriors [21]
(19 September 2021; 3:15pm; Medway Park Sports Centre, Gillingham; Sky Sports Arena) [22] [23]

2022 season

2023 season

2024 season

Titles

SeasonChampionsScoreRunners-upLeague Leaders' Shield
2019 Faxcolours.svg Halifax50–42 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos
2020 Tournament abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos52–36Leyland Warriors Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos
2022 Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers52–48 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos
2023 Wigancolours.svg Wigan Warriors50–42 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos

Champions

ClubNo.Years
Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers 22019, 2022
Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos 12021
Wigancolours.svg Wigan Warriors 12023

League Leaders' Shield

ClubNo.Years
Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos 42019, 2021, 2022, 2023

Notes

  1. 1 2 Argonauts and Leyland Warriors merged to become London Roosters in 2022 [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "New Wheelchair Rugby League structure unveiled". Sport Focus. 28 February 2011. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 "RFL Annual Report 2011" (PDF). p. 47. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Wheelchair RL rolls into action". RFL. 27 April 2012. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "Match Centre". Rugby-League.com.
  5. ↑ "New format confirmed for Betfred Wheelchair Super League". www.superleague.co.uk. Super League. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Wheelchair Super League expands to seven teams for 2022 in World Cup year". BBC Sport. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "SLTV: England Wheelchair prepare for French test". therfl.co.uk. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "England and France clash in Wheelchair International". RFL. 3 October 2011. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011.
  9. ↑ "Wheelchair rugby league season reaches thrilling climax". Activity Alliance. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "News". Wheelchair Rugby League. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
  11. ↑ "Warriors are just champion". Rugby-League.com. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Halifax claim Wheelchair RL double". Rugby-League.com. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Leeds Rhinos claim first-ever Grand Final title". Rugby-League.com. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  14. ↑ "Wheelchair Rugby League Grand Final 2018 – Full Game – Halifax v Leeds". YouTube.
  15. ↑ "Wheelchair Super League Grand Final 2019 – Leeds Rhinos vs Halifax – 7pm KO". YouTube.
  16. ↑ "Wheelchair finals are just grand for Halifax and Hull". Rugby-League.com. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "Wheelchair Rugby League to be launched for 2020". Rugby-League.com. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Our League and Twitch to show Wheelchair Super League openers". Rugby-League.com. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Wheelchair Super League round-up". Rugby-League.com. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Leeds Rhinos and Leyland Warriors reach Wheelchair Grand Final". Rugby-League.com. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "Leeds Rhinos win Wheelchair Super League Grand Final". 19 September 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "Wheelchair Super League Grand Final: Leeds Rhinos take on Leyland Warriors, live on Sky Sports". Sky Sports. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  23. ↑ "Medway Park to host the Wheelchair Rugby Grand Final live on Sky Sports". Medway Council. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
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