Super League IV

JJB Sports Super League IV was the official name for the year 1999's Super League championship season, the 105th season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the fourth championship run by Super League. The start of Super League IV saw the emergence of a North East based Rugby League Club, Gateshead Thunder as well as newly promoted Wakefield Trinity Wildcats to expand the league to fourteen teams.

Super League IV
LeagueSuper League
Duration30 Rounds
Teams14
Highest attendance24,020
Bradford Bulls vs Leeds Rhinos (3 Sept)
Lowest attendance1,580
Gateshead Thunder vs Hull Sharks (19 May)
Broadcast partners Sky Sports
1999 Season
Champions St. Helens
2nd Super League title
9th English title
League Leaders Bradford Bulls
Man of Steel Adrian Vowles
Top point-scorer(s) Iestyn Harris (325)
Top try-scorer(s) Toa Kohe-Love (25)
Left League
Merger with Hull
Merger with Huddersfield
Gateshead Thunder;
Sheffield Eagles

Rule changes

  • The 40/20 rule was introduced to reward accurate kicking in general play.[1][2] The rule, which had been used in Australia since 1997, gave the head and feed at the resulting scrum to a team that kicked the ball from behind their 40-metre line so that it bounced in the field of play before going into touch behind their opponent's 20 metre line.[3][4]

Teams

Legend
  Reigning Champions
  Promoted
Team Stadium Capacity City/Area
Bradford Bulls Odsal 27,000 Bradford, West Yorkshire
Castleford Tigers Wheldon Road 11,750 Castleford, West Yorkshire
Halifax Blue Sox Thrum Hall 9,832 Halifax, West Yorkshire
Huddersfield Giants Galpharm Stadium 24,500 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Hull Sharks The Boulevard 10,500 Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Leeds Rhinos Headingley 21,500 Leeds, West Yorkshire
London Broncos The Valley 27,000 Charlton, Greater London
Salford Reds The Willows 11,363 Salford, Greater Manchester
Sheffield Eagles Don Valley Stadium 25,000 Sheffield, South Yorkshire
St. Helens Knowsley Road 17,500 St Helens, Mersyside
Warrington Wolves Wilderspool 9,200 Warrington, Cheshire
Wigan Warriors Central Park 18,000 Wigan, Greater Manchester

Table

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Bradford Bulls 302514897445+45251Play-off Semi Final
2 St. Helens 3023071034561+47346Play-off Qualifying Final
3 Leeds Rhinos 302217910558+35245
4 Wigan Warriors 302118877390+48743Play-off Eliminator Final
5 Castleford Tigers 301938712451+26141
6 Gateshead Thunder 3019110775576+19939
7 Warrington Wolves 3015114700717-1731
8 London Broncos 3013215644708-6428
9 Halifax Blue Sox 3011019573792-21922
10 Sheffield Eagles 3010119518818-30021
11 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 3010020608795-18720
12 Salford City Reds 306123526916-39013
13 Hull Sharks 305025422921-49910
14 Huddersfield Giants 3050254631011-54810

Play-offs

  Qualifying / Elimination finals Semi-finals Preliminary final Grand Final
                                 
 
  1   Bradford Bulls 40  
        St. Helens 4         9 October 1999
                Bradford Bulls 6
                St. Helens 8
  2   St. Helens 38           St. Helens 36  
  3   Leeds Rhinos 14           Castleford Tigers 6
        Leeds Rhinos 16  
        Castleford Tigers 23
  4   Wigan Warriors 10  
  5   Castleford Tigers 14
   
Key:           Losing team progressing       Winning team progressing

End of season mergers

Huddersfield managed to avoid relegation again despite finishing bottom due to the merger with Sheffield Eagles to form Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants. Also at the end of this season Gateshead Thunder and Hull Sharks were merged to form Hull F.C. with no attempt made to maintain any association with Gateshead, a new Gateshead Thunder would be formed for the 2001 Premiership season.

See also

References

  1. Andy Wilson (2004-08-09). "Moran leaves Vikings with a sinking feeling". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  2. Dave Hadfield (1999-05-24). "Saints restore faith in game with emphasis on attack". The Independent. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  3. de la Riviere, Richard, ed. (2009). Top ten: Rugby league rules. Rugby League World. Brighouse, UK: League Publications (published August 2009). p. 61. ISSN 1466-0105.
  4. BBC Sport (2005-09-12). "The 40/20 kick". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
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