Super League XIX

The 2014 Super League season (known as the First Utility Super League XIX due to sponsorship by First Utility)[3] was the 19th season of rugby league football since the Super League format was introduced in 1996. Fourteen teams competed for the League Leaders' Shield over 27 rounds (including the Magic Weekend in Manchester), after which the highest finishing teams will enter the play-offs to compete for a place in the Grand Final and a chance to win the championship and the Super League Trophy.

Super League XIX
LeagueSuper League
Duration27 Rounds (Followed by 4 round playoffs)
Teams14
Highest attendance36,399 (Magic Weekend Day 1, 17 May)
Lowest attendance1,002 ( London Broncos v Catalans Dragons, 17 April)
Average attendance8,365
Broadcast partners Sky Sports
BBC Sport
SLTV
Eurosport
beIN Sports
Fox Soccer Plus
Sport Klub
2014 season
Champions St. Helens
6th Super League title
13th English title
League Leaders St. Helens
Runners-up Wigan Warriors
Biggest home win Widnes Vikings 64-10 London Broncos (16 February)
Biggest away win Bradford Bulls 18-66 Huddersfield Giants (16 March)
Man of SteelDaryl Clark (Castleford Tigers)
Top point-scorer(s) Marc Sneyd (224)[1][2]
Top try-scorer(s)Joel Monaghan (Warrington Wolves) (28)
Promotion and relegation
Relegated to Championship London Broncos
Bradford Bulls

Teams

Super League XIX will be the third and final year of a licensed Super League. Under this system, promotion and relegation between Super League and Championship was abolished, and 14 teams were granted licences subject to certain criteria. For the 2014 season, all fourteen teams from the previous season will compete, although Salford have changed their names from the City Reds to the Red Devils.

At the end of the season, Super League will be reduced to 12 teams, as part of the re-structuring of Super League and the RFL Championship.[4]

Geographically, the vast majority of teams in Super League are based in the north of England, five teams – Warrington, St. Helens, Salford, Wigan and Widnes – to the west of the Pennines in Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, and seven teams to the east in Yorkshire – Huddersfield, Bradford, Wakefield Trinity, Leeds, Castleford, Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers. Catalans Dragons are the only team based in France and are outside of the UK and London Broncos are the only team to be based in a capital city (London).

Team Stadium Capacity City/Area
Bradford Bulls (2014 season) Provident Stadium 27,000 Bradford, West Yorkshire
Castleford Tigers (2014 season) The Wish Communications Stadium 11,750 Castleford, West Yorkshire
Catalans Dragons (2014 season) Stade Gilbert Brutus 14,000 Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales, France
Huddersfield Giants (2014 season) John Smith's Stadium 24,544 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Hull F.C. (2014 season) Kingston Communications Stadium 25,404 Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Hull Kingston Rovers (2014 season) Craven Park 9,471 Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Leeds Rhinos (2014 season) Headingley Carnegie Stadium 22,250 Leeds, West Yorkshire
London Broncos (2014 season) The Hive Stadium 5,176 Edgware, London
Salford Red Devils (2014 season) AJ Bell Stadium 12,000 Salford, Greater Manchester
St Helens R.F.C. (2014 season) Langtree Park 18,000 St. Helens, Merseyside
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (2014 season) Rapid Solicitors Stadium 11,000 Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Warrington Wolves (2014 season) Halliwell Jones Stadium 15,500 Warrington, Cheshire
Widnes Vikings (2014 season) Select Security Stadium 13,500 Widnes, Cheshire, England
  Wigan Warriors (2014 season) DW Stadium 25,138 Wigan, Greater Manchester
Legend
  Reigning Super League champions
  Defending Challenge Cup Champions
  Relegated

Season statistics

Results
Main article: 2014 Super League season results

The regular league season sees the 14 teams play each other twice (one home, one away) plus an additional match, as part of the Magic Weekend, over 27 matches. The team who finishes 1st at the end of the regular season win the League Leaders' Shield.

Table
As of 14th September 2014
Super League XIX
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 St Helens R.F.C. 27 19 0 8 796 563 +233 38
2 Wigan Warriors 27 18 1 8 834 429 +405 37
3 Huddersfield Giants 27 17 3 7 785 626 +159 37
4 Castleford Tigers 27 17 2 8 814 583 +231 36
5 Warrington Wolves 27 17 1 9 793 515 +278 35
6 Leeds Rhinos 27 15 2 10 685 421 +264 32
7 Catalans Dragons 27 14 1 12 733 667 +66 29
8 Widnes Vikings 27 13 1 13 611 725 −114 27
9 Hull Kingston Rovers 27 10 3 14 627 665 −38 23
10 Salford Red Devils 27 11 1 15 608 695 −87 23
11 Hull F.C. 27 10 2 15 653 586 +67 22
12 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 27 10 1 16 557 750 −193 21
13 Bradford Bulls 27 8 0 19 512 984 −472 10[lower-alpha 1]
14 London Broncos 27 1 0 26 438 1237 −799 2
Source:
Notes:
  1. Bradford Bulls deducted 6 points on 25 February 2014 for entering administration[5]

Play-offs
See also: 2014 Super League season results - Play-offs

The play-offs commenced following the conclusion of the 27-round regular season. To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, Super League uses its unique play-off system. The finals concluded with the 2014 Super League Grand Final.[6]

# Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time (Local) Venue Referee Attendance
QUALIFYING AND ELIMINATION FINALS
Q1 Wigan Warriors 57 – 4 Huddersfield Giants 18 September 2014, 20:00 BST DW Stadium Richard Silverwood 8,562
Q2 St Helens R.F.C. 41 – 0 Castleford Tigers 19 September 2014, 20:00 BST Langtree Park James Child 7,458
E1 Warrington Wolves 22 – 19 Widnes Vikings 20 September 2014, 14:45 BST Halliwell Jones Stadium Ben Thaler 7,229
E2 Leeds Rhinos 20 – 24 Catalans Dragons 20 September 2014, 17:15 BST Headingley Carnegie Stadium Phil Bentham 7,112
PRELIMINARY SEMI-FINALS
P1 Castleford Tigers 14 – 30 Warrington Wolves 25 September 2014, 20:00 BST Wish Communications Stadium Phil Bentham 6,219
P2 Huddersfield Giants 16 – 18 Catalans Dragons 26 September 2014, 20:00 BST John Smith's Stadium James Child 6,900
SEMI-FINALS
SF1 St Helens R.F.C. 30 – 12 Catalans Dragons 2 October 2014, 20:00 BST Langtree Park Richard Silverwood 8,888
SF2 Wigan Warriors 16 – 12 Warrington Wolves 3 October 2014, 20:00 BST DW Stadium Phil Bentham 15,023
GRAND FINAL
F St Helens R.F.C. 14 – 6 Wigan Warriors 11 October, 18:00 BST Old Trafford, Manchester Phil Bentham 70,102

Player statistics
As of 14 September 2014

Discipline

End-of-season awards

Awards are presented for outstanding contributions and efforts to players and clubs in the week leading up to the Super League Grand Final:[8]

  • Man of Steel: Daryl Clark, Castleford Tigers
  • Coach of the year: Daryl Powell, Castleford Tigers
  • Super League club of the year: Widnes Vikings
  • Young player of the year: Daryl Clark, Castleford Tigers
  • Foundation of the year: Warrington Wolves
  • Rhino "Top Gun":
  • Metre-maker: James Roby, St Helens
  • Top Try Scorer: Joel Monaghan, Warrington Wolves
  • Outstanding Achievement Award:
  • Hit Man:

2014 Transfers

Players
Player 2013 Club 2014 Club
John Bateman Bradford Bulls Wigan Warriors
Jamie Langley Bradford Bulls Hull Kingston Rovers
Heath L'Estrange Bradford Bulls NRL: Sydney Roosters
Keith Lulia Bradford Bulls NRL: Wests Tigers
Jarrod Sammut Bradford Bulls Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Rangi Chase Castleford Tigers Salford Red Devils
Lee Gilmour Castleford Tigers Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Jordan Thompson Castleford Tigers Hull F.C.
Rémi Casty Catalans Dragons NRL: Sydney Roosters
Steve Menzies Catalans Dragons Retirement
Dale Ferguson Huddersfield Giants Bradford Bulls
Stuart Fielden Huddersfield Giants Retirement
Luke George Huddersfield Giants Bradford Bulls
Tom Briscoe Hull F.C. Leeds Rhinos
Ben Galea Hull F.C. Retirement
Daniel Holdsworth Hull F.C. NRL: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Paul Johnson Hull F.C. Widnes Vikings
Andy Lynch Hull F.C. Castleford Tigers
Shannon McDonnell Hull F.C. St. Helens
Mark O'Meley Hull F.C. Retirement
Danny Tickle Hull F.C. Widnes Vikings
Michael Dobson Hull Kingston Rovers NRL: Newcastle Knights
Mickey Paea Hull Kingston Rovers Hull F.C.
Cory Paterson Hull Kingston Rovers NRL: Wests Tigers
Lincoln Withers Hull Kingston Rovers Retirement
Paul McShane Leeds Rhinos Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Chris Bailey London Broncos Huddersfield Giants
Mark Bryant London Broncos Retirement
Tony Clubb London Broncos Wigan Warriors
Luke Dorn London Broncos Castleford Tigers
Ben Fisher London Broncos Retirement
Tommy Lee London Broncos Salford Red Devils
Chad Randall London Broncos Retirement
Dan Sarginson London Broncos Wigan Warriors
Jamie Soward London Broncos NRL: Penrith Panthers
Scott Wheeldon London Broncos Castleford Tigers
Michael Witt London Broncos NRL: St. George Illawarra Dragons
Jodie Broughton Salford City Reds Huddersfield Giants
Lee Gaskell Salford City Reds Bradford Bulls
Ashley Gibson Salford City Reds Castleford Tigers
Marc Sneyd Salford City Reds Castleford Tigers
Paul Clough St. Helens Widnes Vikings
Ade Gardner St. Helens Hull Kingston Rovers
Francis Meli St. Helens Salford Red Devils
Josh Perry St. Helens Retirement
Tony Puletua St. Helens Salford Red Devils
Paul Aiton Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Leeds Rhinos
Kyle Amor Wakefield Trinity Wildcats St. Helens
Ben Cockayne Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Hull Kingston Rovers
Frankie Mariano Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Castleford Tigers
Justin Poore Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Hull Kingston Rovers
Kyle Wood Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Huddersfield Giants
Lee Briers Warrington Wolves Retirement
Mike Cooper Warrington Wolves NRL: St. George Illawarra Dragons
Brett Hodgson Warrington Wolves Retirement
Adrian Morley Warrington Wolves Salford Red Devils
Ben Cross Widnes Vikings Retirement
Gareth Hock Widnes Vikings Salford Red Devils
Harrison Hansen Wigan Warriors Salford Red Devils
Lee Mossop Wigan Warriors NRL: Parramatta Eels
Pat Richards Wigan Warriors NRL: Wests Tigers
Sam Tomkins Wigan Warriors NRL: New Zealand Warriors
Chris Tuson Wigan Warriors Hull F.C.
Scott Anderson NRL: Brisbane Broncos Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Lama Tasi NRL: Brisbane Broncos Salford Red Devils
Kris Keating NRL: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Hull Kingston Rovers
Ben Pomeroy NRL: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Catalans Dragons
Jordan Atkins NRL: Gold Coast Titans London Broncos
Junior Sa'u NRL: Melbourne Storm Salford Red Devils
Neville Costigan NRL: Newcastle Knights Hull Kingston Rovers
Kevin Locke NRL: New Zealand Warriors Salford Red Devils
Steve Rapira NRL: New Zealand Warriors Salford Red Devils
Matt Bowen NRL: North Queensland Cowboys Wigan Warriors
Scott Moore NRL: North Queensland Cowboys London Broncos
Matt Ryan NRL: Parramatta Eels Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Mose Masoe NRL: Penrith Panthers St. Helens
Luke Walsh NRL: Penrith Panthers St. Helens
Roy Asotasi NRL: South Sydney Rabbitohs Warrington Wolves
Jeff Lima NRL: South Sydney Rabbitohs Catalans Dragons
Michael Weyman NRL: St. George Illawarra Dragons Hull Kingston Rovers
Michael Oldfield NRL: Sydney Roosters Catalans Dragons
Eddy Pettybourne NRL: Wests Tigers Wigan Warriors
Setaimata Sa London Irish (Premiership Rugby) Hull F.C.
Ben Farrar N/A London Broncos
Danny Galea N/A Widnes Vikings
Fetuli Talanoa N/A Hull F.C.

Media

Television

2014 is the third year of a five-year contract with Sky Sports to televise 70 matches per season.[9] The deal which runs until 2016 is worth £90million.

Sky Sports coverage in the UK see two live matches broadcast each week, which will usually be shown at 20:00 on Thursday and Friday nights[10] with the Thursday night fixtures first being adopted at the back-end of the 2013 season.

Regular commentators were Eddie Hemmings and Mike Stephenson with summarisers including Phil Clarke, Brian Carney, Barrie McDermott and Terry O'Connor. Sky will broadcast highlights on Sunday Nights on Super League - Full Time, usually airing at 10pm.

BBC Sport broadcast a highlights programme called the Super League Show, presented by Tanya Arnold. The BBC show two weekly broadcasts of the programme. The first is only to the BBC North West, Yorkshire & North Midlands, North East & Cumbria, and East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire regions on Monday evenings at 23:35 on BBC One,[11] while a repeat showing is shown nationally on BBC Two on Tuesday afternoons at 13:30. The Super League Show is also available for one week after broadcast for streaming or download via the BBC iPlayer in the UK only.[12] End of season play-offs are shown on BBC Two across the whole country in a weekly highlights package on Sunday afternoons.[13]

Internationally, Super League is shown live or delayed on Showtime Sports (Middle East), Māori Television (New Zealand), TV 2 Sport (Norway), NTV+ (Russia), Fox Soccer Plus (United States), Eurosport (Australia) or Sportsnet World (Canada).

Radio

BBC Coverage:

Commercial Radio Coverage:

  • 102.4 Wish FM will carry commentaries of Wigan & St Helens matches.
  • 107.2 Wire FM will carry commentaries on Warrington Home and Away.
  • BCB 106.6 (Bradford Community Broadcasting) have full match commentary of Bradford Bulls home and away.
  • Radio Yorkshire will launch in March carrying Super League commentaries.
  • Radio Warrington (Online Station) all Warrington home games and some away games.
  • Grand Sud FM covers every Catalans Dragons Home Match (in French).
  • Radio France Bleu Roussillon covers every Catalans Dragons Away Match (in French).

All Super League commentaries on any station are available via the particular stations on-line streaming.

References
  1. "Stats - Player Stats". Super League. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  2. "Rugby League Stats". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  3. "First Utility powers title sponsorship of Super League". Super League. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  4. "Super League set to feature 12 teams from 2015". Super League. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  5. "Bradford Bulls deducted six competition points". Super League. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  6. "Play-offs". Super League. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  7. "Vital Statistics". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  8. "Man of Steel on SLTV". Super League. 6 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  9. Sky Sports (4 August 2011). "Super League deal" (PDF). Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  10. Sky Sports (18 February 2012). "Rugby League live on Sky". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  11. BBC Sport (3 February 2012). "BBC's Super League Show returns". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  12. BBC. "BBC One - Super League Show". BBC. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  13. "BBC Two - Rugby League: Super League Play-Offs - Highlights". BBC. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
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