Super League XXIV

Super League XXIV, known as the Betfred Super League XXIV for sponsorship reasons, was the 2019 iteration of and the 24th season of Super League and 125th season of rugby league in Great Britain.

Super League XXIV
LeagueSuper League
Duration29 rounds
Teams12
Highest attendance64,102
St. Helens Vs Salford Red Devils (12 October 2019)
Lowest attendance1,133
London Broncos vs Salford Red Devils (27 April 2019)
Average attendance8,441
Attendance1,468,823; as of 20 September 2019 (play offs game 2)
Broadcast partners Sky Sports
BBC Sport
SLTV
Fox League
beIN Sports
Fox Soccer Plus
Sport Klub
2019 season
Champions St. Helens
7th Super League title
14th English title
League Leaders Shield St. Helens
Runners-up Salford Red Devils
Biggest home win St. Helens 62–16 Hull FC (22 April 2019)
Biggest away win Hull F.C. 12–63 Warrington Wolves (29 March 2019)
Man of Steel Jackson Hastings
Top point-scorer(s) Lachlan Coote (247)
Top try-scorer(s) Tommy Makinson (23)
Promotion and relegation
Promoted from Championship Toronto Wolfpack
Relegated to Championship London Broncos

Twelve teams competed over 29 rounds, including the Magic Weekend, which took place at Anfield. After the regular rounds, the top five highest teams entered the Super League play-offs, for a place in the Super League Grand Final. The remaining seven teams were eliminated after the main league stage.

London Broncos were immediately relegated to the Championship after only being promoted last year, but a bad season saw them win just 10 games out of 29.[1] They will be replaced by Toronto Wolfpack.[2]

Wigan Warriors were the defending champions, but they were eliminated from the competition, after suffering back to back defeats in the semi finals. First against St Helens in the Semi final, and eventually losing out to Salford in the preliminary final.

Toronto Wolfpack won the Million Pound Game by beating Featherstone Rovers 24–6 and were promoted to the Super League, for the first time in the club's history.

St. Helens were crowned champions on 12 October, after a 23–6 victory over Salford, saw them claim their first championship in 5 years, and the first team to claim both the League leaders shield and the grand final since Leeds Rhinos in 2015

Format

Following a vote of RFL clubs in 2018, Super League has implemented a number of changes to the format for Super League XXIV. The Qualifiers were scrapped and the play-offs for the Super League Grand Final changed from a top four to top five play-offs system for the first time for 18 years as it was last used in 2001.[3][4] For relegation, the Rugby League Super 8s were also scrapped so that the team that finishes bottom of the Super League will be relegated and replaced by the winner of the Championship Grand Final.[5] The Magic Weekend was held on 25 and 26 May at Anfield in Liverpool. Each team will play each other home and away, with an extra game at the Magic Weekend, before a series of 6 "loop" fixtures are played to finish the regular season.

The Super League game between Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors, saw a new record crowd of 31,555 fans, and it was the first game to be played at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium on 18 May 2019.

Catalan went on to win the match, 33–16, thus ending a 10 game losing streak against Wigan, and their first win over Wigan since 2015.

For the first time in Super League history, the Derby between St Helens and Wigan was not televised, as Sky Sports opted to televise the relegation battle between Leeds and Hull KR.

St Helens won the League Leaders Shield for the second season running on 3 August when Warrington Wolves were beaten 30-10 by Catalans Dragons, thus ensuring that 2nd placed Warrington, 12 points behind with 5 games left, could no longer catch the Saints.

Teams

Super League XXIV featured twelve teams.[6] This is also the fourth year since promotion and relegation was reintroduced into the competition.[7] London Broncos were promoted from the Championship after defeating Toronto Wolfpack in the final Million Pound Game to compete in Super League for the first time since 2014.[8] They also received special dispensation from the RFL to play their home Super League matches at their Trailfinders Sports Ground, which they share with rugby union's Ealing Trailfinders, even though it is smaller than the RFL's minimum seating requirements.[9] London replaced Widnes Vikings who were relegated last season.[10]

Just prior to the start of the season Wigan Warriors were fined and deducted two competition points for breaching the salary cap in 2017; [11] however, on 6 March following an appeal, the points deduction was suspended, and Wigan were reinstated the 2 points, as long as the club do not breach the salary cap in the following 12 months.[12]

Locations of Super League XXIV teams
Locations of Super League XXIV teams


Twelve teams were selected to play in the inaugural Super League season.

Legend
  Reigning Champions
  Previous season League Leaders
  Promoted
Team 2018 position Stadium Capacity City/Area
Castleford Tigers
(2019 season)		 3rd The Mend-A-Hose Jungle 11,750 Castleford, West Yorkshire
Catalans Dragons
(2019 season)		 7th Stade Gilbert Brutus 14,000 Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales, France
Huddersfield Giants
(2019 season)		 6th John Smith's Stadium 24,544 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Hull
(2019 season)		 8th KCOM Stadium 25,404 Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Hull Kingston Rovers
(2019 season)		 10th Lightstream Stadium 12,225 Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Leeds Rhinos
(2019 season)		 9th Headingley Carnegie Stadium 22,250 Leeds, West Yorkshire
  London Broncos
(2019 season)		 2nd in Championship (Promoted) Trailfinders Sports Ground 4,000 Ealing, London
Salford Red Devils
(2019 season)		 11th AJ Bell Stadium 12,000 Salford, Greater Manchester
  St. Helens
(2019 season)		 1st (League leaders) Totally Wicked Stadium 18,000 St. Helens, Merseyside
Wakefield Trinity
(2019 season)		 5th Beaumont Legal Stadium 11,000 Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Warrington Wolves
(2019 season)		 4th (Runners Up) Halliwell Jones Stadium 15,500 Warrington, Cheshire
  Wigan Warriors
(2019 season)		 2nd (Champions) DW Stadium 25,138 Wigan, Greater Manchester

Results
Main article: Super League XXIV results

Golden Point Extra Time

Golden-point extra-time, shot clocks and a reduced number of interchanges are among the law changes confirmed by Super League for the 2019 season.

On 19 November 2018, it was confirmed that Super League would be adopting golden point during regular season for the first time as of the start of the 2019 season, bringing it in line with the NRL which has been using the system since 2003.[13]

The 12 clubs announced the introduction of golden-point extra-time in November, with games level at full-time, to be decided in two additional five-minute periods. If it remains level after the extra 10 minutes, the match will end as a draw.[14]

Game 1 (Wigan v Hull FC)

The first game to go to golden-point, was the round 3 game between Wigan and Hull F.C. on 24 February 2019. Hull won 23–22, after the scores were tied at 22-all after 80 minutes. [15]

Game 2 (Leeds v Castleford)

The second game to go to golden-point, was the round 8 game between Leeds and Castleford, on 28 March 2019. Leeds won the match 21–20, after a 40m field goal from Brad Dwyer after the scores were tied at 20-all after 80 minutes.[16]

Game 3 (Catalans v Hull FC)

The third game to go to golden-point, was the round 10 game between Catalans and Hull FC, on 12 April 2019. Hull won the match 31–30, thanks to a Marc Sneyd field goal, after the scores were tied at 30-all after 80 minutes. This is Hull's 2nd golden point victory so far this season, Sneyd has scored the decisive field goal in both.[17]

Game 4 (Castleford v Huddersfield)

The fourth game to go to golden-point, was the round 17 game between Castleford and Huddersfield Giants on 7 June 2019. Castleford won the match 27–26, thanks to a Peter Matautia field goal, after the scores were tied at 26-all after 80 minutes.[18]

Game 5 (London v St Helens)

The fifth game to go to golden-point, was the round 17 game between London Broncos and St Helens on 9 June 2019. London won the match 23–22, thanks to a Morgan Smith field goal, after the scores were tied at 22-all after 80 minutes.[19]

Game 6 (Hull KR v Castleford)

The sixth game to go to golden-point, was the round 24 game between Hull KR and Castleford on 4 August 2019. Hull KR won the match 27-26, thanks to a Danny McGuire field goal, after the scores were tied at 26-all after 80 minutes.

This was the 3rd time that Castleford had forced extra time, winning just once

Game 7 (Salford v Hull KR)

The seventh game to go to golden-point, was the round 29 game between Salford and Hull KR on 13 September 2019. Salford won 17–16, after the scores were tied at 16-all after 80 minutes.

Table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 St. Helens 29 26 0 3 916 395 +521 52 League Leaders' Shield/ Play-off Semi Final
2 Wigan Warriors 29 18 0 11 699 539 +160 36 Play-off Qualifying Final
3 Salford Red Devils 29 17 0 12 783 597 +186 34
4 Warrington Wolves 29 16 0 13 709 533 +176 32 Play-off Elimination Final
5 Castleford Tigers 29 15 0 14 646 558 +88 30
6 Hull F.C. 29 15 0 14 645 768 −123 30
7 Catalans Dragons 29 13 0 16 553 745 −192 26
8 Leeds Rhinos 29 12 0 17 650 644 +6 24
9 Wakefield Trinity 29 11 0 18 608 723 −115 22
10 Huddersfield Giants 29 11 0 18 571 776 −205 22
11 Hull KR 29 10 0 19 548 768 −220 20
12 London Broncos 29 10 0 19 505 787 −282 20 Relegated to Championship
Source:

Playoffs

The play-off system in use for 2019 was also previously used between 1998 and 2001.

  Qualifying / Elimination finals Semi-finals Preliminary final Grand Final
                                 
  Totally Wicked Stadium
  1   St. Helens 40  
        Wigan Warriors 10         Old Trafford
                St. Helens 23
  DW Stadium         DW Stadium       Salford Red Devils 6
  2   Wigan Warriors 18           Wigan Warriors 4  
  3   Salford Red Devils 12     AJ Bell Stadium       Salford Red Devils 28
        Salford Red Devils 22  
  Halliwell Jones Stadium       Castleford Tigers 0
  4   Warrington Wolves 12  
  5   Castleford Tigers 14
   
Key:           Losing team progressing       Winning team progressing


Week 1: Elimination and qualifying finals
Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Attendance
Elimination final
Warrington Wolves 12–14 Castleford Tigers 19 September 2019, 19:45 Halliwell Jones Stadium Chris Kendall 5,627
Qualifying final
Wigan Warriors 18–12 Salford Red Devils 20 September 2019, 19:45 DW Stadium Robert Hicks 9,247
Progress to semi-final 2: Castleford, Salford
Progress to semi-final 1: Wigan
Eliminated: Warrington
Source:

Week 2: Semi-finals
Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Attendance
Semi-final 1
Salford 22–0 Castleford 26 September 2019, 19:45 AJ Bell Stadium Ben Thaler 6,000
Semi-final 2
St. Helens 40–10 Wigan 27 September 2019, 19:45 Totally Wicked Stadium Chris Kendall 14,508
Progress to Preliminary Final: Salford Red Devils, Wigan Warriors
Progress to Grand Final: St Helens
Eliminated: Castleford
Source:

Week 3: Preliminary final
Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Attendance
Wigan 4–28 Salford 4 October 2019, 19:45 DW Stadium Ben Thaler 9,858
Progress to Grand Final: Salford
Eliminated: Wigan
Source:

Week 4: Grand final
Main article: 2019 Super League Grand Final
Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Attendance
St Helens 23 – 6 Salford 12 October 2019, 18:00 Old Trafford, Manchester Chris Kendall 64,102
Source:

Player statistics

Statistics correct, as of 20 September 2019 (Play off game 2)

Discipline
  1. Pauli Pauli has been sin binned once for Salford, and twice for Wakefield

Statistics correct as of 20 September 2019 (Play offs game 2)

Man of Steel Contenders

(The 5 nominations for the man of steel awards were as follows)

Player Club
Liam Watts Castleford Tigers
Jackson Hastings Salford Red Devils
Lachlan Coote St. Helens
Blake Austin Warrington Wolves
George Williams Wigan Warriors

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

The format for choosing the winner of the Steve Prescott Man of Steel award would also change Prior to this season. It was voted on by Super League players, but from this season onwards, it will adopt a similar system to the NRL equivalent the Dally M Medal. A 21 man panel of former players chose the three best players from each weekly round game. 6 points weree split between 3 players, with 1st place getting 3 points, 2nd getting 2 points, and 3rd getting 1 point. The leaderboard was public until week 22 in mid-July, when it was then hidden until the Steve Prescott Man of Steel Awards ceremony in October.

Salford's Jackson Hastings was eventually crowned Man of Steel on 6 October 2019.

End-of-season awards

Attendances

* As of 12 October 2019

References
  1. Bower, Aaron. "Super League decides to scrap controversial Super 8 format". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  2. "Million Pound Game: RFL pick 19:00 kick-off to suit England, France or Canada". BBC Sport. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  3. "How the new Super League play-off system will work". Love Rugby League. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  4. Gavin Willacy. "Enjoy the tortuous Qualifiers one last time before Super League is revamped". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  5. "Widnes apologise after Super League relegation". Sky Sports. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  6. "Liverpool's Anfield stadium to host Super League's 2019 Magic Weekend". Sky Sports. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  7. "Joey Grima: London Broncos' Super League relegation expected". BBC Sport. 13 July 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  8. "Wolfpack fall short of Super League promotion after loss to Broncos". CBC. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  9. "Danny Ward to keep faith with London Broncos' promotion heroes". Sky Sports. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  10. "Harrison Hansen: Widnes Vikings forward signs one-year deal with relegated club". BBC Sport. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  11. "Wigan Warriors: Super League champions receive two-point deduction". BBC Sport. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  12. "Wigan Warriors; Super League champions two-point deduction suspended for 12 months". BBC Sport. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  13. BBC Sport (19 November 2018). "Super League: Golden-point extra time introduced for regular season from 2019". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  14. "Super League law changes: Golden-point extra-time and shot clocks confirmed for 2019". BBC Sport. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  15. "Super League: Wigan Warriors 22–23 Hull FC". BBC Sport. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  16. "Super League: Dwyer kicks 40m golden point drop goal, to seal Leeds win". BBC Sport. 28 March 2019.
  17. "Super League: Sneyd kicks golden point drop goal, to seal Hull a second golden point Extra time win". BBC Sport. 12 April 2019.
  18. "Super League: Mata'utia golden point drop goal, seals Tigers victory". BBC Sport. 7 June 2019.
  19. "Super League: Broncos stun St Helens with golden-point win". BBC Sport. 9 June 2019.
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