Rugby League Super 8s explained

Rugby League Super 8s
Current Season:2018 Super 8s
Pixels:200
Founded:2015
Folded:2018
Teams:39
Country:


Gov Body:RFL
Champion:Super League
Leeds Rhinos
Qualifiers
Warrington Wolves
Championship Shield
Toulouse Olympique
Tv:Sky Sports
BBC Sport (Highlights)

The Rugby League Super 8s were a feature of the British rugby league system, between 2015 and 2018, and were played in the top three professional divisions. Following the completion of the regular season home-and-away fixtures in the Super League, the Championship and League 1, teams split into smaller divisions of 8 based on their finishing positions on the league table; the teams then played an additional fixture against each of the seven other teams in their division to determine the final standings.

Regular season

Super League

The Super League season sees teams play each other home and away, and one team for a third time at the Magic Weekend. After 23 games, the league table is frozen and the teams are split up into "Super 8s". Teams finishing in the top 8 will play 7 more games each as they compete in the Super League Super 8 group for a place in the Grand Final. Teams finishing in the bottom four will join the top 4 teams from the Championship in The Qualifiers Super 8 group and also play 7 more games each for a place in the next years Super League competition.

PositionQualification
1Super League Super 8s
2Super League Super 8s
3Super League Super 8s
4Super League Super 8s
5Super League Super 8s
6Super League Super 8s
7Super League Super 8s
8Super League Super 8s
9The Qualifiers
10The Qualifiers
11The Qualifiers
12The Qualifiers

Championship

The Championship season sees teams play each other home and away, and one team for a third time at The Summer Bash. After 23 games, the league table is frozen and the teams are split up into "Super 8s". Teams finishing in the top 4 will play 7 more games each as they compete in the Qualifiers to try and earn a place in next seasons Super League. Teams finishing in the bottom 8 compete in the Championship Shield Super 8 group and also play 7 more games each.

PositionQualification
1The Qualifiers
2The Qualifiers
3The Qualifiers
4The Qualifiers
5Championship Shield
6Championship Shield
7Championship Shield
8Championship Shield
9Championship Shield
10Championship Shield
11Championship Shield
12Championship Shield

Super League Super 8s

See main article: Super League Super 8s. After 23 games the league table is frozen and the teams are split up into 2 of the 3 "Super 8s". Teams finishing in the top 8 go on to play 7 more games each, to compete for a place in the play-offs, and all retain a place in Super League for the next season. Teams finishing in the bottom four (9-12) will compete alongside the top 4 teams from the Championship, in "The Qualifiers" Super 8 group. These teams will reset their season standings and also play 7 extra games each, as they attempt to earn a place in the following year's Super League competition.

Super League

PositionQualification
1League Leaders/
Play-off Place
2Play-off Place
3Play-off Place
4Play-off Place
5Season Complete
6Season Complete
7Season Complete
8Season Complete

Play-Offs

See main article: Super League play-offs.

Grand final

See main article: Super League Grand Final.

width=200 Stadiumwidth=200 Locationwidth=100 Countrywidth=100 Highest attendancewidth=100 Average attendance
Old TraffordTrafford, Greater ManchesterEngland73,58163,352

The Qualifiers

The Qualifiers Super 8s sees the bottom 4 teams from Super League table join the top 4 teams from the Championship. The points totals are reset to 0 and each team plays 7 games each, playing every other team once. After 7 games each the teams finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd will gain qualification to the next years Super League season. The teams finishing 4th and 5th will play in the "Million Pound Game" at the home of the 4th place team which will earn the winner a place in the next years Super League; the loser, along with teams finishing 6th, 7th and 8th, will be relegated to the Championship.

PositionQualification
1Super League Place
2Super League Place
3Super League Place
4Million Pound Game
5Million Pound Game
6Championship Place
7Championship Place
8Championship Place

Results

YearSuper League PlaceChampionship Place
2015 Hull Kingston Rovers
Widnes Vikings
Salford Red Devils
Wakefield Trinity
Bradford Bulls
Sheffield Eagles
Halifax
Leigh Centurions
2016 Leeds Rhinos
Leigh Centurions
Huddersfield Giants
Salford Red Devils
Hull Kingston Rovers
London Broncos
Batley Bulldogs
Featherstone Rovers
Warrington Wolves
Hull Kingston Rovers
Widnes Vikings
Catalans Dragons
London Broncos
Featherstone Rovers
Halifax
Leigh Centurions
Leeds Rhinos
Hull Kingston Rovers
Salford Red Devils
London Broncos
Toronto Wolfpack
Toulouse Olympique
Widnes Vikings
Halifax

Million Pound Game

See main article: Million Pound Game. The Million Pound Game is a promotion play-off in the Qualifiers between the teams finishing 4th and 5th. The game is played at the ground of the team finishing 4th and the winner earns a place in the next season's Super League while the loser plays the next season in the Championship.

Winners

WinnersCountYears
1 Hull Kingston Rovers12015
2 Leeds Rhinos12016
3 Warrington Wolves12017
4 Salford Red Devils12018

Championship Shield

The third of the three "Super 8" groups sees teams finishing 5th to 12th in the regular Championship table. Like the Super League 8s, these teams retain their original points and play 7 extra games, with the teams finishing in the top 4 places after these extra games contesting play-offs similar to Super League, with 1st v 4th and 2nd vs 3rd, with the winners contesting the Championship Shield Grand Final.

The two teams finishing at the bottom of this Super 8s group (7th and 8th) will be relegated to League One and be replaced by two promoted sides.

PositionQualification
1Play-off Place
2Play-off Place
3Play-off Place
4Play-off Place
5Season Complete
6Season Complete
7Relegated
8Relegated

Winners

YearWinnerScoreRunner upVenueAttendance
2015 Featherstone Rovers36–4 London BroncosHalton Stadium4,179
2016 Bradford Bulls27–16 Sheffield EaglesOdsal Stadium3,518
2017 Toulouse44–14 Sheffield EaglesStade Ernest-Argelès
2018 Featherstone Rovers42–10 Leigh CenturionsPost Office Road

See also