List of British rugby league champions
British rugby league champions (Tier 1) |
---|
RFL Championship First Division (1895–1996) Super League (1996–present) |
Founded |
1895–96 |
Country |
England Wales France |
Editions completed |
125 |
Number of teams |
12 (since 2015) |
Current champions |
Wigan Warriors |
Most titles won |
Wigan (23 times) |
The British men's rugby league champions are the winners of the highest league in British rugby league, which since
Note that due to the varying inclusion and non-inclusion of a playoff system within the competition, the team that finished first in regular season have not always been champions. A list of first place finishes can be found at
History
Following the schism in 1895 that saw 22 Northern rugby clubs split from the
Following the success of the Northern Unions first season, more clubs defected from the Rugby Football Union to join the new league. After concerns around travel and costs were expressed, the decision was made that the competition should be split into two separate county championships: Lancashire and Yorkshire Leagues. County leagues were in place for the next five seasons until 1901–02 were the top seven sides from each league resigned to merge to form a new league. The only other times that there was no major championship was when there were outbrakes of war.
During the late 1980s and early 90s,
.Only three clubs to have been crowned champions are not in existence today. During the reclassification of the Championship in 1901, the league was split into two divisions.
Method of determining champion
The method of determining the champions has changed multiple times between using the first past the post method of crowning league leaders champions or a play off series. A play off series was first used in 1906, this was due to some clubs playing more games than others and league positions being decided by win percentages rather than competition points.
Most seasons have been decided by a play off format. Between 1973 and 1997 was the longest era where a first place league finish was used to decide the champions.
Years | Method | Competition |
---|---|---|
1895–96 | League leaders | First Division |
1896-01: County's League | ||
1901–06 | League leaders | First Division |
1906–15 | Playoffs | Championship Final |
1915–18: Wartime Emergency League | ||
1919–39 | Playoffs | Championship Final |
1939–41: County's League | ||
1941–45: Wartime Emergency League | ||
1945–47 | League leaders | First Division |
1947–62 | Playoffs | Championship Final |
1962–64 | League leaders | First Division |
1964–73 | Playoffs | Championship Final |
1973–96 | League leaders | First Division |
1996–97 | Super League | |
1998–present | Playoffs | Grand Final |
List of Champions
RFL Championship First Division (1895–1996)
Super League (1996–present)
Season | |||
---|---|---|---|
Champions | Score | Runners-up | |
1996 |
St. Helens | N/A | Wigan |
1997 |
Bradford | London | |
1998 |
Wigan | 10–4 | Leeds |
1999 |
St. Helens | 8–6 | Bradford |
2000 |
St. Helens | 29–16 | Wigan |
2001 |
Bradford | 37–6 | Wigan |
2002 |
St. Helens | 19–18 | Bradford |
2003 |
Bradford | 25–12 | Wigan |
2004 |
Leeds | 16–8 | Bradford |
2005 |
Bradford | 15–6 | Leeds |
2006 |
St. Helens | 26–4 | Hull F.C. |
2007 |
Leeds | 33–6 | St. Helens |
2008 |
Leeds | 24–16 | St. Helens |
2009 |
Leeds | 18–10 | St. Helens |
2010 |
Wigan | 22–10 | St. Helens |
2011 |
Leeds | 32–16 | St. Helens |
2012 |
Leeds | 26–18 | Warrington |
2013 |
Wigan | 30–16 | Warrington |
2014 |
St. Helens | 14–6 | Wigan |
2015 |
Leeds | 22–20 | Wigan |
2016 |
Wigan | 12–6 | Warrington |
2017 |
Leeds | 24–6 | Castleford |
2018 |
Wigan | 12–4 | Warrington |
2019 |
St. Helens | 23–6 | Salford |
2020 |
St. Helens | 8–4 | Wigan |
2021 |
St. Helens | 12–10 | Catalans |
2022 |
St. Helens | 24–12 | Leeds |
2023 |
Wigan | 10–2 | Catalans
|
Total titles won
There are 23 clubs who have won the British title, including 4 who have won the Super League (1996–present). The most recent to join the list were Featherstone Rovers in 1977–78.
Four clubs have finished runners up without ever winning a Championship:
Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning seasons | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wigan | 23 | 16 | 1908/09, 1921/22, 1925/26, 1933/34, 1945/46, 1946/47, 1949/50, 1951/52, 1959/60, 1986/87, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95, 1995/96, 1998, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2023 |
2 | St. Helens | 17 | 16 | 1931/32, 1952/53, 1958/59, 1965/66, 1969/70, 1970/71, 1974/75, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
3 | Leeds | 11 | 11 | 1960/61, 1968/69, 1971/72, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 |
4 | Huddersfield | 7 | 6 | 1911/12, 1912/13, 1914/15, 1928/29, 1929/30, 1948/49, 1961/62 |
5 | Bradford | 6 | 7 | 1979/80, 1980/81, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005 |
Salford[3] | 5 | 1913/14, 1932/33, 1936/37, 1938/39, 1973/74, 1975/76 | ||
Hull F.C. | 4 | 1919/20, 1920/21, 1935/36, 1955/56, 1957/58, 1982/83 | ||
Swinton | 2 | 1926/27, 1927/28, 1930/31, 1934/35, 1962/63, 1963/64 | ||
6 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 5 | 3 | 1922/23, 1924/25, 1978/79, 1983/84, 1984/85 |
7 | Oldham | 4 | 5 | 1904/05, 1909/10, 1910/11, 1956/57 |
Halifax |
1902/03, 1906/07, 1964/65, 1985/86 | |||
8 | Warrington | 3 | 11 | 1947/48, 1953/54, 1954/55 |
Widnes | 4 | 1977/78, 1987/88, 1988/89 | ||
9 | Hunslet F.C. § | 2 | 2 | 1907/08, 1937/38 |
Wakefield Trinity | 1966/67, 1967/68 | |||
Leigh |
0 | 1905/06, 1981/82 | ||
10 | Featherstone Rovers | 1 | 2 | 1976/77 |
Bradford F.C. § |
1 | 1903/04 | ||
Workington Town | 1950/51 | |||
Dewsbury | 1972/73 | |||
Manningham § | 1895/96 | |||
Broughton § | 1901/02 | |||
Batley | 1923/24 | |||
11 | Castleford | 0 | 3 | N/A |
Catalans | 2 | |||
St Helens Recs § |
1 | |||
London |
- § Denotes club now defunct
Title droughts
Of the 19 clubs to win the title who still exist Batley have the longest title drought having won their last title in 1924 . Of the current top flight teams Warrington are waiting the longest for their next title having last won it in 1955 .
The longest gap between titles was
The longest wait for a first title was by Featherstone Rovers was waited 76 years between their first season in 1921 and their title winning season in 1977.
Club | Years since last title |
---|---|
Wigan | 2023 |
St Helens
|
2022 |
Leeds | 2017 |
Bradford | 2005 |
Widnes | 1989 |
Halifax | 1986 |
Hull Kingston Rovers | 1985 |
Hull F.C. | 1983 |
Leigh
|
1982 |
Featherstone Rovers | 1977 |
Salford | 1976 |
Dewsbury | 1973 |
Wakefield Trinity | 1968 |
Swinton | 1964 |
Huddersfield | 1962 |
Oldham
|
1957 |
Warrington | 1955 |
Workington Town | 1951 |
Batley | 1924 |
See also
- Super League
- Rugby Football League Championship First Division
- Super League Grand Final
- Rugby Football League Championship Final
- List of British rugby league league leaders
- League Leaders Shield
- Australian rugby league premiers
References
- ^ Baker, Andrew (20 August 1995). "100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era". The Independent. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ "History". Hunslet RFLC. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ "Salford Red Devils: Official Club Website". Salford Red Devils. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2012.