Super League XXVII

Super League XXVII, known as the Betfred Super League XXVII for sponsorship reasons, is the 27th season of the Super League and 128th season of rugby league in Great Britain.

Super League XXVII
LeagueSuper League
Duration27 rounds + playoffs
Teams12
Matches played66
Points scored2,679
Highest attendance17,980
St Helens v
Wigan Warriors
(15 April 2022)
Lowest attendance3,166
Wakefield Trinity v Huddersfield Giants
(28 April 2022)
Average attendance8,622
Attendance569,059
Broadcast partners
2022 season
Biggest home win Wigan Warriors 54–10 Wakefield Trinity
(18 April 2022)
Biggest away win Hull KR 8–42
St Helens
(4 March 2022)
Top point-scorer(s) Tommy Makinson (96)

Top goal scorer:

Gareth O'Brien (30)
Top try-scorer(s)

The 2022 season started earlier than normal for there to be a break before the World Cup starts in October 2022. The season commenced on 10 February 2022 and will end with the Grand Final on 24 September 2022.[1]

St Helens are the reigning champions going into Super League XXVII, after successfully retaining their title, beating Catalans Dragons in the 2021 Grand Final.[2]

For the first time in Super League, there are two French teams in the competition, as Toulouse Olympique were promoted from the Championship, by beating Featherstone Rovers in the 2021 Million Pound Game.[3]

Teams
Locations of Super League XXVII teams in England
Locations of Super League XXVII teams in France
Legend
  Reigning Champions
  Previous season League Leaders
  Promoted
Team 2021 position Stadium Capacity City/Town
Castleford Tigers
(2022 season)		 7th The Mend-A-Hose Jungle 12,000[4] Castleford, West Yorkshire
Catalans Dragons
(2022 season)		 1st (Play-off runners-up) Stade Gilbert Brutus 13,000[5] Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales, France
Huddersfield Giants
(2022 season)		 9th John Smith's Stadium 24,121[6] Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Hull FC
(2022 season)		 8th MKM Stadium 25,400[7] Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Hull KR
(2022 season)		 6th Hull College Craven Park Stadium 12,225[8] Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Leeds Rhinos
(2022 season)		 5th Headingley Stadium 21,062[9] Leeds, West Yorkshire
Salford Red Devils
(2022 season)		 11th AJ Bell Stadium 12,000[10] Salford, Greater Manchester
St Helens
(2022 season)		 2nd (Champions) Totally Wicked Stadium 18,000[11] St Helens, Merseyside
Toulouse Olympique
(2022 season)		 Championship Winners and League Leaders Stade Ernest-Wallon 19,500 Toulouse, Occitanie, France
Wakefield Trinity
(2022 season)		 10th Mobile Rocket Stadium 9,333[12] Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Warrington Wolves
(2022 season)		 3rd Halliwell Jones Stadium 15,200[13] Warrington, Cheshire
Wigan Warriors
(2022 season)		 4th DW Stadium 25,133[14] Wigan, Greater Manchester

Table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 St. Helens 11 9 0 2 272 106 +166 18 League Leaders' Shield & advance to Semi-finals
2 Wigan Warriors 11 9 0 2 288 208 +80 18 Advance to Semi-finals
3 Catalans Dragons 11 8 0 3 230 156 +74 16 Advance to Elimination Finals
4 Hull FC 11 7 0 4 243 184 +59 14
5 Huddersfield Giants 11 6 1 4 240 188 +52 13
6 Hull KR 11 6 0 5 202 204 −2 12
7 Warrington Wolves 11 5 0 6 250 258 −8 10
8 Castleford Tigers 11 5 0 6 239 258 −19 10
9 Leeds Rhinos 11 3 1 7 161 217 −56 7
10 Salford Red Devils 11 3 0 8 210 290 −80 6
11 Wakefield Trinity 11 3 0 8 178 280 −102 6
12 Toulouse Olympique 11 1 0 10 166 330 −164 2 Relegated to the Championship
Updated to match(es) played on 30 April 2022. Source:

Fixtures and results
Main article: Super League XXVII results

Golden point extra time

If a match ends in a draw after 80 minutes, then a further 10 minutes of golden point extra time is played, to determine a winner (5 minutes each way). The first team to score either a try, penalty goal or drop goal during this period, will win the match. However, if there are no further scores during the additional 10 minutes period, then the match will end in a draw.

Game 1 (Leeds Rhinos v Huddersfield Giants)

The round 8 game between Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants on 14 April 2022, finished 20-all after 80 minutes. The game then went to extra time, which saw numerous drop goal attempts by both teams. Neither teams were able to score any points during the extra 10 minutes, which meant the match ended as a draw for the first time this season.

Player statistics

Discipline

Attendances
  • Last Updated; 30 April 2022

Steve Prescott Man of Steel
Rank Player Club Points
1 Jai Field Wigan Warriors 18
2 Tui Lolohea Huddersfield Giants 11
3 Sione Mata'utia St Helens 10
4= Joe Westerman Castleford Tigers 7
Mitchell Pearce Catalans Dragons
Jake Connor Hull FC
Matt Parcell Hull KR
Jonny Lomax St Helens
Tommy Makinson
  • As of Round 10 (24 April 2022)

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

6 points are split between 3 players, with 1st place getting 3 points, 2nd getting 2 points, and 3rd getting 1 point.

Rule changes

The Rugby Football League (RFL) approved three rules changes for 2022. On 20 January 2022, The RFL confirmed that scrums will return to all competitions, including the Championship and League 1, having been suspended as part of the game's COVID-19 response in 2020 and 2021.[15] Scrums are only being reintroduced for errors (knock-on, forward pass or accidental offside) in the first four tackles of a set. Other cases, where previously a scrum would have been awarded, for example - ball into touch on the full, ball kicked or passed into touch, incorrect play the ball; will result in a handover.[16]

The ball steal law will revert to the 2020 rule where the ball can only be stolen in a one-on-one tackle and not during a multi-person tackle where the additional tacklers have peeled off the tackle before the steal. Finally, injured players will be required to leave the pitch for treatment, if possible, following complaints that stoppages for injury spoil the speed and flow of the game. On 28 January, the RFL introduced new laws for the 2022 season, including the "green card", whereas if play is stopped due to a player needing attention, they must then either be substituted, leave the field for a concussion test, or wait on the sideline for 2 minutes before returning.[17]

Broadcasting

In the first season of a new UK TV rights deal, Sky Sports remained the principal live broadcaster but for a reduced fee and now on a non-exclusive basis; Channel 4 picked up the rights to show eight regular-season and two play-off matches (not the Grand Final) in a deal confirmed in November 2021. This is the first live rights deal signed between Super League and a British free-to-air network. BBC Sport retain highlights rights.

The match on Saturday 12 February 2022 between Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves became the first Super League game to be shown live on British terrestrial television.

Round Match Date and time Broadcast method
1 St Helens v Catalans Dragons 10 February 2022, 20:00 Sky Sports
Hull KR v Wigan Warriors 11 February 2022, 20:00
Leeds Rhinos v Warrington Wolves 12 February 2022, 12:30 Channel 4
Toulouse Olympique v Huddersfield Giants 12 February 2022, 19:00 Sky Sports
2 Warrington Wolves v Castleford Tigers 17 February 2022, 20:00
Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos 18 February 2022, 20:00
Hull FC v St Helens 19 February 2022, 12:30 Live on Channel 4
3 Leeds Rhinos v Catalans Dragons 24 February 2022, 20:00 Sky Sports
Hull KR v Castleford Tigers 25 February 2022, 20:00
4 Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos 3 March 2022, 20:00
Warrington Wolves v Catalans Dragons 4 March 2022, 20:00
5 Leeds Rhinos v Hull FC 10 March 2022, 20:00
St Helens v Warrington Wolves 11 March 2022, 20:00
Huddersfield Giants v Castleford Tigers 12 March 2022, 15:15
Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors 12 March 2022, 17:30
6 Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers 17 March 2022, 20:00
Salford Red Devils v Leeds Rhinos 18 March 2022, 20:00
Warrington Wolves v Wakefield Trinity 19 March 2022, 12:30 Live on Channel 4
7 Wigan Warriors v Hull FC 31 March 2022, 20:00 Sky Sports
Leeds Rhinos v St Helens 1 April 2022, 20:00
8 Catalans Dragons v Toulouse Olympique 14 April 2022, 19:30
Hull KR v Hull FC 15 April 2022, 12:30
St Helens v Wigan Warriors 15 April 2022, 15:30
9
(Easter Monday)		 Castleford Tigers v Leeds Rhinos 18 April 2022, 15:00
Hull FC v Warrington Wolves 18 April 2022, 17:30
10 Castleford Tigers v St Helens 22 April 2022, 19:45
Wigan Warriors v Salford Red Devils 24 April 2022, 13:00 Live on Channel 4
11 Wakefield Trinity v Huddersfield Giants 28 April 2022, 20:00 Sky Sports
Warrington Wolves v Wigan Warriors 29 April 2022, 20:00

References
  1. Shaw, Matthew (14 October 2021). "Super League start date 'confirmed' as Grand Final set to be moved forward". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  2. Hafez, Shamoon (9 October 2021). "Saints beat Catalans for three in a row". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  3. "Toulouse win promotion to Super League". BBC Sport. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  4. "The Jungle (Wheldon Road)". castlefordtigers.com.
  5. "Stade Gilbert Brutus". catalan dragons.com.
  6. "Kirklees Stadium". johnsmithsstadium.com.
  7. "KCOM Stadium". kcomstadium.com/.
  8. "Craven Park, Hull". hullkr.co.uk.
  9. "Headingley Rugby Stadium". therhinos.co.uk. 14 December 2016.
  10. "AJ Bell Stadium". ajbellstadium.co.uk/.
  11. "Totally Wicked Stadium". saintsrlfc.com.
  12. "Belle Vue (Wakefield)". wakefieldtrinity.com.
  13. "Halliwell Jones Stadium". halliwelljonesstadium.co.uk/.
  14. "DW Stadium". dwstadium.com.
  15. "Scrums to return in all competitions for 2022". rugby-league.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  16. Rule Changes for the 2022 season. Rugby Football League. 10 February 2021.
  17. "new laws introduced for 2022 with green card included". rugby-league.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
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