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When the Super League fixtures were released late last year, it was hard not to be drawn to this weekend. Clearly the headline attraction was Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR squaring off in Las Vegas but there was also another game that carried immense intrigue.
Super League’s decision last year to expand to 14 teams was met with scepticism, to say the least. The general feeling was that there simply was not enough quality in the Championship, and with Salford Red Devils going into liquidation due to financial problems, the notion of three second‑tier teams coming up at once did not exactly scream of excitement.
Which is what made this first meeting between two of those sides one to watch. Bradford and Toulouse were third and second respectively in the Championship last year, behind the other promoted team, York. So it was not difficult to imagine that three weekends in, this could have been the first opportunity for any promoted side to win a game.
How wrong those critics have proved to be. This was Bradford’s day as the former Super League champions deservedly defeated Toulouse 18-6 to ensure all three promoted teams have won two of their first three matches. The Bulls are now fourth, with Toulouse and York sixth and seventh respectively.
To anyone who suggests it is not a surprise, even the coach who has masterminded one of these fine starts is shocked. “I think we’re all surprised,” Kurt Haggerty, the Bradford head coach, said. “Especially with us, we’ve had a short turnaround in the off-season having not been promoted until late. But I think all three have made it look like a good competition and a strong one.”
The story of the three sides so far is perhaps the Bulls: fallen giants, four-time champions of Super League in the competition’s early years. Almost 9,000 fans were at Odsal Stadium for their win on Sunday afternoon. That, after 10,000 attended the win over Catalans the previous week, suggests the momentum that once made this club a force is building again.
And after three rounds this season, the Super League table has a distinct 2000s feel to it, with the four most successful teams in the competition’s history – Wigan, Leeds, St Helens and the Bulls – occupying the top four spots. Whether Bradford or any of the promoted teams can last the pace and push for the playoffs remains to be seen but for now it is a good story for Super League.
York, never a Super League side before this season, have claimed the scalps of both Hull clubs, having beaten the world champions, Hull KR, on the opening night before winning 17-16 at Hull FC on Friday. They will house another big crowd on Friday against Warrington, too.
Which invites the question: is 14 the magic number?
At a time when rugby union is ringfencing its premier division but leaving the door ajar for extra clubs, a model Super League introduced a couple of seasons ago, you wonder whether rugby league will declare on 14.
Much depends on what happens in the summer with Super League locked in talks over a new broadcast deal. York and Toulouse, who were the two extra teams after Bradford finished in the top 12 of the IMG gradings system, entered with half the central distribution of the other 12 teams this year: about £650,000.
That cannot be repeated next year, meaning all teams will get an even split. If the competition secures an increased TV deal, there is suggestion that London Broncos, who were 106‑18 winners – yes, you read that right – over North Wales Crusaders in the Championship on Saturday, are next to be added.
Whether it is in place of an existing club or to make Super League a 15‑team competition, these three clubs have shown so far that whoever is promoted next has the potential to bring more than just a feeling of making up the numbers.
