2022 Super League season
Rugby league season 2022
Sky Sports- Channel 4
- BBC Sport (highlights)
Fox League
Fox Soccer Plus
Sport Klub- beIN Sports
10th Super League title
17th British title
(26 June)
(14 August)
Brodie Croft
Tommy Makinson (210) Bevan French (31)Super League XXVII, known as the 2022 Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th season of the Super League and 128th season of rugby league in Great Britain.
The season commenced on 10 February 2022 and ended with the Grand Final on 24 September 2022.[1]
St Helens were 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 were 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]
Toulouse were immediately relegated back to the Championship, following a 14–24 defeat at home to Catalans Dragons on 25 August, having only won 5 games from 25 they were rooted to the bottom of the table and with only 2 games of the regular season remaining and 4 points to play for, they could not catch Wakefield in 11th place.
On 15 July 2022, Bevan French broke the record for most tries scored in a Super League game, during Wigan Warriors 60–0 win over Hull FC, scoring seven tries.[4] The previous record for most tries scored in a Super League game was held by Lesley Vainikolo, who scored six tries for Bradford Bulls - also against Hull - in 2005.
Teams
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Locations of Super League XXVII teams in England
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| C | Reigning Champions |
| L | Previous season League Leaders |
| P | Promoted |
Fixtures and 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.[16]
Game 2 (Wakefield Trinity v Hull FC)
The round 14 game between Wakefield Trinity and Hull FC on 5 June 2022, finished 18-all after 80 minutes. The game then went to extra time, which saw numerous drop goal attempts by both teams. Wakefield eventually won the match 19–18, with a drop goal from Jacob Miller.[17]
Game 3 (Castleford Tigers v Catalans Dragons)
The round 16 game between Castleford Tigers and Catalans Dragons on 26 June 2022, finished 16-all after 80 minutes. The game then went to extra time, which saw numerous drop goal attempts by both teams. Castleford won the match 17–16, with a drop goal from Danny Richardson.[18]
Game 4 (Wakefield Trinity v St Helens)
The round 20 game between Wakefield Trinity v St Helens on 24 July 2022, finished 12-all after 80 minutes. The game then went to extra time, which saw numerous drop goal attempts by both teams. St Helens won the match 13–12, with a drop goal from Jack Welsby.[19]
Game 5 (Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos)
The round 21 game between Catalans Dragons and Leeds Rhinos on 30 July 2022, finished 32-all after 80 minutes, despite Leeds trailing 6-30, and with only 12 men, the game then went to extra time, which saw numerous drop goal attempts by both teams. Leeds won the match 36–32, with a try from Aiden Sezer.[20]
Game 6 (Huddersfield Giants v Wakefield Trinity)
The round 27 game between Huddersfield Giants and Wakefield Trinity on 2 September 2022, finished 14-all after 80 minutes, which saw numerous drop goal attempts by both teams. This was the third time that Wakefield had been taken to extra time, whilst this was Huddersfield's second. Huddersfield eventually won the match 16–14, with a penalty goal from Will Pryce.[21]
Table
| Pos | Team
| Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  St Helens (C, L) | 27 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 674 | 374 | +300 | 42 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 |  Wigan Warriors | 27 | 19 | 0 | 8 | 818 | 483 | +335 | 38 | |
| 3 |  Huddersfield Giants | 27 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 613 | 497 | +116 | 35 | Advance to Elimination Finals |
| 4 |  Catalans Dragons | 27 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 539 | 513 | +26 | 32 | |
| 5 |  Leeds Rhinos | 27 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 577 | 528 | +49 | 29 | |
| 6 |  Salford Red Devils | 27 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 700 | 602 | +98 | 28 | |
| 7 |  Castleford Tigers | 27 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 544 | 620 | −76 | 26 | |
| 8 |  Hull Kingston Rovers | 27 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 498 | 608 | −110 | 24 | |
| 9 |  Hull FC | 27 | 11 | 0 | 16 | 508 | 675 | −167 | 22 | |
| 10 |  Wakefield Trinity | 27 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 497 | 648 | −151 | 20 | |
| 11 |  Warrington Wolves | 27 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 568 | 664 | −96 | 18 | |
| 12 |  Toulouse Olympique (R) | 27 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 421 | 745 | −324 | 10 | Relegated to the Championship |
Play-offs
The top two teams in the regular season table (St Helens and Wigan Warriors) received byes to the semi-finals. The four teams who finish third to sixth contested the two elimination finals, with the winners of those two games moving on to the semi-finals.
Team bracket
| Eliminators | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Wigan Warriors | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Catalans Dragons | 10 | 5 |  Leeds Rhinos | 20 | |||||||||
| 5 | Leeds Rhinos | 20 | 5 | Leeds Rhinos | 12 | |||||||||
| 1 | St Helens | 24 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | St Helens | 19 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Huddersfield Giants | 0 | 6 | Salford Red Devils | 12 | |||||||||
| 6 |  Salford Red Devils | 28 | ||||||||||||
Summary
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
| Eliminators | ||||||
| Catalans Dragons | 10–20 | Leeds Rhinos | 9 September 2022, 20:00 | Stade Gilbert Brutus | James Child | 9,514 |
| Huddersfield Giants | 0–28 | Salford Red Devils | 10 September 2022, 13:00 | John Smith's Stadium | Robert Hicks | 6,327 |
| Semi-finals | ||||||
| Wigan Warriors | 8–20 | Leeds Rhinos | 16 September 2022, 20:00 | DW Stadium | Liam Moore | 12,777 |
| St Helens | 19–12 | Salford Red Devils | 17 September 2022, 13:00 | Totally Wicked Stadium | Chris Kendall | 12,357 |
| Grand Final | ||||||
| St Helens | 24–12 | Leeds Rhinos | 24 September 2022, 18:00 | Old Trafford | Liam Moore | 60,783 |
Player statistics
- Updated to games played on 2 September 2022 (Round 27)
Discipline
|
| Rank | Player | Club |  Red Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheyse Blair | Castleford Tigers | 1 |
| Brad Martin | |||
 Joe Chan | Catalans Dragons | ||
| Jordan Dezaria | |||
 Dylan Napa | |||
| Will Pryce | Huddersfield Giants | ||
| Jake Connor | Hull FC | ||
| Luke Gale | |||
 Ligi Sao | |||
 James Bentley | Leeds Rhinos | ||
| Matt Prior | |||
 Zane Tetevano | |||
| Sione Matautia | St Helens | ||
| John Bateman | Wigan Warriors | ||
| Brad Singleton |
Yellow Cards
| Rank | Player | Club |  Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitchell Pearce | Catalans Dragons | 4 |
| 2 | Liam Watts | Castleford Tigers | 3 |
| Connor Wynne | Hull FC | ||
| James Bentley | Leeds Rhinos | ||
| Jack Welsby | St Helens | ||
| 5 |  Bureta Faraimo | Castleford Tigers | 2 |
 Mahe Fonua | |||
| George Lawler | |||
| Jack Cogger | Huddersfield Giants | ||
| Matt Prior | Leeds Rhinos | ||
| Bodene Thompson | |||
| Ryan Lannon | Salford Red Devils | ||
 Morgan Knowles | St Helens | ||
| Curtis Sironen | |||
| David Fifita | Wakefield Trinity | ||
| Joe Bullock | Warrington Wolves | ||
| Peter Mata'utia |
- Updated to matches played on 14 August 2022 (Round 23)
Attendances
Club attendances
| Top 10 attendances
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.[22] 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.[23]
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.[24]
The green card is only shown to a player, if the team doctor enters the field of play, without being invited by the match official.
End-of-season awards
The end of season awards took place on Tuesday 20 September, having originally being scheduled for the previous day but were moved as a mark of respect for the Queen's Funeral, which took place on Monday 19 September.
- Steve Prescott Man of Steel Winner:
- Coach of the year winner:
- Top tackler:
Danny Houghton (1,031 Tackles) - Top Metre-maker:
Ash Handley (3,646 Meters) - Top Try Scorer:
Bevan French (31) - Top Try Assists: Jake Connor (33)
- Top Goal Kicker:
Marc Sneyd (97 Goals & 2 Drop Goals) - Top Points Scorer:
Tommy Makinson (230) - Young player of the year winner: Jack Welsby
- Spirit Of Super League:
Peter Mata'utia
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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | ||
| 12 | Huddersfield Giants v Wigan Warriors | 12 May 2022, 20:00 | |
| St Helens v Hull FC | 13 May 2022, 20:00 | ||
| Catalans Dragons v Warrington Wolves | 14 May 2022, 17:00 | ||
| 13 | Warrington Wolves v St Helens | 19 May 2022, 20:00 | |
| Salford Red Devils v Castleford Tigers | 20 May 2022, 20:00 | ||
| Hull KR v Catalans Dragons | 21 May 2022, 12:30 | Channel 4 | |
| 14 | Warrington Wolves v Leeds Rhinos | 3 June 2022, 20:00 | Sky Sports |
| Castleford Tigers v Wigan Warriors | 4 June 2022, 14:00 | Channel 4 | |
| 15 | Salford Red Devils v Wigan Warriors | 10 June 2022, 20:00 | Sky Sports |
| Catalans Dragons v Hull FC | 11 June 2022, 17:00 | ||
| 16 | St Helens v Leeds Rhinos | 23 June 2022, 20:00 | |
| Warrington Wolves v Hull FC | 24 June 2022, 18:00 | ||
| Hull KR v Huddersfield Giants | 26 June 2022, 15:15 | ||
| 17 | Castleford Tigers v Huddersfield Giants | 1 July 2022, 20:00 | |
| Catalans Dragons v St Helens | 2 July 2022, 17:00 | ||
| 18 (Magic Weekend) | Wakefield Trinity v Toulouse Olympique | 9 July 2022, 14:30 | |
| St Helens v Wigan Warriors | 9 July 2022 16:45 | ||
| Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers | 9 July 2022, 19:00 | ||
| Huddersfield Giants v Salford Red Devils | 10 July 2022, 13:00 | ||
| Catalans Dragons v Warrington Wolves | 10 July 2022, 15:15 | ||
| Hull KR v Hull FC | 10 July 2022, 17:30 | ||
| 19 | St Helens v Huddersfield Giants | 15 July 2022, 20:00 | |
| Castleford Tigers v Warrington Wolves | 16 July 2022, 15:00 | ||
| 20 | Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors | 21 July 2022, 20:00 | |
| Hull FC v Castleford Tigers | 22 July 2022, 20:00 | ||
| 21 | Wigan Warriors v Hull KR | 28 July 2022, 20:00 | |
| Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity | 29 July 2022, 20:00 | ||
| 22 | Wigan Warriors v Warrington Wolves | 5 August 2022, 20:00 | |
| St Helens v Castleford Tigers | 6 August 2022, 13:00 | Channel 4 | |
| 23 | Warrington Wolves v Toulouse Olympique | 11 August 2022, 20:00 | Sky Sports |
| Hull KR v Leeds Rhinos | 12 August 2022, 20:00 | ||
| Salford Red Devils v Huddersfield Giants | 13 August 2022, 13:00 | Channel 4 | |
| 24 | Huddersfield Giants v Castleford Tigers | 18 August 2022, 20:00 | Sky Sports |
| Hull FC v Wakefield Trinity | 19 August 2022, 13:00 | ||
| 25 | Leeds Rhinos v Huddersfield Giants | 24 August 2022, 20:00 | |
| Toulouse Olympique v Catalans Dragons | 25 August 2022, 19:30 | ||
| Wigan Warriors v St Helens | 26 August 2022, 20:00 | ||
| 26 (Bank Holiday Weekend) | Castleford Tigers v Salford Red Devils | 29 August 2022, 15:30 | |
| Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos | 29 August 2022, 18:00 | ||
| 27 | Wigan Warriors v Catalans Dragons | 2 September 2022, 20:00 | |
| Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers | 3 September 2022, 15:00 | ||
| Eliminators | Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos | 9 September 2022, 20:00 | Sky Sports |
| Huddersfield Giants v Salford Red Devils | 10 September 2022, 13:00 | Channel 4 Sky Sports | |
| Semi-finals | Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos | 16 September 2022, 20:00 | Sky Sports |
| St Helens v Salford Red Devils | 17 September 2022, 13:00 | Channel 4 Sky Sports | |
| Grand Final | St Helens v Leeds Rhinos | 24 September 2022, 18:00 | Sky Sports Channel 4 (Delay, Sat 1st Oct 11:30am) |
References
- ^ Shaw, Matthew (14 October 2021). "Super League start date 'confirmed' as Grand Final set to be moved forward". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ Hafez, Shamoon (9 October 2021). "Saints beat Catalans for three in a row". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ "Toulouse win promotion to Super League". BBC Sport. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ "Bevan French breaks Super League record for most tries in a game by one player with seven for Wigan against Hull FC". Sky Sports. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ "The Jungle (Wheldon Road)". castlefordtigers.com.
- ^ "Stade Gilbert Brutus". catalan dragons.com.
- ^ "Kirklees Stadium". johnsmithsstadium.com.
- ^ "KCOM Stadium". kcomstadium.com/.
- ^ "Craven Park, Hull". hullkr.co.uk.
- ^ "Headingley Rugby Stadium". therhinos.co.uk. 14 December 2016.
- ^ "AJ Bell Stadium". ajbellstadium.co.uk/.
- ^ "Totally Wicked Stadium". saintsrlfc.com.
- ^ "Belle Vue (Wakefield)". wakefieldtrinity.com.
- ^ "Halliwell Jones Stadium". halliwelljonesstadium.co.uk/.
- ^ "DW Stadium". dwstadium.com.
- ^ "Super League: Leeds Rhinos 20-20 Huddersfield Giants". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- ^ "Super League: Wakefield Trinity 19-18 Hull FC". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Super League: Castleford Tigers 17-16 Catalans Dragons". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Super League: Wakefield Trinity 12-13 St Helens". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Super League: Catalans Dragons 32-36 Leeds Rhinos". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Super League: Giants secure third with golden point win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Scrums to return in all competitions for 2022". rugby-league.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ Rule Changes for the 2022 season. Rugby Football League. 10 February 2021.
- ^ "new laws introduced for 2022 with green card included". rugby-league.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
