Best of the UK Elite 1961-2020

This is a very brief overview of RL in the UK over the last 60 years. If points are allocated based on success and on not just participation, which teams have been the achievers? Within the UK game, St Helens narrowly takes it from Wigan. If the World Club Challenge is added, amazingly Saints and Wigan can't be separated, with 463 points apiece. 

Moving across to counties on the right of the chart, Yorkshire is the most successful with 44.4% of the total and 1,153 points. Yorkshire has more clubs so are ahead by virtue of that. Lancashire comes in on 40.3% and 1,047. Cheshire would be top if it was done as an average per club. For a small county not known as an RL hotbed, Cheshire has done well. 

France, Cumbria and London have yet to make a significant mark on a game based along the M62 motorway which traverses west to east across the north of England. 

SL Teams Rated : 2020 Top Teams

The 2020 UK season is over, one that was for the most part without live fans. It was still delivered, albeit with not as fixture ladened as it would normally be. The top six are evaluated and ranked below.

6th: 52.94 win %, Hull FC (Yorkshire). 

They managed to gain entry into the finals series in 6th place, then pulled off an upset by defeating the Warrington Wolves. They then got eliminated convincingly by Wigan in the semi-final. Earlier in the season, they made the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup. On the season as a whole, 6th is where they deserve to be ranked. 

5th: 61.54 win %, Catalan Dragons (France). 

Fourth in the league, quarter-finalists in the cup and semi-finalists in the finals series, a grand effort. The travel they have to put in takes a toll and yet they competed well in all competitions. Could they have been ranked higher? I think this about right as they didn't get far enough in any competition.

4th: 70.59 win %, Warrington Wolves (Cheshire). 

Third in the league, with a good points differential. They made the cup semi-finals but disappointing in the finals series, out at the first hurdle. A team that promised more and started well but failed to deliver as the season progressed. 

3rd: 58.82% win percentage, Leeds Rhinos (Yorkshire). 

Fifth in the league and knocked straight out in the finals series 14-26 by the Catalan side doesn't sound like a third-ranked side until we factor in a Challenge Cup final victory. They became more competitive as the season progressed I thought. 

2nd: 70.59% win percentage, St Helens (Lancashire). 

Second in the league and grand final victors (8-4) over Wigan and only second? Well, the cup quarter-final exit was the difference. So runner up by a slender margin.

1st: 76.47% win percentage, Wigan Warriors (Lancashire). 

Wigan came through to take the league title, semi-finalist in the cup and finalist in the grand final. The consistency across all three competitions makes them my winner for the year. Losing a tight grand final by a hair's breadth will be devastating, but they can take consolation in taking out this honour! 

The top half of the league table below.

	Rk	Team	Pl	W	L	Diff	Win %
	1	Wigan Warriors	17	13	4	130	76.47
	2	St Helens	17	12	5	274	70.59
	3	Warrington Wolves	17	12	5	161	70.59
	4	Catalan Dragons	13	5	5	117	61.54
	5	Leeds Rhinos	17	17	7	-21	58.82
	6	Hull FC	17	17	8	-31	52.94

SL Teams Rated : 2020 Also Rans

Hull FC vs Salford Red Devils

 

The 2020 regular season has concluded. I held back writing about it until it was clear the Covid-19 didn't take any sides out of the finals. The teams below are now done for the season. How did they go?

12th: 0 win %, Toronto Wolfpack (Canada).

It's been reported here and elsewhere about the conditions that the Canadian RL club was forced to accept before given entry. That draconian treatment, coupled with some poor management decisions, limited finances by the owner and then this pandemic forced them to pull out of the competition. All results were expunged. How it all panned out is a sobering reminder of what a dysfunctional state the elite part of RL in the UK is in. 

11th: 17.65 win %, Hull KR (Humberside).

Thankfully there was no demotion this year, otherwise, this side was going down. With a very poor win percentage and scarcely competitive at this level, a lot is going to have to happen before 2021. It's still not decided if there will be relegation next year. Hull KR will be hoping there isn't.

10th: 26.32 win %, Wakefield Trinity (Yorkshire).

The season was variable for Trinity. On a good day, they were a handful for anyone but unfortunately, that didn't happen often enough. The coach and owner weren't afraid to publicly criticise the effort of the players, not an approach I would have thought professional. The players finished the season quite strongly. 

9th: 27.78 win %, Salford Red Devils (Lancashire).

Financial issues had Salford docked three wins, otherwise, the side would have finished 7th. They have limited resources and probably should be at the bottom of the league but have been boxing above their weight for a few seasons now.

8th: 37.50 win %, Castleford Tigers (Yorkshire).

A club with aspirations of making the finals but in the end, the win percentage was well short of that. It was a team that didn't impress but occasionally they were a decent side.

7th: 38.89 win %, Huddersfield Giants (Yorkshire).

I felt sorry for this club. They recruited well and were competitive but too often narrowly lost games. I thought they were worth a finals berth but weren't able to achieve that. Losing their coach during the season wasn't helpful either but these things happen.

The next instalment will be the top sides reviewed.

	Rk	Team	Pl	W	L	Diff	Win %
	7	Huddersfield Giants	18	7	11	-49	38.89
	8	Castleford Tigers	16	6	10	-51	37.50
	9	Salford Red Devils	18	5	10	-115	27.78
	10	Wakefield Trinity	19	5	14	-179	26.32
	11	Hull Kingston Rovers	17	3	14	-236	17.65
	12	Toronto Wolfpack	0	-	-	-	0.00

The Luddites Have Won

 

The Toronto Wolfpack came into UK's pro-competition (Super League) by working its way from a third division league. On reaching SL, entry was conditional on the club agreeing that they would taker no share in the TV money spread around the other eleven teams. Normally all twelve get a part of it but now a bigger cut for the other eleven. 

Unfortunately having made the top level, Covid struck and due to the financial strain the owner was under, the club had to pull out of the 2020 season. The owner had to walk and the club had to reapply to remain in SL for 2021. A new owner was prepared to pay off all debts but insisted on their share of the TV money in future. 

Knowing the mentality of the pro clubs in the Super League, I thought this will be a deal-breaker. It's only fair all teams are treated equally, except that the basic precept of justice escaped the SL bosses. The vote was taken and the majority decided Toronto was not to be allowed back into SL. 

The game day in Toronto was fantastic. The carnival atmosphere and the super supportive large crowds that came to enjoy a game they didn't know. It all came together in a way that exceeded my wildest dreams. It was a breath of fresh air for a stale RL competition. 

However, the pro clubs run the game and all they focus on is money, not the larger good of the game. Short term gain is everything and the Wolfpack was deemed as not offering enough financially to be worth the trouble. 

Two new North American clubs are about to enter the UK RL system, hoping to eventually gain access to SL. The door to the top is now closed for NA teams. Will they still want to be part of UK Rugby league? Could they be the basis for a NA league in the near future? I can't answer those questions but I can say is the spirit of Ned Ludd is alive and well among the eight SL clubs that voted to keep Toronto out of SL.

PS. Those that voted for Toronto were Leeds Rhinos, St Helens RLFC, Catalan Dragons and the RFL. They don't deserve to be tarred with the same brush as the others.

NRL Teams Rated : 2020 Top Teams

The top eight moved into a finals series, where teams were eliminated until the finalists were found. The road to that point and the final itself can be found elsewhere but here I will simply rank the sides. The points they achieved in the main round of matches is shown.

8th: 20 points, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Sydney).

They were the lowest-ranked of the top eight and went straight out at the first elimination hurdle. There was some class in the team but were the obvious candidate to exit early. Although only losing 20-32 to Canberra, through the season they ended up conceding more than they scored, including this elimination match. 

7th: 23 points, Newcastle Knights (NSW).

I didn't expect the Knights to make the cut but they played well through the season and earned their place here. However, they were always likely to leave at this point and in that they didn't disappoint. Well beaten 20-46 by Souths, I didn't expect more.

6th: 28 points, Sydney Roosters (Sydney).

The team from the eastern side of the city had won the previous two grand finals and for much of the competition played like they were genuine title contenders yet again. But when they approached the business end of the season, their form dipped alarmingly and lost both their finals matches for an early exit. True, both losses were by slender margins but their form warranted their departing.

5th: 30 points, Parramatta Eels (Sydney). The team from the midwest of Sydney did slightly better than I thought they would. Their captain Clint Gutherson was inspirational. They too lost both finals matches to two classy sides. 

4th: 24 points, South Sydney Rabbitohs (Sydney).

This was a team that on its day could demolish any other team. They lost some key players and were not as consistent as they should be. A roster of gifted players can be like that. Winning the first two finals games got them here, but narrowly lost 16-20 to Penrith. Certainly good enough to go all the way, this was the third consecutive season to finish one game short of the final. Ouch!

3rd: 28 points, Canberra Raiders (ACT).

Situated in the capital city, it's not an area one would expect a working-class sport like RL to prosper but they have. The team has been bolstered by taking a punt on importing English players to supplement their own well organised development system. They won both games to make the semi-final but were well beaten 10-30 by Melbourne. They are still a tad short of being good enough to go all the way.

2nd: 37 points, Penrith Panthers (Sydney).

The team from the foot of the mountains in the far west of Sydney went from not making the finals in 2019 to easily winning the league and reaching the final. They put together 17 consecutive wins in the lead up to the big game. In a tough sort such as RL is, that was a huge achievement. They had a poor first half of the final before staging a comeback in the second 40 minutes. Lack of experience in this situation may have been the reason. They will be better for the loss.

1st: 32 points, Melbourne Storm (Victoria).

This is a club in a state where RL isn't that big, but with a clever recruitment system they keep on delivering year after year. Stars retire and they create new stars to fill their boots in a seamless transition of quality that is amazing to behold. Second in the league, they took the final with a devastating first half. The second half effort had the coach less than impressed but in the end yet another title for the team in hostile territory.

	Rk	Team	Pts	W	L	Diff
	1	Penrith Panthers	37	18	1	299
	2	Melbourne Storm	32	16	4	258
	3	Parramatta Eels	30	15	5	104
	4	Sydney Roosters	28	14	6	230
	5	Canberra Raiders	28	14	6	128
	6	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	12	8	169
	7	Newcastle Knights	23	11	8	47
	8	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	20	10	10	0