The Bulls Are Back!

UK's Super League is moving from 12 to 14 teams in 2026, by all accounts. With the demotion of Salford Red Devils, a third vacancy came up. Toulouse Olympique and York Knights the obvious teams to gain promotion as they contested the Championship (division 2) grand final. 

So three slots in all up for grabs with no shortage of clubs putting their hands up to be one of those entering the promised land.

There is a grading system to decide who qualifies and while on field performance is included in that, there are many off field criteria that are also important. 

To the right is a chart showing the top 12 clubs. On that basis, the Bradford Bulls have been granted the replacement slot created by Salford's relegation. This has created a stir among some RL fans that the Bradford Bulls have no business being rated that highly. 

I'm not going into that conspiracy theory. What the club does bring is a strong RL culture in the city, good crowds both home and away plus they are at this point financially doing well.

The downside is their antiquated stadium and for some, their historically poor financial performance. Whatever, they are in.

So what about the other two if indeed the competition goes to 14? To the left, are the next 12 clubs with their rankings. That would mean that Toulouse and York are the clubs joining the Bulls. I hope there are 14 teams and I hope they are the two.

Are there any unlucky sides if the above becomes reality? The London Broncos have new ownership and are determined to go places. Their history isn't good and London is a tough nut to crack. I think a year in the expanded Championship would do them good in the longterm. 

So congratulations to the Bradford Bulls. I think you are lucky to get this break so I hope you don't blow it. Good luck to Toulouse and York who IMO deserve to join them. London, if you miss out, use 2026 to establish youself in the capital and prove that there is an appetite for top flight RL down there. 

Super League Men's Finals Series : 2025

The grand final highlights are above. 

Going into the finals series, it was hard to see past a Wigan Warriors v Hull KR final. KR had won the league with the Warriors second. KR also won the Challenge Cup but in this case Wigan was nowhere near the final. Still the Warriors were my favourites to win the final with match winning players in Field and French.

Of course, in knock out games anything can happen. A team just needs to have a bad day and it's all over rover. So lets see  how it panned out.

Quarter finals: Two sides sat this round out, the reward for being one of the top two in the league. The Leigh Leopards defeated a galant Wakefield Trinity 26-10. In the other match the Leeds Rhinos lost a tight one, 14-16 to St Helens RLFC. 

Semi finals: Wigan returned to defeat Leigh 18-6 and Hull KR also won, 20-12 over Saints. Neither winner was that convincing, with KR getting some calls in their favour. The two best teams in the league progressed to the big one.

Grand Final: The same two sides from last year met when Wigan were the victors 9-2. The 2025 gf was again held at  Old Trafford football ground. In the 2025 edition, Hull KR made some early mistakes which Wigan didn't capitalise on. Then KR took its chances to lead 10-2 at the break.

In the second half, the Warriors tried to come back but the mistakes continued and KR was able to pull away to win the game 24-6. Opposite to the song, Wigan saved the worst to last. KR were more composed and deserved not only winning the grand final but also the treble. 

NSW Cup League & Finals : 2025

The first article on this competition - one below the NRL - and while it's called the NSW Cup, it includes Canberra, Victoria and New Zealand. Melbourne (Victoria) aren't fielding a side in it and rarely have. 

I looked into the history of the competition to do a piece on that but decided against doing so. It doesn't have the consistency of participants, so trying to establish historical success would have little meaning.

As for the 2025 season, the NZ Warriors easily won the league with an eleven point margin over the second placed St George. Second to tenth was tight with only a six point spread covering them.  

The chart below shows where the clubs finished in 2024 with St George and Parramatta in particular improving their rankings. North Sydney was the big loser. Blue shows the five sides that progressed to the playoffs, which are discussed below. 

First round: There were three teams from Sydney and two from elsewhere. The NZ Warriors had a bye while the second to fifth teams did battle. Two close games saw winners St George and Canberra progress, along with Parramatta whose third league placing gave them another life.  

Second Round: The Warriors joined for this round and were upset by St George 10-24. In the other match, Parramatta narrowly got past Canberra 36-30. St George went directly to the grand final.

Third Round: The NZ Warriors picked themselves up after the last round defeat to breeze past the Eels 42-12. They now had to do what they failed to do the week before if they wanted to add to their winning the league with a grand final victory as well.

Grand final: The Warriors got their revenge with a sound 30-12 result. They were the best side through the season and thoroughly deserved the double. 

The grand final highlights are below. The commentator's voice is interesting to say the least. 

NRL State Championship Winners : 2014-2025

I haven't taken any notice of the NSW Cup and I didn't know the NSW and Queensland champions played off to find the top side that is below the NRL competition. I decided to educate myself. 

Many of the NSW teams in particular are part of an NRL club. In contrast, Queensland has independant clubs. Either way, most are associated with NRL sides.  

I decided to check out the history of the interstate match up, expecting Queensland teams to dominate. I had this idea the Queensland Cup is a stronger competition. If that is so, it is not reflected in the results. Of the ten years it has been held, the first two winners were clubs north of the border. Since then one narrow win in 2024. Otherwise, NSW based teams have proved victorious.

The 2025 match highlights can be seen in the video above. 

UK Championship (Division 2) Finals: 2025

Six sides took part in the finals series of the Championship, the European second division. Winning the grand final or even just making it there should help press claims for Super League status in 2025. Grand final highlights are in the video above.

First round: The top sides from the league had a week off so three to six did battle. The Halifax Panthers were too good for Oldham but well done to Oldham as a newly promoted side getting this far. In the other fixture, Bradford overcame Featherstone 28-8. 

Semi finals: York hosted Halifax and booked their place in the grand final with a solid 30-18 victory. Bradfoed went to France and did very well to lose narrowly 20-24. The top two league teams showed their class in progressing through.

Grand final: York had home advantage but there was little between the sides through the season and that is how the final panned out. York scored two unconverted tries and Toulouse kicked five penalties to edge it 10-8. Poor discipline by York hurt them, as did missed conversions. Both will now hope to be promoted to Super League next season. 

UK SL/Championship (Women) Finals : 2025

This covers both finals series for women's RL in the UK. First up, the elite Super League playoffs, then the second division (Northern Championship) finals.

Super League: The top four from the league went on to press for grand final success. Wigan had already won the cup and league so were looking to do the treble. It was hard to see who could stop them. In 2024, York won the grand final against St Helens. 

Semi finals: Wigan took on Leeds, a club which hadn't won anything since its 2022 grand final victory. The wait goes on when it was easily beaten 0-38 by the Warriors. In the other semi, St Helens battled to a narrow 12-8 win over the holders York Valkyrie. 

Grand Final: 5,000 attended the match, a record for the event. Wigan went in hot favourites but were soon trailing, with Saints players desperately not wishing to take home another runners up medals. Then Wigan took control and despite a late try from Saints, got home 16-12. 

Northern Championship: The London Broncos were promoted to this division and amazingly went through the league season undefeated. Meanwhile, Featherstone Rovers had been demoted from Super League and had lost just one match. 

Semi finals: London maintained their unbeaten run in getting past Salford 22-10 and Featherstone overcame another newly promoted side the Cardiff Demons 20-14. The top two clubs from the league were to meet in the final.

Grand Final: Played in London, the locals took an early lead 10-0 but it was whittled down to 10-8 by the break. Feathestone then went on to overtake London and gain immediate promotion back to Super League.

NRLW Women's Finals Series : 2025

Six teams made it to the finals series. Three from Queensland and three from NSW (two from Sydney). Two sides were likely to stand out. The Brisbane Broncos are the most successful club historically and the Sydney Roosters. who have been the best in recent times, The latter were the 2024 grand final winning club. 

First round: Newcastle were expected to defeat the Gold Coast and delivered on that expectation. Cronulla vs North Queensland was slightly harder to pick, although I had Cronulla as my choice. In a tight affair, the Sharks prevailed 24-18. 

Second round: The two rested sides returned to the action. The Roosters struggled to overcome the Sharks but in the end sqeaked home 17-16. In contrast, the Broncoes were in fine form in powering past the Knights 30-6. The Broncos certainly looked the form side going into the grand final.

Grand final: Brisbane got ahead early but the Roosters didn't go through the whole season undefeated by fluke and came back to lead with minutes to go. A late try was awarded to the Broncos that secured the title they last won in 2019. 

I wasn't sure with that last try that the ball was grounded, but if it was, it was a prominent blade of grass that did the honours. Either way, it was awarded and that's all that matters. Tight games are often decided by fine margins.

NRL Men's Finals Series : 2025

The top eight were decided and off they all went in pursuit of the grand final trophy. Four clubs from Sydney and one each from Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and New Zealand.

First round: League winners Canberra got run down in spectacular fashion by Brisbane and Cronulla shut out the in form Sydney Roosters. The NZ Warriors came into the finals in less than ideal form and the inform Penrith Panthers in the end ran away with the match. Finally, Melbourne were just too experienced for the plucky Canterbury Bulldogs side. 

Second round: With two teams having a week off, Canberra tried to get redemption for last week's heatbreak but were outplayed by a very solid Cronulla Sharks. I the other encounter, Penrith's experience in finals paid off in a comfortable win over the Bulldogs. 

Third Round: One game away from a grand final berth. Melbourne got home against a plucky Cronulla while Brisbane enjoyed another nail biting victory over the last four grand final victors Penrith. Is the dynasty over for the losing Panthers? 

Grand Final: Melboune won its last grand final in 2020 and Brisbane in 2006 so for the latter a long time between drinks of the celebratory sort. Melbourne was ahead for much of the game but Brisbane have been reveling in arm wrestles and wouldn't go away. In the end, they won yet another tight one 22-18. 

Queensland Cup Finals : 2025 (Plus Last Five Years Ranked)

The finals were surprisingly close in terms of scorelines. The semi finals were an excellent example of that with both decided by just two points and ironically identical scores too. 

The two clubs that came top of the league also made the grand final. Burleigh again prevailed over the Norths Devils 'Bridesmaids'. So well done Burleigh and commiserations to Norths.  

I have included below a bonus previous five year summary of the competition. The top sides for 2025 are found at the top here too, with the positions switched in favour of the Norths Devils. The Western Clydesdales have only been part of it for the past three years.

Super League Attendances : 2025

Super League is in some ways struggling as future media deals to maintain the competition's financial situation are uncertain. Clubs are dependent on owners to balance the books which is not uncommon in sports generally. Hopefully, SL clubs can continue to rely on such benefactors.  

Crowd support is an important part of a club's earnings so how are the numbers in 2025 compared with 2024? They are up 8.4% which is impressive although it does come with some provisos, which will be mentioned as we go along.

Winners: Wigan is top of the list with a 19,300 average, up 29.3%. They did get a boost playing a game in  Las Vegas but even without that, they have done really well. Hull FC is much improved in terms of performance and the supporters are responding with the attendance average up 10.8%. 

Wakefield returned to the top flight and they also have a nicely refurbished stadium. These two factors have pushed spectator numbers up 41.6% compared to their crowd numbers in the Championship (division 2). The fact that they replaced London means the increase against that club is 150.5% which does add an unavoidable distortion in 2025. 

Losers: Not the same number of candidates. In terms of attendees, Castleford is the disappointment. Their on field performances are at their usual not too successful standards. Has near neighbour Wakefield's improved situation left them feeling neglected? 

Salford has been sailing close to the wind financially and without a well heeled backer to rely upon things came to a head in 2025. Unable to play their strongest roster due to restrictions and gradually offloading good players they should never had signed in the first place has affected performances. 

Yet the fans have been remarkably loyal, but the club stopped reporting attendances during the season. I had to estimate and gave them 4,000 per game not reported for a 11.6% drop. Hopefully this sorry state can be sorted but they won't be in SL next year. 

Ceiling dwellers: Hull KR (stadium capacity) and Leigh (population size) have plateaued. I wonder what it would do for KR's average if there was more capacity. I'm thinking the stadium is OK for most games, with more popular opponents the only times when more seats would be useful. Leigh has a 12,000 stadium so they could technically increase their 8,800 average but that will be a big ask.

Newbies: Next year there will be between one to three new clubs in SL, depending on expansion going ahead. The Bradford Bulls used to exceed 10,000 in the Bullmania era but to do that now is unlikely. Other contenders such as Toulouse, York and London will definitiely not do that number so the 2025 average may be the best for some time to come. 

Queensland Cup Regular Season : 2025

The regular season consists of fifteen teams vying to win the league, or failing that, make the top eight for a play offs berth. The Gold Coast's Burleigh Bears won the league title, from the Brisbane based Norths Devils. The Western Clydesdales from Toowoomba came up the rear, although they did come first equal in the most draws column. I jest of course and I hope 2026 has more success for them. 

I don't follow the competition on a weekly basis but looking at the points differential, the matches appear to be quite close, not something the modern game produces with momentum rewarded as it is. The exception is the Clydesdales, who were well down in that department.

The eight finalists will be covered in a future article. 

UK League 1 Season : 2025

This will be the last report under the League One label as the division closes. Its first year was 2003 and the last 2025. It merges with the Championship division two. Some clubs will have to lift their level of performance. 

Over the season Cornwall pulled out early on and the results of the games they did play were expunged from the record. Sad but these things happen. The new club to this level was the Goole Vikings and they acquitted themselves well. 

Congratutaions to North Wales Crusaders for taking the league title. The playoff matches to decide who would get promoted were cancelled as they all get promoted anyway if they choose to join the expanded Championship.

UK Championship Regular Season : 2025 (Men's)

This is the division two of the game in the UK that includes a side based in France. After the regiular season was completed, the league table is as seen below. 

Three teams stood out for me and they took the top three spots. They are very keen to make the elite Super League. The play offs will assist in sorting that out but if only it was that simple. 

SL is most likely to go to fourteen teams and one of the current twelve sides making up that division won't be there. If that is how it all goes, three of these clubs will bein SL next year. So the three I mentioned earlier are the likely three? 

That's the complicated bit. Clubs have to meet varoius criteria to be acceoted and it isn't just about on field performance. London finished back in tenth place but they are to become a very different club in 2026 with new ownership. So the playoffs will help clubs trying to make SL and that will be reported on soon. 

The other issue is that no club will be relegated from the Championship as usually happens. That's because division three (League One) will amalgamate with the championship in 2026. Hopefully that won't create a lopsided competition. 2026 won't be dull in UK RL but then again it never is. 

SL Regular Season : 2025

The video is the last round game between Hull KR and Warrington Wolves. Don't be startled by the noisy music for the first few seconds. You may want to read the text below before viewing.

The 2025 regular season has finished. Twelve teams played 27 matches and some played each other three times to complete 27 rounds. Ludicrous. So how did they go? Here we go from bottom to top with a brief opinion for each club. In the chart, blue means finals football.

Salford Red Devils: The club payed the price for living beyond their means and had to sell most of their side this season as a result. Short notice loan players were at times used, meeting the regulars on the bus going to the game. Yet the players showed loads of spirit and the fans rallied behind them. 

Castleford Tigers: It really looked a very ordinary team and sacking the manager during the season was never going to be the solution. Last made the finals in 2019.

Huddersfield Giants: Not much better than Cas' so another side that needs to recruit well if either can afford that. 

Catalan Dragons: A second consecutive season with finals football. The coach was sacked as results went against them but that didn't help. Definitely should have done better with the players at their disposal.

Warrington Wolves: Made the cup final as their form was good early on but they fell away badly at the backend of the season. A team with potential but there is something wrong with the culture.

Hull FC: The club's best result since 2020 but still very much a work in progress. There was hope of a finals berth but ultimately fell short.

St Helens: This is such a successful club that the past two seasons have felt like failures to the fans. Calls for the coach to go have gone unheeded, but for how much longer? Can there be some redemption in the finals? 

Leeds Rhinos: After missing the finals in the last two campaigns, they are back. An improved side in 2025, but there is some work to be done if they want to go forward from here. 

Leigh Centurions: Their fans must be pinching themselves to make sure they are not dreaming. The points differential would suggest they are overachieving but what do they care? A third consecutive year in the finals shows the character the team has. 

Wigan Warriors: Started really slowly and got knocked out of the cup early. They have since played catch up and nearly won the league. With a full complement of players, they are the best side. 

Hull KR: They won the cup and now the league, only the grand final to go to make it a clean sweep. Their form has dipped toward the end of a tiring season. They will need to show a bit more zest if they are to take the treble. 

Summary: There could be fourteen teams next year and Salford has not applied to be one of them. The composition of the clubs involved in Super League is therefore still up in the air. Clubs have to earn a place through meeting both on and off the field requirements.

UK Championship (Women) Regular Season : 2025

The second division (the Northern Championship) in the women's game increased from nine to eleven teams for 2025. All but two of the clubs competing are from the north of England. The teams played each other once. Oulton was deducted a point for failing to fulfill a fixture. 

London and Cardiff were promoted from the Southern Championship and both sides acquitted themselves well, coming in first and third. As a result, they both make the two round playoffs and could end up in the grand final together. 

The finals will be covered in a future post. 

PS. The Southern Championship had five sides playing four fixtures each. This was won by the Army with Bristol second. The Midlands Championship had six clubs playing ten matches each with Telford prevailing. 

SLW Regular Season : 2025

The eighth regular season of women's rugby league has been completed. Eight sides battled it out and a resurgent Wigan pipped St Helens for the title. Saints win their first league title in 2024 but could not quite repeat that success.

The problem is having the best players gravitate to just four sides. The clubs in blue below progressed to the finals series and their points differential is it stark contrast to the sides that failed to make the cut. Warrington withdrew from the competition for the last two fixtures. Two points and 48-0 scores were credited to the sides that would have played them.

The women's game needs a rethink regarding the lopsided standard between the haves and have nots. More depth in player quality will come but in the meantime too many matches are massacres. It can't be easy for players in those fixtures. Their only reprieve comes when meeting sides of similar quality. The better players need more fixtures that test them. 

The video above is Wigan v Saints. 

NRLW Regular Season : 2025

The season kicked off with twelve teams, up two on 2024. The Canterbury Bulldogs from Sydney and the NZ Warriors from Auckland. Could the new sides hit the ground running? Would there be any surprises in the final ranking?

The final table below shows there wasn't much change from the previous season. In 2024 there were four finalists and they all returned to the finals again. The difference in 2025 was there were two more sides were included in the playoffs. 

The Canberra Raiders dropped four rankings but otherwise no side moved more than two placings. Neither of the new clubs made the finals series but they weren't the lowest placed clubs either. The NZ Warriors did extremely well in nearly getting a neutral points differential (-4) in their first season back. 

I won't critique the sides individually but a few general comments should suffice. The top two were head and shoulders above the rest and they would make a great grand final match up. The three sides at the foot of the table will be disappointed the new teams were able to finish above them. 

The finals series will be covered in three weeks when they have concluded. 

The video is highlights of the top two sides meeting in round 3.  

NRL Attendances 2025

If all the teams played home games at home, then that would keep things simple. However, double header games and Magic Round creates scenarios that can distort figures. There is no right way to get around this but I'll explain what I do.

If more than one team play at a venue, then all competing sides count the highest attendance figure. That is because an accurate breakdown by game isn't always given. The one exception I make is the Magic Round where the attendance is credited to the total but not to the individual clubs. 

Winners: The total is up 4.2% over 2024 and 25.4% when compared with 2000-2024. That's quite an improvement historically.

Brisbane continues to confound me with its ongoing increases when I've assumed for the past few years that they have reached a ceiling. The Canterbury Bulldogs have had a ripper season both on field and with crowds, the latter helped by a bumper Easter Weekend turnout.

Canberra had a stellar season in winning the league and attendances reflected the public getting behind the success. Cronulla and South Sydney were involved in a double header but through a full season, these one off gains don't hugely affect the average. They both increased their averages, the latter despite a poor season.

The Gold Coast has always been a challenging area for rugby league but 2025 attendances were good considering the poor form of the team. The NZ Warriors managed another increase despite being close to stadium capacity.

Losers: Penrith had a 'home game' in Las Vegas which was helpful. Penrith needed that badly as their home game numbers are being badly affected by having to travel to another stadium while their stadium is redeveloped. 

Manly didn't do well with crowds, although the team usually performs well at home. Parramatta, North Queensland and Newcastle didn't play well overall and some fans were put off by that. I can't blame them. 

The St George - Illawarra club is the only team that has decreased on the 2000-24 average. Its now has the lowest attendances in the league, which is sad for a club with such a proud history. 

A point with the Dolphins. They are down historically but they have only had three seasons. The first was higher than the two since, which creates a historical negative. Their home stadium is tiny so when they can play home games at the larger Suncorp Stadium, that gives the attendance a real boost. So they are affected by Suncorp availability. More seasons are required to paint a clearer picture. 

For any unfamiliar with the game, the video above will explain all. 

NRL Regular Season : 2025

The 2025 regular season has finished. Teams played 24 matches and had three byes to complete 27 rounds. So how did they go? Most teams had tough injury runs, the demands of modern sport ensure that is the case. Ignoring that, here we go from bottom to top with a brief opinion for each club.

Newcastle Knights: They lacked quality in depth, especially in the forwards. They went from a finals appearance to last in one season. The coach then left as expected. 

Gold Coast Titans: Had potential and at times looked really good but rarely played their best for a full game. Dropped two places from 2024 and another coach left.

St George-Illawarra: Could have been a wooden spoon winner but scraped enough wins together to avoid that ignominy.

South Sydney Rabbitohs: Without the top players regularly participating, the team looked ordinary.

Wests Tigers: They strengthened their squad and avoided another last place but are very much a work in progress. 

North Queensland Cowboys: Fifth last year but dropped seven places in 2025. Looked good going forward but overall inconsistent.

Parramatta Eels: A solid roster and improved toward the end of the season. Not enough to make the finals but there is promise.

Dolphins: Can do the razzle-dazzle, which led to a good points difference for a side that failed to make the finals. Perhaps not enough grind.

Manly Sea Eagles: A good but not great side, they finished where they deserved to.

Sydney Roosters: Came home strongly to snatch a finals spot. In form, they are formidable.

Penrith Panthers: Second place and grand final winners last year, they languished at the foot of the table during the season. They got their act together and made the finals. That said, the team is not as strong as last year.

New Zealand Warriors: I predicted they wouldn't make the finals but did so through grit and determination. Most of the games they played were tight. Overachieved? Maybe, but proved a hard side to beat, even though they did fade toward the end of the competition.

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks: They quietly went about their business in an effective way. Another good season.

Brisbane Broncos: Inconsistent at the beginning of the season but toward the end very impressive. 

Canterbury Bulldogs: A surprise package and led the competition for a while but finished below their best.

Melbourne Storm: Not quite the consistent Melbourne but very still competitive and came in second. 

Canberra Raiders: They surprised everyone but the coach. They were much more consistent and that paid dividends. They simply were tough to beat. 

The finals summary will follow once the matches are completed. 

UK's State of Origin Series 2025

State of Origin games in Australia work because of interstate rivalry. Historically, there were wars between the two main rugby league counties (Lancashire and Yorkshire or West v East) in England but that didn't translate into something that caught the public's imagination.

That said, there has recently been some SOO action in England. It's more about having representative matches rather than ancient rivalry but still good to see it.

To begin with, a women's game which apparently is a first. Lancashire took control and led 26-4 at the turn around. Yorkshire then threatened a come back by reducing the deficit to 8-26 but that was extinguished and Lancashire ran away with it. Final score with the win for Lancashire 50-8.

Then there were two young men's academy matches between the same counties. In May of 2025, they met and Yorkshire took the first half 26-4 and went on to comfortably win. Final score: 42-10.

The second match at the beginning of August had a much closer start with Yorkshire only ahead 12-4 by half time. They stepped it up a gear in the second stanza for another clear victory. Final score: 40-10.

It's good to see players experiencing representative games in both the men's and women's arenas. Maybe the senior men will again try it again. Fitting such matches in with what is already a too long club season would be a major drawback.

For a full coverage of the first academy match:

Men's State of Origin : 2025

 The 2025 series had quite a twist to it, as we will see. This article only covers this season. For a brief overview, please click here. If you want the history in detail, then simply click here. Now for the 2025 series.

Game 1: Played in Queensland in front of 52,500 passionate 'Banana Benders'. NSW were all over the locals and having led 14-2 at half time went on to win 18-6. It seemed that NSW were so on top that they didn't press home their advantage fully. I wondered if that would come home to bite them.

Game 2: This match was taken across the country the Perth and there was an impressive attendance of 57,000. Queensland raced to an emphatic 26-6 lead at the break and hung on to win 26-24. To me it seemed that NSW was the better team but were out enthused in the first half. 

Game 3: Having been well beaten first up and sneaked a second game win, Queensland went to NSW with a chance to win the series although overall they had been outplayed by NSW. Queenslanders may question that opinion.

The fact is the Queensland side played the perfect first half and didn't give NSW anything. The 20-0 scoreline looked ominous but NSW came back as expected. However, unlike Perth where Queensland nearly got run down, this time they put in two halves of quality. While they lose the second half 12-4, that was enough run out deserved winners. 

Summary: While NSW should have won this series, they didn't. Were they too confident? I felt the second half of game one turned out to be very important. NSW were totally on top but didn't drive that home. That gave Queensland some belief and by game three, that belief was oozing out of each and every player. 

The game three highlight video is below:

Men's Challenge Cup : 2025

The 2024 Challenge Cup summary can be seen by clicking here. 

Sixty nine teams played seven rounds of matches to decide the winner of the Challenge Cup for 2025. We take up the matches from round five. With Wigan being upset 22-26 by Hull FC, the in form Hull KR was favourite to go all the way.

Quarter finals: The matches were close although the local Hull derby was less so. Remarkably the other three encounters all ended 20-12. With the probelms besetting Salford, the Catalan Dragons were not impressive in their win. KR retained its favourites tag.

Semi finals: KR dealt with not too impressive Dragons while Warrington Wolves prevailed over the Leigh Leopards 21-14. In form Hull KR had been to eight finals, only winning in 1980. Warrington had made twenty finals, winning nine. Their last winning success was a recent 2019.

Final: Over 63,000 fans packed into Wembley Stadium to witness the event. The weather didn't play its part, with wind and rain featuring. Warrington led at half time 6-2 and continued to do so until three minutes remained, when KR scored and took out the match.

There was an issue as to whether the KR try was legitimate. Apparently, a defender must ground the ball with his hand or push it out of bounds to stop it being 'alive' but he only did so with his torso. An attacking player can score using the torso. I'm surprised there is a different rule for the attacker as opposed to the defender. Still, the rules are the rules and they were applied correctly. 

Hull KR have a great side in 2025 but the Challenge Cup trophy almost slipped through their fingers. The Wolves haven't been consistent but have a good side that could have taken the match. Sometimes, the margins in sport are tiny. 

The highlights are below.

Women's Challenge Cup : 2025

For history on the women's Challenge Cup, simply click here. You may want to read that first. 

The 2025 edition was divided into four pools of three teams. Eight of the twelve sides progressed to the semi finals. St Helens have dominated this tournament, winning the the last four finals. Leeds have lost the last three finals to Saints so between those two clubs a likely winner would emerge. Would they make it a fourth final together.

Quarter finals: These went as expected due to the lack of depth in the UK women's game and the best players are not spread around. Only the Leeds v Huddrsfield match having anything like a competitive scoreline.

Semi finals: The big guns assembled for the shoot out. Saints battled past York to secure yet another finals berth but Wigan looked ominous in comfortably despatching a well regarded Leeds outfit.

Final: St Helens may have hoped for a fifth consecutive trophy but Wigan were having none of that. The all Lancs final was decisively won by Wigan 42-6, having led 18-0 at the break. Wigan's first final and victory showed there is a new force in the UK's women's game. 

Highlights can be seen below.

1895 Cup History & 2025 Competition

Teams below the top division struggle to make their mark in the Challenge Cup (think FA Cup in football) so in addition a cup for second and third division sides was devised. The Championship Cup commenced in 2003 to coincide with national second and third divisions being established. 

In 2019, it became the 1895 Cup so named to acknowledge the year rugby league was formed. Some Australians think the sport started in 1908 when they took up the code. Big country syndrome. Anyway, the 1895 Cup has been played six times, five of the finals listed below. 

2025: The box below shows the last three rounds of the tournament in 2025. The Featherstone Rovers were convincing in getting to their third final while York fought their way to their second appearance.

The all Yorkshire final was a tight affair with neither side scoring a try. It was decided in golden point extra time where the first team that scores wins and the game ends. As is usually the case it was a drop goal that determined the winner. York won their first cup after missing out in the 2021 final while Featherstone now has a one win - two loss cup final record. 

Highlights can be viewed below.

Women's State of Origin : 2025

There is strong and ongoing rivalry between New South Wales (Blues) and Queensland (Maroons) in rugby league. I've covered the Interstate Challenge (1999-2017) and the State of Origin (2018-2024) for the women's game and by clicking on each of those titles you can see the history.

Moving on to 2025, the three match series has been completed. The results are as follows:

Game 1: Held in Brisbane, Queensland the score was 12-14 at half time to the visitors but blew out in the second with NSW scoring 18 unanswered points. 

Final score: Queensland 12-32 NSW. Attendance 26,000.

Game 2: Down in Sydney another tight first half had the hosts up 12-6 at the break but another scoreless half for Queensland while conceding 14 points was another surprising capitulation.

Final score NSW 26-6 Queensland. Attendance 16,000.

Game 3: The game was played on neutral ground at Newcastle. Well, Blues territory officially. Anyway, NSW led 8-6 at the break. They had one try disallowed for technically not grounding the ball but I thought pedantic. That decision was crucial as the Maroons mounted a spirited second half which they won 12-6 and the game.

Final score NSW 14-18 Queensland. Attendance N/A.

The series went to the Blues 2-1 and that makes the eight State of Origin series shared four each although one of those was drawn but given to Queensland on a superior points differential (I presume). NSW have won 7 matches and Queensland six, with the Blues scoring 212 points and the Maroons 173. 

To see highlights of the final game, simply click here.

France Elite 2 : 2024/25

For this season in the second division, US Entraigues XIII had been relegated and two sides were promoted, Pamiers and Realmont. There were still nine sides because while one club was promoted to Elite 1, none were relegated. 

Palau were fifth in 2023-24 but won the division this season. Villegailhenc Aragon were second again and Ille-sur-Têt retained their third spot. Both of the new sides acquitted themselves well enough, with Pamier even making the play offs. 

The first round of the finals featured the sides finishing third to sixth. Both of the teams that finished higher in the league won their matches. Carpentras 30-22 and Ille-sur-Têt 25-8. Sterner tests were to face them in the next round.

So it proved with both winners of the quarter finals ending their season in the semi finals. The winners went into the grand final and as both were the best two in the league well deserved. Villegailhenc was a losing grand finalist last year, but could they go one better?

It was not to be as Palau - quarter final loser from the previous season - went two better this year in winning narrowly 20-17. Tough for Villegailhenc to lose again and by such a close margin but congratulations to Palau who backed up their league title with the grand final trophy. I assume Palau will be now promoted to the Elite 1. 

France Elite 1 : 2024/25

The top French rugby league competition increased in number from ten to eleven for this season with no clubs being relegated. The new team was Villefranche XIII Aveyron, promoted from Elite 2.

Albi came in the top of the Elite 1 league table. Albi had narrowly lost the Lord Derby Cup final but showed they were the best team over the twenty rounds of the league. The last time they took the league title was way back in the 1961-62 season!

Carcassonne have won the league six times since in the previous nine it was held so while that is a fine run, this season they fell just short. St Estève-Catalan came together in the 2000-01 season and have collected four titles in that time. 

Pia have been back in Elite 1 for three years and and have been a model of consistency. A fifth and now two fourth placings. Limoux won the league in 2017-18 season and is usually near the top of the league.

The play offs had third to sixth playing. Pia narrowly lost to Limoux while Villeneuve won 34-12 against St Estève-Catalan. The two lower finishing sides prevailing over their perhaps more fancied opponents. 

The two top league teams returned to take on the above mentioned winners. In both matches, they came out on top, Albi 26-8 over Limoux and Carcassone 11-6 against  Villeneuve. The latter scoreline was closer than I expected. 

The grand final saw Abli add to its league title with a 26-16 victory. They clearly were the best team over the season. They went so close to winning the treble but two out of three ain't bad. 

France Cup (Lord Derby) : 2024-25

The 17th Earl of Derby donated a cup to the winners of the inaugural winners of the Rugby League cup for the 1934-35 season. That was the first year of French RL also. The Earl's surname was Stanley and his father donated a cup to another sport.

Admission to the competition was for the top two divisions only of twenty teams. Eight played a preliminary knock out round, the four winners from which joined the other twelve. The teams from each division are colour coded as seen to the right..

Round of 16: The match ups and finals scores are as below. Two Elite 2 sides progressed, Carpentras overwhelming another Elite 2 side Tonneins while Villegailhenc upset Elite 1 team Villefranche.

Round of 8: The Elite 2 teams both bowed out at this stage although Villegailhenc put up stout resistance against -admittedly lowly Elite 1 side Toulouse. At the time of these games being played, the top three in the Elite 1 league made the semi final along with bottom placed Toulouse. 

Semi Final: Carcassonne has won the cup the last three times and 16 times since 1950. I was up against a side that last won it back in 1974 and only once even going back to 1950. Carcassonne led 20-12 at the half way mark and on track for another final. 

A ten minute sin bin for an AS player at the resumption opened led to two quick tries for Albi had them in front to establish a lead they didn't relinquish. It was however 30-30 at full time but Albi snatched an intercept try in golden point extra time for the victory. 

The second match was played in wet conditions with the Catalan side narrowly ahead 6-0 at the break. They went on to win 16-0 without looking like losing. 

Final: 5th April.

The youthful Catalan side raced to an early 16-0 before Albi came back to only trail 10-16 at the half time break. Then early in the second half, Albi took the lead 18-16 but were unable to take advantage of that.

Saint-Estève XIII Catalan took the Lord Derby trophy for the first time since 2018 but Albi's last success was in 1974 and its third losing final since 2008. Video highlights can be seen below. The picture can be expanded by clicking on the [ ] box or the YouTube logo.

RL UK & Governance

I live a long way from the UK so maybe I don't understand the situation properly. It could also mean that I focus on the overall situation and don't get sidetracked by details. You decide. 

Those that are aware of RL in the UK understand that the code needs a broader spread of clubs and supporters. A successful London club is an important part of that. The idea that is sometimes floated is that the responsibility falls on the professional SL clubs to grow the game because it is in their long term interest to me seems idealistic. 

SL clubs are doing it tough with reduced media return etc. so that is where their finances go. The only ones likely to sustain a SL presence are those supported by benefactor owners putting in money to keep them viable. That is their primary focus. 

It's easy to talk about what clubs should do but to achieve anything meaningful will involve an ongoing cost so is it realistic to think that will happen? The notion that all the SL clubs will unite in a vision of pursuing the greater good of the game and will put up what's necessary to achieve anything like what's really needed doesn't seem realistic to me. 

So rather than wheel out it's in their best interest mantra, what the sport needs is a strong governing body in the UK. Perhaps that's why the governing body of the sport in Australia (the NRL) getting involved could shift the control of the sport to a neutral governing body overseeing it with the resources required to spread the game and let the clubs do what they are supposed to do, run successful clubs. 

If the game in the UK continues as it is, it will get what is getting and has been getting. RL in the UK needs a major overhaul of its governance and with that finances to help the code grow. Can I see that happening or retention of the status quo? Probably the latter.

On The Road Matches

Does Rugby League do enough to spread the game through taking matches on the road? In Australia it's common for this but to places the game is already played. It's a chance for people there to see top flight RL and creates goodwill between the club and the town they visit.

Then the more risky option of going to a place where the game isn't known and hoping for curious locals to come along. An initiative is going to Las Vegas which has been successful but travelling fans mask the fact that not too many US citizens attend. However, it gets media coverage and in that sense is a success. Plus it gradually wins over the US public. 

The Catalan Dragons in Perpignan, France took a game to Barcelona in 2019. They share a Catalan heritage so that was a help. Over 31,500 turned up when the average for the Dragons at home that year was 8,600. So what a success. It's not been done since and I don't know why but there must be reasons for that. 

So comparing the effect of that game on that year's total attendances with other years around it can be seen on the graph to the right. 2021 was lost to Covid in case you wonder why the gap. 

I did a different colour for 2019 but it does stand out regardless. Some may say it distorts the figures but it spreads awareness of the game and presumably was successful financially.

There is a risk in doing this sort of thing but surely well worth it for the reasons already mentioned. An average in excess of 10,000* for the only time in the Dragons history. I wonder if they will do something like this in future.

*The columns on each side of the graph are thousands. The years covered are from 2015 to 2025 (2025 one game only)

Picture source: Catalan Dragons. 

Las Vegas 2025 Development Matches

 As part of the Rugby League festival in Las Vegas 2025 were development games. In 2024, the USA and Canada played an international which ended 16-16. For 2025, that was expanded as was the main event. For 2025, the USA Men were scheduled to play their Greece counterparts in two games and the women from those nations one game.

Game 1: The first men's USA v Greece game had to be canceled due to vandalism at the ground they were to play at.  

Game 2: The USA Women then took on Greece, the USA the more experienced. The USA raced to a 34-0 lead at half time and the score could have been anything. However, the second half was more even and it ended 46-0. The highlights are below.

Game 3: The USA men took on Greece with high hopes. The Greek side included locals from the fledgling Greek competition but was fortified with players from Australia with Greek heritage. 

It started as a tussle as each side tried to gain ascendancy. The USA led 10-6 heading into half time but Greece struck twice late to lead 18-10. The second half it was all Greece as their experience and fitness started to count. 46-10 to Greece at the end. Highlights below.

Las Vegas 2025

Rugby League went to Las Vegas in 2024 where two opening matches of the Australasian NRL competition were played. Nearly 41,000 spectators went along. In 2025, a repeat of 2024 but with the addition of a UK Super League match and an international women's game. So how did it go?

Game 1: Wigan and Warrington from the UK SL kicked off. Wigan took control and led 24-0 at half time. Warrington did come back but Wigan took it comfortably 48-24.

Game 2: The Canberra Raiders and the NZ Warriors then made their appearance with the Raiders ahead 16-4 at the turn around. They went on to win 30-8 so another clear winner.

Game 3: This was a risk with professional Australia Jillaroos taking on the barely semi-pro England. This had one sided written all over it although the hope was England would lift sufficiently to make it a contest. It was anything but. the 90-4 scoreline was embarrassing and surely will not feature here again.

Game 4: The game of the day was the Penrith v Cronulla clash. 12-10 was the half time score and it ended 28-22 with the result never certain. It would have been nice if other games were closer but that is sport for you. 

Summary: 45,000 spectators were there, up 4,500 on 2024. Some English fans went last year but more this year with a game from the UK included this year. So that probably made the difference. Did locals turn up too? Yes but not an increase from '24. It will make US sports viewers more aware of the code so it may help media deals. Gambling revenue would gain too. 

So a success but one with much potential but patience will be needed as awareness grows for an unknown code in the USA.