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2026 Super League Discussion

J

jason taylor

Bench
Messages
3,779
Taking The Two said:
There is a vote for the return of promotion and relegation - https://www.alloutrugbyleague.co.uk/news/promotion-relegation-return-cards-amid-1456912

Bradford, if they finish bottom, will go down. We did two down in 2014 to return to 12 teams, so we may see two relegation spaces.
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I just don't see P&R working anymore - particularly in a landscape where the second-tier division isn't fully professional. Like every time we've had it in Super League, it'll just be the same handful of teams cycling through being promoted and relegated. The ranking system is the way to go - it just needs to be further refined to avoid farcical situations like Salford 2025 and Bradford gaming the stadium criteria.

The reality is that unless aggressive and properly financially backed expansion is adopted, there are currently only three non-Super League teams that could feasibly be in Super League (London, Oldham and Salford) but all of them have huge question marks over them.
 
T

Taking The Two

Juniors
Messages
902
I don’t disagree, P&R is a waste of time. By my count, there’s one professional team in the Championship next year - London Broncos (Salford, if they survive, are going PT with a £500k budget). Now, as a London observer, because they’re my nearest club, I am looking forward to seeing what kind of side they’re putting together but the prospect of seeing them stick 70 on teams isn’t that attractive. P&R hasn’t really worked since Widnes came up in around 2001, when their season finished in June and they had time to put together a side capable of competing. I don’t count the likes of KR or Wakefield, they came straight back up with basically Super League squads.

I always thought we needed to draw a line in the ground between the pro game and the PT game. There’s a place, most definitely, for clubs like Batley, Keighley, Rochdale etc but that place isn’t really the same league as professional sides. If clubs can build towards going full time professional then look at including them in Super League but let the PT teams have their own comp.
 
F

Father Gascoigne

Juniors
Messages
12
The problem with the P/R debate is that rugby league's heartlands are Yorkshire and Lancashire. Because of this, there is a large crossover of rugby league and soccer support.

I'd suggest many who still support P/R do so because they can't separate the best interests of RL from what they grow up believing sport should be about (survival of the fittest, jeopardy at top and bottom of the table). They are surrounded by the ideals of P/R, which influences their thinking towards bias.

For those who observe from afar, as with many Australians, it's fairly obvious that it has no business existing in English RL. The frustrating thing is that if soccer dropped P/R tomorrow, it wouldn't take long for RL to dispense with it for good. That being the case, you have to wonder why it has any proponents left at all.
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
75,594
jason taylor said:
I just don't see P&R working anymore - particularly in a landscape where the second-tier division isn't fully professional. Like every time we've had it in Super League, it'll just be the same handful of teams cycling through being promoted and relegated. The ranking system is the way to go - it just needs to be further refined to avoid farcical situations like Salford 2025 and Bradford gaming the stadium criteria.

The reality is that unless aggressive and properly financially backed expansion is adopted, there are currently only three non-Super League teams that could feasibly be in Super League (London, Oldham and Salford) but all of them have huge question marks over them.
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Yes and no, hkr, wakey and Leigh all joined SL through promotion and have done well.

I could live with one up one down as long as the grading system still plays a part and any team coming up meets Amin grading standard. It can no longer just be about building a winning team. We need growing viable clubs off the field as well as on it.

the downside of no p&R is that no one invests to build clubs outside the current SL clubs ie there’d be no chance london would ever get in SL and no way the investors are going to stick around. In effect you end up like nrl where perth has been ready for an nrl club for 15 Years but had no opportunity.
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
75,594
Other signings for 2026

Bradford Bulls​

Ins: Rowan Milnes (Hull KR), Ethan Ryan (Oldham)

Castleford Tigers​

Ins: Brock Greacen (Newcastle Knights), Blake Taaffe (Canterbury Bulldogs), Mikaele Rivalawa (St George Illawarra Dragons), Semi Valemei (North Queensland Cowboys), Jordan Lane (Hull FC), Jack Ashworth (Hull FC), Renouf Atoni (Wakefield), Liam Hood (Wakefield), Darnell McIntosh (Leigh)

Catalans Dragons​

Ins: Toby Sexton (Canterbury Bulldogs), Solomona Faataape (Wests Tigers), Harvey Wilson (Salford), Josh Allen (Dolphins), Zac Lipowicz (Penrith Panthers), Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui (Gold Coast Titans), Charlie Staines (Wests Tigers), Josh Simm (Castleford), Lewis Dodd (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Ben Condon (Widnes Vikings), Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e (Hull KR)

Huddersfield Giants​

Ins: Niall Evalds (Hull KR), Mathieu Cozza (Wakefield), Chris Patolo (Manly Sea Eagles), Asher O’Donnell (Brisbane Tigers)

Hull FC​

Ins: Sam Lisone (Leeds), Jake Arthur (Newcastle Knights), Connor Bailey (York), Joe Batchelor (St Helens), James Bell (St Helens), Harvie Hill (Wigan), Arthur Romano (Catalans), Joe Phillips (Goole)

Hull KR​

Ins: Jumah Sambou (Oldham), Tom Amone (Canterbury Bulldogs), Declan Murphy (Salford), Cobie Wainhouse (Hull FC), Jack Charles (Hull FC)

Leeds Rhinos​

Ins: None

Leigh Leopards​

Ins: Jacob Alick-Wiencke (Gold Coast Titans), Oliver Polec (St Helens), Innes Senior (Castleford), Adam Cook (Canberra Raiders), Liam Horne (Castleford)

St Helens​

Ins: Shane Wright (Salford), Jacob Host (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Toulouse Olympique​

Ins: Ajahni ‘AJ’ Wallace (Hull KR), Brendan Hands (Parramatta Eels), Luke Polselli (London Broncos)

Wakefield Trinity​

Ins: Neil Tchamambe (Hull KR), Tyson Smoothy (Brisbane Broncos), Jazz Tevaga (Manly Sea Eagles), Tray Lolesio (Dolphins), Jordan Williams (Featherstone), Kian McGann (St Helens), Will Tate (Castleford)

Warrington Wolves​

Ins: Tevita Pangai Jr (Catalans), Toafofoa Sipley (Manly Sea Eagles), Liam Byrne (Wigan), Albert Hopoate (Canberra Raiders)

Wigan Warriors​

Ins: Dayon Sambou (St Helens), Jonny Vaughan (St Helens)

York​

Ins: Paul Vaughan (Warrington), Josh Griffin (Wakefield), Jordan Lipp (Norths Devils), Sam Wood (Castleford), Justin Sangare (Salford), Jon Bennison (St Helens), Jack Smith (Leeds), Danny Richardson (Hull KR), Matty Foster (Oldham)

Source: https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/super-league-ins-and-outs-2026
 
T

Taking The Two

Juniors
Messages
902
Big Dave Klemmer signs for Saints on a two-year deal. A good signing off the back of a good year of form.

The issue remains at Saints however that it’s an ageing side. Alex Walmsley is 35, Paasi is 34, Clark 33, Sironen 32 and that is before you add in Feldt 34, Lomax 35 and Percival 31. It was said throughout 2025 that the average age would be addressed but it doesn’t quite feel like that yet. A centre and a loose forward is desperately needed.
 
steeden.

steeden.

Juniors
Messages
1,136
Perth Red said:
Within a month HKR have sold out all season tickets! With only 300 general sale places a game available its going to be hottest ticket in town!
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This might be a silly question - but I have no idea - will their current form lead to any likely expansion at Craven Park? I remember it from the Australia Scotland game in 2016 and it seemed like it had plenty of room to be bigger, but did look dilapidated a little
 
jolly boys outing

jolly boys outing

Juniors
Messages
627
steeden. said:
This might be a silly question - but I have no idea - will their current form lead to any likely expansion at Craven Park? I remember it from the Australia Scotland game in 2016 and it seemed like it had plenty of room to be bigger, but did look dilapidated a little
Click to expand...
All comes down to money I guess but craven park needs to have a capacity of 15k minimum.
 
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