Rugby League Super 8s

{{more citations needed|date=August 2018}} {{Infobox rugby league football competition | name = Rugby League Super 8s | current_season = 2018 Super 8s | logo = | pixels = 200 | caption = | founded = 2015 | folded = 2018 | teams = 39 | country = {{ENG}} {{WAL}} {{FRA}} {{CAN}} | gov_body = RFL | champion ='''Super League''' {{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} Leeds Rhinos '''Qualifiers''' {{leagueicon|Warrington|16}} Warrington Wolves '''Championship Shield''' {{leagueicon|Toulouse|16}} Toulouse Olympique | season = | most_champs = | count = | website = | TV = Sky Sports BBC Sport (Highlights) | qualification = | related_comps = }}

The '''Rugby League Super 8s''' are a feature of the British rugby league system. Between 2015 and 2018 they were played in the top three professional divisions. Following the completion of the regular season home-and-away fixtures in the Super League, the Championship and League One, teams split into smaller divisions of eight based on their finishing positions on the league table; the teams then played an additional fixture against each of the seven other teams in their division to determine the final standings.

The Super 8s were scheduled to return from the 2025 season and determine promotion and relegation between the Championship and League One.<ref>{{cite web |title=RFL confirms Championship and League One to contain 12 teams from 2026 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/68554489#:~:text=From%202025%20a%20Super%20Eights,two%20dropping%20from%20the%20Championship. |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=27 November 2024 |date=13 March 2024}}</ref> However, in August 2025 the Rugby Football League decided to merge the Championship and League One from 2026 and the Super 8s were therefore no longer needed.<ref>{{cite news |title=RFL: Championship and League One to merge into one league for 2026 |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/articles/cx29z5yz7y6o |access-date=28 August 2025 |work=BBC Sport |date=27 August 2025}}</ref>

==Regular season== ===Super League=== The Super League season sees teams play each other home and away, and one team for a third time at the Magic Weekend. After 23 games, the league table is frozen and the teams are split up into '''"Super 8s"'''. Teams finishing in the top 8 will play 7 more games each as they compete in the '''Super League''' Super 8 group for a place in the Grand Final. Teams finishing in the bottom four will join the top 4 teams from the Championship in '''The Qualifiers''' Super 8 group and also play 7 more games each for a place in the next years Super League competition.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Position !Qualification |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''1''' |style="text-align:left;"| Super League Super 8s |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''2''' |style="text-align:left;"| Super League Super 8s |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''3''' |style="text-align:left;"| Super League Super 8s |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''4''' |style="text-align:left;"| Super League Super 8s |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''5''' |style="text-align:left;"| Super League Super 8s |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''6''' |style="text-align:left;"| Super League Super 8s |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''7''' |style="text-align:left;"| Super League Super 8s |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''8''' |style="text-align:left;"| Super League Super 8s |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''9''' |style="text-align:left;"| The Qualifiers |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC;" |'''10''' |style="text-align:left" | The Qualifiers |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''11''' |style="text-align:left;"| The Qualifiers |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC;" |'''12''' |style="text-align:left;"| The Qualifiers |---- |}

===Championship=== The Championship season sees teams play each other home and away, and one team for a third time at The Summer Bash. After 23 games, the league table is frozen and the teams are split up into '''"Super 8s"'''. Teams finishing in the top 4 will play 7 more games each as they compete in the '''Qualifiers''' to try and earn a place in next seasons Super League. Teams finishing in the bottom 8 compete in the '''Championship Shield''' Super 8 group and also play 7 more games each.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Position !Qualification |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''1''' |style="text-align:left;"| The Qualifiers |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC;" |'''2''' |style="text-align:left" | The Qualifiers |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''3''' |style="text-align:left;"| The Qualifiers |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC;" |'''4''' |style="text-align:left;"| The Qualifiers |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''5''' |style="text-align:left;"| Championship Shield |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''6''' |style="text-align:left;"| Championship Shield |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''7''' |style="text-align:left;"| Championship Shield |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''8''' |style="text-align:left;"| Championship Shield |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''9''' |style="text-align:left;"| Championship Shield |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''10''' |style="text-align:left;"| Championship Shield |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''11''' |style="text-align:left;"| Championship Shield |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''12''' |style="text-align:left;"| Championship Shield |---- |}

==Super League Super 8s== {{Main|Super League Super 8s}} After 23 games the league table is frozen and the teams are split up into 2 of the 3 '''"Super 8s"'''. Teams finishing in the top 8 go on to play 7 more games each, to compete for a place in the play-offs, and all retain a place in Super League for the next season. Teams finishing in the bottom four (9-12) will compete alongside the top 4 teams from the Championship, in '''"The Qualifiers"''' Super 8 group. These teams will reset their season standings and also play 7 extra games each, as they attempt to earn a place in the following year's Super League competition.

===Super League=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Position !Qualification |---- |- align=center style="background:gold" |'''1''' |colspan=8|League Leaders/ Play-off Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''2''' |colspan=8|Play-off Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''3''' |colspan=8|Play-off Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''4''' |colspan=8|Play-off Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccccff;" |'''5''' |Season Complete |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccccff;" |'''6''' |Season Complete |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccccff;" |'''7''' |Season Complete |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccccff;" |'''8''' |Season Complete |}

====Play-Offs==== {{Main|Super League play-offs}} *1st vs 4th *2nd vs 3rd

====Grand final==== {{Main|Super League Grand Final}} {| class="wiki" style="text-align:center;" |-rank !width=200 |Stadium !width=200 |Location !width=100 |Country !width=100 |Highest attendance !width=100 |Average attendance |- |'''Old Trafford'''||Trafford, Greater Manchester||England||73,581||63,352 |- |}

==The Qualifiers== The Qualifiers Super 8s sees the bottom 4 teams from Super League table join the top 4 teams from the Championship. The points totals are reset to 0 and each team plays 7 games each, playing every other team once. After 7 games each the teams finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd will gain qualification to the next years Super League season. The teams finishing 4th and 5th will play in the "Million Pound Game" at the home of the 4th place team which will earn the winner a place in the next years Super League; the loser, along with teams finishing 6th, 7th and 8th, will be relegated to the Championship.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Position !Qualification |---- |- align=center style="background:lightgreen" |'''1''' |colspan=8|Super League Place |---- |- align=center style="background:lightgreen" |'''2''' |colspan=8|Super League Place |---- |- align=center style="background:lightgreen" |'''3''' |colspan=8|Super League Place |---- |- align=center style="background:lightblue" |'''4''' |colspan=8|Million Pound Game |---- |- align=center style="background:lightblue" |'''5''' |colspan=8|Million Pound Game |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''6''' |colspan=8|Championship Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''7''' |colspan=8|Championship Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''8''' |colspan=8|Championship Place |}

===Results=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" |Year |Super League Place |Championship Place |- |2015 |{{leagueicon|Hull KR|16}} Hull Kingston Rovers {{leagueicon|widnes|16}} Widnes Vikings {{leagueicon|salford city|16}} Salford Red Devils {{leagueicon|wakefield|16}} Wakefield Trinity |{{leagueicon|Bradford|16}} Bradford Bulls {{leagueicon|Sheffield|16}} Sheffield Eagles {{leagueicon|Halifax|16}} Halifax {{leagueicon|leigh|16}} Leigh Centurions |- |2016 |{{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} Leeds Rhinos {{leagueicon|Leigh|16}} '''Leigh Centurions''' {{leagueicon|huddersfield|16}} Huddersfield Giants {{leagueicon|salford city|16}} Salford Red Devils |{{leagueicon|Hull KR|16}} '''Hull Kingston Rovers''' {{leagueicon|london|16}} London Broncos {{leagueicon|batley|16}} Batley Bulldogs {{leagueicon|featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers |- |2017 |{{leagueicon|warrington|16}} Warrington Wolves {{leagueicon|hull kr|16}} '''Hull Kingston Rovers''' {{leagueicon|widnes|16}} Widnes Vikings {{leagueicon|catalans|16}} Catalans Dragons |{{leagueicon|London|16}} London Broncos {{leagueicon|featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers {{leagueicon|Halifax|16}} Halifax {{leagueicon|Leigh|16}} '''Leigh Centurions''' |- |2018 |{{leagueicon|leeds|16}} Leeds Rhinos {{leagueicon|hull kr|16}} Hull Kingston Rovers {{leagueicon|salford city|16}} Salford Red Devils '''{{leagueicon|london|16}} London Broncos''' |{{leagueicon|Toronto|16}} Toronto Wolfpack {{leagueicon|Toulouse|16}} Toulouse Olympique '''{{leagueicon|widnes|16}} Widnes Vikings''' {{leagueicon|Halifax|16}} Halifax |} *'''Bold''' Promoted/ Relegated

===Million Pound Game=== {{Main|Million Pound Game}} The '''Million Pound Game''' is a promotion play-off in the Qualifiers between the teams finishing 4th and 5th. The game is played at the ground of the team finishing 4th and the winner earns a place in the next season's Super League while the loser plays the next season in the Championship.

===Winners=== {{table alignment}} {| class="wikitable defaultcenter col2left" | |Winners |Count |Years |- |1 |{{leagueicon|hull KR|16}} Hull Kingston Rovers |1 |2015 |- |2 |{{leagueicon|leeds|16}} Leeds Rhinos |1 |2016 |- |3 |{{leagueicon|warrington|16}} Warrington Wolves |1 |2017 |- |4 |{{leagueicon|Salford City|16}} Salford Red Devils |1 |2018 |}

==Championship Shield== The third of the three "Super 8" groups sees teams finishing 5th to 12th in the regular Championship table. Like the Super League 8s, these teams retain their original points and play 7 extra games, with the teams finishing in the top 4 places after these extra games contesting play-offs similar to Super League, with 1st v 4th and 2nd vs 3rd, with the winners contesting the Championship Shield Grand Final.

The two teams finishing at the bottom of this Super 8s group (7th and 8th) will be relegated to League One and be replaced by two promoted sides.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Position !Qualification |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''1''' |style="text-align:left;"|Play-off Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''2''' |style="text-align:left;"|Play-off Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''3''' |style="text-align:left;"|Play-off Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''4''' |style="text-align:left;"|Play-off Place |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccccff;" |'''5''' |Season Complete |---- |- align=center style="background:#ccccff;" |'''6''' |Season Complete |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''7''' |style="text-align:left;"|Relegated |---- |- align=center style="background:#FFCCCC" |'''8''' |style="text-align:left;"|Relegated |---- |}

===Winners=== {{table alignment}} {| class="wikitable defaultleft col3center col6right" |Year |Winner |Score |Runner up |Venue |Attendance |- |2015 |{{leagueicon|featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers |36–4{{0|0}} |{{leagueicon|London|16}} London Broncos |Halton Stadium |4,179 |- |2016 |{{leagueicon|bradford|16}} Bradford Bulls |27–16 |{{leagueicon|sheffield|16}} Sheffield Eagles |Odsal Stadium |3,518 |- |2017 |{{leagueicon|toulouse|17}} Toulouse |44–14 |{{leagueicon|sheffield|16}} Sheffield Eagles |Stade Ernest-Argelès | |- |2018 |{{leagueicon|featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers |42–10 |{{leagueicon|leigh|16}} Leigh Centurions |Post Office Road | |}

==See also== {{Portal|Sports}} *Super League *Championship (rugby league) *League 1 (rugby league)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links==

Category:Super League Category:Championship (rugby league) Category:RFL League One