Super League XI

Super League XI
League Super League
Duration 28 Rounds
Number of teams 12
Highest attendance 18,358
Wigan Warriors vs St Helens (17 April)
Lowest attendance 3,046
Salford City Reds vs Harlequins (11 Aug)
Aggregate attendance 1,516,342 Increase
(average 9,026)
Broadcast partners United Kingdom Sky Sports
2006 Season
Champions St Helens
5th Super League title
12th English title
League Leaders St Helens
Man of Steel Paul Wellens
Top point-scorer(s) Jamie Lyon (316)
Top try-scorer(s) Justin Murphy (25)
Promotion and relegation
Promoted from National League 1 Hull Kingston Rovers
Relegated to National League 1 Castleford Tigers
< 2005 Seasons 2007 >

Engage Super League XI was the official name for the year 2006's Super League season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. Bradford Bulls were looking to retain the title they won in Super League X.

The competition kicked off the weekend after the World Club Challenge. This season saw the entry of the Catalans Dragons, who are the first French team to compete since the demise of Paris Saint-Germain at the end of Super League II.

Castleford Tigers were relegated from Super League on Saturday 16 September after finishing the regular season in 11th place (Catalans Dragons were exempt from relegation and finished 12th, therefore 11th placed-team was relegated).

In the Grand Final St. Helens beat Hull by 26-4 at Old Trafford, Manchester in front of a crowd of 72,575 which is a record for a Super League Grand Final. At half time the score stood at 10-4 for St. Helens. The Saints raced ahead in the second half with several tries. This victory, in addition to their Challenge Cup win and League Leader's Shield, meant that they had completed the league treble.

The 2006 Super League generated the highest weekly average attendance in the 11-year history of the competition. The average weekly attendance for the regular season stood at 9,026, generated by an aggregate attendance of 1,516,342 supporters. This is an increase on the 2005 season average of 8,887.

Table

    		 Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
    1 St Helens 282404939430+50948
    2 Hull F.C. 282008720578+14240
    3 Leeds Rhinos 281909869543+32638
    4 Bradford Bulls 2816210802568+23432a[›]
    5 Salford City Reds 2813015600539+6126
    6 Warrington Wolves 2813015743721+2226
    7 Harlequins RL 2811116556823−26723
    8 Wigan Warriors 2812016644715−7122b[›]
    9 Huddersfield Giants 2811017609753−14422
    10 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 2810018591717−12620
    11 Castleford Tigers 289118575968−39319
    12 Catalans Dragonsc[›] 288020601894−29316
      Teams qualifying for the Play-offs
      Relegated

    Source: Rugby League Project.
    Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference.
    Competition points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.

    Events

    The lead up to round 18 saw the shock move of Stuart Fielden from the Bradford Bulls to Wigan for a Super League record fee of £450,000. Despite a 30-12 home win over Warrington, Wigan remain bottom of the league after round 18.

    In the latter part of the season, following round 19, the bottom half of the league table was very close, with 6 teams able to reach the play-offs and 5 still at risk of relegation.

    Wigan left the bottom of the table for the first time in three months following round 20 but were still in the relegation position as Les Catalans were exempt from relegation. Warrington ended their bad run of results by beating Huddersfield in the same round.

    The next week Wigan climbed out of the relegation zone after beating Salford - their fifth consecutive win. Wakefield had a chance to put Wigan back in the drop zone but blew a 20-0 lead against Huddersfield to allow the Giants to record a crucial victory. Elsewhere Hull's Richard Horne became the first player in 91 years to score tries in eleven straight games for the club in their victory over Warrington.

    Jamie Lyon in action for St Helens during the 2006 season

    Hull's 13 match winning streak came to an end at Harlequins in round 22 but 2nd place rivals Leeds lost to leaders St Helens, who had Jamie Lyon sent off. Wigan's recent revival was halted by Warrington.

    In round 23, Wakefield re-ignited the relegation battle with a win against local rivals Castleford, despite being reduced to 11 men by the end of the game. Leeds lost the battle for second place, and their third league match in a row.

    The relegation battle went down to the wire as Wakefield beat Bradford while Castleford lost to Salford in the penultimate round of the season. The two clubs at risk of relegation, Wakefield and Castleford, were scheduled to meet in what had become a relegation decider in the last match of the regular season.

    St Helens receive the League Leader's Shield for a second successive year as recognition for finishing top of the competition league table for the regular season. Harlequins secured survival after beating Wigan. Salford secure a top-6 play-off spot for the first time in their history.

    At the end of the regular season, Castleford were relegated as a consequence of their 29-17 defeat away to Wakefield.

    Results

    Play-offs

      Elimination play-offs   Qualifying / Elimination semi-finals   Elimination final   Grand Final
                                     
      QSF: 29 September 2006  
    1   St. Helens 12  
    2   Hull 8         GF: 11 October 2006
            St. Helens 26
      EPO1: 22 September 2006     EF: 6 October 2006       Hull 4
      3   Leeds Rhinos 17         Hull 19  
      6   Warrington Wolves 18   ESF: 30 September 2006       Bradford Bulls 12
          Bradford Bulls 40  
    EPO2: 23 September 2006       Warrington Wolves 24
      4   Bradford Bulls 52  
      5   Salford City Reds 6
       
    Key:         Losing team progressing     Winning team progressing

    Grand Final

    In the Grand Final St. Helens beat Hull by 26-4 at Old Trafford. At half time the score stood at 10-4 for St. Helens. The Saints raced ahead in the second half with several tries. This victory, in addition to their Challenge Cup win and League Leader's Shield, meant that they had completed the league treble.

    See also

    References

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