With football always sure to dominate the back pages of sport, and competition from the ongoing Six Nations in rugby union, the return of rugby league’s Super League may not have got as much attention as it deserved. It is a sport dominated by teams from its northern heartland but efforts have been made through various initiatives to broaden its appeal. These remain a work in progress and perhaps the most important aspect of growing the game is simply to make it as exciting and compelling as possible.
The opening round of fixtures took place between the 13th and 16th of February inclusive and we had some incredible games and some even more amazing results. If the Super League can keep on providing games like we saw either side of St Valentine’s Day then rugby league is sure to make more new fans fall in love with it.
Opening Game Sees Incredible 1-0 Golden Point Win
Drama in Super League’s opener! 🍿🤩
A golden point winner gives Leigh Leopards victory at Wigan Warriors for the first time since 1983 🤯#SuperLeague #BBCRL pic.twitter.com/FqhGSNKWLE
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 13, 2025
The low-scoring nature of football, where around 8% of games end 0-0, was for a long time said to be one of the factors that prevented Americans from becoming true fans of “soccer”. Rugby is far more like American football and to a lesser extent basketball, in that scoring tends to be frequent, with around 40 points per game scored on average in the Super League.
0-0 draws are virtually unheard of and yet, in the first fixture of the 2025 season, we saw one. Even more incredibly it occurred in a game between Leigh Leopards, one of the sport’s less illustrious sides, and Wigan, rugby’s most successful team and the current defending champions. And the game was played in Wigan!
The hosts, who won the quadruple last year, then lost the game to a golden-point drop goal, the final score being 1-0! Amazingly this was the first ever 0-0 draw in normal time in almost three decades of Super League rugby. The final outcome also meant Leigh’s first win at their neighbours in more than 40 years. No matter what else happens in the rest of this season, a bigger shock seems highly unlikely.
Low-scoring games in rugby are rarely boring in the same way they often are in football. Typically they are packed with brilliant defence, big hits and lots of near-misses and that was certainly how this Super League curtain-raiser played out. It had the feel of a play-off game, with players fighting as if their lives depended on it, and whilst the score may have been off-putting for any Americans in attendance, the excitement, tension and eventual drama more than made up for it.
Saints Score Enough Points for Four
Two days after Wigan were upset, their rivals St Helens romped to a huge victory against Salford Red Devils. We said earlier that matches average around 40 points and Paul Wellens’ side made up for that opening-day dearth of points by piling up 82 all of their own. They thumped the visitors 82-0, putting an understrength Salford to the sword in merciless fashion.
Off-pitch financial issues meant that Salford had to give debuts to eight players and were only able to name 16 in their squad and Saints, among the teams fancied to run Wigan close this term, took full advantage. It was a debutant for the home side that starred, with Queenslander Tristan Sailor running in four tries, his team getting 15 in all!
It was a really tough night for Paul Rowley’s team and the travelling fans but a jubilant one for the home side. Rowley said that he didn’t know if the salary cap and takeover issues that limited his options here would be resolved for their next game and it could certainly be a tough old season for Salford.
Wakefield Win at Headingley
Leeds may well be hoping Salford are still struggling as they will play them next, hoping to bounce back after an opening-round defeat on home soil against West Yorkshire rivals Wakefield. Trinity made a dream start on their return to the Super League, winning a scrappy (though exciting) game 14-12.
Trinity, who romped to the Championship title last term, led 14-6 at the break, with the Rhinos lethargic and inconsistent. The home team fought back after the break but the visitors held on to win in the face of some late Leeds pressure. The Rhinos have been poor for several seasons now but even so, this was a big upset.
Golden Points Like Busses
“Draws” in rugby are very rare, due to the high-scoring nature of the sport, with the stalemate after normal time usually priced at around 25/1 by bookies. In the 2024 Super League season there were just six matches decided by a golden point and yet in the first round of 2025 we saw two end with the scores level.
It was another Yorkshire derby, with Hull KR hosting Castleford and it was the home side that edged it. Anyone who eschewed the more traditional option of an overpriced meal and some pink fizz to instead attend this Valentine’s Day clash was handsomely rewarded as the game was a thriller.
The scores were locked at 18-18 after a hard-fought clash but Aussie Tex Hoy, previously of Hull F.C., missed a last-minute penalty which would have given the Tigers victory over Hull Kingston Rovers. And he was made to pay too, with Mikey Lewis popping over a drop goal to secure the win for the home team.
Other Results
There were two other games on the opening “weekend” and we saw two away wins. Hull F.C. triumphed easily enough, winning 24-4 at Catalans Dragons. The other game, in front of the round’s lowest attendance, of less than 6,000, saw Warrington Wolves win 20-12 at Huddersfield Giants’ John Smith Stadium.