League Leaders' Shield

The League Leaders' Shield[1] is a shield awarded to the team finishing the season top of Super League in the sport of rugby league football. Currently, and for most of Super League's history, the championship is decided on the basis of a play-off series with a Grand Final, so the Shield is regarded as a lesser prize.

League Leaders' Shield
Wigan player Jake Bibby holding the League Leaders' Shield and wearing the associate medal, 2020
Country England
 France
Presented bySuper League
History
First award1998
Most wins St. Helens
(9 titles)
Most recent St. Helens
(9th title)

History

From 1907 until 1973 the Championship was awarded to the team winning a top-four play-off (excluding the 2 seasons 1962–63 and 1963–64, when the championship was awarded to the top-placed team). From 1907 to 1962 no prize was awarded to the team finishing top. From 1965 to 1973 a 'League Leaders' Trophy' was introduced to reward the team finishing top. In 1996, Super League was formed but continued to use the league to decide the champions until 1998, when they adopted a play-off structure for the championship.

The League Leaders' Shield was first awarded in 2003. Between 1998 and 2002 the league leaders were not awarded a trophy. In 1996 and 1997 the League Leaders were declared champions as the Grand Final was not introduced until 1998.

In 2015, it was announced that the League Leaders would qualify to take part in the expanded World Club Challenge and the prize money would be inecreased from £50,000 to £100,000. In 2016, the League Leaders were awarded medals for the first time.

Shield winners


Year League leaders Pts Runners up Pts
1998 Wigan Warriors 42 Leeds Rhinos 38
1999 Bradford Bulls 51 St Helens 46
2000 Wigan Warriors 49 St Helens 46
2001 Bradford Bulls 45 Wigan Warriors 45
2002 St. Helens 46 Bradford Bulls 46
2003 Bradford Bulls 44 Leeds Rhinos 41
2004 Leeds Rhinos 50 Bradford Bulls 41
2005 St. Helens 47 Leeds Rhinos 44
2006 St. Helens 48 Hull F.C. 40
2007 St. Helens 38 Leeds Rhinos 37
2008 St. Helens 43 Leeds Rhinos 42
2009 Leeds Rhinos 42 St Helens 38
2010 Wigan Warriors 44 St Helens 40
2011 Warrington Wolves 44 Wigan Warriors 43
2012 Wigan Warriors 42 Warrington Wolves 41
2013 Huddersfield Giants 42 Warrington Wolves 41
2014 St. Helens 38 Wigan Warriors 37
2015 Leeds Rhinos 41 Wigan Warriors 41
2016 Warrington Wolves 43 Wigan Warriors 42
2017 Castleford Tigers 50 Leeds Rhinos 40
2018 St. Helens 42 Wigan Warriors 32
2019 St. Helens 52 Wigan Warriors 36
2020 Wigan Warriors 76.47a St. Helens 70.59a
2021 Catalans Dragons 82.61a St. Helens 76.19a
2022 St. Helens 42 Wigan Warriors 38
  • a: Shield winners decided by win percentage rather than points

Winners
Club Wins Runners-up Winning years
1 St. Helens962002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022
2 Wigan Warriors581998, 2000, 2010, 2012, 2020
3 Bradford Bulls321999, 2001, 2003
4 Leeds Rhinos362004, 2009, 2015
5 Warrington Wolves222011, 2016
6 Huddersfield Giants102013
7 Castleford Tigers102017
8 Catalans Dragons102021
9 Hull F.C.01N/A

The Treble
Main article: The Treble (rugby league)

The Treble refers to the team who wins all three domestic honours on offer during the season; Grand Final, League Leaders' Shield and Challenge Cup. To date six teams have won the treble, and only Bradford Bulls, St. Helens and Leeds Rhinos have won the treble in the Super League era.

Club Wins Winning years
1 Wigan Warriors31991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95
2 Huddersfield Giants21912–13, 1914–15
3 St. Helens21965–66, 2006
4 Swinton Lions11927–28
5 Bradford Bulls12003
6 Leeds Rhinos12015

See also

References
  1. Wilson, Andy (July 16, 2009). "Battle for Super League play-offs can pull in the fans". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
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