Tetley'sSuper LeagueVIIIwas the official name for the year 2003's Super League championship season, the 109th season of top-level professionalrugby leagueheld in Britain, and the eighth championship run by Super League.
| Super League VIII | |
|---|---|
| League | Super League |
| Duration | 28 Rounds |
| Teams | 12 |
| Highest attendance | 21,784 Bradford BullsvsLeeds Rhinos(23 May) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,276 HalifaxvsLondon Broncos(22 Aug) |
| Attendance | 1,336,374 (average 7,955) |
| Broadcast partners | Sky Sports |
| 2003 Season | |
| Champions | Bradford Bulls 3rdSuper Leaguetitle 5thBritish title |
| League Leaders | Bradford Bulls |
| Man of Steel |  Jamie Peacock |
| Top point-scorer(s) | Paul Deacon(286) |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  Dennis Moran(24) |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Promoted fromNational League One | Salford City Reds |
| Relegated toNational League One | Halifax |
The season culminated in a replay of the2001 Grand FinalbetweenBradford BullsandWigan Warriors,and again Bradford won, claiming the 2003 Championship, their second in three years.
Rule changes
edit- Theknock-onrule was modified so that if in the referee's judgement a player did not play at the ball, a knock-on would not be given.[1]
- Super League coaches voted 12-0 for new interchange and substitution rules for the 2003 season.[2]The number of interchanges, which now includedblood bins,increased from 6 to 12 using a pool of 4 substitutes.[1][2]This change aimed to retain the element of wearing down a team's opponents during the game - which was considered part of the character of the sport.[2]Stuart Cummings,theRugby Football League's technical controller said the changes "bring us into line with the international rules" and ruled out future increases as well as declaring, "We will never see the unlimited interchange introduced into rugby league in Britain," a change that had caused controversy in Australia during its experiment there.[2]
Table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bradford Bulls(L, C)
|
28 | 22 | 0 | 6 | 878 | 529 | +349 | 44 | Semi Final |
| 2 |  Leeds Rhinos
|
28 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 751 | 555 | +196 | 41 | |
| 3 |  Wigan Warriors
|
28 | 19 | 2 | 7 | 776 | 512 | +264 | 40 | Elimination Semi Final |
| 4 |  St Helens
|
28 | 16 | 1 | 11 | 845 | 535 | +310 | 31[a] | |
| 5 |  London Broncos
|
28 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 643 | 696 | −53 | 30 | |
| 6 |  Warrington Wolves
|
28 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 748 | 619 | +129 | 29 | |
| 7 |  Hull F.C.
|
28 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 701 | 577 | +124 | 27[b] | |
| 8 |  Castleford Tigers
|
28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 612 | 633 | −21 | 25 | |
| 9 |  Widnes Vikings
|
28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 640 | 727 | −87 | 25 | |
| 10 |  Huddersfield Giants
|
28 | 11 | 1 | 16 | 628 | 715 | −87 | 23 | |
| 11 |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
|
28 | 7 | 1 | 20 | 505 | 774 | −269 | 15 | |
| 12 |  Halifax(R)
|
28 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 372 | 1227 | −855 | 0[c] | Relegation toNational League One |
Source:Rugby League Project
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C)Champions;(L)League Leaders' ShieldWinners;(R)Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C)Champions;(L)League Leaders' ShieldWinners;(R)Relegated
Notes:
Play-offs
edit| Elimination play-offs | Qualifying / Elimination semifinal | Elimination final | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Bradford Bulls | 30 | Bradford Bulls | 25 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Leeds Rhinos | 14 | Wigan Warriors | 12 | ||||||||||||||
| Leeds Rhinos | 22 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Wigan Warriors | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wigan Warriors | 23 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Warrington Wolves | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wigan Warriors | 40 | |||||||||||||||||
| St. Helens | 24 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | St. Helens | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | London Broncos | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
Source: Rugby League Project[3]
Grand Final
editMedia
editTelevision
editThis season was the final year of Sky Sports' contract with the Rugby Football League allowing them to broadcast matches exclusively live, the deal ended in November 2003.[4]
Records
editOn 2 March, Matt Crowther of Hull F.C. equalled the club record for goals in a match when he was successful 14 times against Sheffield Eagles.[5]
2003 Transfers
editPlayers
edit
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abBBC Sport (20 February 2003)."Sculthorpe questions rule changes".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 27 February 2003.Retrieved6 May2009.
- ^abcdRay French (16 May 2002)."All change, please".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 13 March 2016.Retrieved6 May2009.
- ^"Super League VIII 2003".rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 6 November 2012.Retrieved10 September2013.
- ^"More money for League from TV deal".The Telegraph. 3 February 2004.Archivedfrom the original on 12 November 2012.Retrieved24 July2009.
- ^"Hull F.C. History".Retrieved23 October2009.[permanent dead link]