2024 RFL Championship
| 2024 Betfred Championship | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 14 |
| Matches played | 189 |
| Points scored | 8,308 |
| Highest attendance | 8,016 Wakefield Trinity vs Toulouse Olympique (19 October 2024) |
| Lowest attendance | 331 Whitehaven v Toulouse Olympique (13 July 2024) |
| Average attendance | 1,826 |
| Attendance | 345,071 |
| 2024 season | |
| Promoted to Super League | Wakefield Trinity |
| League Leaders' Shield | Wakefield Trinity |
| Relegated to League One | Swinton Lions, Whitehaven, Dewsbury Rams |
| Biggest home win | Featherstone Rovers 66–0 Whitehaven (7 July 2024) Wakefield Trinity 72–6 Doncaster (29 September 2024) |
| Biggest away win | Swinton Lions 0–60 Wakefield Trinity (1 September 2024) |
| Top point-scorer(s) | Max Jowitt (384) |
| Top try-scorer(s) | Derrell Olpherts (26) |
The 2024 RFL Championship, (officially known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons), was a professional rugby league club competition. The second tier of the British rugby league system comprises 14 clubs – 13 from England and one from France.
The season comprised 26 rounds in the regular season with the top six teams taking part in the play-offs to determine the champions.
The title was won by Wakefield Trinity who beat Toulouse Olympique in the grand final.[1] Wakefield also won the league leader's shield winning 25 of their 26 matches during the regular season.[1]
Wakefield's Max Jowitt became the first player in the British game to score 500 points in a season. Going into the grand final on 494 points, Jowitt kicked the three goals he needed to reach the 500 mark.[1]
Despite Wakefield winning the Championship, there is no automatic promotion to Super League, due to Super League status being dependent on a club's performance under the IMG grading system. However, on 22 October 2024, it was announced that Wakefield had improved their rating to a Grade A, which will now see them playing in Super League for the 2025 season.[2]
Team changes
London Broncos won promotion to the Super League at the end of 2023 and were replaced by Wakefield Trinity who were relegated from Super League. Promoted from League 1 in 2023 were Dewsbury Rams and Doncaster who replaced the 2023 relegated teams, Keighley Cougars and Newcastle Thunder.
Structure changes
There was no automatic promotion from the Championship to Super League at the end of the season. This was due to the introduction of the grading scheme where clubs are graded by a number of factors, not all based on on-field performance.[3]
The Summer Bash round which saw all the fixtures played at one location over a weekend was dropped for 2024 following disappointing attendance figures for the 2022 and 2023 events which were played in Leeds and York respectively.[4]
Following a review of the league structure below Super League, the RFL announced that by the start of the 2026 season, the Championship and League 1 would be equalised in size at 12 teams each. The first step was to reduce the Championship from 14 clubs to 13 at the end of the 2024 season. This was achieved by the bottom two clubs being relegated to League 1 but only the League 1 champions being promoted. The team finishing third-bottom in 2024 played the team winning the League 1 play-offs for the 13th spot in the 2025 Championship.[5]
Rule changes
A number of changes were introduced for 2024.[6]
The "six again" rule was amended so that set restarts would only be awarded if the ball was in the defending team's half of the field. Infringements in the attacking team's half would result in a penalty to the attacking team.
The use of the 18th man was allowed after two players (reduced from three) had failed head impact assessments or a player was unable to continue through injury (not just a head injury) resulting from foul play where the opposing player was sin-binned or sent-off. The use of the green card by the referee ordering injured players off the field for treatment was discontinued in the Championship.
A team awarded a penalty at a scrum had the option to reset the scrum instead of taking the penalty.
For disciplinary processes a category of "reckless tackle" was introduced.[7]
On 26 February 2024, the RFL announced that changes would be made to the 'head on head contact' rule that was previously implemented to start the season. This came after Nu Brown of Super League club Hull FC was controversially shown a red card for a tackle during his side's match against Warrington Wolves.[8] The RFL stated that the rule will be amended, "emphasising that it applies only to initial contact".[9]
Clubs
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow Raiders | Barrow-in-Furness | Northern Competitions Stadium | 6,000 |
| Batley Bulldogs | Batley | Mount Pleasant | 7,500 |
| Bradford Bulls | Bradford | Odsal Stadium | 22,000 |
| Dewsbury Rams | Dewsbury | Crown Flatt | 5,100 |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | Eco-Power Stadium | 15,231 |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone | Millennium Stadium | 8,000 |
| Halifax Panthers | Halifax | The Shay | 10,401 |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield | Olympic Legacy Park | 1,320 |
| Swinton Lions | Sale | Heywood Road | 3,387 |
| Toulouse Olympique | Toulouse | Stade Ernest-Wallon | 19,500 |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield | DIY Kitchens Stadium | 9,333 |
| Whitehaven | Whitehaven | Recreation Ground | 7,500 |
| Widnes Vikings | Widnes | DCBL Stadium | 13,350 |
| York Knights | York | York Community Stadium | 8,005 |
Results
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wakefield Trinity | 26 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1010 | 262 | +748 | 50 | Semi-finals |
| 2 | Toulouse Olympique | 26 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 782 | 384 | +398 | 37 | |
| 3 | Bradford Bulls | 26 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 682 | 387 | +295 | 34 | Eliminators |
| 4 | York Knights | 26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 655 | 473 | +182 | 30 | |
| 5 | Widnes Vikings | 26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 551 | 475 | +76 | 29 | |
| 6 | Featherstone Rovers | 26 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 622 | 500 | +122 | 28 | |
| 7 | Sheffield Eagles | 26 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 626 | 526 | +100 | 28 | |
| 8 | Doncaster | 26 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 498 | 619 | −121 | 25 | |
| 9 | Halifax Panthers | 26 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 509 | 650 | −141 | 22 | |
| 10 | Batley Bulldogs | 26 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 422 | 591 | −169 | 22 | |
| 11 | Barrow Raiders | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 458 | 758 | −300 | 19 | |
| 12 | Swinton Lions | 26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 466 | 678 | −212 | 18 | League One play-off |
| 13 | Whitehaven | 26 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 451 | 854 | −403 | 18 | Relegation to League One |
| 14 | Dewsbury Rams | 26 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 344 | 919 | −575 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) Competition points; 2) Points difference; 3) Points percentage (points scored/points conceded x 100)
Play-offs
| Eliminators | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Wakefield Trinity | 22 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | York Knights | 27 | 4 | York Knights | 13 | |||||||||
| 5 | Widnes Vikings | 10 | 1 | Wakefield Trinity | 36 | |||||||||
| 2 | Toulouse Olympique | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Toulouse Olympique | 21 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Bradford Bulls | 25 | 3 | Bradford Bulls | 20 | |||||||||
| 6 | Featherstone Rovers | 12 | ||||||||||||
Week 1: Eliminators
5 October 2024
15:00 |
| York Knights | 27–10 | Widnes Vikings |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Williams, Law, Lineham (2), Dee Goals: Williams (3/5) Drop goals: Harris |
[10][11] |
Tries: Lloyd Goals: Gilmore (3/3) |
6 October 2024
15:00 |
| Bradford Bulls | 25–12 | Featherstone Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Myers, Gill, Lilley, Appo Goals: Lilley (4/5) Drop goals: Lilley |
[12][11] |
Tries: Hardcastle, Day Goals: Reynolds (2/2) |
Odsal Stadium
Referee: A. Moore |
Week 2: Semi-finals
13 October 2024
15:00 |
| Wakefield Trinity | 22–13 | York Knights |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Jowitt, Gale, Olpherts, Thornley Goals: Jowitt (3/4) |
[13][14] |
Tries: Field, Hingano Goals: Dagger (2/2) Drop goals: Harris |
13 October 2024
17:00 |
| Toulouse Olympique | 21–20 | Bradford Bulls |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Laguerre, Ulberg, Armitage, Marion Goals: Shorrocks (2/4) Drop goals: Pelissier |
[15][14] |
Tries: Lilley, Pele, Appo Goals: Lilley (4/4) |
Week 3: Championship Grand Final
19 October 2024
19:00 |
| Wakefield Trinity | 36–0 | Toulouse Olympique |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Olpherts (2), Ashurst, McGillvary (2), Thornley, Pratt Goals: Jowitt (3/6), McGillvary (1/1) |
[16] |
| Wakefield Trinity | Position | Toulouse Olympique | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Max Jowitt | 1 | 1 | Olly Ashall-Bott | |
| Jermaine McGillvary | 2 | 2 | Paul Ulberg | |
| Iain Thornley | 3 | 3 | Guy Armitage | |
| Oli Pratt | 4 | 4 | Paul Marcon | |
| Derrell Olpherts | 5 | 5 | Benjamin Laguerre | |
| Luke Gale | 6 | 6 | Ryan Rivett | |
| Mason Lino | 7 | 7 | Jake Shorrocks | |
| Josh Bowden | 8 | 8 | Lambert Belmas | |
| Liam Hood | 9 | 9 | Calum Gahan | |
| Renouf Atoni | 10 | 10 | Harrison Hansen | |
| Matty Ashurst | 11 | 11 | Maxime Stefani | |
| Isaiah Vagana | 12 | 12 | Dominique Peyroux | |
| Jay Pitts | 13 | 13 | Anthony Marion | |
| Lachlan Walmsley | 14 | 14 | Reubenn Rennie | |
| Caleb Uele | 15 | 15 | Éloi Pélissier | |
| Ky Rodwell | 16 | 16 | James Roumanos | |
| Thomas Doyle | 17 | 17 | Dimitri Biscarro | |
| Mattieu Cozza | 18 | 18 | Greg Richards | |
| Daryl Powell | Coach |
Sylvain Houles | ||
Championship play-off
On 13 October Swinton,the team finishing 12th in the regular season, played Hunslet, the League One play-off final winners to decide the 13th team in the 2025 Championship. Swinton lost to Hunslet and were relegated to League One for 2025.
13 October 2024
19:30 |
| Swinton Lions | 20–22 | Hunslet |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Williams, Cox, Wood, Vaughan Goals: Abram (2/4) |
[17] |
Tries: Turner, Berry, Flanagan, Render Goals: Beharrell (3/4) |
Player statistics
Top 10 try scorers
| Rank | Player (s) | Club | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derrell Olpherts | Wakefield Trinity | 26 |
| 2 | Max Jowitt | 23 | |
| 3 | Paul Ulberg | Toulouse Olympique | 21 |
| 4 | Lachlan Walmsley | Wakefield Trinity | 20 |
| 5 | Connor Wynne | Featherstone Rovers | 19 |
| 6 | Joe Burton | Batley Bulldogs | 18 |
| 7 | Joe Brown | York Knights | 17 |
| 8 | Matty Dawson-Jones | Sheffield Eagles | 16 |
| Maxime Stefani | Toulouse Olympique | ||
| 10 | Kieran Gill | Bradford Bulls | 15 |
| Jayden Hatton | Swinton Lions | ||
| Ryan Ince | Widnes Vikings |
Top 10 goal scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Jowitt | Wakefield Trinity | 146 |
| 2 | Jordan Lilley | Bradford Bulls | 108 |
| 3 | Cory Aston | Sheffield Eagles | 88 |
| 4 | Tom Gilmore | Widnes Vikings | 84 |
| 5 | Jake Shorrocks | Toulouse Olympique | 81 |
| 6 | Louis Jouffret | Halifax Panthers | 66 |
| 7 | Connor Robinson | Doncaster RLFC | 65 |
| 8 | Ryan Shaw | Barrow Raiders | 55 |
| 9 | Josh Woods | Batley Bulldogs | 54 |
| 10 | Ben Reynolds | Featherstone Rovers | 48 |
Top 10 point scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Jowitt | Wakefield Trinity | 384 |
| 2 | Jordan Lilley | Bradford Bulls | 245 |
| 3 | Tom Gilmore | Widnes Vikings | 193 |
| 4 | Cory Aston | Sheffield Eagles | 192 |
| 5 | Jake Shorrocks | Toulouse Olympique | 178 |
| 6 | Louis Jouffret | Halifax Panthers | 164 |
| 7 | Connor Robinson | Doncaster RLFC | 151 |
| 8 | Ryan Shaw | Barrow Raiders | 138 |
| 9 | Ben Reynolds | Featherstone Rovers | 124 |
| 10 | Josh Woods | Batley Bulldogs | 115 |
- As of 22 October 2024: (Round 27)
Discipline
Red cards
| Rank | Player | Club | Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaine Gittens-Bedward | Barrow Raiders | 1 |
| Brad Walker | |||
| Greg Worthington | |||
| Dale Ferguson | Dewsbury Rams | ||
| Gareth Gale | Featherstone Rovers | ||
| Ed Barber | Halifax Panthers | ||
| Matty Gee | |||
| Zack McComb | |||
| Matty Marsh | Sheffield Eagles | ||
| Jordy Gibson | Swinton Lions | ||
| Richard Lepori | |||
| Gavin Rodden | |||
| Sitaleki Akauola | Toulouse Olympique | ||
| Harrison Hansen | |||
| Owen McCarron | Whitehaven RLFC | ||
| Jacob Gannon | York Knights |
Yellow cards
- As of 8 October 2024: (Round 27)
Broadcasting
The two-year deal with Viaplay expired at the end of the 2023 season. No new deal was arranged with any provider for 2024.
References
- ^ a b c "Championship Grand Final: Wakefield Trinity 36-0 Toulouse". BBC Sport. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers learn IMG gradings fate, as scores revealed to clubs". loverugbyleague. 22 October 2024.
- ^ "First IMG gradings revealed as clubs learn fate; Leeds Rhinos lead the way, Super League outfit appeal verdict". LoveRugbyLeague. 25 October 2023.
- ^ Walker, Callum (3 November 2023). "Championship Summer Bash set to be scrapped as clubs learn structure fate". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Bower, Aaron (13 March 2024). "Super 8s to return as part of overhaul of Championship rugby league plans". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Five law changes approved by the RFL ahead of 2024 season including 'Six Again' rule, 18th man, 'Reckless' tackles". LoveRugbyLeague. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Head injury assessment laws among RFL board tweaks". BBC Sport. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Cook, Sam (24 February 2024). "Nu Brown releases statement after shocking red card". Serious About Rugby League. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ "RFL changes Super League tackle rules after controversial Nu Brown red card". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ "Tom's treble central to York success". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3451. 7 October 2024. p. 20.
- ^ a b "Betfred Championship Round Up: Play-Off Eliminators". RFL. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "Bull's blast leaves Fev floundering". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3451. 7 October 2024. p. 20.
- ^ "Trinity triumph after a fright". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3452. 14 October 2024. p. 19.
- ^ a b "Wakefield Trinity to play Toulouse in championship grand final". RFL. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "Toulouse progress following Bulls fight". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3452. 14 October 2024. p. 19.
- ^ "Championship Grand Final: Wakefield Trinity 36-0 Toulouse". BBC Sport. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Hunslet on the up amid late drama". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3453. 21 October 2024. p. 19.