Men
Leopards & Warriors kick off 30th Super League in historic opening night
14 Feb 2025
Records tumbled on an historic opening night for the 30th Super League season at Wigan’s Brick Community Stadium – as the Friday night focus now switches to a five-figure home sell-out at Hull KR and the start of Catalans Dragons’ 20th Super League campaign in Perpignan.
The attendance of 21,748 for the Thursday night Battle of the Borough between Leigh Leopards and champions Wigan Warriors was the highest for a Round One fixture since Super League kicked off in 1996, beating the 21,693 for Wigan’s opener Warrington Wolves in 2007.
The teams were introduced to the field by Michael Buffer, the renowned ring announcer from Pennsylvania who was flown in by Sky Sports for the start of their 30th season of Super League coverage – to set the tone for a campaign which will include the Round Three fixture between Wigan and Warrington at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday March 1.
The local rivals then created Super League history in a ferocious, captivating but pointless 80 minutes – meaning the 4,969th Super League fixture since the competition was launched in 1996 became the first to be 0-0 at the end of normal time.
Statistics supplied by the Rugby League Record Keepers Club confirm that it was only the third of those 4,969 matches not to include a try – with the official total of matches including Play-Offs and all games involving Super League clubs in the Super 8s which ran from 2015-2018.
The milestones continued in Golden Point Extra Time, with Gareth O’Brien’s drop goal securing Leigh’s first away win against Wigan since August 1983 (at Central Park) – and completing the first 1-0 scoreline after Golden Point in elite Rugby League since it was introduced by Australia’s NRL in 2003.
(This is the seventh season of Golden Point in the Betfred Super League, having been introduced in 2019 – although it had been used to settle Challenge Cup ties prior to that)
And there was one more slice of history in the early stages of the second half as Captain’s Challenge was used for the first time in the Betfred Super League by Wigan’s Liam Farrell. His challenge failed, as video referee Jack Smith upheld on-field referee Liam Moore’s initial call – and it was a similar story when the Leopards Lachlan Lam challenged a decision in the closing stages, meaning the wait goes on for Super League’s first successful Captain’s Challenge.
Rhodri Jones, the Managing Director of RL Commercial, said: “Our congratulations and thanks go first to the players of Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards for a compelling opening match of the Betfred Super League season – and especially to the Leopards for an historic result for their club.
“But those congratulations and thanks should be extended to both clubs and their supporters for securing a new opening round record for Super League – and to Sky Sports, our major broadcast partners, for bringing Michael Buffer to Wigan.
“It was the perfect way to start the 30th Super League season as we prepare to make more history in Las Vegas in a fortnight.
“And we know that the momentum will continue through the opening weekend, with advance ticket sales meaning we are already guaranteed an aggregate attendance of over 70,000 – for the second consecutive year for Round One, having reached that figure for the first time for a six-match opening round in 2024.
“It’s a big night for the Catalans Dragons in Perpignan as they kick off their 20th Super League season against Hull FC at the increasingly impressive Stade Gilbert Brutus, and another electric atmosphere is guaranteed at Sewell Group Craven Park where Hull KR launch their campaign to go one better than last season’s Grand Final defeat, against the 2017 Grand Finalists Castleford Tigers.
“Two more five-figure crowds are guaranteed on Saturday as Wakefield Trinity return to the Betfred Super League with a West Yorkshire derby against Leeds Rhinos at AMT Headingley at 3pm, followed by St Helens hosting Salford Red Devils in a match that will be shown live on BBC2.
“The round ends on Sunday afternoon with Warrington Wolves travelling to Huddersfield Giants, and good luck also to the 12 clubs who kick off the Betfred Championship season this weekend, with Toulouse Olympique hosting Widnes Vikings at the Stade Ernest-Wallon on Saturday evening before fixtures in Barrow, Bradford, Featherstone, Oldham and Sheffield on Sunday afternoon.”
