2021 is a big year for Rugby League and a couple of months later than usual after the delayed end to last season, season 26 of the Super League gets underway on Friday evening and a year which ends with the World Cup in November and December starts.
St Helens will be looking to win the Super League title for a third year in succession after they touched off rivals Wigan Warriors in that incredible finish to the Grand Final in Hull a few months ago. This promises to be one of the most competitive seasons yet though.
Recent Winners
2020 – St Helens
2019 – St Helens
2018 – Wigan Warriors
2017 – Leeds Rhinos
2016 – Wigan Warriors
2015 – Leeds Rhinos
2014 – St Helens
2013 – Wigan Warriors
2012 – Leeds Rhinos
2011 – Leeds Rhinos
The Format
There was a plan to play a full season with 27 regular season matches but two have been chopped off so each team plays 25 games. The league table this year will be done on win percentage as it ended up being in 2020. In order to qualify for the play-offs a team must have played at least 18 regular season games. As with last season there are no scrums. Any such infringements will result in six again.
There is an extended play-off series this season with the top six qualifying for them. Third hosts sixth and fourth host fifth in straight knockout in the first week of the play-offs with the winners progressing to the semi-finals to travel to one of the top two. The leaders play the lowest remaining side. The two semi-final winners meet in the Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 9. The team that finishes bottom of the table will be relegated to the Championship.
The Favourites
Defending champions St Helens are the 5/2 favourites to regain their title. Only Leeds Rhinos in their pomp have won this title three years in a row so if Saints do keep hold of their crown then the red vee will make a little bit of history along the way. They have beefed up their side from last season with three good looking NRL arrivals coming in to offset the loss of the likes of James Graham and Dom Peyroux. History might be against the Saints but they look every bit as strong once again.
The other 5/2 shots for Grand Final glory are the team that Saints beat last season in Wigan Warriors. Wigan were so close to extra time in that Grand Final so they don’t need a lot more to get the trophy back but they begin life without Sean O’Loughlin this season although they do have John Bateman back and a big season is expected from one of the best in the NRL last term in a World Cup year. Jai Field is another good addition and crucially Bevan French was retained. Wigan should go well once again.
The Warrington Wolves are perennial nearly men when it comes to winning the Super League title and if they are going to do it under Steve Price then it will need to be this term as he has already announced that this will be his last campaign at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. Hopes are high among the Wire faithful after the lured the great Greg Inglis out of retirement and if he has any of his former ability with him he could set Super League alight. That has to be considered doubtful having not laced them up for two years though. The losses of Ben Murdoch-Masila and Dec Patton could be key for a team who aren’t outstanding value at 7/1.
The Leeds Rhinos trade shorter than 12/1 in most places but you can get that price on one of the greatest sides of the Super League era with the sponsors Betfred. The Challenge Cup winners will be looking to get back in the upper echelons of the Super League table but might have their work cut out to make the necessary improvements. If Luke Gale stays fit they’ll always have a chance but they look pretty tightly priced around the 10 or 11/1 mark despite their cup exploits last term.
Contenders
It is all change at the Huddersfield Giants with Ian Watson leaving Salford to take the reins and plenty is expected from a side who improved a lot after the sport returned from the Covid-19 break last term. Watson has been allowed to bring a number of players with him and the expectation is that he will coach improvement into this Giants outfit like he did Salford. He took the Red Devils to the Grand Final in 2019 but Huddersfield might need another season of stabilisation and maybe targeting the cup before Super League is a realistic target.
Hull FC are another side who are under a new coach with Brett Hodgson taking the reins at the KCOM Stadium. He isn’t the only exciting arrival to the Black and Whites with NRL recruit Josh Reynolds arriving with a stellar reputation of someone who could take Hull FC to the next level. He will be charged with replacing Albert Kelly in a Hull FC squad that has had all the tools to go well in Super League but perhaps not the right coach. If Hodgson is their man this could be a big season in the black side of the Humber.
It will be the end of an era at the Castleford Tigers this season too with coach Daryl Powell announced this will be his final term at The Jungle. The Tigers have been the neutrals team for a while with their attacking, exciting brand of rugby and it would be fitting if they send Powell off in style. They might not be as strong as the team that reached the Grand Final a few years ago but if they avoid the ridiculous amount of injuries that dogged them last season then with the likes of Niall Evalds and Jordan Turner on board the entertainers could embark on another play-off challenge once again.
The Catalans Dragons threatened a first Super League title last season when they made it all the way to the semi-finals of the competition despite plenty of issues with Covid-19 and a number of injuries hampering them along the way. They were blown out by St Helens in that semi-final clash and look a weaker side this term with the likes of Israel Folau and David Mead having left the club. This might be a season to bring the French players through in Perpignan rather than one where they challenge for the title.
Outsiders
The Salford Red Devils have been Super League finalists and Challenge Cup finalists in the last two seasons but they are out to 66/1 to claim the crown this term. Much of that is because Ian Watson, the man who masterminded that success, has left for pastures new and their squad has broken up a little as a result. If a team outside the top eight in the betting is to make the top six you would imagine it would be Salford but there are one or two doubts over how well they’ll go under a new coach.
Wakefield Trinity are another side who have been competitive over the last two or three years but last season wasn’t really their best. Injuries were a huge part of that and Covid-19 certainly didn’t help them either. At their best they can be safely mid-table but if some key men get injured for large periods of the campaign you wonder if they will be looking over their shoulder at the trap door. Keeping everyone fit is a must for Trinity.
Hull KR have put a lot of investment into their squad in the bid to significantly improve under Tony Smith but you still sense they are going to be in a battle to avoid the drop. They showed last season that they can mix it with the big teams but consistency was a massive issues, as it was for so many sides. If they can find that consistency to their game and the likes of Ryan Hall elevate them a level this should be a comfortable season for Rovers but injuries could be disastrous.
Leigh Centurions won the battle to be the final side in the Super League this term, taking the place of the Toronto Wildcats. Usually a side who come up from the Championship have the euphoria of a title winning campaign behind them but that isn’t the case with the Centurions, who are here more on what they might be able to offer the competition rather than anything they did to make it here. They have added a lot of players which is a must for a promoted side but in truth they still look a bit behind the rest.
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Outright Betting
St Helens and Wigan Warriors are rightly all the rage for the title this term but with six teams making the play-offs as it stands half of the competition will fancy their chances of being involved in them and from there wherever you finish in the table you’ll only be a maximum of three wins from glory. That makes me think a couple of outsiders could be worth chancing this term with the first of them a Hull FC side who are sure to improve under Brett Hodgson and who could be very tough to beat if Josh Reynolds comes in and starts managing the games how he is expected to. Hull never lack power in the pack and they have some dynamic players in the back line. I expect a huge improvement from them this term and at 14/1 they look a workable price.
Castleford Tigers will need to avoid injuries and things like that but once the season gets back to home grounds and fans are back in The Jungle won’t be an easy place to go for visiting sides, especially with the Tigers having the motivation to send coach Daryl Powell off on a high. We are used to Castleford being one of the most potent attacks in the competition and the addition of Niall Evalds is certainly going to help with that. If their young forwards step up this season then they should certainly finish in the top six and who knows what can be achieved from there.
Top Tryscorer
Going on the attacking theme of the Castleford Tigers I think there is value in the 14/1 that Greg Eden leads the try charts for the regular season. We know all about the Tigers’ offensive play and with Evalds in their ranks allowing Eden to go back to the wing I’m expecting a lot of tries from him down that side. Castleford have made a lot about going down their left side for the last three or four seasons now but despite every team knowing what is coming it is still hard to stop.
Castleford are given the licence to play with freedom by Daryl Powell and to throw the ball around and I don’t see that changing from here on in so if they can get the ball into the hands of the likes of Jake Trueman and Michael Shenton regularly enough they can combine to put Eden over on a number of occasions. In a World Cup year some of the leading challengers for this title might subconsciously ease off a little which can be a further boost to the chances of Eden.
Man of Steel
The last market I’m going to have a look at over the course of the campaign is the popular Man of Steel one, the market for the best player in the Super League season. There is now a Man of Steel panel who award points for each match so we are likely to get the best player winning this unlike in previous seasons where fans and players have been involved. That means we are looking for someone who is going to be heavily involved throughout the campaign.
You are always taking a chance in this market with your player not getting injured and everything but this is a big year for Jake Connor. Shaun Wane has a lot of options for his back line in the upcoming World Cup but Connor has always been seen as someone who has that x-factor about him and if he can impress in a Hull FC side who should have a lot of improvement in them then there is no reason why he can’t impress. He will switch between full-back and the centres you would think but wherever he plays he should be capable of a very big season. At 28/1 I’ll pay to see how he goes.
Tips
Back Hull FC to win Super League XXVI (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 15.00 with Betfred (1/2 1-2)
Back Castleford Tigers to win Super League XXVI (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with Betfred (1/2 1-2)
Back G.Eden Top Regular Season Try Scorer (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 15.00 with Betfred (1/4 1-4)
Back J.Connor Man of Steel for a 1/10 stake at 29.00 with Betfred
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