Super League VI
Encyclopedia
Tetley's Super League VI was the official name for the year 2001's Super League championship season, the 107th season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the sixth championship run by Super League
. The season began on the first weekend in March and culminated after twenty-eight rounds in a six game playoff series, involving the top 5 teams.
captain Andy Farrell set the Super League
record for most points in a season with 388.
Notes
, was won by Bradford Bulls
who defeated Wigan Warriors
to become champions. This was legendary Australian centre Steve Renouf
's last game of top-level football before retirement.
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. The season began on the first weekend in March and culminated after twenty-eight rounds in a six game playoff series, involving the top 5 teams.
Season summary
In 2001 Wigan WarriorsWigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
captain Andy Farrell set the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
record for most points in a season with 388.
Regular season final standings
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bradford BullsBradford Bulls Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league.... |
28 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 1120 | 474 | 45 |
| 2 |  Wigan WarriorsWigan Warriors Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011.... |
28 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 989 | 494 | 45 |
| 3 |  Hull |
28 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 772 | 630 | 42 |
| 4 |  St. Helens |
28 | 17 | 2 | 9 | 924 | 732 | 36 |
| 5 |  Leeds RhinosLeeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League... |
28 | 16 | 1 | 11 | 774 | 721 | 33 |
| 6 | London Broncos | 28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 644 | 603 | 27 |
| 7 |  Warrington WolvesWarrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003.... |
28 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 646 | 860 | |
| 24 | ||||||||
| 8 |  Castleford TigersCastleford Tigers Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'... |
28 | 10 | 1 | 17 | 581 | 777 | |
| 21 | ||||||||
| 9 |  Halifax Blue SoxHalifax RLFC Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town... |
28 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 630 | 819 | |
| 18 | ||||||||
| 10 |  Salford City RedsSalford City Reds Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup... |
28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 587 | 596 | |
| 16 | ||||||||
| 11 |  Wakefield Trinity WildcatsWakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts... |
28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 529 | 817 | |
| 14 | ||||||||
| 12 |  Huddersfield GiantsHuddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C.... |
28 | 6 | 1 | 21 | 613 | 926 | |
| 13 |
| Play-offs Super League play-offs Since 1998 a play-off system has been used to determine the Super League champions. The format has changed over the years, starting with a play-off involving first five, then six teams and currently eight. The play-offs culminate in the Super League Grand Final.... |
Relegated |
Notes
Grand Final
The Grand Final, played on October 13 at Old TraffordOld Trafford (football)
Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...
, was won by Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
who defeated Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
to become champions. This was legendary Australian centre Steve Renouf
Steve Renouf
Stephen Renouf is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s. Of Aboriginal and European descent, he was known as one of the sport's greatest centres. Renouf set numerous records for the Brisbane Broncos club and is considered one of the greatest...
's last game of top-level football before retirement.
Rule changes
- 20 metre restarts should be allowed to happen quickly and not be delayed by referees.
- The first and second halves will now end the moment that the hooter sounds, in the past referees could use their discretion to let play continue if they felt the siren had sounded in during play.
Refereeing focus
The play-the-ball was to be more strictly refereed:- Penalising those teams that attempt to delay or interfere with the tackled player. Following a pre-season meeting with coaches the RFL's director of rugby, Greg McCallum, identified the following delaying tactics that would be monitored for:
- "Flopping" onto the player tackled or pushing them down in a "second effort".
- Straddling the tackled player.
- Pulling at the tackled player's leg as they get to their feet.
- Making contact with the ball in the tackled player's arms.
- Putting a hand on the shoulders or head of the tackled player.
- Deliberately knocking into ball-carriers at play-the-ball.
- Team-mates of tackled players should not attempt to manhandle tacklers off the player in possession.
- Attacking players must make at least an attempt to play the ball correctly with the foot.
- Players "milking" penalties would be punished.
Rule deviation
- The Rugby Football LeagueRugby Football LeagueThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
opted to retain their existing substitution system of six changes from four available substitutes but allowing unlimited use of the blood binBlood replacementIn both rugby union and rugby league, a blood replacement is a special kind of substitution which can be used in the case of a player having to leave the field of play temporarily to have a wound attended to.- Rugby union :In rugby union, blood replacements are provided for by Law 3.10 of the...
. This put British rugby league at odds with international interchange rules and impacted preparation for international competitions.
Operational rules
- Match commissioners were introduced by the League as a first point of contact for clubs that wish to raise and issue resulting from a match. The introduction of this system follows a successful trial during the 2000 World Cup2000 Rugby League World CupThe 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
.