Wakefield Trinity’s return to the Super League has been confirmed following the release of the first official grades by the RFL and its strategic partner IMG.
Wakefield thumped Toulouse 36-0 to win the Championship Grand Final at the weekend but had to wait to see whether it was enough to book their place in the top-flight after a one season absence.
Under a system rubber-stamped by a large majority of clubs last April, automatic promotion and relegation was scrapped in favour of the gradings, which are determined by scores across five ‘pillars’ – fandom, on-field performance, finance, stadium and community.
The announcement has largely avoided controversy with Championship winners Trinity replacing last season’s Super League bottom club London, who nevertheless increased their score from 8.07 to 12.65 from last year’s indicative grades, climbing from 24th to 14th place in the rankings.
Wakefield joined Leigh and Castleford in achieving scores of over 15, guaranteeing an A grade which in turn offers effective immunity from relegation, provided the score is maintained at the same time next year.
After a dismal season on the pitch, Hull FC have lost their A grade, slipping to a score of 14.51, but are one of three B grade clubs to retain their Super League places, along with Huddersfield and Salford, in 10th to 12th places respectively.
Toulouse, in 13th place, missed out on a place in the top-flight by just under half a point, meaning that even had they beaten Wakefield in the Championship Grand Final, they would not have earned enough extra performance points to win promotion.
The announcement has come with a mixture of relief and elation to finally confirm that we've got back into Super League
St Helens topped the standings with a score of 17.02 out of a possible 20, with Wigan second in the rankings on 16.91, and Leeds third on 16.84.
Keighley, the most vociferous critics of the grading system, and one of the few to vote against it, proved to be the biggest beneficiaries, rising 11 places to 19th and a Grade B score of 9.02.
Wakefield chief executive Craig Barrass said: We’re all delighted with the news and it’s been a long road with IMG this year. The announcement has come with a mixture of relief and elation to finally confirm that we’ve got back into Super League”
