The 2017 Women's Super League was the inaugural season of the top level rugby league competition for women in England.[1] Run by the Rugby Football League there were four teams in the league; three (Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers and Featherstone Rovers) associated with professional clubs in West Yorkshire and one (Thatto Heath) associated with a leading amateur club in Lancashire.
| 2017 Women's Super League | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 rounds |
| Teams | 4 |
| Matches played | 14 |
| Champions |  Bradford Bulls |
| League Leaders' Shield | Bradford Bulls |
The league was won by Bradford Bulls who went undefeated in the six round regular season before defeating Featherstone Rovers 36–6 in the Grand Final.[2]
Teams
edit
| Club | Location |
|---|---|
| Bradford Bulls
|
Bradford, West Yorkshire |
 Castleford Tigers
|
Castleford, West Yorkshire |
 Featherstone Rovers
|
Featherstone, West Yorkshire |
 Thatto Heath
|
St Helens, Merseyside |
Results
editThe season comprised six rounds during which each team played the others home and away.[3] The team finishing top of the league automatically qualified for the Grand Final. The teams finishing second and third playing a preliminary final to determine who the other grand finalists were.
Round 1: 23 July 2017
edit- Castleford 48 – 14 Featherstone
- Thatto Heath 26 – 32 Bradford
Round 2: 13 August 2017
edit- Featherstone 20 – 30 Thatto Heath
- Bradford 72 – 18 Castleford
Round 3: 20 August 2017
edit- Thatto Heath 64 – 4 Castleford
- Featherstone 0 – 24 Bradford
Round 4: 3 September 2017
edit- Featherstone 48 – 20 Castleford
- Bradford 40 – 10 Thatto Heath
Round 5: 10 September 2017
edit- Thatto Heath 14 – 24 Featherstone
- Castleford 12 – 60 Bradford
Round 6: 24 September 2017
edit- Castleford 4 – 38 Thatto Heath
- Bradford 72 – 10 Featherstone
Regular season standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bradford Bulls
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 300 | 76 | +224 | 12 | Grand final |
| 2 | Thatto Heath Crusaders
|
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 182 | 124 | +58 | 6 | Preliminary final |
| 3 | Featherstone Rovers
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 116 | 208 | −92 | 4 | |
| 4 | Castleford Tigers
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 106 | 296 | −190 | 2 |
Play-offs
editPreliminary Final: 1 October 2017
editThatto Heath 20 – 21 Featherstone[4]
Grand Final: 7 October 2017
edit7 October 2017
Noon BST |
| Bradford Bulls
|
36 – 6 | Featherstone Rovers
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Kirsty Moroney, Lois Forsell, Charlotte Booth, Claire Garner, Amy Hardcastle, Charlene Henegan, Haylie Hields Goals: Claire Garner (4) |
report |
Tries: Georgia Roche Goals: Georgia Roche |
Manchester Regional Arena
Player of the Match: Lois Forsell |
References
edit- ^ "England Rugby Football League". Rugby League International Federation. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Bradford Bulls become first-ever Women's Super League champions". Rugby Football League. 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Rugby League". www.rugby-league.com. RFL. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Featherstone Rovers secure Grand Final spot". Rugby Football League. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2023.