The 2023 Rugby Football League Women's Super League South was the third season of the Women's Super League South rugby league competition composed of teams from the south of England and Wales. On 31 January 2023 the Rugby Football League (RFL) announced a new pyramid for the women's game from 2024 meaning that 2023 would be the final season of the Super League South before becoming integrated into this new structure as a tier 2 competition.[1]
| 2023 RFL Women's Super League South | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 6 |
| Champions | London Broncos |
| Biggest home win | Cardiff Demons 72–8 Bedford Tigers |
| Biggest away win | Thurrock T-Birds 4–58 Bedford Tigers |
The opening match of the season, Thurrock T-Birds 8–56 Army RL, was played on 27 May.[2] Defending champions Cardiff Demons won all five of their matches to top the league and defeated Bedford 72–8 in the semi-final. London Broncos finished second in the league having only lost once; 8–10 to Cardiff. They won their semi-final 22–12 against Army RL to set up a rematch of the 2022 Grand Final.[3][4] On 27 August, London Broncos took the 2023 Women's Super League South title with a 22–10 win over Cardiff Demons.[5] London and Cardiff both earned places in the 2024 Challenge Cup as a result of reaching the Grand Final.[6]
Teams
edit
On 31 January 2023, the fixtures for the season were announced with seven teams, including newcomers Thurrock T-Birds, due to take part in the league in which all the teams would play each other once after which the top four advanced to the play-offs.[7][8] However, revised fixture lists included only six teams following the withdrawal of the Oxford Cavaliers before the start of the competition.[6][9]
Fixtures and results
editTable
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cardiff Demons
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 168 | 22 | +146 | 10 | Advance to play-off semi-finals |
| 2 |  London Broncos
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 134 | 42 | +92 | 8 | |
| 3 |  Army
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 152 | 108 | +44 | 6 | |
| 4 |  Bedford Tigers
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 152 | 132 | +20 | 4 | |
| 5 |  Bristol Golden Ferns
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 174 | −128 | 2 | |
| 6 |  Thurrock T-Birds
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 186 | −174 | 0 |
Playoffs
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | ||||
| Semi-finals | ||||||
| Cardiff Demons | 72–8 | Bedford Tigers | 13 August 2023 | Cardiff University | ||
| London Broncos | 22–12 | Army RL | 13 August 2023 | Rosslyn Park | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||
| Cardiff Demons | 10–22 | London Broncos | 27 August 2023 | Rosslyn Park | Peter Hamer | |
| Source:RFL: Match CentreWRL: Cardiff Demons | ||||||
References
edit- ^ "RFL reveal exciting national pyramid for growing women's game". Love Rugby League. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Thurrock T-Birds 8–56 Army Rugby League". Army Rugby League. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Super Sunday in the capital as Women's Super League South reaches semi-finals stage". Rugby-League.com. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Our League to stream Women's Super League South Grand Final this Sunday". Rugby-League.com. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "London Broncos 22 v 10 Cardiff Demons". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Building a National Pyramid". Community Rugby League: MORE THAN A SPORT REVIEW MID-YEAR 2023 (PDF). Rugby Football League. p. 16. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ "Thurrock T-Birds join Women's Super League South for 2023". Rugby-League.com. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Women's Super League South 2023 fixtures announced". Wales Rugby League. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Match Centre". Rugby-League.com. Retrieved 31 May 2023.