1998 Super League Grand Final
The 1998 JJB Super League Grand Final was the first staging of the Super League Grand Final and the conclusive and championship-deciding game of 1998's Super League III, and the first Grand Final of the Super League era. It was held on Saturday 24 October 1998, at Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom. This was the first time the League Championship had been decided by play-off since the 1972–73 Championship Final. The game was played between Wigan Warriors and Leeds Rhinos.
| 1998 Super League Grand Final | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 24 October 1998 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Old Trafford | ||||||||||||
| Location |  | ||||||||||||
| Harry Sunderland Trophy |  | ||||||||||||
| Referees | Russell Smith | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 43,533 | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast partners | |||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||
| Commentators | |||||||||||||
Background
JJB Sports Super League III was the official name for the year 1998's Super League championship season, the 104th season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the third championship run by Super League. The League format changed in 1998 and the championship became a play off series to determine the Super League champions, similar to the way the Premiership was played a few seasons earlier. This meant the first Final to determine the British champions since the 1972–73 season. Huddersfield Giants, the league's bottom club was saved from relegation in 1998 due to the expansion of the league to fourteen teams in Super League IV.
Route to the Grand Final
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
23 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 762 | 222 | +540 | 42 |
| 2 |  |
23 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 662 | 369 | +293 | 38 |
Wigan Warriors
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Semi-Final | |
17-4 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue. | ||
Leeds Rhinos
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Play-Off |  |
13-6 |
| Qualifying Semi-Final | |
17-4 |
| Final Eliminator |  |
44-16 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue. | ||
Match details
24 October 1998 |
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10–4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Robinson Goals: Farrell (3) |
Report | Tries: Blackmore |
| Wigan Warriors | Position | Leeds Rhinos | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Fullback | 1 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| 2 | |
Winger | 22 | |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
Centre | 3 |  |
| 4 | |
Centre | 4 | |
| 5 | |
Winger | 5 | |
| 6 | |
Stand Off | 13 | |
| 7 | |
Scrum Half | 7 | |
| 16 |  |
Prop | 8 |  |
| 9 | |
Hooker | 21 | |
| 10 | |
Prop | 25 | |
| 17 | |
2nd Row | 11 | |
| 20 | |
2nd Row | 17 | |
| 13 | |
Loose Forward | 12 | |
| 25 | |
Interchange | 24 | |
| 12 | |
Interchange | 14 | |
| 14 | |
Interchange | 27 | |
| 8 | |
Interchange | 20 | |
|
Coach | | ||
See also
References
- "Wonderful Wigan add Final chapter to illustrious history". The Birmingham Post. England. 1998-10-26. Retrieved 2009-10-05.