Rugby league has a huge year ahead of it, both on and off the field. After the successes of the Rugby League World Cup this autumn, 2023 will be all about the changes proposed by IMG, the new strategic partner of the RFL.
There’s big storylines to be followed on the field too, with St Helens gunning for another Betfred Super League title, Leigh returning to the top flight under a new guise and England needing to bounce back from their World Cup semi-final heartbreak.
Here’s what 2023 has in store…
IMG taking the ‘Super’ out of Super League?
We’ve already had a sneak preview of what’s to come for British rugby league in 2024, with IMG proposing a licence-based system of entry rather than automatic promotion and relegation. But a ‘new brand strategy’ could also see the Super League identity dropped after 28 seasons.
With the successful emergence in recent years of football’s Women’s Super League, there could be a change of approach in the title name for rugby league’s top flight. Whatever the new moniker is, it will take some getting used to not having a ‘Super League’, which has been inextricably linked with the game since it became a summer sport in 1996.
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Wellens and Saints looking for a high five
St Helens remained dominant in 2022, winning the League Leaders’ Shield and the Super League Grand Final. They’ll be gunning for a fifth consecutive title in ’23, but their decision to turn to former playing great Paul Wellens makes this an intriguing 12 months to come.
The failure of club legend Keiron Cunningham in the hot seat between 2015 and 2017 would have scared other teams off from appointing another former player so soon, but in Wellens they have an astute practitioner who has appeared ready for the top job for some time. Can he keep their incredible run of success going?
Will it be ‘their year’?
It’s always ‘Warrington’s year’, right? Well it wasn’t in 2022, for damned sure. The Wolves struggled massively in Daryl Powell’s first season in charge at the Halliwell Jones.
In 2023 they come with a fresh look about them. Out have gone the likes of Gareth Widdop, Toby King and Jack Hughes. In come Sam Kasiano, Josh Drinkwater, Paul Vaughan and star addition Josh McGuire. That recruitment might not turn them into automatic title contenders, but it at least should get them contending again. If not, questions will be asked of Project Powell.
Hull’s ex-factor
The cross-city divide in Hull never needs extra spice, but when there’s been a big switch the blowback can be tremendous. It might not be Paul Cooke levels, but Tony Smith’s arrival at Hull FC as head coach just a few months after being sacked by Hull Kingston Rovers will make for a compelling 2023 battle between the East Yorkshire clubs.
Rovers are now led by former Wigan Warriors and Gateshead Thunder halfback Willie Peters, while Smith will look to turn the ship around at Hull after their abysmal 2022 run under Brett Hodgson. The first derby of the season is at the MKM Stadium on Good Friday, April 7, with Smith returning to Craven Park for the return on July 7.
Can the Leopards change their spots?
In their first Super League season in 2005, the Leigh Centurions were relegated straight back down to National League One. When they returned in 2017, the same happened again after defeat in the Million Pound Game to Catalans Dragons. Fast-forward four years and a third Super League campaign resulted in a third relegation.
So what’s so different about Leigh in 2023? Well, their name, for a start. The Leigh Leopards – no, us neither – will be looking to buck the trend as owner and chairman Derek Beaumont aims to build a case for inclusion in the post-Super League franchising era. Adrian Lam did a cracking job with them in their 2022 promotion campaign, but can they adapt to the top flight after a recruitment drive which has seen them pick up the likes of Tom Briscoe, Zak Hardaker and Ricky Leutele?
Attention on the international game
With one of the stated aims of IMG being the promotion of the international game, with designated mid-season and October windows for England matches, it will be interesting to see what materialises in the way of Tests in 2023.
Shaun Wane’s side will be a part of the newly-restructured European Championships in the autumn alongside Ireland, Italy, France, Scotland, Wales, Serbia and Spain, but a sixth straight year without a clash with Australia’s world champion Kangaroos would be a massive missed opportunity.
The wheelchair world champs return to their day jobs
Basking in the glow of a World Cup win in front of a world record crowd, England’s wheelchair champions get back in action in the club game in the Betfred Wheelchair Super League complete with a new spotlight.
Having had all 15 games of the Wheelchair World Cup broadcast live on the BBC, the discipline has found a whole new audience, and the potential for bolstered crowds and bigger viewing figures will see the likes of Jack Brown, Nathan Collins and skipper Tom Halliwell starring in front of a bigger spotlight in 2023 than in ’22. Halifax Panthers are the reigning domestic champions after Rob Hawkins scored five tries in their Grand Final win over Leeds Rhinos.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
