In Women's Rugby League, London Broncos clinched silverware to maintain their hopes of promotion to the top tier, while St Helens have been crowned Betfred Women’s Super League Leaders for the second time.
London are now two wins away from promotion to the 2025 BWSL after retaining their Southern Championship title with a 28-8 Grand Final win against Cardiff Demons in Wales on Saturday.
The Broncos will now play the winners of the Northern Championship, with the winners of that game then facing Featherstone Rovers, who have finished bottom of the BWSL, in a Play-Off to determine the eighth and last place in the BWSL in 2025.
The Northern Championship play-offs kick off this weekend with the semi finals. Leigh Leopards, who won the League Leaders Shield with a 100% record, host fourth-placed Oulton Raiders, while third-placed Salford Red Devils travel to second-placed Sheffield Eagles.
Meanwhile Saints, who won their fourth consecutive Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup with victory over Leeds Rhinos at Wembley in June, stayed on track for a repeat of their dominant 2021 campaign with a 98-0 demolition of Warrington Wolves at Victoria Park on Saturday.
England wing Leah Burke continued her outstanding form with four tries, with hat-tricks from Paige Travis and Erin Stott, and Faye Gaskin collecting 30 points from a try and 13 goals – before heading to the Salford Community Stadium to join BBC Sport’s coverage of the Betfred Super League fixture between the Red Devils and Catalans Dragons.
Saints now have an unassailable four-point lead at the top of the table, and will be presented with the League Leaders’ Shield on Friday evening at the Totally Wicked Stadium after their last league fixture at home to Barrow Raiders – and before the men’s team face Castleford Tigers.
They will not know their opponents in the first round of the Play-Offs until after the final round of league fixtures with Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos and the 2023 champions York Valkyrie all jostling for position.
York claimed an important 16-12 win at Wigan on Sunday to climb to third ahead of this weekend’s last round of matches – when Lindsay Anfield’s Valkyrie travel to Featherstone, while Denis Betts’s Warriors host second-placed Leeds in a match that will be played at The Brick Community Stadium on Friday evening (5.30pm kick-off), and shown live on Sky Sports.
The Play-Off Semi Finals will be played on Sunday September 21 (kick-offs 5pm and 7.30pm), and both shown live on Sky Sports – who will also provide live and exclusive coverage of the Grand Final on Sunday October 6, at the home ground of the highest-ranked qualifiers.
Photo Credit: Paul Cowan
