Super League 2025 Season Preview: Can Wigan Retain Their Crown?

The 2024 Super League champions Wigan Warriors get the 2025 season started when they face Leigh Leopards on Thursday. That clash will take place at Wigan’s Brick Community Stadium and the hosts are massive favourites to begin the defence of their crown with a win. Indeed, the Warriors are favourites in the outright betting for both the League Leaders’ Shield and the main title and they will certainly take some stopping.

We take a look at the season ahead, one in which there will be a few new things for fans to get their heads around. As ever, we should be in for a cracking campaign and whilst the 2024 champions are priced at just 6/4 to defend their crown, it is far from a foregone conclusion. There are three other Super League sides priced at around 11/2 or a shade shorter and they will fancy their chances of upsetting Matt Peet’s men.

Twelve Teams Dreaming of Old Trafford

The 2025 Grand Final is not until the 11th of October 2025 and will, as usual, be played at Old Trafford. There is an awful lot of rugby to be played before then, with 27 rounds of fixtures before we reach the play-offs. If we are being realistic, not all 12 teams in this season’s competition will even be dreaming of making it to the Grand Final.

For some, simply surviving in the top tier of rugby league will be the aim and Wakefield Trinity will certainly be one of the clubs that fall into that bracket. They are ranked a 80/1 shot to win this season’s Super League but the newly promoted club, who topped last year’s Championship, would be delighted if they can simply win enough games to avoid instant demotion.

Trinity are one of rugby league’s great names and they replaced London Broncos in the Super League. Their 24-year run in the top tier of English rugby league came to an end in 2023 but they were magnificent last year, losing just once all season to bounce straight back. They might just have what it takes to cause a few upsets this time around, but ranked a 9/2 shot to finish bottom of the table, with only Castleford (8/5) deemed more likely to occupy that unwanted position.

At the other end of the table most pundits and certainly the bookmakers, fancy Wigan to claim their third Super League title in a row. St Helens won the four before the Warriors’ 2023 success, but other than Leeds Rhinos, no other side has won the Super League title since Bradford Bulls, way back in 2005.

The game’s big three, who boast 58 titles between them (Wigan have 24, Saints 17 and Leeds 11, including in the pre-Super League era), have dominated for a long time. But there are some small signs that things could change. In the last decade Warrington (twice), Castleford, Salford, Catalans (twice) and, last year Hull KR, have all made it through to the Grand Final. Each year they were beaten by one of the aforementioned big three but in 2025 Warrington and Hull KR are two of the three teams given a decent chance of stopping Wigan from completing their hat-trick of titles.

Key Dates to Look out for

The first round of matches takes place between Thursday the 13th and Sunday the 16th of February. New boys Wakefield Trinity play local rivals Leeds on the Saturday, the game taking place at the Rhinos’ Headingley home. Later the same day St Helens (11/2 for outright glory) host Salford.

After much criticism of the fixture list last year, there is no international break in the 2025 season. England will not play any fixtures in June or July, but in order to allow players to have some rest towards the end of the regular season, the 20th round of fixtures will be split over two weeks.

Catalans, Hull, Huddersfield, the Rhinos, Wakefield and the Warriors will all play in the first week, around the 24th of July. The other six teams will play the following week, with Warrington, Saints, Salford, Leigh, Hull KR and Cas in action around the 1st of August.

The Magic Weekend, or Magic WKND 2025, will see all 12 teams in action on the 3rd and 4th of May. Newcastle’s St James’ Park is again hosting, with Saints v Leeds probably the highlight on the Saturday, and Wigan v Warrington Sunday’s classiest-looking fixture.

As said, the Grand Final itself will take place on the 11th of October, with the final round of the regular season set for the 19th of September. The eliminators and then semi finals will take place on the two weekends between those dates.

Some Big Changes

The format and structure of the 2025 season will largely be the same as usual, aside from the two-week round 20. However, one big change that is sure to get fans talking is the introduction of the Captain’s Challenge. Supporters who follow Aussie rugby will be familiar with the system, whilst it was also used at the last World Cup.

In all televised games, including those in the Challenge Cup, captains will have 10 seconds to challenge the referee’s decision once play has stopped. If they opt to use their challenge the incident will be referred to the video referee, who will have the final say, with replays being shown on TV and inside the grounds. They are not allowed for certain decisions, such as a forward pass, time-wasting or dissent and each captain will only be permitted one unsuccessful challenge per clash. In other words, if a challenge is successful, the skipper can go on to make further referrals, but one incorrect challenge means no more are allowed during the game.

There has also been some tinkering with the disciplinary system used, although it seems this won’t have a huge impact. The green card system will be extended to cover attacking players as well, not just defending ones, in a bid to further limit time wasting. In a move similar to one introduced many years ago in football, offside decisions will now consider whether players are active or passive. In addition, the rules around drop-outs have been altered slightly, essentially meaning that infringements will be punished by restarting with a play-the-ball, rather than a penalty.

Of the rule changes it is certainly the Captain’s Challenge that will attract the most coverage. However, the changes to the offside rules could also lead to some interesting decisions as players adapt to them.