Anniversary honour for Leeds Rhinos & Castleford Tigers as Super League celebrates 30 years
Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers will turn back the clock next season in Betfred Super League’s ‘foundation fixtures’.
The competition reaches its 30th anniversary in March and Rhinos and Tigers are set to mark the occasion with repeats of their games from the competition’s first-ever round. Tigers visit Bradford Bulls on Thursday, March 26 in a rerun of their Super League debut, a 30-18 loss at Odsal on March 31, 1996.
Leeds also began the summer era with a defeat, 22-18 at home to Warrington Wolves the same afternoon. Those sides meet at AMT Headingley on Sunday, March 29 - the anniversary of the league’s first match when Paris St Germain beat Sheffield Eagles in front of a 17,873 crowd at Charlety Stadium in the French capital. Coincidentally, Rhinos visited Warrington in the 5,000th Super League match, on March 28 this year.
St Helens and Wigan - who meet the following weekend in rivals round - are the only other top-flight survivors from the first Super League campaign. Paris folded after just two seasons and the other clubs involved in 1996 - London Broncos, Halifax Blue Sox (now Panthers) Oldham and Workington Town - will all be in the Championship next year, alongside Sheffield.