What's happened
Wakefield Trinity secured their return to the Super League after defeating Toulouse 36-0 in the Championship Grand Final. Their promotion was confirmed following a new grading system that evaluates clubs based on various performance metrics, ensuring Wakefield's immunity from relegation for the upcoming season.
Why it matters
What the papers say
Mark Staniforth from The Independent reported that Wakefield's return to the Super League was confirmed after their Championship Grand Final win. He noted that the grading system, which evaluates clubs on various metrics, has largely avoided controversy. In contrast, Aaron Bower from The Guardian emphasized the strategic partnership with IMG that led to the removal of traditional promotion and relegation, focusing on the implications for clubs like Wakefield and Toulouse. Both sources highlight the potential for future expansion of the league, with Bower noting that discussions about increasing the league size could begin sooner than expected due to the number of 'A' grade clubs.
How we got here
The Rugby Football League introduced a new grading system last year, replacing automatic promotion and relegation with a points-based evaluation. This system assesses clubs on five key pillars: fandom, on-field performance, finance, stadium, and community.
More on these topics
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Toulouse is the capital of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the region of Occitanie. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, 150 kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea, 230 km from the Atlantic Ocean and 680 km from Paris.
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Super League is the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern Hemisphere. The league currently has eleven teams: ten from England and one from France.
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Keighley is a former mill and market town as well as a civil parish in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, 11 miles north-west of Bradford, 11 miles south of Ilkley, 13 miles, north of Halifax, 12 miles south-east of Skipton, and 20 miles north