The championship-deciding contest for the 2024 Super League season saw Wigan Warriors edge out Hull Kingston Rovers 9-2 in their meeting at Old Trafford on Saturday, October 12.
The Super League concept has been a popular one since its inception in 1998, with Wigan triumphant in the inaugural Grand Final and adding a seventh title to their storied history this year.
Hull KR, meanwhile, had been bidding to put their name on the trophy for the very first time. Twice Premiership champions and winners of a solitary Challenge Cup in 1980, the team from Yorkshire were gunning after falling at the semifinal stage in 2023.
It was not to be. Player-of-the-match Bevan French scored the only try of a tight contest in which Wigan produced an imperious defensive performance to claim the trophy once more.
But are Wigan the most successful outfit in the concept's 25-year history? Here's the rundown.
Who has won the most Super League Grand Finals?
St. Helens are the most successful team in the modern history of the Super League. They have won nine Finals in total, including four in a row from 2019 to 2022.
In total, they have been crowned Super League champions 10 times, having won the inaugural competition in 1996 before the play-offs format was introduced.
Have Wigan Warriors won the most Super League titles?
Wigan Warriors are the most successful rugby league team in terms of being crowned British champions.
In total, they have won 24 titles, which is seven more than second-place St. Helens. All but seven of those triumphs came during the era of the RFL Championship First Division, which ran for a century until the dawning of the Super League in 1996.
Wigan won the last seven of those championships in a row but finished second to St. Helens in the first Super League season. Since then, they sit behind St. Helens (nine) and Leeds Rhinos (eight) on the overall charts in terms of championship wins.
Those are three of only four teams to have won the Grand Final. The fourth is Bradford Bulls (three), who haven't done so since 2005.
St. Helens, Leeds and Wigan, meanwhile, have all won trophies in the last decade. Wigan are the holders, and their 2023 victory ended a run of four straight titles for St. Helens, while Leeds last reigned supreme in 2017.
Which teams have reached the Super League Grand Final?
In addition to those four sides, Warrington Wolves have made it on four separate occasions but had to settle for being runners-up each time.
Catalans Dragons have also made runners-up appearances on two occasions, while Hull FC, Castleford Tigers and Salford Red Devils have each had one losing Grand Final showing.
Hull KR joined the list of five 'bridesmaid' teams following their defeat in 2024.
Full list of Super League Grand Final winners
- St Helens: Nine championships (1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) and five times runners-up (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
- Leeds Rhinos: Eight championships (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017) and three times runners-up (1998, 2005, 2022)
- Wigan Warriors: Seven championships (1998, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024) and six times runners-up (2000, 2001, 2003, 2014, 2015, 2020)
- Bradford Bulls: Three championships (2001, 2003, 2005) and three times runners-up (1999, 2002, 2004)
Full list of most Super League Grand Final appearances
- St Helens — 14
- Wigan Warriors* — 13
- Leeds Rhinos — 11
- Bradford Bulls — 6
- Warrington Wolves — 4
- Catalans Dragons — 2
- Hull FC, Hull KR*, Castleford Tigers, Salford Red Devils — 1
* includes upcoming appearance in 2024 Grand Final
