2003 Super League season

Season in rugby league

Rugby league season

Super League VIII

League| Super League
Duration| 28 Rounds
Teams| 12
Highest attendance| 21,784
Bradford Bulls vs Leeds Rhinos (23 May)
Lowest attendance| 1,276
Halifax vs London Broncos (22 Aug)
Attendance| 1,336,374
(average 7,955)
Broadcast partners| Sky Sports
2003 Season
Champions| Bradford Bulls
3rd Super League title
5th British title
League Leaders| Bradford Bulls
Man of Steel|  Jamie Peacock
Top point-scorer(s)|  Paul Deacon (286)
Top try-scorer(s)|  Dennis Moran (24)
Promotion and relegation
Promoted from National League One| Salford City Reds
Relegated to National League One| Halifax

← 2002

2004 →

Tetley's Super League VIII was the official name for the year 2003's Super League championship season, the 109th season of top-level professional rugby league held in Britain, and the eighth championship run by Super League.

The season culminated in a replay of the 2001 Grand Final between Bradford Bulls and Wigan Warriors, and again Bradford won, claiming the 2003 Championship, their second in three years.

## Rule changes

[edit]

* The knock-on rule was modified so that if in the referee's judgement a player did not play at the ball, a knock-on would not be given.[1]
* Super League coaches voted 12-0 for new interchange and substitution rules for the 2003 season.[2] The number of interchanges, which now included blood bins, increased from 6 to 12 using a pool of 4 substitutes.[1][2] This change aimed to retain the element of wearing down a team's opponents during the game – which was considered part of the character of the sport.[2] Stuart Cummings, the Rugby Football League's technical controller said the changes "bring us into line with the international rules" and ruled out future increases as well as declaring, "We will never see the unlimited interchange introduced into rugby league in Britain," a change that had caused controversy in Australia during its experiment there.[2]

## Table

[edit]

Pos | Team  | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Bradford Bulls (L, C) | 28  | 22  | 0  | 6  | 878  | 529  | +349  | 44  | Semi Final
2  |  Leeds Rhinos | 28  | 19  | 3  | 6  | 751  | 555  | +196  | 41
3  |  Wigan Warriors | 28  | 19  | 2  | 7  | 776  | 512  | +264  | 40  | Elimination Semi Final
4  |  St Helens | 28  | 16  | 1  | 11  | 845  | 535  | +310  | 31[a]
5  |  London Broncos | 28  | 14  | 2  | 12  | 643  | 696  | −53  | 30
6  |  Warrington Wolves | 28  | 14  | 1  | 13  | 748  | 619  | +129  | 29
7  |  Hull F.C. | 28  | 13  | 3  | 12  | 701  | 577  | +124  | 27[b] |
8  |  Castleford Tigers | 28  | 12  | 1  | 15  | 612  | 633  | −21  | 25
9  |  Widnes Vikings | 28  | 12  | 1  | 15  | 640  | 727  | −87  | 25
10  |  Huddersfield Giants | 28  | 11  | 1  | 16  | 628  | 715  | −87  | 23
11  |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | 28  | 7  | 1  | 20  | 505  | 774  | −269  | 15
12  |  Halifax (R) | 28  | 1  | 0  | 27  | 372  | 1227  | −855  | 0[c] | Relegation to National League One

Source: Rugby League Project
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (L) League Leaders' Shield Winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. ^ St Helens deducted 2 points for salary cap breaches.
2. ^ Hull FC deducted 2 points for salary cap breaches.
3. ^ Halifax deducted 2 points for salary cap breaches.

## Play-offs

[edit]

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Elimination play-offs| | | Qualifying / Elimination semifinal| | | Elimination final| | | Grand Final
| | | |
| 1|  Bradford Bulls| 30| |  Bradford Bulls| 25
| | | |
| 2|  Leeds Rhinos| 14| | | | | |  Wigan Warriors| 12
| | |
| |  Leeds Rhinos| 22|
| 3|  Wigan Warriors| 25| | | | |
| | | | |  Wigan Warriors| 23| |
| 6|  Warrington Wolves| 12| | | | | | |
| | |  Wigan Warriors| 40|
| | | | |
| | |  St. Helens| 24| |
| 4|  St. Helens| 24| | | |
| | |
| 5|  London Broncos| 6| |
| | | | | |

Source: Rugby League Project[3]

### Grand Final

[edit]

Main article: 2003 Super League Grand Final

## Media

[edit]

### Television

[edit]

This season was the final year of Sky Sports' contract with the Rugby Football League allowing them to broadcast matches exclusively live, the deal ended in November 2003.[4]

## Records

[edit]

On 2 March, Matt Crowther of Hull F.C. equalled the club record for goals in a match when he was successful 14 times against Sheffield Eagles.[5]

## 2003 Transfers

[edit]

### Players

[edit]

Player  | 2002 Club  | 2003 Club

|
|

Brandon Costin |  Bradford Bulls |  Huddersfield Giants
Brian McDermott |  Bradford Bulls | Retirement
Richard Gay |  Castleford Tigers | Retirement
Barrie-Jon Mather |  Castleford Tigers | Kubota Spears (Japanese rugby union)
Gary Mercer |  Castleford Tigers | Retirement
Kyle Warren |  Castleford Tigers | Retirement
Jon Wells |  Castleford Tigers |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Robbie Beckett |  Halifax Blue Sox |  NRL: Wests Tigers
Jamie Bloem |  Halifax Blue Sox |  Huddersfield Giants
Gavin Clinch |  Halifax Blue Sox |  Salford City Reds (National League One)
Andrew Dunemann |  Halifax Blue Sox |  Leeds Rhinos
Jason Flowers |  Halifax Blue Sox |  Salford City Reds (National League One)
Jim Gannon |  Halifax Blue Sox |  Huddersfield Giants
Brett Goldspink |  Halifax Blue Sox | Retirement
Karle Hammond |  Halifax Blue Sox | Retirement
Jamie Thackray |  Halifax Blue Sox |  Castleford Tigers
David Woods |  Halifax Blue Sox | Retirement
Lee Jackson |  Hull F.C. | York City Knights
Graham Mackay |  Hull F.C. | Retirement
Tonie Carroll |  Leeds Rhinos |  NRL: Brisbane Broncos
Darren Fleary |  Leeds Rhinos |  Huddersfield Giants
Andy Hay |  Leeds Rhinos |  Widnes Vikings
Karl Pratt |  Leeds Rhinos |  Bradford Bulls
Ryan Sheridan |  Leeds Rhinos |  Widnes Vikings
Marcus St Hilaire |  Leeds Rhinos |  Huddersfield Giants
Adrian Vowles |  Leeds Rhinos |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Ben Walker |  Leeds Rhinos |  NRL: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Richie Barnett |  London Broncos |  Hull F.C.
Wayne Evans |  London Broncos | Retirement
Michael Gillett |  London Broncos | Retirement
Jason Hetherington |  London Broncos | Retirement
Mark Corvo |  Salford City Reds | Retirement
Damian Gibson |  Salford City Reds |  Castleford Tigers
Michael Hancock |  Salford City Reds | Retirement
Graham Holroyd |  Salford City Reds |  Huddersfield Giants
Warren Jowitt |  Salford City Reds |  Hull F.C.
Francis Maloney |  Salford City Reds |  Castleford Tigers
Jason Nicol |  Salford City Reds | Retirement
Nick Pinkney |  Salford City Reds |  Hull Kingston Rovers (National League One)
Darren Shaw |  Salford City Reds |  Oldham (National League One)
Darren Treacy |  Salford City Reds |  NRL: Parramatta Eels
Mike Wainwright |  Salford City Reds |  Warrington Wolves
Darren Britt |  St. Helens | Retirement
Sean Hoppe |  St. Helens | Retirement
Sonny Nickle |  St. Helens |  Leigh Centurions (National League One)
Peter Shiels |  St. Helens | Retirement
Deon Bird |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |  Widnes Vikings
Paul Broadbent |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | York City Knights
Chris Feather |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |  Leeds Rhinos
Andrew Frew |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |  Halifax
Phil Hassan |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | Swinton Lions
Paul Jackson |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |  Castleford Tigers
Neil Law |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | York City Knights
Martin Moana |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |  Halifax
Kris Tassell |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | Swinton Lions
Nathan Wood |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |  Warrington Wolves
Dean Busby |  Warrington Wolves |  Hull Kingston Rovers (National League One)
Dale Laughton |  Warrington Wolves | Retirement
Paul Marquet |  Warrington Wolves | Retirement
Matthew Rodwell |  Warrington Wolves | Retirement
Steve Carter |  Widnes Vikings | Retirement
Troy Stone |  Widnes Vikings | Retirement
Craig Weston |  Widnes Vikings | Hiatus
Gary Connolly |  Wigan Warriors |  Leeds Rhinos
David Furner |  Wigan Warriors |  Leeds Rhinos
Harvey Howard |  Wigan Warriors |  Hull Kingston Rovers (National League One)
Marvin Golden |  Doncaster Dragons (Northern Ford Premiership)  |  Widnes Vikings
Chris Thorman |  Huddersfield Giants (Northern Ford Premiership)  |  London Broncos
Matt Calland |  Rochdale Hornets (Northern Ford Premiership)  |  Huddersfield Giants
Darren Smith |  NRL: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |  St. Helens
Colin Best |  NRL: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |  Hull F.C.
Nick Graham |  NRL: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |  Wigan Warriors
Chris McKenna |  NRL: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |  Leeds Rhinos
Paul Mellor |  NRL: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |  Castleford Tigers
Dean Treister |  NRL: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |  Hull F.C.
Ian Sibbit |  NRL: Melbourne Storm |  Warrington Wolves
Julian Bailey |  NRL: Newcastle Knights |  Huddersfield Giants
Clinton O'Brien |  NRL: Newcastle Knights |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Bill Peden |  NRL: Newcastle Knights |  London Broncos
Shontayne Hape |  NRL: New Zealand Warriors |  Bradford Bulls
Anthony Colella |  NRL: South Sydney Rabbitohs |  Huddersfield Giants
Brent Grose |  NRL: South Sydney Rabbitohs |  Warrington Wolves
Jason Hooper |  NRL: St. George Illawarra Dragons |  St. Helens
Shane Millard |  NRL: St. George Illawarra Dragons |  Widnes Vikings
Dallas Hood |  NRL: Sydney Roosters |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Ben Jeffries |  NRL: Wests Tigers |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Matt Seers |  NRL: Wests Tigers |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Quentin Pongia | Villeneuve Leopards (Elite One Championship)  |  Wigan Warriors
Neil Harmon | N/A  |  Halifax
Damian Kennedy | N/A  |  London Broncos

## See also

[edit]

* 2003 Super League Grand Final
* 2003 World Club Challenge

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Sculthorpe questions rule changes". BBC Sport. 20 February 2003. Archived from the original on 27 February 2003. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
2. ^ a b c d Ray French (16 May 2002). "All change, please". BBC. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
3. ^ "Super League VIII 2003". Rugby League Project. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
4. ^ "More money for League from TV deal". The Telegraph. 3 February 2004. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
5. ^ "Hull F.C. History". Retrieved 23 October 2009.[permanent dead link]

## External links

[edit]

* Super League VIII at wigan.rlfans.com
* Super League VIII at rugbyleagueproject.com

* v
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Super League

Current teams|

* Castleford Tigers
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Former teams|

* Bradford Bulls
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Grand Finals|

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Major events|

* World Club Challenge
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Awards|

* Albert Goldthorpe Medal
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* Fair Play Index

Related articles|

* Rugby Football League Championship
* Super League war
* Super League Show
* Licensing
* 2009–11
* 2012–14
* Super 8s
* Million Pound Game
* International Origin
* Quota players
* Dual registration
* Super League records
* Players with 100+ tries
* Players with 1,000+ points
* List of venues
* List of club owners
* Women's Super League

* v
* t
* e

Super League Dream Team – 2003

* 1 Gary Connolly
* 2 Lesley Vainikolo
* 3 Gareth Ellis
* 4 Keith Senior
* 5 Brian Carney
* 6 Graham Appo
* 7 Adrian Lam

* 8 Craig Smith
* 9 Terry Newton
* 10 Andy Lynch
* 11 Jamie Peacock
* 12 Matt Adamson
* 13 Andy Farrell

* v
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* e

Bradford Bulls

Est. 1907 in Bradford, West Yorkshire

The Club|

* History
* Coaches
* Internationals
* Records and statistics
* Players
* Bradford Bulls Women

Home grounds|

* Birch Lane
* Greenfield Athletic Ground
* Odsal Stadium
* Valley Parade

People|

* Trevor Foster
* Peter Hood
* Omar Khan

League|

* RFL
* SL

Championships|

* 1979–80
* 1980–81
* 1997
* 2001
* 2003
* 2005

World Club Challenges|

* 2002
* 2004
* 2006

Challenge Cups|

* 1946–47
* 1948–49
* 2000
* 2003

Bradford Bulls seasons|

* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
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* v
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* e

2003 in rugby league

« 2002

2004 »

International Rugby League|

* World Club Challenge
* Australian tour of Great Britain and France
* European Nations Cup
* Women's World Cup

British Rugby League|

| Competitions|

* Super League
* Grand Final
* National Leagues
* Challenge Cup
* Final
* Northern Rail Cup

|

SL Teams|

* Bradford Bulls
* Castleford Tigers
* Halifax R.L.F.C.
* Huddersfield Giants
* Hull FC
* Leeds Rhinos
* London Broncos
* St Helens
* Wakefield Wildcats
* Warrington Wolves
* Widnes Vikings
* Wigan Warriors

Australian Rugby League|

| Competitions|

* State of Origin
* NRL season
* Grand Final
* Queensland Cup
* NSWRL Premier League

|

By club|

* Brisbane Broncos
* Bulldogs
* Canberra Raiders
* Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
* Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
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* Newcastle Knights
* New Zealand Warriors
* North Queensland Cowboys
* Parramatta Eels
* Penrith Panthers
* South Sydney Rabbitohs
* Sydney Roosters
* St. George Illawarra Dragons
* Wests Tigers

Other domestic competitions|

* France
* 2003–2004
* New Zealand

*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[PF]: Points for
*[PA]: Points against
*[PD]: Point difference
*[Pts]: Points
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template