Leeds Rhinos rise, Castleford Tigers lose A status, Bradford Bulls back to Super League in IMG club gradings
Leeds Rhinos are up to second in rugby league’s club grading table, but Castleford Tigers have lost their A status.
Rhinos, the third-highest ranked club 12 months ago, retain their A grade on 17.28 points out of a maximum 20. The top club are now treble-winners Hull KR, who climbed from fifth place in 2024 after receiving 17.85 points.
Clubs were marked on five pillars: fandom, finance, stadium, community and on-field performance. Rhinos’ fandom and performance points both declined slightly, but the marks for finance and stadium were up and they scored the maximum 2.50 for community.
Wakefield Trinity remain a grade A club, which means they are exempt from relegation. Their score rose from 15.09 to 15.47, but Tigers - who had the top grade last year - have slipped to B and are 11th on their table. They scored 14.66 points, down from 15.02 a year ago.
Bradford Bulls will be back in Betfred Super League next season, for the first time since 2014. They received a B grade and are ranked 10th. Bulls replace Salford Red Devils, who dropped to 15th, down three places from 2024.
Salford’s points dropped from 13.97 to 12.65, with their finance score reflecting information submitted for the 2022-24 seasons and not including this year. They had 0.25 points deducted from their score as a result of the deduction of two competition points for breaching operational rules by selecting a below-strength side against St Helens in February.
The top-12 clubs - who have secured a place in the elite competition and will receive full central funding - are: Hull KR, Leeds Rhinos, St Helens, Wigan Warriors, Leigh Leopards, Warrington Wolves, Catalans Dragons, Wakefield Trinity, Hull FC (all grade A), Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers and Huddersfield Giants (grade B).
Two more Super League clubs will be announced tomorrow after being chosen by a panel as part of an application process to increase the competition to 14 sides. Championship Grand Final winners Toulous Olympique missed out automatic promotion, being the 13th-highest ranked club, one ahead of second division league leaders York Knights. London Broncos, who are the other contenders, were placed 16th on the table.
Clubs outside Super League will play in an expanded Championship next term, following a merger of the second and third tiers. Batley Bulldogs and Whitehaven, who were not graded in 2024 because of delays in their submissions, come into the table in 21st and 29th respectively. Batley were graded B with a score of 8.16 and Whitehaven one of nine clubs who received a grade C, with a score of 6.23.
Hunslet RLFC rose three places to 25th with a score of 6.87, which is the highest of the grade C clubs. Keighley Cougars and Newcastle Thunder have not been given a score after failing to meet the deadline for submitting the necessary information.