Super League's most memorable moments after 30 years: Ryan Hall's last-gasp try, Wide to West, a non-voluntary tackle, and more!
Sky Sports' Megan Wellens picks out some of the most memorable moments from Super League across 30 years with fun, drama, and everything in between; Super League celebrates it's 30th birthday across March 26 to March 29, live on Sky Sports
Monday 23 March 2026 07:01, UK
A birthday demands a celebration but is also always a time of reflection, looking at how far you have come and everything you have achieved.
So, as Super League celebrates leaving its 20s behind and truly entering adulthood, we have taken it as a moment to reflect on everything that has led to this monumental milestone.
Super League has had its moments to remember, periods of learning, chances to grow, controversies, epiphanies, and some drama along the way too (doesn't everyone who hits 30?)
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With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the moments that have made the competition what it is today.
When Sky Sports remembered Rob Burrow and THAT 2011 try
"In a world full of adversity, you must dare to dream" and that is what Rob Burrow CBE did in a career with a highlight reel not many can top. Ahead of Leeds Rhinos vs Leigh Leopards in June 2024, his boyhood club and Sky Sports paid tribute to the "little warrior" who left a gigantic mark.
On Global MND Awareness day, a packed out Headingley Stadium was pulsing with emotion as family, friends and fans alike came together to celebrate Leeds' greatest ever No 7 who raised millions in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease, as he battled valiantly since his diagnosis in 2019.
A powerful rendition of Nessun Dorma soundtracked the fireworks and applause as the celebration of Burrow's life took to the pitch, the Rhinos players wearing a special jersey designed by Cath Muir, who herself was diagnosed with MND in 2014.
Video tributes also came in from stars across codes and sports, starting with a message from Burrow's close friend and fellow MND campaigner Kevin Sinfield CBE, Alan Shearer also leaving a message that the sporting world will "remember Rob Burrow forever".
If there is a moment to sum up Burrow's career, it has to be THAT individual try against St Helens in the 2011 Grand Final. He skinned everyone, beat his last man and scored the greatest try seen on that stage.
How on earth did they do that? Hall's epic LLS winning try
There are so many images etched in people's minds from across Super League but everyone can see Ryan Hall celebrating as he races away to pip Huddersfield to the League Leaders' Shield in 2015.
With scores level at 16-16 and 10 seconds left on the clock, Danny McGuire sent a chip over which bounced on the edge and Hall was the first to it, using his nous and speed to pick it up and race away to win them the silverware.
"How on earth did they do that," cried Sky Sports Rugby League's Mike Stevenson (Stevo) as the Leeds away end erupted.
Castleford... Panthers?
Rewind to 2011 and Huddersfield are playing at Halifax's ground, The Shay, due to their own pitch being re-laid when Castleford turn up and it is noticed that both teams are in white strips- we have a kit clash!
That was solved as Halifax gave their blue and white strip to the visiting outfit who emerged looking like the home team.
The 2020 Grand Final: Remember the name Welsby
We all remember watching it. Fans had not been in stadiums in months. The Grand Final was moved from Old Trafford to the MKM Stadium in Hull. Super League fans all sat at home, glued to their TVs as the old rivalry between St Helens and Wigan Warriors was at the forefront once again.
The 80 minutes were up, the scores were locked at 4-4.
We thought we were going to see drop goal heroics from Tommy Makinson once again but his effort hit the post as the hooter sounded,
Then, a 19-year-old Jack Welsby announced himself with his last-gasp try to snatch a stunning 8-4 victory over Wigan in an intense and absorbing Grand Final.
A unique moment in time that saw St Helens make it back-to-back Grand Final wins for the first time in 20 years, and bring a dramatic season to a dramatic conclusion.
That first night in Paris...
The European Super League was announced and with it we got our first ever match between Paris Saint-Germain and Sheffield at Charlety Stadium in March 1996.
It was also the first ever use of the video referee too which Frederic Banquet was at the centre of before he went on to score the first try in Super League history.
It was the Parisians who were celebrating come full-time as they emerged 30-24 victors and that moment was the birth of the competition which has steadfastly been on our screens for 30 years since.
If you ever bump into former Sky Sports Rugby League commentator Stevo, make sure to ask him how his night trying to get into the stadium in Paris went...
Was it a voluntary tackle?
A final for the ages remembered for a moment in the final few seconds. Of course, it is the 2002 Grand Final between Bradford and St Helens.
To set the scene, Saints scrum half Sean Long had sent over an audacious match-winning drop goal which put his side 19-18 ahead with moments remaining.
That led Bradford to chance their arm and as they went for a short kick-off with the aim of regaining possession, they did not get their wish, and so Saints captain Chris Joynt took possession for what looked to be the last play of the game.
As Joynt thought he was about to be hit by defenders, he hit the deck. He looked to realise no one had tackled him and started to regain his feet as Bulls' Jimmy Lowes and Lee Gilmour began to protest that he should be penalised.
"That could have been a voluntary tackle. They are complaining to the referee. That could have been a controversial situation," shouted Stevo on comms.
No voluntary tackle was given. St Helens won. Joynt always denied it. Lowes always remained strong in his belief that his side should have got a penalty.
Farrell and Sculthorpe have a scrap!
In 2004, St Helens and Wigan Warriors met in one of the most infamous Good Friday derbies of the Super League era.
The game itself ended in a dramatic 21-21 draw, with Sean Long's late drop goal earning Saints a share of the spoils and cancelling out an earlier one-pointer from Wigan icon Andy Farrell but the major moment of the game was a second-half brawl which erupted when Jon Wilkin and Terry Newton started scrapping after a tackle.
That led to a melee in which current Lions and Ireland head coach Andy Farrell and two-time Man of Steel Paul Sculthorpe came to be blows in an enduring image in which they are squared up and shouting what looks like a few unkind words to one another.
'It's wide to West!'
Picture the scene: St Helens take on Bradford Bulls in the play-offs on September 22, 2000. The defending champions Saints went into the elimination portion of the season in second spot.
Wigan were in first, with Bradford just behind them in third. It was a three-horse race to be crowned Super League champions.
The opening play-off match had reached fever pitch with Bradford leading 11-10 with just a second left on the clock when the immortal moment then occurred.
Sean Long, Kevin Iro, Sean Hoppe, Steve Hall and Tim Jonkers, Dwayne West, then Joynt put together a play which would put former Sky Sports Rugby League commentator Eddie Hemmings' words into the history books.
"Long fancies it…it's wide to West…Dwayne West, inside to Joynt…Joynt…Joynt!"
You won't meet many Super League fans who cannot quote that moment.
This is the last play. Long kicks it wide to Iro. Iro to Hall, Hall is trapped. Back it goes to Hoppe, over the shoulder to Hall, there is Jonkers. Here is Long and Long fancies it, Long fancies it. It’s wide to West, it’s wide to West, Dwayne West, inside to Joynt, Joynt, Joynt, Joynt! Oh! Oh! Fantastic! They have won it. They have won it. Chris Joynt has won it. It is unbelievable here. It is frankly unbelievable. Chris Joynt has won the match for St Helens. What a final passage of play. What a run. What a try. What a match. What drama.
'It's left to Wright!'
Sixteen passes. 38 seconds. Shane Wright etches his name into Super League history as St Helens experience the ecstasy that sport can provide.
With just two seconds left on the clock and then the hooter sounding, Jonny Lomax starts with the ball and it goes to Jack Welsby, Tristan Sailor, Welsby again, Lomax again, Wright, Welsby again, Matt Whitley, Sailor again, Harry Robertson, Sailor again, Lomax again, Whitley again, James Bell, Welsby again, and then Wright to go over and send Headingley's away end into pandemonium.
A club with the tagline 'Never Write Off The Saints', they have become known for their ability to keep playing over their 30 years at the top of the sport.
On September 27, 2025, exactly 25 years after 'Wide to West', former St Helens head coach Paul Wellens went from celebrating on the pitch as a player to going even more berserk as head coach as they went 'Left to Wright'.
"Whitley, Sailor, it is with Robertson. He cuts back on the inside with so many bodies ahead of him. Robertson on the outside, ducks underneath tackles, Robertson plays it back and a flick back to the middle. Whitley, Lomax... Oh! They are going to score, they are going to score. It is going to be a dive for the line for Shane Wright. Have you ever seen anything like that? That is utterly, utterly extraordinary."
Super League takes over the Nou Camp
Catalans Dragons recorded a historic 33-16 victory over Wigan Warriors when they went on the road to Barcelona's Nou Camp in May 2019.
It marked a memorable triumph in front of a record Super League attendance of 31,555.
The previous biggest gate for a regular Super League game was 25,004 for a Wigan versus St Helens derby in 2005 and the Dragons took this game to the capital of Catalonia to raise their profile.
It followed their historic Challenge Cup final over Warrington at Wembley which led to the Dragons being invited to play a home fixture at Camp Nou by FC Barcelona.
Viva Las Vegas!
When you turn up at an NFL game, you are greeted with a distinctly American spectacle. The way they experience sport is unlike any other country in the world.
Super League has now experienced that moment with Wigan Warrors, Warrington Wolves, Hull KR, and Leeds Rhinos all being part of the occasion as the NRL starts their season at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
In what has become an event like no other, the welcome party on Fremont Street is a particular highlight as Super League players are treated like the VIPs they deserve to be, it elevates rugby league and places it on the pedestal fans have been crying out for.
For a sport in this country which battles to be seen, Super League in Las Vegas is not just visible, they were consuming the whole space.
Super League went extra large.
For two matches and two matches only, welcome Johns!
When Andrew Johns pulled on the primrose and blue of Warrington in September 2005, we witnessed a night of pandemonium as Super League embraced a famous face for two matches.
Warrington had injuries in their halves and needed someone to bridge the gap for a few weeks.
Somehow, Warrington owner Simon Moran pulled off a miraculous signing. The two-time world champion, twice a Golden Boot winner - with 23 caps each for Australia and New South Wales in Origin - was Super League bound.
Over 2,500 Andrew Johns shirts were sold in the club shop prior to the game and those Warrington fans not fortunate enough to get a ticket for the match were packing out pubs and clubs throughout the town to watch the game on Sky Sports. It was an occasion that captured the imagination of the wider community.
The first EVER Grand Final: Jason Robinson's moment
After a couple of Super League seasons the Grand Final concept was introduced.
The inaugural Grand Final took place in 1998 and is principally remembered for one moment... what a moment it was.
Wigan were trailing Leeds 4-0 in an intensely-attritional clash at Old Trafford played in horrendous conditions when future union convert Jason Robinson lit up the occasion.
The-then 25-year-old found himself at dummy-half near the right wing, picked up and carried infield before producing a devastating step off his left foot to sear through three tackles and dive under the sticks.
Another future code convert Andy Farrell converted before adding two second-half penalties in a 10-4 victory for the Warriors.
We choose to play YOU!
We have had many a new and inventive system in Super League but who can forget 'Club Call'.
The idea behind it was that the highest-ranked team after a week of the play-offs would get to choose their opponents for week three- in other words, they would pick the team that they wanted to play for a spot in the Grand Final. Talk about motivation!
This concept really lit up in 2011 when Warrington, who had been cruising throughout the season, chose the lowest-ranked Leeds Rhinos.
In a match that swung throughout, it was decided as Richie Myler was called offside charging down a Kevin Sinfield drop goal attempt. That allowed Sinfield to slot over a penalty that would send his side into the Grand Final once again.
Incredibly, they did it to Wigan in 2012 too as they made it five Grand Finals in a row.
Booking your Old Trafford ticket!
We may have only had five teams which have won the Grand Final but we have had many other teams make it to Old Trafford, often in spectacular fashion.
Throw it back to 2017 when Luke Gale proved the hero as Castleford earned a place in their first Grand Final with a dramatic win over St Helens. Returning to the side just 16 days after having his appendix removed, Gale kept his nerve to kick a last-minute penalty to send the game into golden-point extra-time.
He then demonstrated more composure to land the winning drop goal that earned his side a 23-22 victory and set up a first all-Yorkshire final for 12 years.
Then, who can forget when Sam Tomkins sent Catalans Dragons into the Grand Final in 2023, recreating his iconic 'shush' celebration in front of the St Helens fans.
Once there, they brought some moments to treasure too, such as when Hull FC wore hoodies with the late great Steve Prescott's name on the back following his cancer diagnosis.
Saints have won four in a row...
There had been two in a row, there had been three in a row, but never before had there been four in a row.
That was until St Helens won the Grand Final in 2022 to mark themselves as one of the greatest Super League sides there had been and end Kristian Woolf's tenure on the highest of highs.
After wins over Salford, Wigan, and Catalans, Saints defeated Leeds Rhinos 24-12 to write their name in the history books once again.
The first ever Grand Final red card
When looking back at memorable moments in Super League history, it would be remiss to not mention the 2014 Grand Final when Ben Flower was shown the first ever red card on that stage for punching Lance Hohaia twice.
The incident occurred less than three minutes into a spectacle watched by a 70,102 crowd at Old Trafford, Wigan head coach Shaun Wane looking on in disbelief.
St Helens went on to clinch the club's first title for eight years, captain Paul Wellens thumping his chest with an often replayed celebration as the heartbreak of losing five Grand Finals in a row disappeared for the older cohort in the squad.
Magic Weekend provides... magic!
Magic Weekend has been a concept which started back in 2007 and has become pretty much a mainstay in the calendar ever since. Indeed, even the NRL have copied the concept.
Taking all matches to one venue across a weekend was always going to be a spectacle and we got one from the first ever year of Magic in Cardiff.
The match between Bradford and Leeds brought down the curtain on the inaugural event and provided a contentious talking point when, in the frantic final play of the game, the Rhinos were awarded a debated offside penalty with their bitter rivals leading 38-36.
Sinfield opted to kick at goal from close to 40 metres out yet his effort would end up rebounding off the crossbar and landing in the hands of Rhinos forward Jordan Tansey, who duly applied the finish under the posts.
This was not the end of the controversy though because replays immediately showed Tansey - along with several of his team-mates - to have been in front of Sinfield before the ball was kicked. Rather than going to the video referee though, Steve Ganson awarded the try without hesitation.
Not all of the drama is shrouded in controversy though, like when Catalans pulled off the most miraculous of comebacks against St Helens at Magic in 2021.
James Maloney's drop goal in golden point extra-time completed an epic comeback from Catalans after they had pulled themselves back 30-12 down to 30-30 at full-time in the space of three minutes. As Maloney then slotted over the goal, the French outfit secured the League Leaders' Shield for the first time in their history.
Whizzy Rascal at Warrington...
In objectively one of the funniest moments we have seen, the match between Warrington and Castleford in 2022 birthed the cult hero that is Whizzy Rascal.
The moment occurred before kick-off when a child in a car delivering the match ball was supposed to stop on halfway to hand over the ball, but whoever was controlling the car did not stop. That saw Whizzy's car have to be turned around by Wolves centre Toby King before it then drove past the waiting referee once again.
Sit back and enjoy!
2026 Super League - key dates and what to look out for
- Super League's 30th birthday: Thu Mar 26: Castleford Tigers v Bradford Bulls, 8pm (Sky Sports)
- Rivals Round: April 3-April 5
- Super League in Paris: Sat Jun 6: Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports)
- Magic Weekend: July 4-July 5
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
- Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season - including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week shown on Sky Sports+
