Ranking all 23 English rugby league champions by titles won with Wigan Warriors HUGE winners
From left to right: Leeds Rhinos (2009), Warrington (1955) and Wigan Warriors (2024) all celebrate after becoming champions of England
Wigan Warriors retained the Super League title for the first time in their proud history last weekend, beating Hull KR 9-2 in the Grand Final at Old Trafford.
It was the seventh time the Warriors had been crowned Super League champions, with just four clubs ever becoming champions of England in the modern era to date – St Helens, Leeds Rhinos and Bradford Bulls are the other three.
On the wrong end of the result at the Theatre of Dreams in their first-ever Super League Grand Final were KR, who still haven’t won a major honour at all since 1985.
There are clubs whose wait for a league title is even longer than that, with Warrington Wolves – as an example – having not been champions of the country since 1955!
But what about the all-time champions ranking? Who has been crowned champions of England the most?
Let us break it down for you…
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Method of deciding the champion of England
Over the years, the way that the champions of England have been decided has changed frequently, flickering between the top tier’s league leaders being handed the title and play-off winners reigning supreme, as we’re used to now with the Super League Grand Final.
We’ve listed the methods, and the relevant timeline, below:
- 1895/96: League leaders in the First Division
- 1901-1906: League leaders in the First Division
- 1906-1915: Championship Play-off Final winner
- 1919-1939: Championship Play-off Final winner
- 1945-1947: League leaders in the First Division
- 1947-1962: Championship Play-off Final winner
- 1962-1964: League leaders in the First Division
- 1964-1973: Championship Play-off Final winner
- 1973-1996: League leaders in the First Division
- 1996-1997: Super League league leaders
- 1998-Present: Super League Grand Final winner
You’ll note that there are a few gaps in that timeline, and that’s because there hasn’t ALWAYS been a champion of England, for various reasons.
From 1896 to 1901 and then from 1939 to 1941 there were just ‘County Championships’, with champions of Lancashire and champions of Yorkshire decided separately but not champions of England.
Additionally, between 1915 and 1918, and then 1941 and 1945, there was a ‘Wartime Emergency League’, needed during World War I and World War II respectively. Nobody gained an official title during these periods.
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Ranking how many times each club have been champions of England
Here, we’ve ranked the 23 different clubs to have won at least one national title by the number of times they’ve been the kings of the country – listed from least to most titles.
The method by which each title was won is also listed.
23. Batley Bulldogs – 1
When Batley were Champions pic.twitter.com/4Gfb9bbwTe
— BISSA (@BISSA_) December 12, 2020
Championship Play-off Final winners (1): 1923/24
= Bradford FC – 1
League leaders in the First Division (1): 1903/04
= Broughton Rangers – 1
League leaders in the First Division (1): 1901/02
= Dewsbury Rams – 1
Championship Play-off Final winners (1): 1972/73
= Featherstone Rovers – 1
League leaders in the First Division (1): 1976/77
= Manningham – 1
League leaders in the First Division (1): 1895/96
= Workington Town – 1
Championship Play-off Final winners (1) : 1950/51
16. Hunslet FC – 2
Championship Play-off Final winners (2): 1907/08 and 1937/38
= Leigh Leopards – 2
🏆 𝙊𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝘿𝘼𝙔 – 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 1982
In 1982, on the final day of Championship season, we defeated @OfficialHavenRl 13-4 to secure the title.
We will be doing a play-by-play recall this evening, starting at 6pm, as the game would’ve played out!#Leythers 🔴 pic.twitter.com/WKO6xasQAX
— Leigh Leopards (@LeighLeopardsRL) April 28, 2022
League leaders in the First Division (2): 1905/06 and 1981/82
= Wakefield Trinity – 2
Championship Play-off Final winners (2): 1966/67 and 1967/68
13. Warrington Wolves – 3
Championship Play-off Final winners (3): 1947/48, 1953/54 and 1954/55
= Widnes Vikings – 3
League leaders in the First Division (3): 1977/78, 1987/88 and 1988/89
11. Halifax Panthers – 4
ON THIS DAY – 22ND MAY 1965 🏆
Halifax won our third #RugbyLeague Championship, beating @Saints1890 15-7 in the play off final at Station Road to be crowned League Champions 🔵⚪️
Hall of Famer Terry Fogerty won the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man of the match #FAX150 pic.twitter.com/Y4h5zPKhQV
— Halifax Panthers 🐾 (@HalifaxPanthers) May 22, 2023
League leaders in the First Division (2): 1902/03 and 1985/86
Championship Play-off Final winners (2): 1906/07 and 1964/65
= Oldham – 4
League leaders in the First Division (1): 1904/05
Championship Play-off Final winners (3): 1909/10, 1910/11 and 1956/57
9. Hull KR – 5
League leaders in the First Division (3): 1978/79, 1983/84 and 1984/85
Championship Play-off Final winners (2): 1922/23 and 1924/25
8. Bradford Bulls – 6
League leaders in the First Division (2): 1979/80 and 1980/81
Super League league leaders (1): 1997
Super League Grand Final winners (3): 2001, 2003 and 2005
= Hull FC – 6
League leaders in the First Division (1): 1982/83
Championship Play-off Final winners (5): 1919/20, 1920/21, 1935/36, 1955/56 and 1957/58
= Salford Red Devils – 6
League leaders in the First Division (2): 1973/74 and 1975/76
Championship Play-off Final winners (4): 1913/14, 1932/33, 1936/37 and 1938/39
= Swinton Lions – 6
League leaders in the First Division (2): 1962/63 and 1963/64
Championship Play-off Final winners (4): 1926/27, 1927/28, 1930/31 and 1934/35
= Huddersfield Giants – 7
Championship Play-off Final winners (7): 1911/12, 1912/13, 1914/15, 1928/29, 1929/30, 1948/49 and 1961/62
3. Leeds Rhinos – 11
Championship Play-off Final winners (3): 1960/61, 1968/69 and 1971/72
Super League Grand Final winners (8): 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2017
2. St Helens – 17
League leaders in the First Division (1): 1974/75
Championship Play-off Final winners (6): 1931/32, 1952/53, 1958/59, 1965/66, 1969/70 and 1970/71
Super League leaders (1): 1996
Super League Grand Final winners (9): 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022
1. Wigan Warriors – 24
League leaders in the First Division (10): 1945/46, 1946/47, 1986/87, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95 and 1995/96
Championship Play-off Final winners (7): 1908/09, 1921/22, 1925/26, 1933/34, 1949/50, 1951/52 and 1959/60
Super League Grand Final winners (7): 1998, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024
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