Super League Magic Weekend table: Staggering top two, Leeds Rhinos mid-table, Leigh Leopards struggling as every club ranked
From left to right: Huddersfield Giants, Leeds Rhinos and Leigh Leopards celebrate tries at Magic Weekend
We’re heading for the 17th edition of Magic Weekend, with an entire round of Super League fixtures to be played at Elland Road in Leeds for the first time.
It is the first time since 2019 that the annual event has been played away from St James’ Park, the home of Newcastle United, which has become its adopted home over the past decade.
Apart from that visit to Anfield in 2019, every Magic Weekend since 2015 has been played up in the North East, but not this year with Newcastle unavailable and Leeds the next option on the list.
Previous venues include the Etihad Stadium in Manchester and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, which have both hosted the event three times, while it was twice staged at Murrayfield in Edinburgh.
Magic Weekend has always added an extra fixture to the calendar, contributing to the loop fixtures in recent years.
When the league was at 14 teams, it was simply the 27th fixture after each team had played home and away against each other, while during the Super 8s era it was similar – the 23rd game as the 12 teams played each other home and away too before the split.
The selection of fixtures has differed over the years too – from derby matches to rivalries, and now to something that’s more connected to where teams finished in Super League in the previous season.
There is an argument to say that it skews the fixture list, and provides some unfair advantages to certain teams.
The schedule may well contribute to who has the best record at Magic Weekend, but we’ve ranked those to have played at least once in Super League at Magic Weekend here from fewest to most points picked up at the event…
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17. Bradford Bulls – 2 points
18 clubs have graced the field at Magic Weekend, and Bradford have the worst overall record. In eight games at the event, the Bulls have won just once – 32-16 victors against Wakefield in Edinburgh in 2009.
They lost all of the other seven, last involved at the Etihad in 2014 when Huddersfield beat them 54-16. No other club have featured at Magic Weekend as often with just one win to their name.
Magic record: Played: 8, Won: 1, Drawn: 0, Lost: 7
= Leigh Leopards – 2 points
Up until last year, Leigh were winless at Magic Weekend – losing both of their trips to St James’ Park under the ‘Centurions’ guise and shipping a combined 80 points in the process between those two defeats in 2017 and 2021.
That record changed in 2023 though, with the Magic Weekend ‘hoodoo’ put to bed as Adrian Lam’s Leopards thumped Wakefield 30-4 up in the North East despite having Ben Reynolds sent off.
Magic record: Played: 3, Won: 1, Drawn: 0, Lost: 2
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= Toulouse Olympique – 2 points*
You’ll notice the asterisk next to Toulouse’s name there – and that’s because they’re an odd one out here. They’ve played two games at Magic Weekend, but only been in Super League for one single season to date – that coming in 2022. That year, they beat Wakefield at St James’ Park and that’s where their two competition points come from.
But four years prior, their Championship clash against Canadian outfit Toronto opened up Magic Weekend as a curtain raiser ahead of the six Super League games.
They lost 43-30 that day, so officially have two points from a possible four at Magic Weekends.
Magic record: Played: 2, Won: 1, Drawn: 0, Lost: 1
14. Widnes Vikings – 4 points
During their time as a Super League outfit, Widnes managed just two Magic Weekend victories in seven attempts, losing the other five games they were involved in at the event.
The Vikings beat Salford 30-24 in 2014 at the Etihad and 38-16 the following year at St James’ Park. They were last involved in 2018 when St Helens got the better of them, losing 38-18 in the North East.
Magic record: Played: 7, Won: 2, Drawn: 0, Lost: 5
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= Crusaders – 4 points*
Crusaders have officially been hard done to here, because they could have had six points to their name, but let us explain. In 2007 and 2008, when Magic Weekend was in Cardiff, they opened up the event but at a different venue – Brewery Field in Bridgend.
In ’07, they lost 34-26 to Oldham in the third tier, and come ’08, they beat Featherstone Rovers 28-18 in the second tier. But given the games took place at an entirely different venue, we’re being a bit cruel and not allowing those to count in their Magic Weekend tallies.
Nonetheless, having broken into Super League in 2009, the Welsh outfit went on to win two of their three Super League games at Magic Weekends – beating Bradford 19-0 in Edinburgh in 2010 before going on to record a 42-12 victory against Salford in Cardiff the following year.
Magic record: Played: 3, Won: 2, Drawn: 0, Lost: 1
12. London Broncos – 8 points
London, then under the ‘Harlequins RL’ guise were involved in the first-ever Super League game at a Magic Weekend in 2007 when their 32-28 win against Catalans opened up the event’s inaugural year in Cardiff.
That was one of four victories that the Broncos have registered at a Magic Weekend to date, losing five games at the event. When they open up this year’s Magic Weekend at Elland Road against Hull FC on Saturday afternoon, it will be the capital club’s involvement since Anfield in 2019 where they lost 24-22 to Leeds.
Magic record: Played: 9, Won: 4, Drawn: 0, Lost: 5
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11. Salford Red Devils – 10 points
Relegated in 2007 and back in Super League by 2009, Salford have missed just one of the 16 Magic Weekends to date, but have lost 10 of their 15 games at the event!
Last year’s 26-16 victory against Hull KR, the Red Devils’ fifth at Magic Weekend overall, was their first success at the event since a win against Leigh back in 2017.
Magic record: Played: 15, Won: 5, Drawn: 0, Lost: 10
= Wakefield Trinity – 10 points
Having been relegated at the end of the 2023 season, this year’s Magic Weekend will be the first that Wakefield have ever missed – involved in all 16 to date.
Despite winning at the second attempt in Cardiff against Castleford in 2008, Trinity won just five of their first 16 games at the event though, beaten by Toulouse in 2022 and Leigh in 2023, both at St James’ Park.
Magic record: Played: 16, Won: 5, Drawn: 0, Lost: 11
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9. Hull FC – 14 points
Hull FC are another of the eight clubs to have been involved in all 16 Magic Weekends to date, and they’ve had slightly more success than Wakefield, albeit only minimal, with seven victories to their name at the event.
The Black and Whites lost all three of their games in Cardiff, and won only one of three at the Etihad. More recently however, they have left Newcastle with two competition points in the bag in both of the last two editions – victorious against rivals Hull KR in 2022 and then Warrington in 2023.
Magic record: Played: 16, Won: 7, Drawn: 0, Lost: 9
8. Hull KR – 16 points
Cross-city rivals KR were winners in the first three editions of Magic Weekend before being thumped 54-0 by St Helens up in Edinburgh in 2010. Overall though, the Robins have a positive record at the event – winning eight and losing seven.
That’s despite leaving St James’ Park empty handed in each of the last two years having been beaten by Hull FC and Salford respectively. KR’s last Magic win came against Leigh in 2021.
Magic record: Played: 15, Won: 8, Drawn: 0, Lost: 7
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7. Catalans Dragons – 17 points
Magic has only ever seen three draws in its time, and Catalans were involved in one of those – seeing their tussle with Huddersfield at St James’ Park in 2015 end all square at 22-22.
Victorious against Wigan in the North East last June, the Dragons – who sealed the League Leaders’ Shield at Magic Weekend in 2021 – have lost just one of their last five games at the event.
Magic record: Played: 16, Won: 8, Drawn: 1, Lost: 7
6. Leeds Rhinos – 18 points
Leeds had won three Magic Weekend games on the spin before last year, when Castleford beat them 26-24 at St James’ Park.
The Rhinos’ record at Magic remains positive though, winning in nine of the 16 editions to date – including successes in all of the first six years before eventually losing out 20-16 to Wigan in 2013 at the Etihad.
Magic record: Played: 16, Won: 9, Drawn: 0, Lost: 7
= Wigan Warriors – 18 points
Wigan have also picked up 18 competition points at Magic Weekends to date, but with one fewer win than Leeds having drawn two of their games at the event – more than any other team. The Warriors shared the points with St Helens in 2011 in Cardiff and Warrington six years later at St James’ Park.
Yet to reign victorious at the event under Matt Peet’s tutelage, the Cherry and Whites’ most recent Magic Weekend win was against Warrington in 2018. Since then, they’ve been beaten twice by the Wolves and once by both Saints and Catalans.
Magic record: Played: 16, Won: 8, Drawn: 2, Lost: 6
4. St Helens – 19 points
Only two teams have won more Magic Weekend games than Saints, who have reigned supreme in nine of the 16 editions to date, taking home 19 competition points.
Beating rivals Wigan in the very first edition in Cardiff in 2007, they have more recently also won five of their last six outings at the event, including a 48-6 victory against Huddersfield last June.
Magic record: Played: 16, Won: 9, Drawn: 1, Lost: 6
= Warrington Wolves – 19 points
Having been beaten in Newcastle by Hull FC in 2023, Warrington now have an identical record to Saints at Magic Weekend, victorious in each of the three editions prior to that.
The Wolves won in Cardiff in both of the first two editions of the event before being defeated at Magic for the first time in 2009 by Hull KR in Edinburgh.
Magic record: Played: 16, Won: 9, Drawn: 1, Lost: 6
2. Castleford Tigers – 20 points
Including last year’s win against Leeds at St James’ Park, Castleford have won eight of their last 10 games at Magic Weekend, and 10 of their 15 overall at the event.
No team in Super League history has won more games at Magic, though one team have earned a competition point more, as we’ll get on to…
Magic record: Played: 15, Won: 10, Drawn: 0, Lost: 5
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1. Huddersfield Giants – 21 points
Huddersfield have also won 10 games at Magic Weekend, and have lost five, but they drew 22-22 with Catalans at St James’ Park in 2015 and that single competition point is what sees them top the rankings ahead of this year’s edition.
The Giants have lost only two of their last 10 games at the event (W7, D1), and that includes last year’s defeat against Saints up in the North East. They face Castleford at Elland Road this weekend, so will either extend their lead at the top of this table or be leapfrogged. Unless they somehow draw after 10 minutes of Golden Point extra time, of course.
Magic record: Played: 16, Won: 10, Drawn: 1, Lost: 5
