1 week Ago By [email protected] (Matthew Shaw)
One of the biggest days of the year is approaching in the world of rugby league . On Wednesday, IMG will reveal the grading scores of every club from Super League to League 1, which will determine which clubs play in Super League next year. It will be a key moment for all clubs involved, who will discover the progress, or lack of it, that they have made.
There is an element of mystery surrounding how the gradings will look but here's our take on what you can expect when the gradings are released at 10:30 AM on Wednesday. In the indicative gradings, seven clubs received an 'A' grade, the highest possible that requires a score of 15 or more. That is expected to rise this time, with three clubs predicting they will be in that category for the first time.
Leigh Leopards, Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity are all confident that they will meet that threshold after the work they have done over the course of the past 12 months. Leigh have improved their performance and financial aspects while Castleford and Wakefield have made improvements to their facilities too. Trinity will also benefit from an improved performance score after winning the 1895 Cup and Championship Grand Final.
Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, St Helens, Catalans Dragons, Warrington Wolves and Hull KR should all retain Grade A status. No major surprises are expected. Wakefield Trinity have widely been expected to be promoted, with London Broncos returning to the Championship.
That's almost certain to happen. There has been some suggestion that Toulouse Olympique could make a play to enter the twelve however, it is not anticipated that they will have improved their score enough to keep up with the improvements made by other clubs. The Black and Whites just about received an A grade last time out but after another poor season that has seen their performance score drop, Hull FC will miss out on being categorised among the elite clubs this time out.
A tenth-placed finish is likely, slightly above Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils, who it is expected will be eleventh and twelfth respectively. Salford were the highest-scoring Grade B club last time but where other clubs have made considerable improvements, Salford's initial score of 13.8 isn't likely to change considerably, which will see them drop four places.
Click here - Get the latest news on our Rugby League Live WhatsApp channel.
