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2023 Super League season

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44-584: Super League XXVIII , known as the 2023 Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th season of the Super League and 129th season of rugby league in Great Britain. The season began on 16 February 2023, and ended with the Grand Final on 14 October 2023. St Helens were the reigning champions after winning their 4th successive title, beating Leeds Rhinos in the 2022 Grand Final. They were eliminated in

88-583: A free agent at the end of the 2022 season as his contract with Hull expired. On 19 December 2022 he signed a one-year contract to join Keighley in the Championship for 2023. Part-way through the 2023 season and after nine appearances for Keighley, Gale left the club to join Wakefield. Gale signed a contract to keep him at Wakefield until the end of the 2024 season. Gale played ten matches for Wakefield Trinity in

132-652: A 33–16 victory for the Dragons. On 28 January 2020, Catalans Dragons announced that they had signed Israel Folau despite him holding to the Biblical teaching that those who practice homosexuality without repenting will go to hell (going so far as to suggest that the 2019–20 Australian bushfires were God's judgment on Australia for allowing same sex marriage and abortion). Wigan Warriors responded by saying that their next game against Catalans would be named Pride Day. In 2021 , Catalans won Super League's League Leaders' Shield for

176-587: A drop goal for Wakefield with 15 seconds of the game remaining, to send the game to extra time. Both sides attempted drop goals, but neither team could score any points during the first 5 minutes. In the 9th minute, Gareth O'Brien kicked the winning drop goal for Leigh, to win the match 20-19, and confirm Wakefield's relegation. The end of season awards took place on Tuesday 10 October. The winners were: The Burrow Family Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons ( French : Dragons Catalans , Catalan : Dracs Catalans ) are

220-602: A first-choice player, winning the National League Two Young Player of the Year award in 2008, in which he became the club's record points scorer in a season. Gale's form at Doncaster attracted interest from Super League clubs and he moved to London's Harlequins Rugby League team. Gale spent three years at Harlequins club before signing a two-year contract with Bradford Bulls . Gale immediately became first-choice scrum-half for Bradford, scoring 143 points for

264-553: A last minute try for Wigan, to send the game to extra time. The first attempt at a drop goal, came from Wigan's Harry Smith, but his effort was wide. Hull then had a chance of their own, but Sam Powell charged the kick down, and the first period ended with no scores. With less than 2 minutes of the game remaining, Harry Smith then kicked a drop goal from 45 meters out, to win the game for Wigan 13–12. The Round 25 game between Salford Red Devils and Warrington Wolves on 10 September 2023, finished 20–all after 80 minutes, as Marc Sneyd kicked

308-479: A late penalty goal for Salford, to send the game to extra time. The only attempt at a drop goal came from Marc Sneyd, but his effort hit the post and bounced back into play. With less than 2 minutes of the first period remaining, Joe Burgess made a break for the line, before passing the ball to Sam Stone to score the winning try. The Round 26 game between Leigh Leopards and Wakefield Trinity on 15 September 2023, finished 19–all after 80 minutes, as Luke Gale kicked

352-592: A match ends in a draw after 80 minutes, then a further 10 minutes of golden point extra time is played, to determine a winner (five minutes each way). The first team to score either a try, penalty goal or drop goal during this period, will win the match. However, if there are no further scores during the additional 10 minutes period, then the match will end in a draw. The round 5 game between Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity on 19 March 2023, finished 13–all after 80 minutes. The game then went to extra time, which saw numerous drop goal attempts by both teams. Salford won

396-569: A professional rugby league club from Perpignan , Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. Despite being based in France the club competes in Super League , the top tier of British rugby league Formed after the merger of XIII Catalan and AS Saint-Estève , they have won one French Championship and two Lord Derby Cups . In Britain they have never won the League Championship but have won

440-484: A reserve team for the club. The club set a target for 75% of the players be qualified to play for France . The Catalans are the second French side to play in the Super League. The first, Paris Saint-Germain , lasted only two seasons. Both rugby codes have their stronghold in the southwest of France, with the north favouring association football . To ensure that the Catalans had the best French players available to them,

484-479: A string of high-profile signings from Australia, including Clint Greenshields, Casey McGuire, Jason Croker and Aaron Gorrell, all seasoned NRL campaigners. Gorrell, a goalkicking hooker, impressed in the first month but sustained a bad knee injury in February's win over Leeds and missed the rest of the season. On 10 March 2007, it was announced that Newcastle Knights hooker Luke Quigley would cover Gorrell's absence for

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528-432: A three-year contract with his hometown club Leeds Rhinos for an undisclosed fee. He captained Leeds in the 2020 Challenge Cup final against Salford Red Devils , with Gale scoring the winning drop-goal in the 76th minute of the game to edge Leeds to a 17–16 victory. In July 2021, Gale was stripped of the captaincy, which he later revealed was due to a disagreement with Leeds coach Richard Agar . On 5 November 2021 it

572-457: Is a multipurpose stadium used occasionally for other sports and events. The Stade Gilbert Brutus was opened in 1962 and has hosted mostly rugby league and union and hosted numerous test matches involving the France national team . It was previously the home to Northern Catalonia rugby league team. When the Dragons moved in the capacity was just over 4,000. The Catalans have redeveloped and expanded

616-451: The 2007 season in tenth place. In 2008 , the Catalans secured their first playoff berth by finishing third in the league. They thrashed Warrington 46–8 in their first-ever playoff match on 13 September in Perpignan, but 20 September saw Wigan end up victorious in what had been a close game in the second half of their elimination final, with Wigan winning 50–26. Coach Mick Potter left

660-621: The 2018 Challenge Cup Final , in the process becoming the first non-English team to win the competition. During the 2019 season , Catalans Dragons held their home match against Wigan at the Camp Nou in Barcelona . The match was the first Super League game in Spain and attracted a record attendance for a Super League game, outside of the Grand Final or Magic Weekend , of 31,555. The game resulted in

704-468: The Challenge Cup once. Catalans play home games at Stade Gilbert Brutus . Their traditional home colours are white red and gold. The club was founded in 2000 after the merger of two teams in the area of Perpignan , XIII Catalan and AS Saint-Estève . The merged team took the name Union Treiziste Catalane, often abbreviated to UTC. XIII Catalan were founded in 1935 and thus were founding members of

748-532: The French Championship . During their run, they won 11 French Championships and 11 Lord Derby Cups . AS Saint-Estève were founded in 1965. They won six championships and four Lord Derby Cups. There were two other clubs in the twelve-team competition in Pyrénées-Orientales: Pia XIII and Saint-Cyprien. In 2002 Saint-Cyprien joined the merged UTC side. UTC won the 2005 French Championship and

792-562: The National Leagues , and Harlequins RL , Bradford Bulls , Castleford Tigers and Hull F.C. in the Super League and for Keighley Cougars in the Championship . He played occasionally as a hooker earlier in his career. Gale was born in Leeds, Yorkshire , England on 22 June 1988. A Leeds academy graduate, Gale was sent out on loan to Doncaster in 2007 and established himself as

836-667: The Super League XXVIII season as the club finished bottom of the table and were relegated to the RFL Championship which ended their 24-year stay in the top flight. In the 2024 RFL Championship season, Gale played 25 matches as the club won the 1895 Cup, league leaders shield and the RFL Championship grand final. In 2011 and 2012, Gale played for the England Knights team. He kicked 8 goals, as well as scoring 1 try, in

880-566: The 2004 and 2005 Lord Derby Cups . In 2006, UTC transferred from the French to British rugby league system , joining the Super League XI following a successful application in 2005. They were selected ahead of Toulouse Olympique and Villeneuve Leopards . The club was named Catalans Dragons, while a new club, Saint-Estève XIII Catalan , was formed in the French Championship to serve as

924-636: The Dragons at the end of the 2008 season to replace Daniel Anderson at St Helens. In 2009, they were involved in two historic milestones for the sport of rugby league in Europe. During their match away to the Welsh club Crusaders on 23 May, the two clubs played the first Super League match to not feature an English team. History was also created on 20 June, when the club played in the first Super League game to be played in Spain, at Barcelona 's Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys ,

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968-567: The French rugby league decided to let them sign players from other French clubs without paying a transfer fee. The RFL also made them exempt from relegation for their first three years in Super League . Many at the time believe the Catalans would be joined by other French clubs, but the idea of expanding into France had critics. The Catalans won their first ever Super League match 38–30 against Wigan on 11 February 2006, at Stade Aimé Giral . The club encountered difficulties in their first season in

1012-505: The Knights' 56–4 victory over Ireland in the 2012 European Cup . After an outstanding 2015 Super League season, Gale was named in the senior England team for their end-of-year internationals against France and New Zealand , but did not make an appearance. He was selected again in England's squad for the 2016 Four Nations , making his international début in a test match against France. He

1056-466: The Super League. Many of less experienced French players suffered from tiredness towards the end of an injury-marred campaign. A particular loss included captain Stacey Jones, who missed much of the season with a broken arm. The team finished bottom of the table, but the three-year exemption from relegation kept them in the Super League. The year 2007 saw a strong recruitment by new coach Mick Potter with

1100-414: The club in his début season. He signed a three-year extension to his contract at the start of 2013, however he missed the first three months of the season due to injury and only made 16 appearances in total during the year. Gale missed only one match for Bradford in 2014, however the team struggled on the field and the club was relegated from Super League at the end of the season, following which Gale left

1144-547: The club's general manager about using a new high-speed link between Perpignan and Spain, supposed to start running within two years. In 2016 Catalans Dragons celebrated ten years in the Super League competition. After a recruitment drive, which saw a number of transfers from the NRL, expectations were high. After opening defeats to Wigan and Hull FC, the Dragons edged Leeds 32–28 in round three and then took seven wins from their next eight matches. Following their 42–32 win over Salford at

1188-479: The club. Gale joined Castleford in 2015 as a replacement for the departing Marc Sneyd , and scored a try on his début for the club against Wakefield Trinity . Gale enjoyed a productive season, scoring 205 points and becoming an integral part of the team that narrowly missed out on the Super League semi-finals. His form was recognised as he won the Albert Goldthorpe Medal at the end of the season. Gale

1232-401: The competition. Catalans would go on to lose the 2023 Super League Grand Final 10-2 against Wigan . Catalans became the first team since the Super League era began in 1996 to not score a try in the final. The Catalans moved into the stadium in 2006, when they were accepted into Super League . They ground shared with rugby union side USA Perpignan , which own and operate the stadium, but it

1276-451: The end of April, Laurent Frayssinous' side sat second in the table, level on points with leaders Warrington. However, a series of injury setbacks to key players in the second half of the season saw them drop down the table. Catalans lost their final six regular season games which meant they headed into the Super 8s two points adrift of fourth-placed St Helens. Five defeats from seven saw them finish

1320-530: The first 5 minutes remaining, Liam Farrell scored the match winning try, to win the game 26–22. The round 13 game between Leeds Rhinos and St Helens on 26 May 2023, finished 12-all after 80 minutes. The match then went to golden point, with numerous drop goal attempts from both sides. With 26 seconds of the match remaining, Lewis Dodd kicked a drop goal for Saints, to win the match 13–12. The round 18 game between Wakefield Trinity and Wigan Warriors on 7 July 2023, finished 26–all after 80 minutes. Wigan almost won

1364-418: The first time, following a 31–30 golden point extra time victory over reigning champions St Helens during Magic Weekend . On 9 October 2021, Catalans played in their first ever Super League Grand Final with the opponents being reigning champions St Helens. Catalans lead the match in the second half but a try late to St Helens saw Catalans lose 12–10. In the 2022 Super League season, Catalans finished 4th on

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1408-423: The game 26–24, but were penalised for an off the ball tackle with seconds of the match remaining. Will Dagger kicked a penalty goal on the hooter, to send the game to golden point. The only chance of the game went to Wakefield, with Dagger kicking a drop goal to win the match for Wakefield, 27–26. The round 19 game between Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR on 14 July 2023, finished 18–all after 80 minutes. The first chance of

1452-445: The game came for Hull KR, as Brad Schneider attempted a drop goal attempt, but his effort fell just short. but as Leeds got the ball back, they knocked on from the kick off, and this time, debutant Schneider, kicked the winning DG, to condemn Leeds to their 2nd golden point defeat of the season at Headingley. The Round 22 game between Wigan Warriors and Hull FC on 18 August 2023, finished 12–all after 80 minutes, as Jake Wardle scored

1496-472: The ground to 13,000 since they moved here. Head coach Assistant coaches Luke Gale Luke Gale (born 22 June 1988) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as scrum-half or stand-off for Wakefield Trinity in the RFL Championship . Gale has played for the England Knights and England at international level. Having started his career at Leeds Rhinos , he previously played for Doncaster on loan in

1540-413: The match 14–13 with a drop goal from Marc Sneyd . The round 13 game between Hull Kingston Rovers & Wigan Warriors on 25 May 2023, finished 22–all after 80 minutes, with Abbas Miski scoring a last gasp try on the final hooter, to level the match. The game then went to extra time. The first chance came to Mikey Lewis , as he kicked a drop goal, but his effort hit the post. With less than 20 seconds of

1584-401: The remainder of the campaign, but a number of players sustained injuries throughout the campaign. On 29 July 2007, the Catalans became the first French side and first non-British side to reach the final of the Challenge Cup after beating Wigan 37–24 in the semi-final. The Catalans lost the 2007 Challenge Cup Final against St. Helens at Wembley Stadium on 25 August 2007. They finished

1628-507: The season in sixth place and miss out on a play-off spot. After a difficult two years at Huddersfield, Jodie Broughton's move to the south of France saw him kick-start his career. The winger scored 19 tries in 2016 including four in the Dragons' 30–12 win over St Helens in April. Todd Carney was released after two seasons at Catalans. On 25 August 2018, Catalans Dragons won their first British Rugby League trophy, after defeating Warrington 20–14 in

1672-465: The semi final, losing 6–12 to Catalans Dragons . Leigh Leopards were immediately promoted back to Super League, after they beat Batley Bulldogs 44–12 in the 2022 Championship Grand Final . Wakefield Trinity were relegated from Super League after 24 years. Wigan Warriors defeated Catalans, 10–2 in the Grand Final , to win their 6th super league title, and 23rd overall. The league comprises 12 teams. The regular season comprises 27 rounds. If

1716-404: The table and qualified for the playoffs. The club would be eliminated from the playoffs in the first week, suffering a shock 20-10 loss against Leeds. In the 2023 Super League season, Catalans finished second on the table, equal on points with Wigan who finished first. They would eventually reach the grand final after beating St Helens in the semi-final which ended the clubs four-year dominance of

1760-576: The venue for the 1992 Summer Olympics , against Warrington . The Dragons led 10–6 at halftime, but Warrington finished as the winners 12–24. The purpose of the latter fixture was to promote the sport in Catalonia , with around 1000 tickets being sold in the local area, and the game was televised on the Catalan channel El 33 . Immediately after the game, Walters commented that the event in Spain could become an annual one, apparently complementing comments made by

1804-477: Was announced that he had signed for Hull F.C. in the Super League . In round 1 of the 2022 Super League season, he made his club debut and scored a try in Hull F.C's 16–12 victory over Wakefield Trinity . The following week, he was sent off for a professional foul in the clubs 38–6 loss against St. Helens R.F.C. On 21 February, Gale was suspended for five matches over the red card against St Helens. Gale became

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1848-541: Was lost 24–6 to Leeds Rhinos . Undoubtedly Gale's best performance of the season was in Castleford's 23–22 victory over St Helens in their Betfred Super League semi-final , in which he converted a last-minute penalty to bring the game to golden point extra-time, before scoring the drop-goal which sent Castleford to Old Trafford for the first time in the club's history. Just two weeks beforehand, he had undergone an emergency appendectomy operation. The following week, Gale

1892-472: Was made acting captain for the 2016 season due to injury to Michael Shenton . Another strong season in which he topped the league for try assists saw him retain his Albert Goldthorpe medal. In 2017, Gale played an integral role in guiding Castleford to the League Leaders' Shield , their first piece of major silverware since 1994, as well as leading the team to their maiden Grand Final appearance, which

1936-530: Was named 2017 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel for his performances throughout the season, beating team-mate Zak Hardaker and Hull FC ’s Albert Kelly to the award. He also won the Albert Goldthorpe Medal for a record-breaking third consecutive year. In May 2018, Gale suffered a knee injury which kept him sidelined for three months. He then missed the entire 2019 season after rupturing his achilles tendon in training. In October 2019, Gale signed

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