Leeds and Warrington thriller is fitting gift on Super League’s 30th birthday
It began with an explosion of noise and a wave of excitement on the fringes of Paris in 1996, and as Super League celebrated its 30th anniversary weekend in the slightly more rugby league-centric surroundings of Leeds on Sunday, it felt an appropriate time not only to look back, but forwards, too.Amid all of the missed opportunities – more on those later – and boardroom frustration that have often dominated the past 30 years in the competition since its seismic switch from winter rugby to summer, one thing Super League has almost always managed to count upon as a consistent force is the entertainment on the field.That was emphasised on Sunday at Headingley, one of the competition’s renowned amphitheatres, when Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves served up a thrilling birthday present with a contender for the standout game of 2026 so far.It was Leeds who edged it, 26-22, just as they have so many times in the past three decades, but both will fancy their chances of silverware this year.Perhaps in a way it was fitting that it was two heartlands clubs who were around in 1996 that were the teams who took to the field on this significant anniversary.
In contrast, 30 years ago, it was Sheffield who were entrusted to travel to Paris Saint-Germain in part because most people around the world had heard of the city.The PSG brand and the French city needed no introduction to casual observers either, with the hope being the French franchise would light the touch paper for rugby league to break free of its constraints from along the M62.That, if we are being honest, has not happened in the way many would have hoped, with rugby league’s plan for expansion never really taking off full sail.Whether it be PSG in the 1990s, Celtic Crusaders in the 2010s or Toronto Wolfpack in more recent years, many projects have arrived with plenty of optimism and ultimately failed or, even worse, disappeared from the game’s footprint.For everything Super League has done well, it has fumbled the concept of expansion, something that was opined this past week by Gary Hetherington, the former Sheffield and Leeds chief executive who is now in charge at London Broncos.
The Broncos will almost certainly become a Super League club and it feels, just as it did in the 90s, that success there could be a gamechanger,But it is not all pessimism and, for all the clamour for geographical expansion, the sport’s heartlands still have plenty to offer,Nobody epitomises the progression since 1996 better than Leeds Rhinos, a club who began the summer era in grave financial difficulty, with a crumbling old stadium and a team who finished third-last in the inaugural Super League campaign,Today, they sit alongside Wigan and St Helens as the heavyweights of the sport,Their famous Headingley home has been redeveloped into one of the game’s best venues, they attract the biggest attendances in the competition and are in contention for a ninth Super League title this year.
If more clubs were like Leeds, perhaps Super League would not need investment by Australia’s National Rugby League.Which takes us to the future and that aforementioned investment from Super League’s sister competition.The Rhinos and the Wolves sit centrally in the blueprint of what the game should look like on a grander scale and, with an offer for investment from the NRL likely to land on the desk of Super League officials in the coming weeks, there is much to ponder.Super League has to strike the delicate balance of maintaining the strength of its biggest clubs such as Leeds and Warrington while also finding a way to cut through into a wider mainstream.Only then will the prophecies of those who devised the decision to change the direction of the game in 1996 come true.
There is much to market and marvel at.English stars such as Jake Connor, Jake Thewlis and George Williams, who all shone on Sunday, are hidden away from wider audiences when their ability feels untapped in terms of underlining how great an on-field product league has.Perhaps the NRL’s riches will finally break down that glass ceiling.Few sports honour their history and heritage quite like rugby league.This has been a great few days to look back and reflect on how far things have come in the past 30 years, but the real challenge now is to look ahead and ensure there is an exciting future over the horizon.
The Guide #236: Is celebrity casting a cynical marketing stunt or does it help to democratise theatre?
Timothée Chalamet might have smirked his way out of an Oscar. Sabrina Carpenter might have been roundly snubbed at the Grammys. But there’s one place both would be welcomed with open arms: the UK theatre scene.It seems we can’t get enough of celebs on stage (acting chops preferable but not mandatory). This week alone, London’s West End features Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, singer Self Esteem and Strictly cutie pie Johannes Radebe
From The Magic Faraway Tree to 5 Seconds of Summer: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
Enid Blyton’s classic kids’ fantasy novel gets the big-screen treatment, while the Aussie boyband hit the UK’s arenasThe Magic Faraway TreeOut now A family relocate to the countryside where they find a magic tree that transports them to a fantasy realm in this family adventure. Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2) adapts the Enid Blyton series for the big screen, with Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy starring as Mr and Mrs Thompson.They Will Kill YouOut now This latest eat-the-rich horror, directed by Kirill Sokolov, pits plucky ex-con Asia (Zazie Beetz) as a woman who answers a bad-faith “help wanted” ad against the inhabitants of a luxurious but demonic New York apartment complex that demands regular human sacrifices from its cult of devotees.SplitsvilleOut now Billed as an unromantic comedy about four people navigating the opportunities and pitfalls of ethical non-monogamy, this modern farce follows two couples as they make up and break up in different combinations. With Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin (who also co-wrote the script) and Michael Angelo Covino (who also directed and co-wrote)
Jimmy Kimmel on Mike Johnson’s new award for Trump: ‘You can almost feel his spine exiting his body’
Late-night hosts mocked the Republican party’s inaugural “America First” award for Donald Trump as he finally reveals the “present” he received from Iran.Jimmy Kimmel had a field day with the Republican National Committee’s inaugural “America First” award, presented to Trump on Wednesday by Mike Johnson, the House speaker, who described the prize as “appropriate for the new golden era in America”.“I can’t figure out who should be more embarrassed: the guy who came up with the new award, or the guy who proudly accepted the new award,” Kimmel laughed.“Watch Mike Johnson here,” he added before a clip of the lawmaker’s speech. “You can almost feel his spine exiting his body
Dark Mofo: 2026 festival to show Willem Dafoe film that can only be watched by one person at a time
A hallucinatory experimental film starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Rampling that can only be watched by one person at a time is heading to Australia as part of Tasmania’s 2026 Dark Mofo festival.It’s estimated that only 500 people in the world have seen French artist Loris Gréaud’s film Sculpt since its premiere at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2016 – although the exact figure is hard to know, since he later gave the files to hackers to distribute over the dark web.But come June, a lucky few can bid to join the film’s rarefied audience, when Gréaud presents a new edit – bemusingly titled Sculpt: Eye of the Duck – to one audience member at a time at a secret location outside of Hobart. It exemplifies the kind of weird and wonderful, rare and had-to-be-there experience that Dark Mofo has become known for.On the morning of each performance, hopeful viewers will be able to queue at a box office in downtown Hobart for one of nine timed, solo-viewing slots that day
Seth Meyers on Donald Trump’s ‘present’ from Iran: ‘Is the president getting catfished?’
Late-night hosts speculated on Donald Trump’s mystery “present” from Iran, as well as his delusions about a war he claims the US is not in.On Wednesday’s Late Night, Seth Meyers reminded viewers, once again, that Donald Trump “promised no more wars in the Middle East” before his recent military strikes on Iran.“But you guys, good news! It’s not a war,” he joked. Instead, according to Trump, it’s an “excursion” or “a little journey” in Iran. “Stop calling it an excursion!” Meyers exclaimed
Will this ‘Doritos-inspired’ hot cross bun cause some spicy full-scale anarchy – or is it merely weird-smelling clickbait?
Alyx, I tried one of the orange bread-things you left in the office kitchen. What was that?That, Julia, was the apotheosis of this year’s Easter rush of frankenfoods, a “Doritos-inspired” cheesy jalapeño hot cross bun. The trend of turning everything into a hot cross bun and turning hot cross buns into everything has been going for a while now, and this year the world’s biggest food companies got on board like brands at a pride parade in 2015.A savoury take is the most obvious of the not-crosses, which is why I bought it, but I also walked past a shelf filled with discounted Iced Vovo hot cross buns, alongside a bunch of other Arnott’s biscuits. If I’d gone to Woolworths instead of Coles, I could have picked up various CadburyxHXB collabs; and Aldi is doing a carrot cake number
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