Today was a significant day in the build up to the 2025 season, and it had nothing to do with on-field action. The much-maligned IMG ratings system has kicked into force and provided us with our twelve Super League sides for next year, while also providing very few real surprises.

Super League will look exactly the way we all thought it would look in 2025, in terms of who will occupy the top tier. Wakefield will replace London, as a grade A team no less, and those who we expected to be near the top of the leaderboard were.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Wakefield and Castleford’s inclusion as Grade A sides, especially given how Cas were outside the twelve in last year’s provisional gradings. For Wakefield it represents the turn-around both on and off the pitch they’ve experienced in the last year, casually strolling through the Championship, picking up three trophies as they went, and signing up genuine Super League experience ahead of their inevitable return to the sport’s top table next season. Castleford’s A licence is a little bit more perplexing on the surface, but should reflect a renewed optimism around the club in recent weeks.

In the end, all but three Super League clubs achieved an A Grade this year. The three that missed out were Huddersfield, Salford, and Hull FC, with Salford sitting at twelfth in the ranking, precariously hanging over the edge into the Championship, above thirteenth-place Toulouse by just .39 of a point, it’s sure to be a nervy season for the Giants and the Reds, as well as FC, but Ian has an in-depth view of their ranking which will be uploaded straight after this, so keep a look out for that for more info.

Of all nine A Grade clubs, St Helens are sitting pretty on top, with 17.02 out of a possible 20, while Castleford just squeak into the A grading with 15.02 points (15 points gets you an A grade). The other clubs to achieve this grade are Wigan, Leeds, Warrington, Hull KR, Catalans, Leigh, and Wakefield, who I mentioned earlier.

Looking further down the rankings, it looks likely that it’ll be Toulouse and London Broncos chasing a return to Super League for 2026, as they occupy ranking numbers 13 and 14, with Toulouse seeming like the more likely of the two to get the nod, given their closeness to twelfth and the gap between them and London in fourteenth. With performance being a big factor in the gradings, both sides will be pushing for the highest-finish possible next season, in the hope of securing a place at the top table of rugby league once again.

Full IMG Ranking List: (Team – Score – Grade)

1. St Helens – 17.02 – A
2. Wigan Warriors – 16.91 – A
3. Leeds Rhinos – 16.84 – A
4. Warrington Wolves – 16.27 – A
5. Hull KR – 15.97 – A
6. Catalans Dragons – 15.52 – A
7. Leigh Leopards – 15.13 – A
8. Wakefield Trinity – 15.09 – A
9. Castleford Tigers – 15.02 – A
10. Hull FC – 14.51 – B
11. Huddersfield Giants – 14.48 – B
12. Salford Red Devils – 13.97 – B
13. Toulouse Olympique XIII – 13.58 – B
14. London Broncos – 12.65 – B
15. York Knights RLFC – 12.42 – B
16. Bradford Bulls – 12.15 – B
17. Barrow Raiders – 11.22 – B
18. Featherstone Rovers – 10.75 – B
19. Keighley Cougars – 9.02 – B
20. Halifax Panthers – 8.79 – B
21. Sheffield Eagles – 8.77 – B
22. Widnes Vikings – 8.60 – B
23. Doncaster RLFC – 7.52 – B
24. Workington Town – 7.26 – C
25. Swinton Lions – 7.15 – C
26. Dewsbury Rams – 7.13 – C
27. Oldham RLFC – 7.00 – C
28. Hunslet RLFC – 6.98 – C
29. Rochdale Hornets – 6.47 – C
30. Midlands Hurricanes – 5.66 – C
31. Cornwall RLFC – 5.29 – C
32. Newcastle Thunder – 5.20 – C
33. North Wales Crusaders – 4.72 – C
34. Batley Bulldogs – Data Incomplete – No Current Score
35. Whitehaven RLFC – Data Incomplete – No Current Score

Written by Nathan Major-Kershaw (Site editor & Hull KR fan)

Source: https://www.rugby-league.com/article/63222/st-helens-top-club-gradings-for-2024