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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Aaron Bower at Bartercard Odsal Stadium

Is 14 the magic number? Promoted trio make instant Super League impact

Waqa Blake scores a try for Bradford against Toulouse in the Super League
Bradford defeated Toulouse 18-6 in the Super League on Sunday, with Waqa Blake scoring the Bulls’ opening try. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

When the Super League fixtures were released late last year, it was hard not to be drawn to this weekend. Clearly the headline attraction was Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR squaring off in Las Vegas but there was also another game that carried immense intrigue.

Super League’s decision last year to expand to 14 teams was met with scepticism, to say the least. The general feeling was that there simply was not enough quality in the Championship, and with Salford Red Devils going into liquidation due to financial problems, the notion of three second‑tier teams coming up at once did not exactly scream of excitement.

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