After six rounds of Super League, it’s fair to say that a lot of fans and media have been forced to eat a slice of humble pie, with the three promoted sides proving their pre-season doubters wrong.
York Knights, Toulouse Olympique and Bradford Bulls already have at least two wins under their belt, with the Bulls securing a third victory after defeating Huddersfield Giants in round five.
You could also argue that they should have more, with York losing by just one point to Wigan and Bradford being level with Hull FC until the final few minutes in round one.
All three sides have shown they can add something to the competition and at this early stage look more than capable of finishing above the foot of the table – something most people predicted them to do before a ball was kicked.
But, just how impressive are the three clubs’ starts?
We have taken a look back at how the past 10 promoted teams, dating back to Widnes Vikings in 2012, started their respective competitions and have compared them with the first six games of our three newbies of 2026.
Both Toulouse and York currently sit in the table 10th and 11th respectively, and are level of points with champions Hull KR, Leigh and Castleford.
Five of the last 10 teams have matched that tally, with those being Leigh Leopards (2017 and 2023), Hull KR (2018), London Broncos (2019) and Wakefield Trinity (2025).
Widnes (2012), Toronto (2020), Leigh (2021), Toulouse (2022) and London (2024) all achieved either zero or one win from their opening six matches, meaning that all three sides have done better than half of their recent counterparts.
Of those who had two wins, only London (2019) had a worse points difference than Toulouse and the Knights, meaning that of the last 13 promoted sides, the pair rank 6th and 7th respectively.
Moving on to Bradford, who have secured wins over Huddersfield, Catalans and Toulouse, they are tied with three other sides over the past decade to have a 5o% win rate at this stage.
Leigh’s sides of 2017 and 2023, as well as Wakefield last season, all achieved the same feat, but Bradford have a better points difference at this stage, meaning they have had the best start to any promoted side since 2010.
The Bulls have certainly hit the ground running as they return to Super League for the first time in 12 years, and they will be looking to improve their tally this week as they host Leeds Rhinos in the highly-anticipated derby clash at Odsal on Good Friday.
How the last 10 promoted sides fared in their opening six matches:
1st: Bradford Bulls (2026) – P6 W3 L3 – 6pts – +19 PD
2nd: Wakefield Trinity (2025) – P6 W3 L3 – 6pts – +16 PD
3rd: Leigh Centurions (2017) – P6 W3 L3 – 6pts – +1 PD
4th: Leigh Leopards (2023) – P6 W3 L3 – 6pts – -15 PD
5th: Hull KR (2018) – P6 W2 L4 4pts -6 PD
6th: Toulouse Olympique (2026) – P6 W2 L4 – 4pts – -33 PD
7th: York Knights (2026) – P6 W2 L4 – 4pts – -51 PD
8th: London Broncos (2019) – P6 W2 L4 – 4pts – -74 PD
9th: Toulouse Olympique (2022) – P6 W1 L5 – 2pts – -79 PD
10th: Widnes Vikings (2012) – P6 W1 L5 – 2pts – -161 PD
11th: Leigh Centurions (2021) – P6 W0 L6 – 0pts – -120 PD
12th: Toronto Wolfpack (2020) – P6 W0 L6 – 0pts – -144 PD
13th: London Broncos (2024) – P6 W0 L6 – 0pts – -186 PD
