What Rugby League used to look like: History to repeat itself?

Last week, a document was leaked, detailing the potential resumption of the Super League. Either scenario will see Super League carry on into winter.

The third option in particular, may bring back memories for fans of a certain age of the 1995/96 season.

Rugby League was about to undergo a radical transformation, with the creation of the Super League, that would see the season go from winter to summer.

Not only that, the top division would be going from 16 teams, to 12. 11 of those teams competed in the final winter season.

That season ran from August to January, the same as Option Three, with midweek and weekend fixtures. No teams were promoted or relegated.

It was also broken up by the 1995 World Cup, which took place in October.

There was a frantic period around that time, as players only had three months following the conclusion of that season before the start of the Super League, a month less than normal. And that was with a World Cup sandwiched in the middle.

As a result, the inaugural Super League season saw some notable differences in the table. It saw Warrington, Bradford and London performing at a higher level, while Leeds, Halifax and Castleford slipped down the table.

It is likely a repeat could happen, as there would not be a big turnover between the 2020 and 2021 seasons this time around, should the seasons carry on.

With that in mind, could there a be a new name on the Super League Trophy in the near future?