1998 Super League Grand Final
24 October 1998 · Old Trafford, Manchester
1998 Super League Grand Final result: Wigan Warriors def. Leeds Rhinos, 10-4, at Old Trafford, Manchester on 24 October 1998.
Sourcing caveat: See the finals-series match report for this fixture for a fuller scoring breakdown, including a note on the two slightly conflicting attendance figures found across sources. No verified direct post-match coach quotes could be located in the sources checked for this Grand Final. Wigan's two centres were previously transposed (Gary Connolly listed as #3, Danny Moore as #4); corrected against the match's own official scoresheet (Connolly #4, Moore #3, rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/2613), supplied directly by the user. That same scoresheet confirms Andy Farrell kicked 3 successful goals but — like every other source checked for this match across multiple sessions — does not record his attempt count, so the goal-kicking-attempts gap remains unresolved rather than a source-availability oversight.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Wigan Warriors | 10 |
| Runner-up | Leeds Rhinos | 4 |
Attendance: 43,533
Super League 1998 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wigan Warriors | 23 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 762 | 222 | +540 | 42 |
| 2 | Leeds Rhinos | 23 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 662 | 369 | +293 | 38 |
| 3 | Halifax Blue Sox | 23 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 658 | 390 | +268 | 36 |
| 4 | St Helens | 23 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 673 | 459 | +214 | 29 |
| 5 | Bradford Bulls | 23 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 498 | 450 | +48 | 24 |
| 6 | Castleford Tigers | 23 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 446 | 522 | -76 | 21 |
| 7 | London Broncos | 23 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 415 | 476 | -61 | 20 |
| 8 | Sheffield Eagles | 23 | 8 | 2 | 13 | 495 | 541 | -46 | 18 |
| 9 | Hull Sharks | 23 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 421 | 574 | -153 | 16 |
| 10 | Warrington Wolves | 23 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 411 | 645 | -234 | 15 |
| 11 | Salford Reds | 23 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 319 | 575 | -256 | 13 |
| 12 | Huddersfield Giants | 23 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 288 | 825 | -537 | 4 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 5 (Top-Five play-off format) that season.
Finals series
Elimination Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 1998 | St Helens 46–24 Bradford Bulls | Knowsley Road, St Helens | 8,393 |
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 1998 | Leeds Rhinos 13–6 Halifax Blue Sox | Headingley, Leeds | 10,451 |
Elimination Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Oct 1998 | Halifax Blue Sox 30–37 St Helens | The Shay, Halifax | 5,451 |
Qualifying Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct 1998 | Wigan Warriors 17–4 Leeds Rhinos | Central Park, Wigan | 12,941 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1998 | Leeds Rhinos 44–16 St Helens | Headingley, Leeds | 13,233 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Oct 1998 | Wigan Warriors 10–4 Leeds Rhinos | Old Trafford, Manchester | 43,533 |
Match officials
| Referee | Russell Smith |
Scorers
| Wigan Warriors | Tries: Jason Robinson — minute unconfirmed Goals: Andy Farrell (3/UNCONFIRMED) |
| Leeds Rhinos | Tries: Richie Blackmore — minute unconfirmed |
Teams
| Wigan Warriors | Leeds Rhinos | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kris Radlinski | Fullback | Iestyn Harris | 1 |
| 2 | Jason Robinson | Wing | Leroy Rivett | 22 |
| 4 | Gary Connolly | Centre | Richie Blackmore | 3 |
| 3 | Danny Moore | Centre | Brad Godden | 4 |
| 5 | Mark Bell | Wing | Francis Cummins | 5 |
| 6 | Henry Paul | Five-eighth | Daryl Powell (c) | 13 |
| 7 | Tony Smith | Halfback | Ryan Sheridan | 7 |
| 16 | Terry O'Connor | Front row | Martin Masella | 8 |
| 9 | Robbie McCormack | Hooker | Terry Newton | 21 |
| 10 | Tony Mestrov | Front row | Darren Fleary | 25 |
| 17 | Stephen Holgate | Second row | Adrian Morley | 11 |
| 20 | Lee Gilmour | Second row | Anthony Farrell | 17 |
| 13 | Andy Farrell (c) | Lock | Marc Glanville | 12 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 25 | Paul Johnson | Marcus St Hilaire | 24 | |
| 12 | Simon Haughton | Graham Holroyd | 14 | |
| 14 | Mick Cassidy | Andy Hay | 27 | |
| 8 | Neil Cowie | Jamie Mathiou | 20 | |
| John Monie | Coach | Graham Murray | ||
Harry Sunderland Trophy
Jason Robinson (Wigan Warriors). Robinson won the Harry Sunderland Trophy — an award predating Super League itself, first presented in 1964-65, not renamed the Rob Burrow Award until 2024 — after scoring Wigan's decisive try.
Match context
Wigan Warriors beat Leeds Rhinos 10-4 at Old Trafford in the first-ever Super League Grand Final — the first time the British top-flight title had been decided by a finals series rather than regular-season table position since before the 1996 formation of Super League. Jason Robinson's try settled the contest after Richie Blackmore had put Leeds ahead; Andy Farrell's kicking provided the winning margin. Wigan had finished top of the regular-season table, and reached the Grand Final directly via a bye and the Qualifying Semi-Final under the Top-Five play-off format's bracket, which gave the top seed a week-one bye. Jason Robinson won the Harry Sunderland Trophy.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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