The Super League Points Exodus

In 2025, my perception was that Super League was becoming a lower scoring competition by comparison to years gone by. So I decided to dig a little deeper...

Round 1 contained two aberrations with Leigh's 1-0 victory at Wigan and St Helens' 82-0 win over Salford, which cancelled each other out.

So far in Super League 2025, the average points per game is 39.

Of course, with us only being 5 rounds into Super League it is too early to draw conclusions and this total may go up or down. But we can look at the data from previous seasons (which I have sourced from the excellent Rugby League Project).

Full disclosure, as data for all seasons is not available I have used the years 2000 - 2004, 2010 - 2014 and 2020 - 2024 as comparators. Is my perception correct that average points totals are decreasing? The answer is yes.

Between 2000 and 2004, the average points per game fluctuated between 57.17 and 58.78. Between 2010 and 2014, the average points per game was between 55.02 and 62.4.

For the last four full seasons (between 2020 and 2024), the average points per game was between 46.4 and 51.15. The chart above shows a gradual decline and the 2025 average is lower still. Though with the summer months to go, you would expect the presently very low figure to increase.

With average points per game on the decline, this prompted a second question - is the average margin of victory in Super League reducing too? My perception was yes but I was surprised that the answer was, in fact, no.

Again, after just five rounds it is too early to draw conclusions for this season but for completeness the average winning margin this season so far is 17. This is around the usual level.

So what is going on? We are seeing fewer points in Super League than ever before but with a static average margin of victory.

There could be several reasons for this. The ruck in Super League is far slower than the early days of the competition. The logical follow on from this is defensive lines are more set, with fewer gaps and therefore are harder to break down.

Or are coaches and teams prioritising defence over attack in a way that they didn't in years gone by?

And this is before we get onto the bigger question. Is seeing fewer points a good or a bad thing? That is down to personal perception.

Sometimes I find low scoring games to be gripping and entertaining, such as the Leeds v Wigan match from the weekend. On other occasions, such as Catalans v Leeds two weeks ago, they can prove exceptionally turgid affairs.

When it comes to higher scoring matches, I feel there is a balance to be struck. Hull FC v Leigh finished 22-22 earlier this year (above the average points total for 2025 so far) and I have not enjoyed a match so much in a long time. 

One of my favourite matches of all time was Penrith v Brisbane in the 2023 NRL Grand Final, which finished 26-24.

But when games get into both teams scoring 30 points or more, it can feel that points are too easy to come by and that dilutes the importance of scoring a try.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think of the declining number of points scored in Super League? Is it a good thing, a bad thing, or is it immaterial? Feel free to comment on this post or join the conversation on Twitter.