Captain’s Challenge Set to Shake Up Super League in 2025
The Captain's Challenge is making its northern hemisphere Rugby League debut in 2025, starting with the Betfred Super League’s first round in February. This rule, already familiar to fans of the Australian NRL since 2020, allows team captains to contest certain on-field decisions by the referee. The new system will also be in place for televised fixtures in the Betfred Women's Super League and Challenge Cup competitions.
What is the Captain's Challenge?
The Captains Challenge allows each team to challenge referee decisions during the game. However, they only get one unsuccessful challenge per match, so decisions must be made wisely. Successful challenges, however, won’t count against the team’s limit. Captains have a tight 10-second window after a decision is made to lodge their challenge, and it can only be used during stoppages. Some calls, such as forward passes and time-wasting penalties, remain off-limits for challenges.
While the introduction of Captain's Challenge is a major shift, the RFL has opted to maintain current rules around tackling height for now. Despite plans to lower the threshold from shoulder to armpit level, the board decided to stick with the 2024 regulations. This comes after data from instrumented mouthguards showed a significant reduction in concussive incidents last season.
The RFL also announced three other law updates during its board meeting. Among them is the extended use of the green card for injured players, which is now applicable to attackers as well as defenders. Adjustments to the rules on offside kick chasers will allow referees to better differentiate between active and passive players. Changes to drop-outs aim to encourage creativity, offering alternative restarts for certain errors, such as when a drop-out fails to travel 10 meters.
You can see the full details of the Captain’s Challenge policy and the other new laws coming in on the RFL website here.
