The 2018 Super 8s are the fourth season of the Rugby Football League domestic competition, in which the format of splitting teams after a certain number of games have been played.
The format is employed across all three divisions, and is used to decide championships, promotion and relegation.[1]
For the clubs in Super League XXIII the split comes after 23 games. The top eight clubs will then play each other once more, before the top four teams enter the playoffs for a place in the Super League Grand Final. In this group, points amassed during the regular season are carried forward to the Super 8 stage.
The four teams finishing bottom of the Super League after 23 rounds go into a group of eight teams, with the four teams who finished top of the Championship. Again, the teams play each other once more, with the top three finishers after this stage, plus the winner of the Million Pound Game, joining the top three teams in Super League XXIV, while the other four will play in the 2019 Championship. This group of eight is also known as The Qualifiers, and is the only Super 8 group in which points amassed during the regular season are not carried forward to the group stage.
The other eight teams in the Championship compete for the Championship Shield, with the top four going through to the Shield play-off semi-finals. The two teams finishing bottom of this group are relegated to League 1.
In League 1, the top eight teams after the regular season of 15 games form a group. Thehe team finishing top of this Super 8 group, will automatically be promoted to the 2019 Championship with the next four teams going through to the play-off semi-finals.
The bottom eight teams in League 1 play each other for the League 1 Shield in a format identical to the Championship Shield, except that there is no relegation from League 1.
The Super League Super 8s sees the top eight teams from the Super League play seven games each. Each teams points are carried over and after seven rounds the top four teams will contest the play off semi-finals with the team finishing first hosting the team in fourth, and the team finishing second hosting the third placed team; the winners of these semi-finals will contest the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.
The Qualifiers Super 8s sees the bottom 4 teams from Super League table join the top 4 teams from the Championship. The points totals are reset to zero and each team plays seven games each, playing every other team once. After seven games each the teams finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd will gain qualification to the 2019 Super League season. The teams finishing 4th and 5th will play in the "Million Pound Game" at the home of the 4th place team which will earn the winner a place in Super League XXIV; the loser, along with teams finishing 6th, 7th and 8th, will be relegated to the Championship for 2019.
At the end of the regular season the bottom 8 Championship teams play each other once more, home or away. The bottom two teams are then relegated to League 1 and the top four teams qualify for the play-offs for the Championship Shield.
The top eight teams in League 1 carry points forward and play each other once more home or away. After seven games the top team will be promoted to the Championship for 2019 while the teams finishing second to fifth will enter the playoffs.
Template:2018 League 1 Super 8s results
The bottom eight teams compete in the League 1 Shield where they play each other once more home or away. The top two teams compete for the League 1 Shield.
Template:2018 League 1 Shield results
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