By JOHN DAVIDSON
THE heavens opened.
And then they opened some more. As the meteorologists will tell you, it’s rained every day of this month so far in England. But a constant downpour of H2O was not going to stop history being made in York (again).
Super League has been a long-time coming for the ancient Knights. The first York club goes back to the 1860s, even before the Northern Union broke away from the RFU. But it’s been more than a century of struggle and heartbreak for the amber and black.
First as Ryedale-York, then as the Wasps and now as Knights, the club has battled again and again, suffered its share of financial trouble and administration issues. They’ve never won a top flight league championship, or a Challenge Cup and the silverware cabinet only holds a few Yorkshire Cups from the 1920s and 1930s, and a few lower league titles.
They have always been more Washington Generals than Harlem Globetrotters.
But more recently, times have been better. Since 2018 they’ve won League One, the Championship’s League Leader’s Shield and the 1895 Cup. And that upward mobility, complete with new owners and a shiny new stadium, has now been rewarded with a spot in Super League for the first time.
February 12, 2026, marked the visit of Hull KR and their Super League debut. After 31 years, York had finally made it.
For a sport and a competition desperate to modernise and grow, York is one of the poster children. Their long history has not been glorious but they have one important quality – potential.
The city on the river Ouse has a population of around 141,000 and is one of the most popular tourist locations in the UK. With its cathedral, its Roman and Viking history, its cobbled streets and walls, York attracts around nine million tourists each year. Locals understandably love it too.
The north Yorkshire city is also unique in that it doesn’t have a dominant professional sporting team, a football club in the Premier League or EFL, or a rugby union equivalent. It is a university city, and a largely affluent place without a dominant sporting code.
Rugby league in England and Super League is crying out for more big-city clubs, and York is just that. This meant the LNER Stadium was the perfect place to launch the 2026 campaign and celebrate 30 years of Super League.
With the defending champions as the visitors, and with the Knights fielding several players who plied their trade in the Championships last year, most expected Hull KR to dominate on opening night. Some scribes tipped the Robins by 18, other pundits by even more. The bookies had the red and white firm favourites.
A York upset victory was never even considered by most.
But that is why we love sport.
As the rain pummelled down, disaster hit for Hull KR. They lost Dean Hadley in the warm-up, with Jack Brown replacing him. Then Jez Litten went off early for a HIA and York’s defence would not be beaten. Mark Applegarth’s men huffed and puffed and refused to have their house broken down.
With the slippery conditions, Hull KR were not as slick as they were five months ago. Their discipline at times was poor. The Knights would not yield and in 18 minutes, they made history with the first York Super League try. Paul McShane darted from dummy half and found ex-Hull KR centre Sam Wood for the opening try.
Four-nil and a stadium erupted.
The four-pointer electrified the hosts. They went close to a second try, but Tom Davies managed to snuff it out in the corner with a great tackle.
Hull KR lifted and worked York downfield. They had set after set on the Knights’ line,but couldn’t prise an opening. York’s spirit was sensational.
Finally, the response came. A huge hit-up from Jai Whitbread tied it up with six minutes left in the first half. Rhyse Martin’s conversion made it 6-4 to the champs, before Liam Harris tied it with a penalty goal right before the break.
The second half kicked off and the Knights’ intensity remained high. But eventually, the class of the 2025 treble winners proved telling. In the 49th minute Whitbread barged over again, and then Jesse Sue dived over. With 25 minutes to go it was 18-6.
A brain explosion trip by Mikey Lewis saw the Hull KR halfback sit on the pine for 10. The home team had an extra man. There was still life left in them. As the clock hit 67 minutes Liam Harris dummied and then passed for Wood to grab his second. Harris converted and suddenly it was 18-12.
The seconds ticked away, the rain continued to fall and then came the miracle third try. The York grubber came in behind the defence and Scott Galeano grounded it. The LNER erupted again. Harris had the chance to tie it up with five minutes left and… he nailed it. 18-18.
More drama was to come, with Ato Hingano knocking over a drop goal with four minutes to go to amazingly give York the lead. Miracles do happen.
It might only be round one, but York were ecstatic and rightly so. This was a historic victory that was richly deserved. More power to them.
This is just the first small step for York on a bigger stage. The best is yet to come. Forget Jerusalem or Constantinople, a bright new crusade has begun for the Knights. All aboard.
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