Sunday 19 October 2014 21:18, UK
Super League champions St Helens will open the defence of their title against Catalans Dragons, who were their last opponents at Langtree Park in 2014.
The Dragons' playoff run was ended by a 30-12 semi-final defeat at Saints earlier this month and they will have their chance for revenge in the opening round of the new season on Friday February 6.
Grand Final runners-up Wigan will kick off the new 12-team competition at Widnes 24 hours earlier in the first of a series of regular Sky Live Thursday matches.
There is also a Castleford-Wakefield derby in the opening round of fixtures, while Huddersfield host Hull, Leeds go to Hull KR and Warrington are at home to Salford.
The league structure allows for changes that will bring unprecedented levels of excitement, drama and jeopardy to a game that has an unrivalled ability to deliver world-class sporting action.
The first Grand Final rematch will be at the DW Stadium on Good Friday, April 3 with the teams playing the return fixture on June 12.
Wigan forward Ben Flower, who was sent off in the third minute of his side's 14-6 defeat by Saints at Old Trafford earlier this month for punching Lance Hohaia, will miss the first rematch as part of his six-month suspension.
Flower must sit out the first 10 rounds of Super League, in addition to two pre-season games and Wigan's World Club Series clash with Brisbane Broncos, and could make his return against Warrington - a repeat of the 2013 Grand Final - at the DW Stadium on Thursday April 16.
Hohaia will be free to play in Saints' opening game of the season after serving his one-match ban, imposed for a forearm strike which provoked Flower, in pre-season.
Super League will take a break after the opening two rounds for the new World Club Series involving the two Grand Finalists and Warrington against Australian opposition and round 16 will be taken en masse to Newcastle's St James' Park for the Magic Weekend on the last weekend of May.
The regular season will end, after 23 fixtures, on the weekend of July 26, when Super League and the 12-team Championship will be split into three pools of eight to determine both the Super League title, via a four-team playoff, and the make-up of the top division for 2016.
Super League general manager Blake Solly said: "2015 is going to be a momentous year.
"The league structure allows for changes that will bring unprecedented levels of excitement, drama and jeopardy to a game that has an unrivalled ability to deliver world-class sporting action."
Super League's top eight clubs from 2014 will have a bye into the sixth round of the Challenge Cup, with the other four entering the knockout competition a round earlier, and the final will be held at Wembley on August 29.
The Super League Grand Final will be at Old Trafford on October 10.
The Championship kicks off on the weekend of February 14, with relegated pair Bradford and London Broncos opening up against champions Leigh and Doncaster respectively, and reaches a climax with the final on the weekend of October 4.
Newcomers Coventry Bears will open their League 1 campaign with a home match against Oxford on April 3.
Super League Round 1 fixtures:
Feb 5: Widnes Vikings v Wigan Warriors - 8.00pm - live on Sky
Feb 6: St Helens v Catalans Dragons - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Feb 8: Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Wildcats - 3.30pm
Feb 8: Huddersfield Giants v Hull FC - 3.00pm
Feb 8: Hull KR v Leeds Rhinos - 3.00pm
Feb 8: Warrington Wolves v Salford Red Devils - 3.00pm
Round 2:
Feb 12: Salford Red Devils v St Helens - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Feb 12: Hull FC v Warrington Wolves - 8.00pm
Feb 13: Leeds Rhinos v Widnes Vikings - 8.00pm
Feb 13: Wigan Warriors v Huddersfield Giants - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Feb 14: Catalans Dragons v Castleford Tigers - 6.00pm – live on Sky
Feb 15: Wakefield Wildcats v Hull KR - 3.00pm
Round 3:
Feb 26: Leeds Rhinos v Huddersfield Giants - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Feb 27: St Helens v Castleford Tigers - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Feb 28: Catalans Dragons v Warrington Wolves - 6.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 1: Hull KR v Wigan Warriors - 3.00pm
Mar 1: Salford Red Devils v Hull FC - 3.00pm
Mar 1: Widnes Vikings v Wakefield Wildcats - 3.00pm
Round 4:
Mar 5: Hull FC v Leeds Rhinos - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 6: Wakefield Wildcats v St Helens - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 7: Catalans Dragons v Salford Red Devils - 6.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 8: Castleford Tigers v Wigan Warriors - 3.30pm
Mar 8: Huddersfield Giants v Widnes Vikings - 3.00pm
Mar 8: Warrington Wolves v Hull KR - 3.00pm
Round 5:
Mar 12: Huddersfield Giants v Castleford Tigers - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 13: Warrington Wolves v Leeds Rhinos - 8.00pm - live on Sky
Mar 13: Wigan Warriors v Hull FC - 8.00pm
Mar 15: Hull KR v Catalans Dragons - 3.00pm
Mar 15: Salford Red Devils v Wakefield Wildcats - 3.00pm
Mar 15: Widnes Vikings v St Helens - 3.00pm
Round 6:
Mar 19: St Helens v Warrington Wolves - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 20: Hull FC v Catalans Dragons - 8.00pm
Mar 20: Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 22: Castleford Tigers v Salford Red Devils - 3.30pm
Mar 22: Wakefield Wildcats v Huddersfield Giants - 3.00pm
Mar 22: Widnes Vikings v Hull KR - 3.00pm
Round 7:
Mar 26: Salford Red Devils v Widnes Vikings - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 27: Castleford Tigers v Hull FC - 8.00pm
Mar 27: Hull KR v St Helens - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Mar 27: Warrington Wolves v Huddersfield Giants - 8.00pm
Mar 27: Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Wildcats - 8.00pm
Mar 28: Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos - 6.00pm – live on Sky
Round 8:
Apr 2: Hull FC v Hull KR - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Apr 2: Wakefield Wildcats v Catalans Dragons - 8.00pm
Apr 2: Widnes Vikings v Warrington Wolves - 8.00pm
Apr 3: Castleford Tigers v Leeds Rhinos – TBC – live on Sky
Apr 3: Huddersfield Giants v Salford Red Devils - 6pm
Apr 3: Wigan Warriors v St Helens – TBC – live on Sky
Round 9:
Apr 6: Catalans Dragons v Widnes Vikings – TBC – live on Sky
Apr 6: Hull KR v Huddersfield Giants – TBC
Apr 6: Leeds Rhinos v Wakefield Wildcats - 3.00pm
Apr 6: Salford Red Devils v Wigan Warriors - TBC
Apr 6: St Helens v Hull FC – TBC
Apr 6: Warrington Wolves v Castleford Tigers – TBC – live on Sky
Round 10:
Apr 10: Hull FC v Widnes Vikings - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Apr 11: Castleford Tigers v Hull KR – TBC – live on Sky
Apr 12: Huddersfield Giants v St Helens -3.00pm
Apr 12: Salford Red Devils v Leeds Rhinos - 3.00pm
Apr 12: Warrington Wolves v Wakefield Wildcats - 3.00pm
Apr 12: Wigan Warriors v Catalans Dragons - 3.00pm
Round 11:
Apr 16: Wigan Warriors v Warrington Wolves - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Apr 17: St Helens v Leeds Rhinos - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Apr 19: Huddersfield Giant v Catalans Dragons - 3.00pm
Apr 19: Hull KR v Salford Red Devils - 3.00pm
Apr 19: Wakefield Wildcats v Hull FC - 3.00pm
Apr 19: Widnes Vikings v Castleford Tigers - 3.00pm
Round 12:
Apr 23: Wakefield Wildcats v Wigan Warriors - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Apr 24: Hull FC v Huddersfield Giants - 8.00pm
Apr 24: Leeds Rhinos v Warrington Wolves - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Apr 24: St Helens v Widnes Vikings - 8.00pm
Apr 25: Catalans Dragons v Hull KR - 6.00pm - live on Sky
Apr 26: Salford Red Devils v Castleford Tigers - 3.00pm
Round 13:
Apr 30: Huddersfield Giants v Leeds Rhinos - 8.00pm – live on Sky
May 1: Hull FC v Salford Red Devils - 8.00pm
May 1: St Helens v Wakefield Wildcats - 8.00pm
May 1: Wigan Warriors v Hull KR - 8.00pm
May 3: Castleford Tigers v Catalans Dragons - 3.30pm
May 3: Warrington Wolves v Widnes Vikings - 3.00pm
Round 14:
May 7: Hull KR v Wakefield Wildcats -8.00pm – live on Sky
May 8: Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 8.00pm
May 9: Catalans Dragons v St Helens - 6.00pm – live on Sky
May 10: Salford Red Devils v Huddersfield Giants - 3.00pm
May 10: Warrington Wolves v Hull FC - 3.00pm
May 10: Widnes Vikings v Leeds Rhinos - 3.00pm
Round 15:
May 21: Castleford Tigers v Huddersfield Giants - 8.00pm – live on Sky
May 22: Hull FC v St Helens - 8.00pm
May 22: Leeds Rhinos v Hull KR - 8.00pm
May 22: Salford Red Devils v Warrington Wolves - 8.00pm
May 23: Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors - 6.00pm – live on Sky
May 24: Wakefield Wildcats v Widnes Vikings - 3.00pm
Round 16:
Magic fixtures to be played at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park on weekend of May 30/31
Round 17:
Jun 4: Widnes Vikings v Hull FC - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Jun 5: St Helens v Salford Red Devils - 8.00pm
Jun 7: Huddersfield Giants v Wigan Warriors - 3.00pm
Jun 7: Hull KR v Castleford Tigers - 3.00pm
Jun 7: Wakefield Wildcats v Leeds Rhinos - 3.00pm
Jun 7: Warrington Wolves v Catalans Dragons - 3.00pm
Round 18:
Jun 11: Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Jun 12: St Helens v Wigan Warriors - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Jun 13: Catalans Dragons v Hull FC - 6.00pm - live on Sky
Jun 14: Huddersfield Giants v Warrington Wolves - 3.00pm
Jun 14: Hull KR v Widnes Vikings -3.00pm
Jun 14: Wakefield Wildcats v Salford Red Devils - 3.00pm
Round 19:
Jun 18: Castleford Tigers v St Helens - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Jun 19: Wigan Warriors v Salford Red Devils - 8.00pm
Jun 20: Catalans Dragons v Wakefield Wildcats - 6.00pm – live on Sky
Jun 21: Hull KR v Warrington Wolves - 3.00pm
Jun 21: Leeds Rhinos v Hull FC - 3.00pm
Jun 21: Widnes Vikings v Huddersfield Giants - 3.00pm
Round 20:
Jul 2: Warrington Wolves v Wigan Warriors - 8.00pm - live on Sky
Jul 3: Hull FC v Wakefield Wildcats - 8.00pm
Jul 3: Leeds Rhinos v St Helens - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Jul 5: Castleford Tigers v Widnes Vikings - 3.30pm
Jul 5: Huddersfield Giants v Hull KR - 3.00pm
Jul 5: Salford Red Devils v Catalans Dragons - 3.00pm
Round 21:
Jul 9: Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Jul 10: Hull FC v Castleford Tigers - 8.00pm
Jul 10: St Helens v Huddersfield Giants - 8.00pm
Jul 12: Salford Red Devils v Hull KR - 3.00pm
Jul 12: Wakefield Wildcats v Warrington Wolves - 3.00pm
Jul 12: Widnes Vikings v Catalans Dragons - 3.00pm
Round 22:
Jul 16: Warrington Wolves v St Helens - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Jul 17: Wigan Warriors v Widnes Vikings - 8.00pm
Jul 17: Leeds Rhinos v Salford Red Devils - 8.00pm
Jul 17: Catalans Dragons v Huddersfield Giants - 6.00pm – live on Sky
Jul 19: Hull KR v Hull FC - 3.00pm
Jul 19: Wakefield Wildcats v Castleford Tigers - 3.00pm
Round 23:
Jul 23: Hull FC v Wigan Warriors - 8.00pm – live on Sky
Jul 24: St Helens v Hull KR - 8.00pm
Jul 26: Castleford Tigers v Warrington Wolves - 3.30pm
Jul 26: Huddersfield Giants v Wakefield Wildcats - 3.00pm
Jul 26: Leeds Rhinos v Catalans Dragons - 3.00pm
Jul 26: Widnes Vikings v Salford Red Devils - 3.00pm
